In an enduring effort to promote reading and literacy, the IE features summer reading suggestions from remarkable people in our community. We hope our readers will be inspired to pick up a book and share it with others this season. In this installment, we asked Cathy Tashiro, associate professor emerita at the University of Washington and author of “Standing on Both Feet: Voices of Older Mixed Race Americans,” to share her current favorites. Here are her reasons for recommending these five.
1. “A Tale for the Time Being”
By Ruth Ozeki
“Love everything Ruth Ozeki has written, and this one is over the top,” says Tashiro. “I especially liked Nao’s voice … Time, Buddhism, Japan, bullying, environmental degradation – this book has it all.”
2. “The Woman Upstairs”
By Claire Messud
“One of the most revealing and nuanced accounts of a woman’s interior life I’ve ever read, and along the way, we get rapier-like insight into the world of contemporary art.”
3. “The Reluctant Fundamentalist” By Mohsin Hamid
“[This] should be required reading for anyone in the NSA (National Security Agency).”
4. “City of Tranquil Light”
By Bo Caldwell
“Superb, luminous writing that depicts essential human goodness that transcends spiritual boundaries.”
5. “Ape House “
By Sara Gruen
“Just plain fun with good chimps and villainous humans, plus a righteous ending. I learned a lot about bonobo chimps, though I have had a soft spot in my heart for them ever since I first learned about them in graduate school.”
