Rho Mu

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Here are some favorites students and faculty have enjoyed:

Atonement by Ian McEwan - Critics from the New York Times note that McEwan is writing at the peak of his powers. Atonement is absolutely a masterwork, as McEwan places readers in the bosom of an English gentry family on the eve of World War II. The first section, told from the perspective of the family’s youngest daughter, brilliantly constructs the point of view of a child on the cusp of creative ability and personal maturity; her growth, however, crashes into a terrible night, when she betrays a trusted family friend who is the son of their gardener. Class, sexual mores, eye witness accounts, and the burden of family intersect in an explosion of emotion, denial and betrayal. McEwan then turns the readers to the perspective of other characters, and ultimately questions the nature of visual truth, the impact of imagination, and the parallel violences of war and family. A superb achievement.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath - It provides powerful insight into the inner workings of the modern American Woman. The narrator’s response to the multiple pressures of femininity and young adult growth are engaging and unique. It’s a quick read and Plath has a unique style.

Bird by Bird: a reflection on writing and life by Anne Lamott - It’s a well written, practical, witty book about being a writer.

Empire Falls by Richard Russo - Russo sets his novel in a post-industrial Maine town – the town’s café, its owner and his family intersect with the town’s former robber baron, whose textile mill looms in desolation over the town. Russo weaves family problems (divorce, adolescence, child abuse, violence in schools) with the economic woes of small New England hamlets still fixated with past glory. We see the past in a digression focusing on the robber baron, and Russo then offers us the personal and economic ramifications of his decisions. An excellent novel: poignant, gritty, and, ultimately, infused with hope.

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom - It's a wonderful story of a family that stood up for their belief that all human beings are valuable and paid a costly price during World War II as Hitler’s regime captured Holland. Corrie Ten Boom uses imagery and an amazing story-telling style to explain the lessons she learned through the horror of the war and eventually concentration camps. Her story is one of success and heartache that moves the reader to greater understanding of the human spirit.