In the last few weeks of summer, you might be preparing to start your graduate program, thinking about applying to a program this fall, or planning out how to start the new semester on the right foot. You’re not alone. And, lucky for you, there are some fabulous reads waiting to point you in the right direction.
We asked current and former CEHD graduate students what books influenced them in their programs, and this is what they said. So, get your library cards out and get reading!
What the Best College Teachers Do
By Ken Bain
“It’s a thoughtful introduction on how to engage students, and as a first-time teaching assistant, I found it to be really helpful.”
Recommended by Jessica Holst-Wolf, School of Kinesiology
The PH.D. Process: A Student’s Guide to Graduate School in the Sciences
By Dale Bloom, Jonathan Karp, and Nicholas Cohen
“From picking a graduate school to selecting a dissertation committee, this book provides a glimpse into what to expect from graduate school. Looking through the book throughout your graduate school career will help provide insight into potential hurdles you might encounter, and it will serve to remind you that stresses can be overcome and will make you a stronger student in the end.”
Recommended by Andrei Semenov, Institute of Child Development
Octavia’s Brood
Edited by Adrienne Maree Brown and Walidah Imarisha
“This book is an anthology of science fiction pieces for social justice movements. It busts out of the ‘we are stuck in the present’ and allows its readers to imagine what could be. It is a book of creativity and of exploration, but without losing sight of the challenges, struggles, and work that lies ahead within our building of knowledges. A glorious, summer-time read that both challenges and excites the imagination!”
Recommended by Christen Pentek, School of Social Work
The Beast Side: Living (and Dying) While Black in America
By D. Watkins
“D. Watkins isn’t afraid to tell it like it is as he recounts tales of growing up black in East Baltimore. The book is an essential read for anyone passionate about social justice, or desires to hear the voices and stories of marginalized populations. D. Watkins appeals to all audiences, and provides insight that would be especially powerful for urban educators! As an English professor and writer, he is extremely passionate about literacy, and that is evidenced in this collection of essays.”
Recommended by Melissa Derby, CSPP, Department of Education Psychology
The Future of Everything: The Science of Prediction
By David Orrell
“Through its three main examples of weather, economic, and health prediction, “The Future of Everything” weaves history and science together into a series of profound conclusions applicable to practically any field of study. Solidly grounded in well-established science, no claim is without evidence and clear logic. In short, the nature of reality is at stake, and it’s wickedly more complicated than we’d like it to be.”
Recommended by Jonathan Brown, Department of Educational Psychology
The Professor is in: The Essential Guide to Turning your Ph.D. into a Job
By Karen Kelsky
“In her step by step guide to graduate school, The Professor Is In, Karen Kelsky provides everything you need to know to successfully navigate graduate school and the eventual academic job search. The book offers a straight forward schedule of when to publish, when to present, when to teach, and other important experiences that will help you to build a solid CV. It also provides detailed examples of academic cover letters, CV’s, research and teaching statements, and more. Finally, Kelsky describes how to prepare for an on campus interview from shoes to the job talk. If you are planning, or even thinking, of staying in academia after graduate school you need to own this book. I think my only disappointment with this book is that I did not find it sooner in my graduate school years.”
Recommended by Erin Konkle, Alumna, Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development