Here's what Brandeis professors recommend you read this summer

We asked some of Brandeis’ best minds what books they read for fun. They suggested these books to bring to the beach this summer.

Ulka Anjaria, associate professor of English
“Karachi, You're Killing Me!” by Saba Imtiaz  

“This fun, light read tells the story of a young female journalist negotiating her work and love life in contemporary Karachi, Pakistan. It's hilarious and also offers a different story of Pakistan than what we tend to read about in the news.”


John Burt, professor of English
“War Trash” by Ha Jin, MA’89, PhD’93

“A vivid and intense story about Chinese prisoners of war during the Korean War. Full of vivid characters and intensely realized moral conflicts and written in Ha Jin's clear, vigorous and expressive prose.”


Seth Fraden, professor of physics
“DNA Nanoscience: From Prebiotic Origins to Emerging Nanotechnology” by Kenneth Douglas

“The history of the development of DNA nanotechnology, which aims to design self-assembling functional nanomachines, catalysts and robots on the molecular scale. After a few days on the beach reading this book, this you’ll be ready to populate your own universe.”


Jordan Pollack, professor of computer science
“The Knowledge Illusion: Why We Never Think Alone” by Steven Sloman  and Philip Fernbach

“Following in the tradition of Malcolm Gladwell’s ‘Blink,’ Sloman and Fernbach refute the idea that humans are as rational as we like to think we are. Experiments prove our behavior and our knowledge can be controlled by subconscious processes outside our conscious control.”


Avital Rodal, associate professor of biology
“The Bartimaeus Trilogy” by Jonathan Stroud

“I picked up these books after my 13-year-old son left one of them lying on the kitchen counter. They are mischievous and imaginative, and I've found myself channeling the snarky characters on more than one occasion.”


Caren Irr, professor of English
“Preparation For The Next Life” by Atticus Lish  

“This perfectly-crafted novel by the son of the famed editor Gordon Lish examines war and love.  The naturalistic style and careful observation of the setting create a surprisingly uplifting effect.”