Cauldy's Book List
I've decided I'd like to build a reading list. Feel free to make suggestions -- but please remember I'm currently interested in non-fiction, with limited exceptions for classic fiction. I'll bold titles as I read them (they're in no particular order, though I did attempt to group them by theme). I starred the books that are particularly excellent (three stars for "absolutely must read"). Feel free to ask me about any of the bolded titles.
A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf / I wasn't particularly impressed with this book... The ideas are good, but Woolf tends to get into "ranting mode" and just goes on and on and on... It was a struggle to finish.
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath / Powerful. Although it has become significantly more acceptable to write personal accounts of depression or other mental illness, this is still the premiere title in that field.
Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel / Meh? Neither bad nor good. If you're going to read only one personal account of depression, pick up The Bell Jar instead.
Where the Girls Are: Growing Up Female with the Mass Media by Susan J. Douglas / Read and be proud of your pop culture history! This is a great book, blending academic theory and playful humor, an easy read with a serious message.
The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe vs. Wade by Ann Fessler / These are the stories that are rarely told -- the women who gave birth in secret and gave up their babies up for adoption. Nicely written and very respectful.
The Second Sex by Susan J. Douglas
*The Body Project by Joan Jacobs Brumberg / Excellent. I've re-read this two or three times now. If you want a book regarding how "female" is viewed, this is the one to pick.
Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters by Courtney E. Martin / I hated this book. The author has a very, very large ego -- read something more worthwhile, like The Body Project if you want to read about this subject.
The Lolita Effect by M. Gigi Durham / This one isn't worth reading. Most of what it says is simple common-sense; a definite case of "pointing out the obvious."
Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities by Alexandra Robbins / Really entertaining for someone who went to a college where there were no sororities/fraternities. Perhaps less entertaining and more obvious if you've had interactions with sororities.
The Odd Girl Out by Rachel Simmons / This book examines the way that girls are aggressive through non-physical means: through backstabbing, secrets, social isolation, manipulation, guilt-tripping, etc. The first half is good, but the last half left me dozing off in boredom.
***Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women by Susan Faludi / If you haven't read this book, read it. This is one of my favorite books ever written. Powerful.
*The Girls Are Coming by Peggie Carlson / An account of a woman trying to break into an all-male profession (gas company). Definitely worth reading. If you liked the movie North Country, you'll love this book -- this is a more human, less-cliched tale.
That Takes Ovaries: Bold Females and Their Brazen Acts by Rivka Solomon / Cute, quick, quirky, feminist. Maybe check it out from your local library if you're feeling in need of some chicken soup for your feminist soul, but don't bother buying it.
Barred from the Bar: A History of Women and the Legal Profession by Hedda Garza / If you're in the legal field, this might be an interesting read. If not, it's dry and slow.
Confessions of a Video Vixen by Karrine Steffans / I forgot that I owned or even read this book. The only thing I do remember is the mediocre writing. Don't bother unless you're interested in the rap world and like name-dropping.
Generation Me by Jean M. Twenge, Ph.D. / This book is good for both those belonging to the titular generation and those from earlier generations. It's an interesting analysis about how attitudes and trends have changed over time.
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy / Currently reading. And loathing. Oh look, now I lost it! That means I don't have to read it, right?
*There Are No Children Here by Alex Kotlowitz / Powerful account of two boys growing up poor in Chicago. This book really humanizes all its characters, including the "criminals." This was a great read for a middle-class girl like myself.
The Other Side of the River by Alex Kotlowitz / An excellent and humanizing look at how race plays a role in modern-day life, focusing around how two communities, one white and one black, react to the death of a young black boy.
Savage Inequalities by Jonathan Kozol / This book is outdated (1992) but is still an interesting analysis of inequality in American schools. However, the author becomes too preachy to make a convincing argument that his proposed solution is the best possible one.
Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh / The story of a grad student who inserts himself into the daily life in one of Chicago's major gangs. This is another book that makes the criminals very human -- they're real people, not caricatures. All the good and all the bad, presented with a naivete that's really refreshing. There Are No Children Here is a much stronger and more intense read.
The Race Myth by Joseph L. Graves, Jr. / Very heavy on science and numbers. Dry, and not very good at bringing common science down to a layperson's level. What he's saying is important, but he just can't manage to say it in an effective way.
Bad Blood: The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment by James H. Jones
***And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts / Read it. That's an order. This is THE book about the history of the AIDS epidemic in the US. Powerful and moving. Read it now!
*Dead Men Do Tell Tales by William R. Maples and Michael Browning / My favorite book about forensic science. Good read! The authors' writing style brings complex science down to an understandable level; the tone is very personable, with moments of good humor here and there.
The Casebook of Forensic Detection by Colin Evans / Watered-down version of Dead Men Do Tell Tales (some of the cases are even the same). Go read Dead Men if you want to read about forensics.
Journey Into Darkness by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker / Good, but not amazing. If you only want to read one book about criminal motives and criminal profiling, pick Obsession instead. If you liked Obsession and want to read more on the subject, then read this one.
*Obsession by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker / The best book I've read about criminal motives and criminal profiling. This also has some excellent advice on how best to keep yourself safe, especially if you've a young woman. My favorite of the Douglas/Olshaker books.
The Anatomy of Motive by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker / To be honest, I totally forgot I read this book. I know I read it, but I remember nothing. Definitely not one of their better books. Pick Obsession instead.
Female Serial Killers: How and Why Women Become Monsters by Peter Vronsky / This is an encyclopedic look at female serial killers. There's not really a lot of how or why (i.e., analysis), and I can't really recommend it for that reason.
Justice by Dominick Dunne / Meh? I didn't love it, I didn't hate it, I didn't regret buying it, but I would have been okay if I had never read it. The Douglas/Olshaker books are better.
The Hot Zone by Richard Preston / Pretty good, though Ebola (below) is better. Although it claims to be high-tension, I found very clinical and I didn't form an attachment to any of the characters.
Ebola by William T. Close, M.D. / Good; much better than The Hot Zone. Better attachment to the characters, a more human and less clinical tale than The Hot Zone. Captures the fear and tension of an outbreak. An excellent tale of a deadly Ebola outbreak in Africa.
The Great Mortality by John Kelly
*The Beak of the Finch by Jonathan Weiner / My favorite book about evolution -- brings everything down to a layperson's level, while still remaining interesting for the scientist. Shows evolution theory in action in real species.
Genome by Matt Ridley / Another wonderful book about evolution. More science-y than Beak; I'd recommend it if you feel comfortable reading about heavy science. If numbers and scientific theory are scary to you, move over to Beak.
The Selfish Gene: 30th Anniversary Edition by Richard Dawkins
The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin / It's a classic. Not as heavy on science as you would think; I think the average person would be comfortable reading this one.
The Culture of Fear: Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things by Barry Glassner / Alternates between very entertaining and revealing, and very annoying and pedantic. It's worth reading for the moments when the author is making thoughtful observations, but be warned there is a fair amount of preaching, especially towards the end.
The Pleasure Police by David Shan / This is book is deliciously politically incorrect. I didn't always agree with this book (I still can't see anything pleasurable about cigars), but I enjoyed it. It's very refreshing in the fear-mongering omg-everything-will-kill-you culture we live in now. This book felt, to me, like a burst of sanity -- live life an enjoy it, don't fear it.
The Copycat Effect by Loren Coleman, M.S.W. / If you enjoy reading encyclopedias, this book is for you! If not, stay away. A boring and dry list of deaths with little to no analysis or original thought.
The Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs / Hilarious! Guaranteed for a good laugh. This is written in a way that both atheists and true believers will find entertaining and respectful.
First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung / The true story of a young girl living through the horrors of Cambodia's civil war and the Khmer Rouge. This is an incredible book -- it's hard to read, and for that reason it's important to read.
Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick
Escape by Carolyn Jessop / This is the true story about a woman who grew up in a polygamist cult and was married to one of its leaders. Don't let the choppy writing stop you from reading this book -- the story is incredible.
Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond
The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China by Leslie T. Chang
Tell Me Where It Hurts by Dr. Nick Trout / This was the only title that sounded vaguely readable in the airport bookstore. I want my $15 back! This is a rambling, boring, annoyingly disjointed jaunt through a day in the life of a vet. This man should never be permitted to write again.
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain / An insider's look at the restaurant world. I found it interesting, with a few good tips about restaurants, but it's also far from brilliant. You'll enjoy it if you're a foodie.
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlossen / You may never go to McDonald's again. This is a searing critique of the fast food industry. It's very heavy on facts and analysis, but still very readable. I enjoyed the read... even if it didn't change my eating habits.
Don't Eat this Book: Fast Food and the Supersizing of America by Morgan Spurlock / If you've watched the movie Supersize Me, you have no need to read this book. It's a preachy re-hash of the movie combined with a weak imitation of Fast Food Nation.
Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner / Fun, useless, entertaining. Economics principals are applied to seemingly random scenarios with surprising results. This would be a great book for an airplane or waiting room, especially since you can read it in short spurts.
America by the Numbers: A Field Guide to the U.S. Population by William H. Frey, Bill Abresch, and Jonathan Yeasting / A little outdated (2001), but potentially the only book in the world that makes statistics interesting. It's broken into 2-3 page chunks, perfect to pick up, read a bit, and put down again.
Watchmen by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons / I don't like comics, but I do like Watchmen, so yes, it's worth reading. If you liked the movie, you'll like the comic.
A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf / I wasn't particularly impressed with this book... The ideas are good, but Woolf tends to get into "ranting mode" and just goes on and on and on... It was a struggle to finish.
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath / Powerful. Although it has become significantly more acceptable to write personal accounts of depression or other mental illness, this is still the premiere title in that field.
Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel / Meh? Neither bad nor good. If you're going to read only one personal account of depression, pick up The Bell Jar instead.
Where the Girls Are: Growing Up Female with the Mass Media by Susan J. Douglas / Read and be proud of your pop culture history! This is a great book, blending academic theory and playful humor, an easy read with a serious message.
The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe vs. Wade by Ann Fessler / These are the stories that are rarely told -- the women who gave birth in secret and gave up their babies up for adoption. Nicely written and very respectful.
The Second Sex by Susan J. Douglas
*The Body Project by Joan Jacobs Brumberg / Excellent. I've re-read this two or three times now. If you want a book regarding how "female" is viewed, this is the one to pick.
Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters by Courtney E. Martin / I hated this book. The author has a very, very large ego -- read something more worthwhile, like The Body Project if you want to read about this subject.
The Lolita Effect by M. Gigi Durham / This one isn't worth reading. Most of what it says is simple common-sense; a definite case of "pointing out the obvious."
Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities by Alexandra Robbins / Really entertaining for someone who went to a college where there were no sororities/fraternities. Perhaps less entertaining and more obvious if you've had interactions with sororities.
The Odd Girl Out by Rachel Simmons / This book examines the way that girls are aggressive through non-physical means: through backstabbing, secrets, social isolation, manipulation, guilt-tripping, etc. The first half is good, but the last half left me dozing off in boredom.
***Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women by Susan Faludi / If you haven't read this book, read it. This is one of my favorite books ever written. Powerful.
*The Girls Are Coming by Peggie Carlson / An account of a woman trying to break into an all-male profession (gas company). Definitely worth reading. If you liked the movie North Country, you'll love this book -- this is a more human, less-cliched tale.
That Takes Ovaries: Bold Females and Their Brazen Acts by Rivka Solomon / Cute, quick, quirky, feminist. Maybe check it out from your local library if you're feeling in need of some chicken soup for your feminist soul, but don't bother buying it.
Barred from the Bar: A History of Women and the Legal Profession by Hedda Garza / If you're in the legal field, this might be an interesting read. If not, it's dry and slow.
Confessions of a Video Vixen by Karrine Steffans / I forgot that I owned or even read this book. The only thing I do remember is the mediocre writing. Don't bother unless you're interested in the rap world and like name-dropping.
Generation Me by Jean M. Twenge, Ph.D. / This book is good for both those belonging to the titular generation and those from earlier generations. It's an interesting analysis about how attitudes and trends have changed over time.
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy / Currently reading. And loathing. Oh look, now I lost it! That means I don't have to read it, right?
*There Are No Children Here by Alex Kotlowitz / Powerful account of two boys growing up poor in Chicago. This book really humanizes all its characters, including the "criminals." This was a great read for a middle-class girl like myself.
The Other Side of the River by Alex Kotlowitz / An excellent and humanizing look at how race plays a role in modern-day life, focusing around how two communities, one white and one black, react to the death of a young black boy.
Savage Inequalities by Jonathan Kozol / This book is outdated (1992) but is still an interesting analysis of inequality in American schools. However, the author becomes too preachy to make a convincing argument that his proposed solution is the best possible one.
Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh / The story of a grad student who inserts himself into the daily life in one of Chicago's major gangs. This is another book that makes the criminals very human -- they're real people, not caricatures. All the good and all the bad, presented with a naivete that's really refreshing. There Are No Children Here is a much stronger and more intense read.
The Race Myth by Joseph L. Graves, Jr. / Very heavy on science and numbers. Dry, and not very good at bringing common science down to a layperson's level. What he's saying is important, but he just can't manage to say it in an effective way.
Bad Blood: The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment by James H. Jones
***And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts / Read it. That's an order. This is THE book about the history of the AIDS epidemic in the US. Powerful and moving. Read it now!
*Dead Men Do Tell Tales by William R. Maples and Michael Browning / My favorite book about forensic science. Good read! The authors' writing style brings complex science down to an understandable level; the tone is very personable, with moments of good humor here and there.
The Casebook of Forensic Detection by Colin Evans / Watered-down version of Dead Men Do Tell Tales (some of the cases are even the same). Go read Dead Men if you want to read about forensics.
Journey Into Darkness by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker / Good, but not amazing. If you only want to read one book about criminal motives and criminal profiling, pick Obsession instead. If you liked Obsession and want to read more on the subject, then read this one.
*Obsession by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker / The best book I've read about criminal motives and criminal profiling. This also has some excellent advice on how best to keep yourself safe, especially if you've a young woman. My favorite of the Douglas/Olshaker books.
The Anatomy of Motive by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker / To be honest, I totally forgot I read this book. I know I read it, but I remember nothing. Definitely not one of their better books. Pick Obsession instead.
Female Serial Killers: How and Why Women Become Monsters by Peter Vronsky / This is an encyclopedic look at female serial killers. There's not really a lot of how or why (i.e., analysis), and I can't really recommend it for that reason.
Justice by Dominick Dunne / Meh? I didn't love it, I didn't hate it, I didn't regret buying it, but I would have been okay if I had never read it. The Douglas/Olshaker books are better.
The Hot Zone by Richard Preston / Pretty good, though Ebola (below) is better. Although it claims to be high-tension, I found very clinical and I didn't form an attachment to any of the characters.
Ebola by William T. Close, M.D. / Good; much better than The Hot Zone. Better attachment to the characters, a more human and less clinical tale than The Hot Zone. Captures the fear and tension of an outbreak. An excellent tale of a deadly Ebola outbreak in Africa.
The Great Mortality by John Kelly
*The Beak of the Finch by Jonathan Weiner / My favorite book about evolution -- brings everything down to a layperson's level, while still remaining interesting for the scientist. Shows evolution theory in action in real species.
Genome by Matt Ridley / Another wonderful book about evolution. More science-y than Beak; I'd recommend it if you feel comfortable reading about heavy science. If numbers and scientific theory are scary to you, move over to Beak.
The Selfish Gene: 30th Anniversary Edition by Richard Dawkins
The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin / It's a classic. Not as heavy on science as you would think; I think the average person would be comfortable reading this one.
The Culture of Fear: Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things by Barry Glassner / Alternates between very entertaining and revealing, and very annoying and pedantic. It's worth reading for the moments when the author is making thoughtful observations, but be warned there is a fair amount of preaching, especially towards the end.
The Pleasure Police by David Shan / This is book is deliciously politically incorrect. I didn't always agree with this book (I still can't see anything pleasurable about cigars), but I enjoyed it. It's very refreshing in the fear-mongering omg-everything-will-kill-you culture we live in now. This book felt, to me, like a burst of sanity -- live life an enjoy it, don't fear it.
The Copycat Effect by Loren Coleman, M.S.W. / If you enjoy reading encyclopedias, this book is for you! If not, stay away. A boring and dry list of deaths with little to no analysis or original thought.
The Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs / Hilarious! Guaranteed for a good laugh. This is written in a way that both atheists and true believers will find entertaining and respectful.
First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung / The true story of a young girl living through the horrors of Cambodia's civil war and the Khmer Rouge. This is an incredible book -- it's hard to read, and for that reason it's important to read.
Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick
Escape by Carolyn Jessop / This is the true story about a woman who grew up in a polygamist cult and was married to one of its leaders. Don't let the choppy writing stop you from reading this book -- the story is incredible.
Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond
The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China by Leslie T. Chang
Tell Me Where It Hurts by Dr. Nick Trout / This was the only title that sounded vaguely readable in the airport bookstore. I want my $15 back! This is a rambling, boring, annoyingly disjointed jaunt through a day in the life of a vet. This man should never be permitted to write again.
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain / An insider's look at the restaurant world. I found it interesting, with a few good tips about restaurants, but it's also far from brilliant. You'll enjoy it if you're a foodie.
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlossen / You may never go to McDonald's again. This is a searing critique of the fast food industry. It's very heavy on facts and analysis, but still very readable. I enjoyed the read... even if it didn't change my eating habits.
Don't Eat this Book: Fast Food and the Supersizing of America by Morgan Spurlock / If you've watched the movie Supersize Me, you have no need to read this book. It's a preachy re-hash of the movie combined with a weak imitation of Fast Food Nation.
Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner / Fun, useless, entertaining. Economics principals are applied to seemingly random scenarios with surprising results. This would be a great book for an airplane or waiting room, especially since you can read it in short spurts.
America by the Numbers: A Field Guide to the U.S. Population by William H. Frey, Bill Abresch, and Jonathan Yeasting / A little outdated (2001), but potentially the only book in the world that makes statistics interesting. It's broken into 2-3 page chunks, perfect to pick up, read a bit, and put down again.
Watchmen by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons / I don't like comics, but I do like Watchmen, so yes, it's worth reading. If you liked the movie, you'll like the comic.