book pick: Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, Choices, Values, and Frames

Choices, Values, and Frames, edited by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, is the seminal work in behavioral economics that provides the frameworks and tools to start to unravel why our classical economic maps of human behavior so often differ from our lived economic realities. The psychology of human decisionmaking is messy and biased, and not the tidy and myopic cost-benefit analysis machinery assumed in so much of our traditional financial education framework.

book pick: Lori Gottlieb, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone

The book I selected, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb, is an important and timely memoir that demystifies therapy and challenges the stigma surrounding mental health support. Drawing from her experiences as both a therapist and a patient, Gottlieb illustrates the universality of struggle and the healing power of human connection. Reading this book encouraged me to consider how I navigate stress, uncertainty, and change, and underscored the value of interpersonal relationships in fostering resilience.

book pick: E. W. Kenyon, The Hidden Man: An Unveiling of the Subconscious Mind

I pursue true balance whereby my spirit, soul, and body are whole. This book emphasized to me the importance of that balance and revealed to me the power and vitality of a healthy spirit. This book helped me reflect on the mystery of the divine life—learning to live in the spirit realm and keeping my lamp filled with the oil of heaven. It helped me learn that finding harmony between my daily work and the fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control—is essential to healthy living. As a believer in Christ Jesus, I found this message vital in anchoring my pursuit of success and bringing deeper meaning to my career.

book pick: W.E.B. Du Bois, The Souls of Black Folks

This book highlights that the American tapestry is a mosaic, not a melting pot. Also, he demonstrates that being Black is not monolithic or phenotypical and is about differences in this lived American experience. In other words, Black liberation is American and Human Liberation.

book pick: Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, III : Totalitarianism

I read Arendt in college at a time when I was pondering graduate school. Origins, III was the first work I remember reading that was written for scholars, rather than students or the public. The writing's unforgiving precision and expansion of ideas excited me. I'll always thank that course's professor for having faith our ability to think deeply about the world. It is worth noting that, at the time, I thought the essay's content were bygone history. Time seems to be doing its best to prove me wrong.

book pick: Carol North, Welcome, Silence: my triumph over schizophrenia

I read this book when I was a freshman at the University of Illinois, already having known since age 14 that I wanted to be a psychologist (or psychiatrist). This true story of a medical student who develops schizophrenia and then finds a cure to her symptoms was fascinating to me. I identified so much with the protagonist, a young woman who was pursuing a professional degree, and understood how any one of us could develop a significant mental health condition that would derail us, temporarily or permanently, from our goals. The book describes a biological treatment for schizophrenia (which has since not been supported in clinical trials, but worked for this particular person), instilling in me an appreciation for both biological and psychosocial causes of suffering.

book pick: Barbara Kingsolver, Prodigal Summer

This is a beautifully written novel about the intricate and intimate connection between humans and nature. Kingsolver's portrayal of scientifically trained women invested in protecting the natural world from humans resonated deeply with me while I pursued college and graduate degrees focused on understanding both animal and human behavior. In my career as a comparative psychologist, the stories contained in this book have become even more relevant and resonant.

book pick: David B. Williams and C. Barry Carter, Transmission Electron Microscopy – A Textbook for Materials Science

Transmission Electron Microscopy - A Textbook for Materials Science might seem an unusual favorite, but it reveals how complex science can be explained simply, yet with a foundation in rigorous physics. The ability to ‘see' materials at the atomic scale—to visualize the imperfections that dictate their behavior—is profoundly powerful. This sparked a desire not just to learn about materials, but to actively make and investigate them, inspiring me to pursue innovative research in materials from a physical chemistry point of view.

book pick: Richard Bach, Jonathan Livingston Seagull

This book is a metaphor for human potential and the courage to stand apart. Jonathan's journey shows that true excellence requires solitude, bravery, and growth, and it inspirs me to see that fulfillment comes from striving beyond the ordinary while leaving behind a legacy of wisdom greater than personal achievement.

book pick: David A. Wardle, Communities and Ecosystems: Linking the Aboveground and Belowground Components

This book had a significant impact on my dissertation research, my conceptual thinking surrounding that research, and my research since. For me, this book really put into perspective the importance of detrital systems to the functioning of ecosystems as a whole and how essential it is to think of the whole forest – from the tops of the trees to the soil below your feet.

book pick: Benjamin N. Cardozo, The Nature of the Judicial Process

Justice Cardozo gave these lectures on the judicial process for students at Yale Law School just over a century ago and they were later published as a book. I have found them enduringly relevant and influential in my work due to the meaningful insight they offer into the inner workings of the challenging day-to-day decisionmaking processes that judges must work through.

book pick: B.F. Skinner, Beyond Freedom and Dignity

As someone who studies human behavior, I believe this to be one of the greatest books in the field of behavioral psychology. Many years after its publication, much of what we practice and advocate for in the field of public health now aligns with the ideals presented in this book. Seemingly controversial, this book outlines the importance of understanding the factors that shape individual behavior. Primarily, it directs one's attention to the power of the environment in cultivating not only behavior but the potential healthy state of the personal mind of an individual. He describes the need for a "technology of behavior," by which we can scientifically create a world that predisposes, enables, and reinforces a healthy, happy, productive society of people. A society that reaches the greatest possible potential. He prioritizes positive reinforcement techniques, rather than punitive. We should take heed in the design of our existence, both the socially and physical environmentally, to cultivate an existence that allows people to reach their full potential. To live a life that is gratifying, meaningful, and to engage pro-socially with those around them.

book pick: bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress

Bell Hooks' writing is both clear and profound. Teaching to Transgress describes education as a "practice of freedom," where joy arises from an inclusive classroom that connects to deep lived experiences. Hook's ideas give shape to my sense of purpose as an educator, leader, and researcher.

book pick: Bea Freidland, Louise Farrenc, 1804 to 1875: Composer, Performer, Scholar

A book that has been influential for me, especially in my research, is by Bea Freidland. The story of this amazing 19th century woman navigating the male-dominated field of music composition is truly educational and inspiring.

book pick: Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness

This novella is an incredible tale which delves into complex themes involving society and human nature, globalization, and the limits of the human psyche. A timeless classic.

book pick: Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World

The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan has deeply influenced my approach to science and research by reinforcing the importance of curiosity, skepticism, critical and logical thinking, and evidence-based reasoning. Sagan's openness to new ideas has shaped how I approach questions in both research and life.

book pick: Tim Elmore, Marching off the map: Inspire students to navigate a brand new world

I chose this book because it helps educators address the challenges of teaching new generations of students. It provides practical recommendations on helping our students become leaders, critical thinkers, and contributors in society.

book pick: Ed Yong / Zoë Schlanger, An Immense World / The Light Eaters

As a development economist, I often reflect on social welfare maximization and the influence of events, actions, and policies. I usually define "welfare" in human-centric terms. But two recent science books—Ed Yong's on animal sensory perception and the concept of umwelt, and Jessica Schlanger's on plant agency—challenge that framing. They've convinced me that perhaps it's time to broaden the definition of "social welfare" to include animals and plants. I'm not sure how yet—but these books make the case that it's a question worth thinking about.

book pick: Byung Chul Han / Pascal Bruckner, Non-things: Upheaval in the lifeworld / Vertigo of Babel

Both books offer a wonderful take on our current state of affairs, thinking critically about the challenges of our time, while offering a smart perspective on the consequences of our culture and lifestyle.

book pick: Niels Bohr, Atomic Physics and Human Knowledge

I read it as an undergraduate, around the time I took my first course in quantum mechanics, and it opened up that world for me. Importantly, it showed that modern physics no longer could support the old materialistic determinism popular, among some philosophers, in the 19th century.

book pick: Alison Gopnik, Andrew N. Meltzoff, and Patricia K. Kuh, Scientist in the Crib

Several chapters from this book were assigned during my graduate program. I loved the chapters so much that I purchased the book and poured over it cover to cover. Reading about the connection of research to daily function and how families and clinicians can positively impact communication development changed my life. I had not considered becoming a clinician-researcher until being exposed to this book. This opened my eyes to the importance of application-based, functional research that engages families directly. Each chapter sparked more questions and ignited my motivation to better serve families, communities, and ultimately now students, faculty, staff, and our professions to this day.

book pick: Douglas W. Tallamy, Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard

As an adopted Arkansan, it saddens me to see the natural beauty of Northwest Arkansas giving way to suburban sprawl. And as biologist, I am also deeply concerned about the ongoing decline in pollinators and other insect species, which threatens food production, biodiversity, and ecosystems health worldwide. These changes sometimes feel overwhelming and leave me wondering "what can I do?". Doug Tallamy's books aim to provide practical, actionable answers to that question. If we can't change the world, we can at least change our own back yards!

book pick: Mark Hyman, The Ultramind Solution

This book uses functional medicine principles to support whole body wellbeing, and it offers useful insights into current 'best practices' for top healthcare institutions.

book pick: Robert Heinlein, Starship Troopers

One of the earliest books I remember is Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein. It can be read as a simple adventure story, but there are deep themes within it. I recommend giving it a read. You can skip the movie.

book pick: Nora Bacon, The Well-crafted Sentence: A Writer's Guide to Style

I chose this book in the context of my position as a Teaching Professor of writing because it has helped me show my studentshow to develop strategies to write effectively, instead of striving to write correctly or "good". The answer to what makes writing effective is, to quote Nora Bacon,"It depends!" That refrain sets us free to embrace all the choices, techniques, languages, and voices available to us as writers.

book pick: Adrian Forty, Words and Buildings: A Vocabulary of Modern Architecture

Forty's book explores the uses of language in connecting ideas to architecture and vice versa. It is both wonderfully expansive and amazingly precise. I find myself coming back to this book again and again, both with students and in my own research.

book pick: Bobby Bones, Fail Until You Don't: fight, grind, repeat

In this book, the author shares personal stories that highlight the importance of persistence and emphasize that failure should be seen as an opportunity to learn and improve.

book pick: Wendell Berry, This Day: Sabbath poems collected and new

Every Sunday, for decades, Wendell Berry has gone out to the woods instead of going to church. He writes a poem every week that meditates onwhat he saw and thought as he walked. It's a meditation that is also art. This body of work stands as a testament to how we can be present to our membership in the larger natural world through one word, then the next. It is also an example of how to write poems as a practice.

book pick: Gang Chen, Nanoscale energy transport and conversion : a parallel treatment of electrons, molecules, phonons, and photons

This book introduced me to the fascinating world of nanoscale thermal transport, which has been a critical topic of my research since graduate school. I was very impressed by the elegant mathematical description of the complex and stochastic physical processes.

book pick: Albert Cullum, The Geranium on the Windowsill Just Died But Teacher You Went Right On

This small book was a gift from my principal on my very first day of teaching 4th and 5th graders, my first year to teach. I later learned this book was considered controversial by some because it painted teachers in a negative light—but I focused on how it highlighted the many personalities and perspectives students bring to the classroom and how they need teachers to see them in order to teach them all well.

book pick: Jean Rosenthal and Lael Wertenbaker, The Magic of Light: The Craft and Career of Jean Rosenthal, Pioneer in Lighting for the Modern Stage

Jean Rosenthal's The Magic of Light is a seminal text in theatrical design, as it established lighting as both an artistic and professional discipline, blending technical innovation with creative vision and codifying the role of the lighting designer in modern theatre practice. Without Jean Rosenthal, there would be no modern lighting designer!

book pick: Aleko Konstantinov, To Chicago and Back

I was born and raised in Bulgaria and moved to the US with the purpose to go to graduate school and learn International Finance. It has been 25 years since then. To Chicago and Back is especially meaningful to me because it connects my Bulgarian roots with my life as a finance professor in the U.S. Written after the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, the book captures one of the earliest Bulgarian perspectives on American industry, finance, and modernization through the eyes of a Bulgarian traveler. As someone who also moved from Bulgaria to the U.S., I can relate to the author's mix of admiration, curiosity, and cultural comparison. The book highlights contrasts between Bulgaria's developing economy and America's financial and industrial power, themes that echo in my teaching of global finance. This book also offers a valuable way to show readers how perceptions of markets and capitalism evolve across time and cultures.

book pick: Geoffrey A. Moore, Crossing the Chasm

When I worked with industry back in the early 2000s, colleagues within the company recommended this book. It taught me how new technologies are adopted, and the different phases of this adoption. I am still using the concepts of this "Technology Adoption Life Cycle" today in my university faculty job when evaluating the prospects of new technologies to flourish in the healthcare marketspace.

book pick: Paul Hawken, Growing a Business

Paul Hawken published Growing a Business in 1987. I was managing a small business at the time, and his book reinforced my sense that business could be a force for positive social and environmental change. It motivated me to pursue a Ph.D. in management. Years later, Mr. Hawken was a key player in Walmart's sustainability initiatives, which I was involved in when we created The Sustainability Consortium.

book pick: Vedavyasa, Bhagavad Gita

I chose the Bhagavad Gita for its eternal wisdom on navigating challenges and moral dilemmas, offering insights into duty (karma), selflessness, and spiritual growth that encourage personal reflection and create a practical framework for a meaningful life.

book pick: Zeyn Joukhadar, The Thirty Names of Night

Instead of taking up the role of cultural informant on queer Arab trauma, this novel creates the affect of marvel at gender's diverse splendor, sourcing the sense of wonder from Arab heritage and thus providing a decolonized path to queer futures, away from the impasse where contemporary homonationalist Western savior discourses face off against current homophobic Arabic discourses.

book pick: Carol S. Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

This book illustrates how adopting a growth mindset can transform the way I approach teaching and students approach learning and challenges. It reminds me, and them, that success doesn't come from innate talent but from persistence, resilience, and openness to feedback.

book pick: James Clear / Tran Thanh Toan, Atomic Habits / Cultivate Happiness Master Life

I chose those books because they helped me gain confidence in becoming a better person, managing stress, and achieving a better balance in personal life.

book pick: Wilma Pearl Mankiller, Mankiller, A Chief and her People

This autobiography was both engaging and informative. Wilma Mankiller, the first female Chief of the Cherokee Nation, offers powerful insights into her experiences with adversity and cultural reconnection. I found her resilience and leadership were deeply moving, and her commitment to activism continues to resonate. It's an important historical account with enduring relevance.

book pick: B.F. Skinner, The Technology of Teaching

I read The Technology of Teaching for the first time as an undergraduate student. In the text, Skinner applied operant principals to teaching, demonstrating how behaviorism can be used beyond a laboratory and in places like the classroom or workplace, bridging the gap between basic experimental behavior analysis and applied behavior analysis. In the text, Skinner identified factors such as rote learning, lack of individualized pacing, and insufficient schedules of reinforcement as problems in traditional education—these clams remain relevant today and continue to inform my behavioral practice and research.

book pick: Sarah Hill, This is Your Brain on Birth Control

Although by the time this book came out in 2019 I had been studying women's hormones for several years, it really opened my eyes on new issues and ideas. Overall, reading it during my first year as an assistant professor helped shape an important research trajectory my lab has taken in the last few years (including projects in collaboration with Sarah Hill!).

book pick: Dr. Seuss and Jack Prelutsky, illustrations by Dr. Seuss and Lane Smith, Hooray for Diffendoofer Day!

I chose this book because Diffendoofer School is teaching students in non-traditional ways, and the principal is constantly worried if the students are learning the right things. When the test scores came back, Diffendoofer School received the very highest score. Since I love teaching you students, but also value the importance of data, this book is my favorite because it shows that kids can be engaged in their learning and demonstrate what they've learned, too!

book pick: David Peter Stroh, Systems Thinking for Social Change

This book has shaped both how I teach and practice design. It is a clear and detailed introduction to using systems thinking to reveal hidden patterns, power dynamics, and opportunities for intervention. This is especially imperative in complex, care-related contexts like maternal health.

book pick: Matthew Dicks, Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling

I like to think of storytelling as my superpower. This book provided insights on how to refine this power and effectively apply it in various contexts. It reaffirmed my belief in the importance of storytelling as a meaningful communication method and strategic engagement tool. As a result, I incorporate storytelling into my lectures, encourage my students to share stories of their accomplishments in speeches and portfolios, and guide faculty on using storytelling as a means to enhance learning. The book also inspired me to both teach and practice "homework for life," where I reflect daily on the stories I encounter and consider how they can be used to inspire, motivate, and educate others.

book pick: Rabindranath Tagore, Gitanjali ("Song Offerings")

Gitanjali ("Song Offerings") is a collection of poems by Rabindranath Tagore, originally written in Bengali and later translated into English by the author himself. The English version, published in 1912, brought Tagore international acclaim and won him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913, making him the first non-European to receive the award. Gitanjali resonates deeply with me because of its timeless reflections on humility, perseverance, and the creative spirit. Its verses encourage me to approach my research with purpose and moral clarity, to remain grounded while pursuing innovation, and to never lose sight of the human impact behind every technical solution. The poem "Where the mind is without fear…" especially inspires me to conduct my research with courage, openness, and a commitment to truth.

book pick: Venki Ramakrishnan, Gene Machine

This book is by a Nobel Laureate who solved the atomic structure of the ribosome, which is the "machine" in our cells that makes proteins. The topic is directly relevant to our research as ribosomes are important for maintaining muscle mass, but the book itself is also very enlightening with respect to how major scientific discoveries are made and the politics of winning awards and accolades. The book is informative from a scientific as well as career and life perspective. A close second to this book would be Jennifer Doudna's book The Code Breaker, which also details a Nobel Prize winning discovery: CRISPR.

book pick: Adolfo Bioy Casares, The Invention of Morel

This book blurs the line between reality and illusion, reminding me that our understanding of the world is always mediated by perspective. This resonates with physics, where advances often force us to reconsider the very fabric of time, space, and matter. In my own research on ferroic materials at the intersection of topology and condensed matter physics, I am similarly drawn to questions of how new theoretical and experimental frameworks can uncover hidden layers of reality and expand our understanding of what is possible.

book pick: Werner Heisenberg, Der Teil und das Ganze (Physics and Beyond)

This was a book I read when I was in the end of Junior Year in college, when I was still wondering what path to take as a career. I read a Japanese translation of the German original, whose title was a direct translation of Der Teil und das Ganze, or "The part and the whole". (I feel emotionally attached to this title, and don't like the English title above). I was at that time starting to recognize the weirdness of quantum physics, and incompatibility of the subject with daily common senses. The book is an autobiography of Heisenberg, who was one of the founders of quantum mechanics, and captures vividly the philosophical and conceptual questions the scientist of his age had while developing the subject. The book is very personal and philosophical, full of interesting conversations with Niels Bohr, Max Planck, Albert Einstein, Wolfgang Pauli and other close friends, during Heisenberg's young age and while he went through difficult times during the war. The way of life as a scientist depicted in this book captured me deeply and probably influenced my career decisions.

book pick: bell hooks, Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom

Teaching to Transgress inspired me to see education as an act of liberation, rather than simply the transmission of knowledge. It shaped how I approach my research, teaching, and mentoring with care and critical consciousness.

book pick: John Mayfield, The Engine of Complexity: Evolution as Computation

I was a beginning PhD student when I met Dr. Mayfield. I took a fascinating course from him about complex adaptive systems and then was able to help proofread an early version of this book. The combination of the material from the course and book helped inspire me to pursue my research in DNA computing and algorithmic self-assembly and continues to motivate my broad interest in how complexity arises from simple components.

book pick: Robert Klitgaard, Tropical Gangsters: One Man's Experience with Development and Decadence in Deepest Africa

This story tells you so much about working in economic development. But it does so in the first person as the author spent two and a half years in Equatorial Guinea. It is an excellent introduction to the complexities of working abroad.

book pick: Arnold Lobel, Frog and Toad Together

I read this book a hundred times as a child and now read it to my three-year-old before bedtime. Highly relatable content: life-long friendship, overplanning, anxiety dreams, and eating an entire batch of cookies in one sitting. It reminds me to slow down and enjoy the little wonders life has to offer - even in my own backyard.

book pick: Virginia Axline, Dibs in Search of Self

book pick: J. Rawls, A Theory of Justice

A Theory of Justice has informed my work since my dissertation. More importantly though it has been the centerpiece of countless conversations I've had with people who have challenged me in ways that helped me grow as a scholar. So while the book is important to my work - I chose it to represent the intellectual debt I owe to all those who have shared their deep thinking about issues of justice with me over my career.

book pick: Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe

This book influenced me because it captures the human capacity to question one's assumptions and embrace change. Robinson's attempt to discover Friday's worldview illustrates how genuine and transformative change comes not from imposing one's own views but from engaging with another perspective.

book pick: Tim Cavell and Lauren Quetsch, Good Enough Parenting: A Six-Point Plan for a Stronger Relationship with Your Child

I wrote this book with my colleague shortly after being hired at the university. Targeted toward families struggling with their relationship with their child, I learned so much from Dr. Cavell during that process and how important it is to get your research out to the public. I have grown to appreciate the book we wrote together more and more over the years as I am regularly able share chapters from it with parents who come to me feeling overwhelmed by their parenting journey. The process of writing this book, sharing it with others, and hearing positive feedback from families inspires me to take the extra effort to continuously engage with the community as a faculty at UA.

book pick: Siddartha Mukherjee, Emperor of All Maladies

This book came out when I was making the transition from graduate school to a postdoctoral fellowship. The book's take on the history of cancer and our efforts to combat it was simultaneously inspiring and terrifying. While I ostensibly worked in the field of cancer research as part of my PhD, I still looked at cancer as an engineer. This book shifted my perspective, and my subsequent research interests over the years.

book pick: Damon Zahariades, The To-Do List Formula

As a busy person juggling academic and personal responsibilities, I found this book to be a straightforward and very effective guide for taming my chaotic schedule. Though not the most transformative read, its practical strategies have proven instrumental in helping me organize my life more efficiently, striking a better balance between competing demands.

book pick: Joshua Schimel, Writing Science: how to write papers that get cited and proposals that get funded

Writing Science is an extraordinary lesson in how to construct good, effective writing. I recommend it to everyone in my team and refer to it frequently. It has helped me progress in my career in my ability to critically assess and convey a problem.

book pick: Douglas Hofstadter, Godel, Escher, Bach: an eternal golden braid

I love when a simple concept has far reaching implications and explanatory power. Godel, Escher, Bach takes this to an extreme, going well beyond the usual territory of science and math, extending into art and music.

book pick: C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

My husband Steve passed away shortly after I received official confirmation of my promotion to Associate Professor of Practice. His encouragement and unwavering support made each of my academic and professional pursuits possible. I chose A Grief Observed to acknowledge his impact and to honor his guidance to "live your life" after his passing. I will try to move forward, but I will never move on.

book pick: Steven Strogatz, The Joy of X

Although I'm not a mathematician, I've always loved playing with numbers. Ever since I was a kid, I've had a habit of mentally reciting square and prime numbers as far as I could, assigning numerical values to letters to find balanced patterns on license plates, and trying to divide random numbers by 7. So when I stumbled upon this book at a local bookstore, it felt both thrilling and deeply validating for my quirky little hobby. It's also really well-written; the author breaks down complex math and calculus topics into easily digestible pieces, beginning each chapter with fun, relevant stories or historical facts. The inner child in me delights in its pages, while the professor I am today aspires to teach and write with the same clarity and impact.

book pick: Karl Popper, The Logic of Scientific Discovery

I chose this book because it underscores the importance of falsifiability, critical testing, and methodological rigor – principles that continue to guide my approach to theory development, empirical research, and the analysis of complex policy problems under conditions of risk and uncertainty.

book pick: Oren Brown, Discover Your Voice

A book that has greatly influenced both my singing and my teaching is Discover Your Voice by Oren Brown. Unlike most vocal pedagogy books, Discover Your Voice frames all discussions of vocal function through the lens of "primal sound" to ensure that vocal technique is built not through rigid manipulation of the body but through the natural coordination of our most primal instincts.

book pick: Jacques Rancière, Dissensus

My biggest influence would be the work of the French philosopher, Jacques Rancière—especially Dissensus—because he gave me a language to talk about film and forms the basis for my pedagogical practice.

book pick: Carl Sagan, Contact

I read this book when I was in high school and it really opened my eyes to science fiction as a way of thinking about the place of humans in the universe and what it means to be human.

book pick: David Pearson, The Natural House

I was assigned The Natural House during my first year of architecture school at age 18, a time when sustainability was neither widely understood nor commonly discussed in the field. The book served as my first introduction to the idea that natural forces influence buildings, and that architectural design can significantly affect not only energy consumption but also the health and well-being of those who inhabit these spaces. It opened my eyes to a new dimension of architecture—one that has since become central to my teaching today.

book pick: Carol S. Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

The idea that people can have "fixed" (i.e., non-changeable) or "growth" (i.e., can change with effort) beliefs about a variety of psychological phenonema was very influential to me as a graduate student. The research behind this book fueled the entire study of beliefs about emotion, which is now one of my research areas! I have also found the book useful to recommend to my psychotherapy clients and to my students, as I think people find the science interesting and the author's self-disclosure of her own struggles with fixed mindsets to be highly relatable. In fact, the tone of this book, which presents complex scientific information in an accessible way and interweaves the science with stories of real-life people, was a model in tone for my own recently-published book aimed at everyday people.

book pick: Carroll Quigley, The Evolution of Civilizations

The Evolution of Civilizations by Carroll Quigley influenced me because it was my first dive into serious academic reading. What was striking to me about the book was the earnest attempt at applying the scientific method to the study of human societies.

book pick: David Quammen, The Song of the Dodo: island biogeography in an age of extinctions

I love everything David Quammen writes, but this was the first book of his I read. I read it before I realized what an important part of my research extinction would become. The book is both an ode to the diversity of life and evolution, but it also unflinchingly describes the loss of ecosystems due to extinction. It reminds me of the importance of both history and metaphor in my own research and teaching.

book pick: Ross Watts and Jerold Zimmerman, Positive Accounting Theory

I chose this book because it spawned my interest in scholarly research in the field of financial reporting.