What We're Reading
Books/ Alumni Selections

Here’s what a few Pomona alumni are reading this fall:

Susan Barnard ’69
Shelton, Wash., high school educator
Freshwater Road
By Denise Nicholas
“I was drawn into this book about a college sophomore from Detroit, who volunteered to help register voters in Mississippi in the summer of 1964. Having been in college during the Civil Rights Movement, my own memories of books I read and coverage on television blended with
the emotional intensity of this character’s experiences.”

Nicholas Dreves ’04
Dubai, UAE, carbon credits/emission reductions
Seven Pillars of Wisdom
By T.E. Lawrence
“The book is an account of the travels and adventures of "Lawrence of Arabia." As a Westerner living in the Arab world, I feel that many of Lawrence’s insights are still
applicable. The current geopolitical climate in the Middle East was influenced immensely by the involvement of the West during this time period, creating the roots of many of today's issues. ”

Gerardo López-Mena ’04
The Bronx, N.Y., first year at the Albert Einstein
School of Medicine
Rain of Gold
By Victor Villaseñor
“Rain of Gold is a timeless romance. Villaseñor intertwines the stories of two families (the author’s parents) who come from Mexico to the U.S.”

Karen Scott ’87
Moving to Colorado, on sabbatical as a senior engineering specialist
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
By Chip Heath and Dan Heath
“The book explores why some ideas thrive and describes how to improve the chances that worthy ideas will stick. It’s readable, entertaining and very useful, whether you’re developing a marketing campaign or communicating technical data to managers.”

Robert Woods ’67
Claremont, Calif, professor of history,
Pomona College
The Reluctant Fundamentalist
By Mohsin Hamid
“During this time of the year, I try to read all the short-listed books for the Man Booker Prize. I always read to learn. In this case, Hamid uses language and plot to translate into a common cultural medium what really is a particular cultural experience. It’s a masterful pen he uses!"