Susan O'Rourke | May 10, 2024
Summer can be a time for renewal and refreshing our bookshelves! UNC World View team members have put together recommendations for globally inspired summer reading. Our recommendations span political history, economics, ecology, memoir, and modern literature and remind us that books can transport us to another place from the comfort of our homes!
The Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from the 1600 to the Present (2024)
By Fareed Zakaria
Recommended by Hazael Andrew
The Age of Revolutions: Progress and Backlash from the 1600 to the Present is a fascinating read if you are interested in how select revolutions (seventeenth-century Netherlands, French Revolution, and Industrial Revolution) not only transformed communities in different regions of the world but puts into perspective the global issues we are facing today.
Fareed explored what he calls present day revolutions – globalization, technology, identity, and geopolitics. There were many takeaway messages for me, including how future technological advances and geopolitics will change our world. The Information Unbound chapter was my favorite in the book. In that chapter, Fareed shared, “It took almost four years to get one hundred million people worldwide to use Facebook, over two years to get that same number on Instagram, and just two months to get one hundred million people using ChatGPT.” Technology has advanced so rapidly over the years and such trends will continue.
The combination of history and current global trends make this an excellent read for educators who are passionate about global education.
Chip War (2022)
By Chris Miller
Recommended by Charlé LaMonica
Chip War, a non-fiction book by Tufts University historian Chris Miller, makes the case that the chip industry determines both the structure of the global economy and the balance of geopolitical power. Chips play a vital part in every segment of society across the world and this fast-moving, well-researched book illuminates decades of semi-conductor history. With a colorful roadmap to the Chip War today, this book underscores how essential it is to understand the interconnectedness of technology, economics, and geopolitics.
Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest (2021)
By Suzanne Simard
Recommended by Susan O’Rourke
On Thursday, April 18, 2024, I attended a lecture by artist and Cornell University professor Jen Delos Reyes that was hosted by Raleigh’s Dix Park Conservancy to celebrate Earth Day. During the lecture, Delos Reyes discussed art work and readings she teaches, including Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest. In the book, Suzanne Simard shares findings form her ecological research in British Columbia. The text discusses the ways in which trees are part of a “a web of interdependence, linked by a system of underground channels where they perceive and connect and relate.” The text looks at “the social nature of the forest” and “the fungal network that appears to wire the trees for fitness.” It is a great reminder of the interconnectedness of the Nature and the environments that extend beyond political borders.
Mandela: My Prisoner, My Friend (2014)
By Christo Brand with Barbara Jones
Recommended by Courtney Harris-Brown
Reading Mandela: My Prisoner, My Friend was a profound experience for me, marking my return to reading after becoming a parent four years ago. Through the lens of Nelson Mandela’s relationship with his prison guard, Christo Brand, the book beautifully illustrates how seemingly disparate individuals can forge deep connections based on shared humanity. It reminded me that despite our diverse backgrounds, we all possess the capacity for empathy and understanding. Witnessing Mandela’s journey through imprisonment alongside the growth of his friendship with Brand was not only inspiring but also a piercing reminder of the resilience of the human spirit. This book reignited my passion for reading and instilled in me a renewed appreciation for the power of genuine connections to transcend barriers.
Things Fall Apart (1958)
By Chinua Achebe