HCC Celebrity Read Posters of 2008

Library Staff Recommendations

Posters from 2007

The Robots of Dawn by Isaac Asimov

Juan Dixon
HCC Office for Students with Disabilities & Deaf Services

West with the night by Beryl Markham

The reason I selected West with the Night as my favorite book is because she inspired me to feel empowered as a person, and believe that I have the right and the authority to determine what I do with my life, and as a woman, that an adventurous outlook added a terrific dimension to it all.

Kate Douglas
HCC Dean of Social Sciences

New world translation of the Holy Scriptures
   Other versions of the bible

I enjoy reading the bible because even though it was written so long ago, it is still practical today. In fact, 2 Timothy 3:16 states: "All scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness…" The bible has helped me cope through different challenges in my life … many of the same problems that we all face. I encourage everyone to read it on a regular basis.

Marilyn Estrada
HCC Admissions

Saving fish from drowning by Amy Tan

I chose the book I did because it is a great story of American tourists in a foreign country. Their guide has mysteriously died before they leave, but they embark anyway to travel on the Burma Road. They have many adventures along their way (some due to lack of cultural competence) & develop relationships with each other that are often amusing. I love the way Amy Tan researches her books & illustrates the vulnerabilities of all of us.

Leona Florek
HCC Nursing Professor

Tall trees, tough men by Robert E. Pike

Scott Landry
HCC Campus Security

The house on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

In forty-plus vignettes, Sandra Cisneros transports us to the world of Esperanza Cordero, a young girl growing up in an immigrant neighborhood in Chicago. We share her simple joys -- sharing her first bicycle for $5.00 with two friends, "double-dutch" jump roping, and dancing for the first time at a baptismal party. We learn of her neighbors’ challenges -- the fear of the unknown shown by a wife who speaks no English, family abuse faced by a friend, and the limited expectations for women in the community. Esperanza finds her inspirations in many places -- the sky and pillow-like clouds; Alicia, who is the first in her family to attend college; four "skinny elm trees" planted near the curb; and a chance encounter with a wise aunt at a neighborhood funeral.

I was inspired by Esperanza’s story. It brings home the universals of growing up with dreams, and the challenges faced by many in overcoming the twin limits of poverty and low expectations. Esperanza’s overall message is this: that, once successful, one must always "remember to come back" for those still in the community where one began.

Wayne Nelson
STRIVE Learning Specialist at HCC

My soul has grown deep : classics of early African-American literature compiled by John Edgar Wideman

The Norton anthology of African American literature edited by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Nellie Y. McKay

Gaylord Saulsberry
HCC History Professor