Five and Why: What Lobos love to read

Books have a unique way of radiating telltale signs of a reader’s future. And in the case of Summer Little, director of the Women’s Resource Center, all of her favorite books have a strong female lead, which points to her work in equality.

1. “The Mists of Avalon” by Marion Zimmer Bradley

“It’s my favorite because each time I read it, I come away with something different. It’s the Arthurian legends from the women’s points of view. It’s just fun, and I actually read it for the first time in high school. It was probably one of the first books that I really read that has strong female characters that were acting kind of outside traditional gender roles. So it was really interesting to me. I’m conflicted about that book now, unfortunately, because the author’s daughter recently disclosed severe and ongoing sexual abuse by her mother.”

2. “Sense and Sensibility” and “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen

“Really, again, you have strong female characters struggling within a very strict gender role system, but the ability of Jane Austen to show the absurdity of it is really entertaining and engaging. They are just my favorites and I can pick them up anytime and just go right there and enjoy it.”

3. “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margret Atwood

“It’s a dystopic novel where women they leave all legal status, any equality they may have had and become literally property and breeding machines. This dystopic cautionary tale (shows) no matter how far the fight for equity goes, how many advances we make, things can always be undone with just a few pieces of legislation. And so I think it is always for me, it’s a timely book and I re-read it maybe to keep my passion burning for the work that I do.”

4. “Game of Thrones” by George R.R. Martin

“Now there is a lot of misogyny in fantasy, definitely, but he is writing some really interesting, strong characters. Some are operating within the gender expectations within that fantasy world, but some are acting outside of them. And I think that’s, partly what keeps me engaged, but he is just such a gifted writer. You’re reading and you’re so absorbed that you know it can be three hours until you look up. And I just love that about reading.”

5. “Guardian Princess Alliance,” a collection of stories written by various authors and illustrated by A. Das

“This is a new favorite, and it is actually a kids’ book. As a single parent I don’t have tons of tons of time to read. They are not your damsels in distress. They are very community minded, very interested in protecting the earth and the people and everything about the environment. So each princess is guardian of one aspect of our environment. They are lots of fun and it’s ju3st really cool to read stories to my daughter that have such positive, strong characters that she can think about at six. When I was six, there was nothing like that.”

Lauren Marvin is the culture editor the Daily Lobo. She can be reached culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @LaurenMarvin.