Five and Why: What Lobos love to read

There are people who believe that the best books are those that challenge perspectives and introduce new ideas. Books that capture histories of lives, theories, events and controversies are some of the novels enjoyed by Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Chaouki Abdallah.

1. “The Prophet” by Kahlil Gibran

He has read it in English, French, Arabic, and many other times in other languages. It was also cited at his wedding.

2. “The Black Swan” by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

“It’s one of those books that lets you think about the world in a different way. ‘The Black Swan’ is the idea that some events can happen that change your view of culture, society, etc. It changes our understanding of things.”

3. “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks“ by Rebecca Skloot

“It’s a really fascinating book about what happened with [a woman with cancer] and the effect her life and death has.”

4. “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman

“It’s a really interesting book. It’s about three years old now. It describes how we react to some things. We think we have two systems: the fast system and the slow system. I always try to go with the slow system.”

5. “American Higher Education in Crisis?” by Goldie Blumenstyk

“There are a bunch of books on higher education that I read all the time. [This one] is very good. This kind of summarizes everything in a good way.”

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