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The Books Issue

A Century of Great Books (continued)

Illustrations by Janice Wu

Guests of the Sheik
1965

Guests of the Sheik

by Elizabeth Warnock Fernea ’49
BJ wrote this groundbreaking study after living in an Iraqi village with husband Bob Fernea ’54 for two years; she wore a veil and talked to locals on their own terms. She went on to a distinguished career in women’s studies, wrote several acclaimed books, and produced a half-dozen films.

Is Compulsory Arbitration Compatible with Bargaining?
1966

Is Compulsory Arbitration Compatible with Bargaining?

by Carl Stevens ’42 [econ 1954–90]ste
This landmark article led to baseball’s current system of salary arbitration, a considerable source of amusement to Carl, who was a lifelong Red Sox fan.

Riprap, & Cold Mountain Poems
1969

Riprap, & Cold Mountain Poems

by Gary Snyder ’51
Probably the best known of Reed’s poets, Gary was also one of the first to be identified as part of the Beat movement. He was strongly influenced by Lloyd Reynolds [English and art 1929–69] and David French ’39 [anthro 1947–88].

Annapurna
1980

Annapurna: A Woman’s Place

by Arlene Blum ’66
This gripping literary memoir relates the story of the American Women’s Himalayan Expedition Arlene led in 1978. National Geographic Adventure Magazine ranked it one of the top 100 adventure books of all time.

Pawn of Prophecy
1982

Pawn of Prophecy

by David Eddings ’54
This novel of orbs and sorcerers was a runaway hit and propelled David from grocery store clerk to bestselling fantasy author. Dozens of titles followed. After his death, he left a gift to Reed of $20 million.

The Heat Bird
1983

The Heat Bird

by Mei-mei Berssenbrugge ’69
“A canticle of visually stunning observations . . . meaning arrives through sensation, the surprised juxtaposition of moment upon moment.”—Poetics Journal. Mei-mei won the American Book Award for these poems; she has written many others and won numerous awards.

A Walk in the Woods
1986

A Walk in the Woods

by Lee Blessing ’71
Two diplomats, an American and a Soviet, try to break their nations’ nuclear deadlock face to face in an elegant drama that was nominated for both a Tony Award and a Pulitzer Prize—and was loosely based on a real episode.

Geek Love
1989

Geek Love

By Katherine Dunn ’69
This powerful, darkly comic novel about carnival misfits is an underground classic and was a National Book Award finalist. Begins with a line from The Tempest: “This thing of Darkness I Acknowledge mine.” Katherine has also written Attic, Truck, Guyana, and Why do Men have Nipples? 

Hard Plays Stiff Parts
1990

Hard Plays: Stiff Parts

By Robert Chesley ’65
This book of homoerotic plays includes Night Sweat, Jerker, and Dog Plays. One of the best known playwrights of the San Francisco gay scene, Robert wrote some 26 plays, many of which are still being staged today. He was also a theatre critic and composer.

The Virtual Community
1991

The Virtual Community

by Howard Rheingold ’68
Howard was among the first writers to recognize the social implications of the internet and explore its myriad subcultures. This book chronicles his odyssey from simulated battlefields in Hawaii to robotics labs in Tokyo.

The Trail Home
1992

The Trail Home

by John Daniel ’70
This book of essays won the Oregon Book Award. “I should take Mr. Daniel to court for overstressing my emotional stability by revealing, in matchless prose, what a desert is all about,” wrote David Brower. “It hurts to hold back tears when they have no place else to go.”

Jaydium
1992

Jaydium

by Deborah Ross ’68
Far in the future, an interplanetary war has ground to an uneasy halt. A freak accident sends two characters back to a time when their desert world was lush and green and an alien civilization stands on the brink of destruction.

The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm
1993

The Ear, the Eye and the Arm

by Nancy Coe Farmer ’63
Three kids acquire superhuman abilities as the result of a nuclear meltdown in 2194 and encounter a ragtag assortment of criminals in the underbelly of Harare. This book won a Newbery Honor in 1994; Nancy has written several other well-received novels for young adults.

Loving Wanda Beaver
1995

Loving Wanda Beaver

by Alison Baker ‘75
Alison won an O. Henry Award for the title story in this collection, described by one reviewer as “juggling quirky compassion, delicate observations, and surprising truths.”

White Oleander
1999

White Oleander

By Janet Fitch ’78
Astrid’s mother murders her ex-lover through a diabolical method. Astrid survives a hellish succession of foster homes only to confront a stark choice: should she testify against her mother? This bestseller was adapted for the screen in 2002.

Overtime
1999

Overtime

by Philip Whalen ’51
A quintessential Beat poet, Philip displays humor, intelligence, and honesty in this collection, which demonstrates what he called “continuous nerve movie.” 

The Girl Pretending to Read Rilke
2000

The Girl Pretending to Read Rilke 

by Barbara Riddle-Dvorak ’64
Summer intern Bronwen McCuddhy must prove herself worthy to join a team probing the mysteries of genetics, when an unexpected telegram makes her question who she really is and what she wants from life.

Nickel and Dimed
2001

Nickel and Dimed

by Barbara Ehrenreich ’63
In this classic piece of undercover reportage, Barbara worked as a waitress, hotel maid, house cleaner, and Wal-Mart clerk, chronicling what life is really like in America when you make $6 to $7 an hour. 

Creations of Fire
2002

Creations of Fire

by Cathy Cobb ’81 et al.
Meet the hedonists and swindlers, monks, and heretics who sweated in garages and over kitchen sinks to discover substances such as plastic, rubber, and aspirin in this engaging history of chemistry.

It's go in quiet illumined grass land
2002

It’s go in quiet illumined grass land.

by Leslie Scalapino ’66
“An enlightened work singing of death, physical pain, social fearfulness, and where when or whether one is,” wrote Alice Notley. “You can’t stop.” Leslie was a leading experimentalist poet, publishing some 30 books of poetry.

Chicken
2002

Chicken: Self-Portrait of a Young Man for Rent

by David Henry Sterry ’78
David was a wide-eyed son of 1970s suburbia until he was lured into a much darker world—servicing the lonely women of Hollywood by night. 
 

West of Kabul, East of New York
2003

West of Kabul, East of New York: 
An Afghan American Story

by Tamim Ansary ’70
The day after 9/11, Tamim sent an anguished email to 20 friends, discussing the attack as an Afghan American. The message reached millions and led to this book about his struggle to unite the two halves of his identity.

Magnificent Failure
2003

Magnificent Failure: Free Fall from the Edge of Space

by Craig Ryan ’77
In 1966, former truck driver and pet store owner Nick Piantanida set a new record for manned balloon altitude, parachuted, and survived a free fall of 23 miles—just. This book is a real-life tale of adventure, space history, and a plummeting pioneer.

Alafair Burke
2004

Close Case

by Alafair Burke ’91
Investigating the brutal murder of a hotshot journalist, Samantha Kincaid finds herself caught in the middle of a personal—and potentially dangerous—struggle between the Portland police and the DA’s office. Third title in Alafair’s acclaimed Samantha Kincaid series.

The Moment's Equation
2004

The Moment’s Equation

by Vern Rutsala ’56
“This wonderful book of poetry, which was a 2005 National Book Award finalist, is filled with scintillating visions of life, home, work, and family expressed in accessible language through which the poet magnifies daily events into art.” —National Book Award Judge

The Great Divide
2004

The Great Divide

by John Sperling ’48 et al.
Forget red state/blue state. The real divide in U.S. politics is Retro America (South, Plains, Mountain West, Appalachia) vs. Metro America (coasts and Great Lakes). John founded the University of Phoenix.

Prime Numbers
2005

Prime Numbers: A Computational Perspective

by Richard Crandall ’69 et al.
“It’s rare to say this of a math book, but open Prime Numbers to a random page and it’s hard to put down. Crandall and Pomerance have written a terrific book.” 
—Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society 

The Great Man
2007

The Great Man

by Kate Christensen ’86 
When noted painter Oscar Feldman dies, he leaves behind a wife, a son, and a sister—all duly noted in his New York Times obit. He also leaves a mistress and their twin daughters. Now two rival biographers are circling around the survivors. This novel won the 2008 PEN/Faulkner award.

The Portland Red Guide
2007

The Portland Red Guide

by Michael Munk ’56 
Subtitled Sites and Stories from Our Radical Past, this book offers a glimpse into Portland’s rich radical heritage. “Sat down on my sofa and couldn’t put it down until I finished,” wrote former Portland Mayor Tom Potter. “Fascinating!”

Pig Candy
2008

Pig Candy: Taking My Father South, Taking My Father Home

by Lise Funderburg ’82
Pig Candy could fit into several genres—including narrative nonfiction, memoir, travelogue, and biography—but essentially, it’s a book about life, death, and barbecue. 

American Nerd
2008

American Nerd: The Story of My People

by Benjamin Nugent ’99
An engaging look at the history of nerds and nerdiness. What makes Dr. Frankenstein the archetypal nerd? Where did jocks come from? Can nerds be cool? If not, why is America obsessed with them?

Hinduism
2008

Hinduism: A Reader

edited by Deepak Sarma ’93 
Deepak juxtaposes classic Hindu scriptures with works of reformers and radicals to illuminate the new face of contemporary Hinduism. He has also written Classical Indian Philosophy and An Introduction to Madhva Vedanta.

Past Due
2009

Past Due: The End of Easy Money and the Renewal of the American Economy

by Peter S. Goodman ’89
New York Times business reporter traces the root cause of the Great Recession—the gargantuan loads of debt that Americans took on to pursue their dreams, abetted by a complicit banking industry.

The Age of Orphans
2010

The Age of Orphans

by Laleh Khadivi ’98
A Kurdish boy is orphaned in a massacre and then raised by one of the Iranian soldiers who killed his parents. The Independent called this novel “remarkable for its beautiful and brutal poetry.” Winner of a Whiting Writers Award.

Zazen
2011

Zazen

by Vanessa Veselka ’10
In a dystopian America on the verge of war, Della makes hoax calls about false bomb threats, but realizes too late that she may be part of something bigger when her phony targets go up in flames. Won the PEN/Robert Bingham Prize.

Comrades of the Quest
2012

Comrades of the Quest

by John Sheehy ’82
The raw, dramatic, underground history of America’s most distinctive college—yes, Reed!—as told by the people who know it from the inside.

—Compiled by Chris Lydgate ’90, Jim Kahan ’64, Gay Walker ’69, John Sheehy ’82, Kim Durkin ’13, Daniel Ku ’13, and Laurie Lindquist. Blame errors, omissions, and howlers on Lydgate.