Three books for Stanford’s freshman
Being a student of a Stanford University is very important factor for young people. There are many interesting things about the whole study program, especially if you are on first year. The one of these mentioned things is the New Student Orientation Program for freshmen. The main concept is simple: students must select three books, which are based on some specific topics. These topics must inspire students to go through a process of the learning experience. Here go working on numerous assignments, writing academic papers, passing tests, etc. Every year, Dr. Noah Diffenbaugh is making the list of these books.
This time, he decided to pick an interesting theme for new students: the sustainability and equity to invoke meaningful discussions that will advocate equality in access to the already-depleting resources available on our Planet. The following books are perfectly describing the mentioned theme:
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
This powerful book covers the story that took place in West Africa, Asante Village, where eight generations are going through the difficult process: to depict lives of powerless individuals in the face of historical events and its cruel moments. The slavery process in this region was described as the most impactful factor, and it has a huge influence on the relationship between two half-sisters who were born into the same village share completely different paths of the destiny. While one is going to become a wife of an Englishman and to spend life in the luxurious atmosphere, the other is being sold as a slave to the same person.
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert
The winner of the Pulitzer Prize invites her readers to discover the new side of our history. The main idea is to show how different living organisms have changed during the five mass extinctions. She continues to argue that the next and sixth extinction may become the dramatic one, as we face the serious issue that half of all the living species on our Planet may be completely obliterated. However, this theme can be very tough for some people – an author adds some jokes to make the whole picture more bearable for readers who are not aware of the human behavior consequences.
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
The next book is inviting readers to present the topic of a natural disaster. The Hurricane Katrina that became a serious problem for American citizens. The detailed action presents us with the Batiste household and a family, who went through the whole event of this natural disaster. The main plot is covering a ten-day period before Hurricane Katrina and finishes on the second day after it occurs. Each chapter describes the tough relationship between pregnant fourteen-year-old and her teenage brothers alongside with their alcoholic father.
