The college's faculty are reading more than assignments and research papers this fall semester. We've compiled a list of book recommendations our new faculty are currently enjoying (plus a few extra)!

Acres of Diamonds 

By Russell Conwell

Synopsis: Why was Russell Conwell, the founder of Temple University, referred to as the penniless millionaire? This, along with other questions, will be answered in this revolutionary book that contains Conwell's classic Acres of Diamonds message. Readers will discover how this lawyer, minister, writer, educator and diplomat who represented the City of Brotherly Love left a legacy that is still changing countless lives today.*

Arthur Dowdy, PhD, BDBA-D, is currently reading this book.

All God's Dangers: The Life of Nate Shaw

By Theodore Rosengarten

Synopsis: This triumphant autobiography, assembled from the 84 year-old Shaw's oral reminiscences, is the plainspoken story of an "over average" man who witnessed momentous changes in the lives of southern people, black and white, and whose unassuming courage helped bring those changes about.*

Meghan Raisch, PhD, is currently reading this book.

The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity

By Nadine Burke Harris

Synopsis: When a young boy walked into Harris's clinic he looked healthy for a preschooler. But he was seven, and hadn't grown a centimetre since a traumatic event when he was four. At that moment, Harris knew that her gut feeling about a connection between childhood stress and future ill health was more than just a hunch, and she began her journey into groundbreaking research with stunning results. **

The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children

By Gloria Ladson-Billings

Synopsis: Education, like electricity, needs a conduit, a teacher, through which to transmit its power, i.e., the discovery and continuity of information, knowledge, wisdom, experience and culture. Through the stories and experiences of eight successful teacher-transmitters, The Dreamkeepers keeps hope alive for educating young African Americans.**

Galileo's Middle Finger 

By Alice Dreger 

Synopsis: Galileo's Middle Finger is a book about the ethics of medical research by Dreger, an American bioethicist and author. Dreger explores the relationship between science and social justice by discussing a number of scientific controversies.**

Jason Travers, PhD, BCBA-D is reading this book.

Integrating the Learning of Mathematics and Science Using Interactive Teaching and Learning Strategies

By Mark H. Holmes

Synopsis: To help students grasp the intimate connections that exist between mathematics and its applications in other disciplines a library of interactive learning modules was developed. This library covers the mathematical areas normally studied by undergraduate students and is used in science courses at all levels. Synopsis taken from abstract.

Sue Kelley, PhD, is currently reading this article.

Just Medicine: A Cure for Racial Inequality in American Health Care

By Dayna Bowen Matthew

Synopsis: Over 84,000 black and brown lives are needlessly lost each year due to health disparities. Health disparities have remained stubbornly entrenched in the American healthcare system. In Just Medicine, Matthew finds that they principally arise from unconscious racial and ethnic biases held by physicians, institutional providers and their patients.**

Paul Jones, PhD, is currently reading this book.

The Nurture Effect: How the Science of Human Behavior Can Improve Our Lives and Our World

By Anthony Biglan

Synopsis: A fascinating look at the evolution of behavioral science, the revolutionary way it's changing the way we live, and how nurturing environments can increase people's well-being in virtually every aspect of our society, from early childhood education to corporate practices. **

Upstream: The Quest to Solve Problems Before They Happen

By Dan Heath

Synopsis: New York Times bestselling author, Heath, explores how to prevent problems before they happen, drawing on insights from hundreds of interviews with unconventional problem solvers. *

Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? 

By Beverly Daniel Tatum

Synopsis: Walk into any racially mixed high school and you will see black, white, and latino youth clustered in their own groups. Is this self-segregation a problem to address or a coping strategy? Tatum, a renowned authority on the psychology of racism, argues that straight talk about our racial identities is essential if we are serious about enabling communication across racial and ethnic divides.*

Casey Crass is reading this book.

* Synopsis taken from Amazon Books

** Synopsis taken from Google Books