This is the fourth and final session in our review series for this semester, and this time we have reviews of a non-fiction work, a novel, and a documentary film.  We hope that you are enjoying the chance to hear members of the College community discuss works which they have found interesting.  As with the other sessions, you should be able to take something from the presentations, and if a book or the film appeals to you, you can follow-up by reading it or viewing it yourself.  The Library will purchase copies of the books and the film for checkout as well as provide a display of related works.

• Hunger of Memory:  The Education of Richard Rodriguez by Richard Rodriguez

Reviewed by Michael Franco, Professor of English

In this controversial classic, Rodriguez chronicles the process of assimilation, ultimately arguing that it’s necessary and beneficial—even if the price is cultural loneliness and familial estrangement.  Nearly twenty-five years after its release, Hunger of Memory is more timely than ever.

• Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi

Reviewed by Mary Punches, Professor of English

This book is about an American educated woman who returns to her home country of Iran to teach literature and ends up gathering together a group of young women to read banned Western books.

• The Inner Tour (2000), a documentary by Ra’anan Alexandrowicz

Reviewed by David Charlson, Professor of English

This politically charged film explores what the concept of “homeland” can mean.  The filmmaker follows several Palestinians as they visit Israel, including one old man who hasn’t seen the land since 1948.