Finding Study Aids for your Corporations Course

We get it. If you’re taking Corporations, you may be thinking “I’ve made it this far in law school, why do I need additional assistance?”

Even if you don’t need it, per se, the Law Library wants to emphasize that these resources are still there for your enjoyment and intellectual enrichment. These resources are still invaluable for those in particular that have “too much on their plate” and need a little help.

The Study Aid Finder has a “Recommended Electives” tab for upper-level students.  These courses are courses with subject matter often tested on the bar.  You may not even be taking any of these courses, and may not have a course exam to prepare for, but for those 3L’s and 4LP’s, the July bar exam is right around the corner. These resources could be useful for bar prep even if you don’t have a final in these courses.

As with the other posts highlighting the Study Aid Finder, going to the menu on the left of the screen and clicking “Recommended Electives” gives a drop-down menu of various courses that are not required for graduation but often tested on the bar exam:

Clicking on “Corporations,” as with the other courses, brings you to a box with “Digital,” “Physical,” and “Audio and Video” tabs. A portion of the “Digital” tab is displayed above. We’ve previously taken a look at the Glannon guide[s] and Examples and Explanations series, so let’s look at something different this time: the Emanuel CrunchTime series.

Clicking the link brings us [again] to the Aspen Learning Library:

Unlike the other resources we’ve investigated in this blog series, there is no “read online/read offline” option – only a “View Inside” option.

Clicking “View Inside” brings us to essentially an e-book within the browser:

Unlike the other resources we’ve evaluated in this series, the e-book options aren’t as comprehensive. There’s not a search menu button, a table of contents menu button, etc. That does not mean this resource is not valuable though.

With this resource, we are more or less limited to digitally turning the page. That’s not a bad thing though! Looking at the table of contents, this resource has a lot to offer:

As can be seen, there’s around at least 140 pages of exam questions in various formats
(with explanation). This is a great way to test your application of the material, or, alternatively, a great way to learn through experience.

Clicking on the “Physical” tab brings a list of resources that are similar (some are identical) to those in the “digital” tab. These can be accessed physically in the Law Library, or the ISBN is provided and one can Google it and find a vendor-of-choice to obtain the book.

The “Audio and Video” tab has a list of resources that are, well, audio and video! These resources are not as comprehensive oand don’t provide quite the depth that other resources have, but, for those on the go, these resources provide a great opportunity for learning in traffic, in the gym, nursing a child, etc.

The amount of resources available can be overwhelming, but I’d recommend skimming a few, see which resource resonates with you, and going from there. You can’t go wrong. Happy hunting and best of luck on your upcoming exam!

Finding Study Aids for your Professional Responsibility Course

In a previous post we focused on Property Law for the 1Ls, but they are not the only ones who need help!

All of you 2Ls out there likely have your Professional Responsibility final to get past before the summer. The rules of Professional Responsibility are there for a good reason. Unfortunately for us law students though, there’s a little more to them than “don’t touch your client’s money” and “communicate with your client[s].” Thankfully we have the awesome professors at GSU to help us out with these – and the amazing Law Library (and librarians and other staff and students assisting the library) to help us learn them.

Back to the study guide – to get to Professional Responsibility, we click on the “2L Courses” tab in the left menu. This brings down a drop-down menu of selected 2L courses:

Clicking on “Professional Responsibility” will bring you to a box with digital, physical, and audio/visual resources to aid your study, just like the other courses we’ve reviewed in this blog series:

We previously took a peek at a Glannon guide, so let’s take a look at a different guide this time around.

Clicking on the Examples and Explanations for Professional Responsibility (a.k.a., the “E&E” guide) again brings us to the publishers website and the Aspen Learning Library:

As you can see, it’s compatible with a variety of electronic devices (computer, tablet, phone) and can be accessed online or offline (note: offline reading must be done through the Aspen Learning Library App, available for PC/Mac/Android/iOS).

Utilizing the “Read Online” tab, you are brought to the table of contents, and from there, you can search the ToC, scroll through the ToC, etc. Chapters are broken out into the major topics (possession, gifts, title, etc.). The chapters discuss the topics generally, and provide some examples with explanations (hence “E&E”).

As this is another Aspen Learning Library resource, the interface is similar (if not identical) to that of the Glannon guide discussed previously:

Going to the “Duty of Competence” section, for example, is something that none of GSU students should have to worry about, but, you’re going to get tested on it on the final, the MPRE, and the bar. The top left icons bring one to the Aspen Learning Library and Table of Contents, respectively. The five menu buttons on the top right provide a “text to speech” function, a button for supplemental material, a full screen viewer option, a settings option (allows one to change the font size and font), and a search option. The chapter then ends with some examples. Other resources in the “digital” tab include the Glannon series, the Emmanuel crunchtime series, and others. 

Clicking on the “Physical” tab brings a list of resources that are similar (some are identical) to those in the “digital” tab. These can be accessed physically in the Law Library, or the ISBN is provided and one can Google it and find a vendor-of-choice to obtain the book.

The “Audio and Video” tab has a list of resources that are, well, audio and video! These resources are not as comprehensive or have the depth of examples (a.k.a. “Hypos”) that other resources have, but, for those on the go, these resources provide a great opportunity for learning in traffic, in the gym, nursing a child, etc.

The amount of resources available can be overwhelming, but I’d recommend skimming a few, see which resource resonates with you, and go from there. You can’t go wrong. Happy hunting and best of luck on your upcoming exam!

Finding Study Aids for your Property Class

In a previous blog post, we provided a 30,000 foot view of the Study Aid Finder that the GSU College of Law Library so kindly put together to aid your studies. The next series of blog posts will highlight certain aspects of the Study Aid Finder with the hope that it helps you take advantage of what it has to offer…and I hope you do, because who doesn’t love saving $$ by not buying resources on Amazon that the Law Library has freely available to you…AND who doesn’t like succeeding in your classes?

The 1L’s out there are only a few weeks away from completing a major milestone: the completion of the first year of law school! Definitely a cause for celebration. There are a few pesky speed bumps in the way of summer, however, one of which likely being the Property law final. Let’s take a look at the Study Aid Finder and see how it can help prepare you for the Property law final…

As noted in a previous blog post, when one goes to the Study Aid Finder, there is a menu bar on the left with 1L courses, 2L courses, and recommended electives. Clicking on the “1L Courses” bar gives a drop down menu, from which “Property” can be selected.

Clicking on the “Property” bar, you’re directed to a box with digital, physical, and audio and video resources that can help prepare you for the exam:

For a given tab, the resources are rank-ordered in an unscientific analysis of comprehensiveness, buts lets go through a few and go through the tabs of the box.

Let’s start with digital. Clicking on the “Digital” tab will display a list of resources. Let’s start with the “Glannon Guide to Property ” for no other reason than it is at the top of the list.  Clicking the link may or may not bring you to a landing screen to enter your GSU network credentials (depending on whether or not you are accessing the resources from campus or off campus). After entering credentials (if needed), one is directed to the Aspen Learning Library site for the Glannon Guide:

As you can see, it’s compatible with a variety of electronic devices (computer, tablet, phone) and can be accessed online or offline (note: offline reading must be done through the Aspen Learning Library App, available for PC/Mac/Android/iOS).

Utilizing the “Read Online” tab, you are brought to the table of contents, and from there, you can search the ToC, scroll through the ToC, etc. Chapters are broken out into the major topics (possession, gifts, title, etc.). The chapters discuss the topics generally, and even provide some discussion of case law. 

Looking at lost property and treasure trove (because who doesn’t like treasure??), the online viewer has a view like this:

The top left menu buttons bring you to the Aspen Learning Library (the publisher for this particular book) and a link to the table of contents, respectively.  The five menu buttons on the top right provide a “text to speech” function, a button for supplemental material, a full screen viewer option, a settings option (allows one to change the font size and font), and a search option. The chapter then ends with some examples. Other resources in the “digital” tab include examples and explanation books, the Emmanuel crunchtime series, and others. 

Clicking on the “Physical” tab brings a list of resources that are similar (some are identical) to those in the “digital” tab. These can be accessed physically in the Law Library, or the ISBN is provided and one can Google it and find a vendor-of-choice to obtain the book.

The “Audio and Video” tab has a list of resources that are, well, audio and video! These resources are not as comprehensive or have the depth of examples (a.k.a. “Hypos”) that other resources have, but, for those on the go, these resources provide a great opportunity for learning in traffic, in the gym, nursing a child, etc.

The amount of resources available can be overwhelming, but I’d recommend skimming a few, see which resource resonates with you, and go from there. You can’t go wrong. Happy hunting and best of luck on your upcoming exam!

Tips for Exam Season

by Ralaya Evans, Law Library GRA

Exam Season can bring anxiety for all law students. There is a lot of pressure and everyone wants to do well. There are a few upkeep actions one can partake in to help ease the nerves surrounding exams.

  1. Sleep is your friend. It can be tempting to wake up super early and stay up late studying and digesting as much information as possible every day. However, this is more harmful than helpful. This can overload your mind and make it hard to retain information. You may find that no matter the ample hours that you are putting into studying, you are not prepared for the exam. Getting the right amount of sleep will make studying more effective and allow you to perform to your best ability on the exams.
  • Take breaks. Studying all day without breaks will also impact your ability to retain information. Mental fatigue will often be the result. Your mind/body will often tell you when you need a break, but during finals we ignore the signs. However, kn­­ow the signs of mental exhaustion so that you can respond appropriately. Pushing yourself too hard will only cause burn out.
  • Set a study schedule and stick to it. Setting a schedule can also help you block out time to study, but to also take a break, eat, do something that you enjoy and more. Sticking to a schedule allows you to accomplish the amount of studying that you want, but also still have a life. A nice balance between the two will be extremely beneficial.

Although taking care of your mental health is key, we must also ensure that we are ready for finals substantively.  To prepare for such information-intensive exams, here are a few tips:

  1. Find your study group. There are many different studying techniques. Some of us share the same techniques for studying and use the same sources such as Quimbee, law library study aids and more. So, it is often a good idea to team up with others and form study groups. Aside from sharing resources and techniques, insight from your fellow classmates can help you see information from a different perspective.
  • Make an attack outline that works for you. It is a good idea to work with your classmates to create a detailed outline of your course to use during the exam. However, it is also extremely helpful to make a more concise “attack outline” that you are more familiar with and comfortable with using during a timed exam. This brevity and familiarity will work to your advantage since it will be so much easier for you to quickly reference during the exam.
  • Go to office hours. Once you reach the point in your studies where you have created your outline, take note on the areas you are still a little fuzzy on and go to that professor’s office hours to see if they can help clear things up for you. The professors are always so willing to help and want you to succeed. So, schedule time with them when needed. Do not choose to suffer in silence or settle for not understanding a topic fully.

Exams are often referred to as the most stressful part of each semester. So, it is important to have the tools to get through the season and feel good about your performance. All of these tips will help to build your confidence for taking the exams.

An Easy Way to Find the Best Study Aids for your Course

The GSU Law Library is an absolutely fantastic resource for exam preparation.  A former colleague of mine would tell the tale of when he was in school, after he got the syllabus for a given class, he’d hit the library and look for resources to supplement his in-class experience…and would end up CALI’ing the class.  Anecdotal humble brags aside, we may not be in the beginning of the semester, but it is never too late to look around for resources that can help bolster your understanding of a given subject.

This is especially true with exam season coming up around the corner. Despite the high caliber of GSU’s professors, everyone has a different learning style, and the way material might be presented in class may not “fit” with one’s learning style. Others may just want more practice and to review a different presentation of their course material to help solidify the information in their brain (in neuroscience we call this “memory consolidation”).

Fortunately for you, GSU really goes the extra mile to ensure and promote the success of its students. The Law Library has put together a Study Aid Finder to help students get the most out of what the Library has to offer for us students to knock out those pesky exams with flying colors. This is the kind of resource I really wish someone could have handed me on day 1 of law school…let’s take a look, shall we?

First thing’s first – the Study Aid Finder can be accessed at: https://libguides.law.gsu.edu/studyaidfinder

The landing page has an introduction that one can read if one so pleases, but the interesting stuff can be found on the menu bar on the left-hand side of the page:

Clicking on one of the menu bars will expand the course selections:

Clicking on a given course will then lead you to a collection of study aids for that particular course. You’ll see digital formats that can be accessed with your GSU credentials and can be viewed on laptops, mobile devices, etc. If you’re a luddite like myself and prefer paper, there’s a link for information for the physical printed book. There’s also an audio and video tab with some resources for those of us on the go. It’s not like Atlanta has any traffic or anything, but, if it did, listening to audio while on your way to T-deck is a great use of time.

Happy hunting!

Dealing with Stress

Today’s topic is about an important subject: stress and stress management.  Stress is one of those things that doesn’t need a definition or a Wikipedia entry – everyone knows what it is and knows how they feel when they are stressed, especially law school students at the tail end of the semester before finals.

Stress Reduction” by The Roaming Picture Taker is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Hobbies

Hobbies can be a wonderful form of escapism if one puts in a little time.  Not only that, but undertaking hobbies can activate areas of the brain that may not be stimulated by a casebook or hypos.  My two main hobbies are guitar and photography.  Some things I like about guitar is it pulls me into a mindset where the only things that matter are the melody, the sound, and the transition to the next note or song.  Photography I enjoy as well because of my focus on landscape photography, which is also a great excuse to get outside away from the books and screens and get some sun.  There’s always the old faithfuls like movies and video games too.  If not into any of those, YouTube and the internet can teach you just about anything you want to know these days.  Origami? Crochet? Cooking? The internet’s got you.  Cooking is my own personal favorite “hobby du jour”…I’ve finally reached a place where I prefer my own cooking to eating out sometimes, and it’s cheaper! Below is a picture of the Atlanta skyline I took this week with some quick and dirty edits, didn’t have much time to shoot or edit but even 30 mins felt wonderful:

Iconic Jackson Street Bridge view, a panorama of two images taken with a black and white camera in the infrared spectrum. Copyright T.C. Deveau 2023, all rights reserved. Used with permission.

Exercise

Maybe not the most popular or most fun of the stress-managers, exercise definitely should have a place in everyone’s daily routine…or at least weekly routine.  It can be physically exhausting but a little sweat and endorphins can be great for one’s mental state.  My first “run” at grad school I took up running, which ended up being fantastic.  Got me outside and thinking about things that weren’t school….plus it doesn’t cost any money to just go outside and run.  Atlanta has lots to offer here if one is so inclined (please excuse the running pun, you’ll learn how “inclined” (or hilly) the city is if you ever start running)..  Sure there are gyms and yoga studios all over the place, but there’s so much more around here as well.  There’s the Beltline, where one can get out and walk or bike…same with the Silver Comet Trail.  The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area is another great place to get outside and walk, run, bike, kayak, float, etc (parking passes are also only $40/year, one of the best deals around).  Cochran Shoals and the bamboo grove off the East Palisades trail are two of my favorite spots. Sope Creek is another great spot.  There are plenty of sports leagues around too for adults (some more serious than others) if you’re feeling the itch for team sports.  If one feels so inclined to get out of the city a little, there’s also the North Georgia Mountains (and the start of the Appalachian Trail) if one wants to get out and hike and camp.  

Food and Drink

Everyone loves food and drink, right?  Atlanta is a great food town with great restaurants across the metro area.  

Can’t make up your mind?  The food court is making a comeback and coming back fast.  Krog Street Market, Ponce City Market, Sweet Auburn Market, Chattahoochee Food Works, Ph’East (at the Battery), Politan Row at Colony Square – all of these food courts (er, um, markets) provide a little something for everyone with tastier food and more variety than the mall food courts we all grew up with.  

Atlanta is also having its “live-work-play” moment, and one can even combine food and drink with other activities like sports, retail, movie theaters (remember those?) and the like.  The Battery, Avalon, Halcyon, Atlantic Station, Streets of Buckhead, Ponce City Market – all of these locations have a little something for everyone.

There’s also no shortage of watering holes around town either.  From Decatur to Kirkwood, Dunwoody to Marietta, and southwest Atl as well, there are plenty of bars and breweries one can go to relax as well.  Many of these spots offer things like trivia nights as well, which are a great excuse to go and socialize.

Friends and Family

Saving the best for last…last but not least, don’t forget to make time for your friends and family.  Yes, making time for friends and family will leave less time to finish that brief that’s due in three days, but the gain in emotional capital often makes the sacrifice of time worth it.  Please do lean on your friends and family to help support you when you feel stressed.  At the very least, remember that when you apply to take the bar exam, you’ll have to add references to your Character and Fitness application.  So if you need an excuse to hang out with your friends one night you think you should be doing work, keeping your friends in your life will make this portion or the bar exam application easy…and it’s good for your mental health.

So there it is.  A little bit about stress in a nutshell.  For context, we must also keep in mind that law school is certainly a marathon and not a sprint.  Stress and stress management are behemoths of topics.  Identifying when stress gets in the way of you being you and helping to manage it though will have a tremendous payout, and it’s never too early (or too late) to get working on this if you haven’t already developed your own stress management strategies.

Finally, to minimize stress, try to avoid major life changes during law school…if one can.  I get it.  We’re all here because we’re overachievers on some level, but a lot of life changes and decisions actually can wait until after school is done.  No, no one is getting younger as time goes on and life never really ever gets “simpler” as time goes on, but waiting until school is done to undertake major life decisions is not a bad idea (if it can be managed). 

Best of luck to all of you as you undertake your studies.  Things will get stressful, but, as always…you got this.   

Resources:

GSU Counseling Services – don’t be ashamed to reach out for help if dealing with stress gets too much, the school has a counseling center to help out.

If you’re experiencing an acute emergency resulting from stress, the suicide and crisis management hotline can also be found by dialing 988.

Celebrate National Poetry Month 2023!

We enjoy you to join the Law Library in celebrating National Poetry Month 2023! Our plans include a poetry contest and a poetry slam.

Picture of bearded student wearing polo shirt and shorts with hands gesticulating as he performed a poem at the 2022 GSU Law Poetry Slam.

Poetry Contest

We invite you to craft poems that are law- or law school-related, submitting a poem daily (if you want) between now and April 17 at 11:59 PM. Poems will be evaluated by a talented pool of students, faculty, and staff who will assist us in recognizing the best contribution in each category (Student, Staff, and Faculty). We will also award a Best in Show poem.

Please submit your poem(s) using this form.

Poetry Slam

The Law Library will host a poetry slam on April 18th at 5 PM. To encourage participation, we are inviting our poets (if you’re reading your own poem) and performers (if you’re reading a poem by another) to participate in person or submit a video of their performance for screening during the event. Please keep performance length to 3 minutes.

You may submit your video files to me at mbutler at gsu . edu) using the Georgia State Send a File tool. To be included, please submit your files no later than 9 AM on April 18, 2023.

The Day RBG Came to Campus

by Alison Guffey, 3L

On this day 20 years ago, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg visited the Georgia State University College of Law to deliver the 32nd Henry J. Miller lecture. The topic of her lecture was “Little Known Pages from the Supreme Court’s History,” and her focus was on re-telling the accounts of two women: Burnita Shelton Matthews, the first woman to be appointed as a Federal District Court judge, and Malvina Harlan, wife of Supreme Court Justice John Harlan and author of a memoir titled, “Some Memories of a Long Life, 1854-1911.”

Justice Ginsberg, Professor Mary Radford, and Dean Knowles converse after the Miller Lecture.

One particular story highlighted by Justice Ginsburg from Malvina’s memoir featured Malvina inspiring her husband to finish his dissent in the Civil Rights cases by swapping his inkstand for one with a different history: the very inkstand that was used by Justice Taney in composing the Dred Scott opinion. Justice Harlan knew of this inkstand’s history, and by writing with the same inkwell that decades earlier had “tighten[ed] the shackles of slavery,” Justice Harlan finished his dissent and powerfully asserted the need to “protect the recently emancipated slaves in the enjoyment of equal civil rights.”[1]

Ginsburg told this story of poetic justice, of an inkstand in need of absolution, and she wondered of the pen in need of absolution in her own career. She determined the next time her thoughts on an opinion refuse to flow easily, she may visit the pen “that Judge Justice Bradley used to write his now-infamous concurring opinion in Myra Bradwell’s case, Bradwell v. Illinois, an 1873 decision upholding a state’s right to exclude women from the practice of law.”

Without ever directly addressing why Justice Bradley’s pen would be in need of absolution, Justice Ginsburg spoke of a photograph that is taken periodically of the Supreme Court Justice’s spouses. The audience knowingly chuckled while Justice Ginsburg explained that, with her and Justice O’Connor on the Supreme Court, “the subject of these photographs have changed beyond anything Justice Bradley or even Justice Harlan would have contemplated.”

Justice Ginsburg’s lecture was poised, clear, and moving as she masterfully led the audience through monumental moments in the Supreme Court’s history that came from the lives of Burnita Shelton Matthews and Malvina Harlan. Georgia State Law’s own Professor Mary Radford was in attendance for Justice Ginsburg’s lecture, and had the opportunity to speak with her one-on-one. Of this experience, Radford reflects on Justice Ginsburg’s “dignity and grace,” her “shy smile, almost embarrassed by the amount of attention that was flowing her way,” and recalls that Justice Ginsburg “greeted each individual, from student to faculty member to judge to local dignitary, with a quiet smile and a light handshake . . . wearing black lace gloves.” Professor Radford sums up the day: “An uninformed observer would probably have been astounded to learn that this unassuming, soft-spoken, petite woman was in fact one of the most powerful, insightful, and influential legal thinkers of our time.”


It is undeniable the impact Ruth Bader Ginsburg left on the nation and the world. On February 13, 2003, she visited our campus in celebration of GSU Law’s 20th anniversary. This year, as GSU Law celebrates its 40th anniversary, we take time to recount her lecture and remember her legacy. To watch Justice Ginsburg’s lecture, learn about other notable visitors, and read about the history of the Georgia State University College of Law, check out GSU Law’s 40th Anniversary Exhibit here.


[1]  Harlan, M.S. and Przybyszewski, L. (2003) in Some Memories of a Long Life, 1854-1911. New York: Modern Library, pp. 113–114.

5 tips for succeeding on the MPRE

by Ralaya Evans, Law Library GRA

The Multi-State Professional Responsibility Exam (MPRE) is one of the stepping stones that law students must confront at some point on their journey to becoming a licensed attorney. This exam is usually offered three times during each year: March, August, and November.  NCBEX.org will always provide reliable information on any and all things concerning the MPRE, including upcoming important dates.

Often, law students are overwhelmed when it comes to the MPRE. This is understandable, as there are uncertainties that usually lie around this exam, such as how much one should study, what materials to study with, and more.

Here are five tips to ease some of the uncertainty around taking the MPRE:

(1) Take advantage of free resources. Law school is expensive in every way: tuition, books, BAR prep, etc. There are numerous sources of MPRE prep out there that one can pay for. However, many platforms also offer free resources that are extremely useful for preparation of the exam. For example, Barbri offers free practice exams and numerous modules and explanations to practice questions. In addition, the Short & Happy Guide to the MPRE is available to GSU students through the law library’s online study aid collection.

(2) Practice exams are your best friend. Speaking of free practice exams, these exams will be one of the best resources for your preparation for several reasons, including: (a) the practice exams help you become comfortable with the formatting of the exam, (b) you become aware of how different potential topics are tested, and (c) many of the practice exams are timed. Therefore, they will help you gauge whether your pace at answering needs improvement before taking the official exams.

(3) Be aware of your state’s requirements for a passing rate. Every state has a different threshold for what is passing and failing. Be sure to know what your specific state requires and defines as passing, so that you can measure your readiness on practice exams based on that number.

(4) Take your Professional Responsibility class before you sign up for the MPRE. This class is such a great starting place for preparing for the exam. Though it will not fully prepare you for everything on the exam, this class will introduce you to how this specific area is approached by attorneys and make you comfortable with reading the rules.

(5) During the test, be confident in yourself. Confidence plays a major role in test-taking, and the MPRE is no different. There will always be some answers that you are iffy on. However, if you are familiar with the rules, the best answer will jump out at you. On the other hand of that, there will be some questions that seem too easy to be true. Do not get tripped up on these! If the answer seems easy and obvious to you, that doesn’t automatically mean that it isn’t correct.

Hopefully, these five tips will set you on a path to MPRE success. If you have any tips that have helped you along, feel free to share them in the comments!

Faculty and Staff Book and Movie Recommendations 2022-2023

In honor of Read a New Book Month (December 2022), the Law Library collected recommendations from the GSU Law faculty and staff of books (and movies) to share on our blog. Below is the list of submissions. The name of the nominator, the title, and the creator are followed by a brief description of the work. Some descriptions are publisher blurbs, while others reflect the nomination.

Librarian Professor Pam Brannon recommends Nothing to See Here, by Kevin Wilson.

Basically, the protagonist is asked to take care of the step-children of her former classmate, with whom she has a compilated history. She accepts and discovers that the children have a tendency to… burst into flame when they get upset. It’s an incredibly funny and ultimately sweet story about accepting people as they are.

Professor Julian Hill recommends Collective Courage by Jessica Gordon Nembhard.

This book changed my life. It covers the long history of cooperative economic practices among African Americans from before the abolition of slavery up to today. It charts how relatively well-known human/civil rights icons like Ella Baker, Fannie Lou Hamer, W.E.B. DuBois and A. Phillip Randolph, among others, viewed cooperative economics as key to the fight for equal rights and dignity among all. It highlights some of the trends, such as ongoing political education, that made cooperatives successful throughout the country, particularly among Black women and in the south, and some of the hard truths regarding state sabotage. After reading it, I left the Buenos Aires office of my firm to work at a nonprofit legal services shop to advise worker cooperatives (for a fraction of the salary) and never looked back.

Professor Hill also recommends the film “Moonlight.”

I watch this movie at least once a year. It’s a beautiful story about a Black, masc-identifying person, Chiron, through three stages of his life. Through stunning videography, it shows Chiron’s upbringing in Miami, mixed with pockets of joy, abuse, imagination, care, and struggles around sexuality, and his maturity into adulthood in Atlanta, where self-acceptance, toxic masculinity, and love bubble to the fore. It’s a touching love story with plots, twists, and excellent acting.

Professor Bill Edumndson recommends the Rail Cow Girl YouTube channel.

Rail Cow Girl is a Norwegian railroad engineer (aka “driver”).  

Her “cab view” videos top the charts on YouTube: watch.

There is more about her here: https://www.railcowgirl.com/about/

For relaxation, her videos cannot be beaten.

Her YouTube channel is only one of many cool (pun intended) things about Norway.  

For others, visit https://www.peoplespolicyproject.org/

Professor Megan Boyd recommends The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson.

In The Splendid and the Vile, Erik Larson shows, in cinematic detail, how Churchill taught the British people “the art of being fearless.” It is a story of political brinkmanship, but it’s also an intimate domestic drama, set against the backdrop of Churchill’s prime-ministerial country home, Chequers; his wartime retreat, Ditchley, where he and his entourage go when the moon is brightest and the bombing threat is highest; and of course 10 Downing Street in London. Drawing on diaries, original archival documents, and once-secret intelligence reports—some released only recently—Larson provides a new lens on London’s darkest year through the day-to-day experience of Churchill and his family: his wife, Clementine; their youngest daughter, Mary, who chafes against her parents’ wartime protectiveness; their son, Randolph, and his beautiful, unhappy wife, Pamela; Pamela’s illicit lover, a dashing American emissary; and the advisers in Churchill’s “Secret Circle,” to whom he turns in the hardest moments.

Professor Megan Boyd recommends Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin.

On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn’t heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom. These friends, intimates since childhood, borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster ,Ichigo. Overnight, the world is theirs. Not even twenty-five years old, Sam and Sadie are brilliant, successful, and rich, but these qualities won’t protect them from their own creative ambitions or the betrayals of their hearts.


Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love.

Professor Boyd also recommends The Executioner’s Song by Norman Mailer (a true crime Pulitzer Prize winner).

Arguably the greatest book from America’s most heroically ambitious writer, The Executioner’s Song follows the short, blighted life of Gary Gilmore who became famous after he robbed two men in 1976 and killed them in cold blood. After being tried and convicted, he immediately insisted on being executed for his crime. To do so, he fought a system that seemed intent on keeping him alive long after it had sentenced him to death. And that fight for the right to die is what made him famous.

Professor Boyd also recommends Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell.

England, 1580: The Black Death creeps across the land, an ever-present threat, infecting the healthy, the sick, the old and the young alike. The end of days is near, but life always goes on. A young Latin tutor—penniless and bullied by a violent father—falls in love with an extraordinary, eccentric young woman. Agnes is a wild creature who walks her family’s land with a falcon on her glove and is known throughout the countryside for her unusual gifts as a healer, understanding plants and potions better than she does people. Once she settles with her husband on Henley Street in Stratford-upon-Avon, she becomes a fiercely protective mother and a steadfast, centrifugal force in the life of her young husband, whose career on the London stage is just taking off when his beloved young son succumbs to sudden fever.

Professor Boyd also recommended Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi.

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls. But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good. Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.

Director of Student Life Cody Teague recommends The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai.

I read this book about a year ago and still think about it often. It explores themes of family (biological and chosen), friendship, and community across generations. The author bounces you between two distinct time periods in a way that keeps you turning the page to find out more. The writing brings the visceral emotions of the time period and people to life. It’s a book I’ve had on my “re-read” list since I finished it!

Professor Deepa Varadarajan recommends Evening Hero by Marie Myung-Ok Lee.

A sweeping, lyrical novel following a Korean immigrant pursuing the American dream who must confront the secrets of the past or risk watching the world he’s worked so hard to build come crumbling down.

Librarian Professor Patrick Parsons recommends The Way of the Runner by Adharanand Finn

Don’t know much about Japanese running culture?  Never of the ultra-popular Japanese style relay called an Ekiden?  Neither did I until I read this book.  It’s everything you need in a jaunty holiday read – short, entertaining, and super interesting.

Librarian Professor Meg Butler recommends Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.

Set in the early 1960s, this story reflects love and loss in the life of a woman whose interest in becoming a professional chemist is foiled by some and advanced through her sheer grit. The dog and its ever-expanding vocabulary was one of my favorite aspects of this novel.

Librarian Professor Butler also recommends When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill.

I bought this at Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, a book for grownups available in a fabulous bookstore full of books for children. Author Barnill writes stories that are meant to be read out loud, and that is apparent in the quality and character of the description and the dialog—I found the story gripping. If you would like to imagine a world in which women, en masse, turned into dragons and flew away, this is a story for you.

Librarian Terrance Manion recommends Zonal Marking: From Ajax to Zidane, the Making of Modern Soccer by Michael W. Cox.

With the World Cup in full swing, I am reminded how much I enjoyed reading Zonal Marking over the summer (when the World Cup should have been played). The author lays out the current landscape of modern European soccer via a sightseeing tour of its recent history. From Catenaccio to Tiki-taka to Gegenpressing, this book explores tactical soccer trends in digestible chunks so you are never overwhelmed.

Librarian Manion also recommends Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.

The author of The Martian has created my favorite alien since Chewbacca. I am guessing you can wait for the movie to come out if you want because it is only a matter of time, See https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12042730/.