Summer Reading Recs with Terrence Corrigan
History Professor and Holocaust and Human Rights Center Director Terrence Corrigan shares his recommended beach reads for this summer.
Middlesex College History Professor Terrence Corrigan reads for both pleasure and educational purposes, always thinking about how he can use what he’s reading in the classroom.
“I tend to do a lot of serious reading. How things might fit into a curriculum is always in the back of my head,” said Corrigan, who is also the director and founder of the Holocaust and Human Rights Center at the College.
He laughs that he has too many books. Some at his home, some at his parents’ house, others at his office. He is a big fan of used books (why pay full price?) and fondly remembers lugging back stacks of books from used bookstores in London.
“I can’t throw out a book to save my life,” Corrigan said. “I feel like if I let it go, I will need to refer back to something, and I fear I won’t be able to do that.”
Here are some of Corrigan’s favorite books he recommends reading this summer:
Dubliners by James Joyce
“This was written in 1914, just as all of civilization was about to break down with the start of World War I. It’s a series of short stories about people living in Dublin and every character is trying to find meaning in life, love, death, and trying to understand what’s happening.”
The Black Jacobins by C.L.R. James
“No one had ever done a history of Haiti and the Haitian revolution until this book. The author focused on the belief that liberation and freedom is unique in every place. It was said that all of that came from France. He made the argument that the Haitian slaves didn’t need that – they already knew organically about the desire for freedom and equality. It’s a great read if you want to learn about self-determination and people taking freedom into their own hands.”
Born in the Bronx – edited by Johan Kugelberg
“I grew up on 198th Street in the Bronx, a quirky bit of fate right by where rap and hip-hop music was created. I remember in my childhood people plugging in boom boxes and break dancing in the street. This is the history of that music and includes contributions from a lot of different artists. If you are interested in this style of music and want to see what New York City looked like at the dawn of hip-hop, this is a fun book.”
Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen
“This book was given to me by a friend, and it’s all about if a nuclear war is going to happen, what it would actually look like. It’s super detailed. It’s not cheerful, but terrifyingly interesting. I think in this day and age, reading a book like this is a good thing. I’m going to pass it on.”
Looking for more book recommendations? Check out our summer reading series:
