Five and Why: What Lobos love to read with Asian American Studies Director Julie Shigekuni

Many people who love to read find they have a hard time choosing their favorite books. With so many spectacular works to choose from, it can be a difficult decision. Some notice that while choosing a favorite novel seems impossible, choosing a favorite author comes much more naturally. Julie Shigekuni, director of Asian American studies and a creative writing professor, said that while she constantly changes her favorite books, she keeps going back to the same authors.

1. “Another Country” by James Baldwin

“I love everything of his, but particularly ‘Another Country.’ To me, a good book has many layers, and the way that we find out about the deep interior of this character — along with getting a feel for the world he lives in — is really well developed. One of the things Baldwin does so brilliantly is move in and out of the character’s consciousness. It was a brilliant exploration of this character.”

2. “Forbidden Colors” by Yukio Mishima

“I love Mishima for his aesthetic sensibility that is present on every page. I think I’ve been formed more by Japanese authors from Japan than I have been from Japanese-American authors. What I love about the characters (in this) is the enormous confidence that they have on the page. People in America have to treat race on the pages, but in Japan they don’t have to talk about race because there is this homogenous sense of belonging. It’s very compelling and revealing.”

3. “The Black Book” by Orhan Pamuk

“(Pamuk) is amazing because his world is enormous, his books are filled with many different characters, and yet he has a fabulous eye for detail. ‘The Black Book’ is about a lawyer whose wife goes missing, and in some ways it’s about his search for her, but yet it manages to bring in a whole range of issues that comes up in his search. (Pamuk) is fabulous.”

4. “Selected Stories” by Alice Munro

“I love her sensibility. I love the complexity of her characters and the way that she writes about relationships. I learn from her every time I read something by her. What’s really interesting about her is she’s somebody who grew up in a small town in Canada and has stayed there her whole life. From a limited set of experiences, an entire world is revealed in her writing. Her writing is meticulous. I just find her stories really satisfying.”

5. “A Constellation of Vital Phenomena” by Anthony Marra

“It’s fabulous because it’s epic in its scope, yet his attention to detail is remarkable. (Marra) has an amazing eye. It’s a story that follows a narrator for eight years and five days, following the war in Chechnya. It’s been compared to classic Russian novels, but it’s also contemporary in a lot of ways because of his style. It’s timeless and beautiful.”

Skylar Griego is a freelance reporter and book reviewer for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo.