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Book Recommendations
Books, books. I love books.
Currently at my bedside is Carly Fiorina’s memoir, the new Virginia Woolf biography, a palm-sized compendium of garden poems, and a high modernist Portuguese novel that I’ve been trying to get into for more than a year.
Tony Forman (Cultural Alliance of Greater Milwaukee) was so eager to share with me the title of his current favorite when we last talked that I decided to collect recommendations from a number of arts leaders. Here’s what people are reading:
The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More, by Chris Anderson
“Anderson’s analysis of the shifts in the consumer marketplace — including his observations about the democratization of both means of production and of distribution — are provocative and have immense implications for the performing arts.”
—Ben Cameron, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
Collaborative Creativity: Contemporary Perspectives, edited by Dorothy Miell and Karen Littleton
“The contributors present contemporary perspectives on collaborative creativity across a wide range of domains such as music composition, business, school-based creative activities, fashion design, and web-based academic collaborations. The authors view human creativity as a fundamentally social process and argue that, if researchers are to understand it, they need to examine the cultural, institutional, and interpersonal contexts that support it.”
—Timothy W. Sharp, Rhodes College
The Creative College: Building a Successful Learning Culture in the Arts, edited by Graham Jeffery
“Creative partnership in education is increasingly being recognized as an inspirational and effective way of teaching and learning. This book describes some successful initiatives in the UK and suggests how schools, colleges, universities, and arts organizations can make partnerships work.”
—Timothy W. Sharp, Rhodes College
The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho
“I came late to this wonderful fable, a guide to the discovery of your Personal Legend. It’s an energizing discovery for those who find themselves at a crossroads in life — or lost at that crossroads. The 2006 edition, The Alchemist (Plus), includes a new introduction by, and an interview with, Coelho, and a reader’s guide. I gave it for Christmas.”
—Linda Frye Burnham, Art in the Public Interest
The Soul of Money: Reclaiming the Wealth of Our Inner Resources, by Lynne Twist
“An important book for those of us (and our souls) who deal with sustaining our work and who grasp for a handle on the large picture. It’s well-written, moving, and powerful. Twist imbues the text with anecdotes and insights that are both personally relevant and enriching as well as professionally useful.”
—Tony Forman, Cultural Alliance of Greater Milwaukee
“I've read a bunch of great books recently: V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd, short stories by James Tiptree, Jr., The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes, Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. But the one that stands out for me right now is James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon by Julie Phillips. This book tells a compelling story about a fascinating personality. What inspires me about the book is how, at the age of 50, Alice Sheldon completely reinvented herself and, in a small way, changed the world. I took away an inspiring message that life ain't over till it's over and that you can change how you approach life at any point for the better. A wonderful book.”
—Jason Neulander, Salvage Vanguard Theatre
Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them, by Francine Prose
“This book is an inspiring example of what it means to love literature, as well as a welcome reminder of all the wonderful books we may have read "too soon" and can now re-read, slowly, with attention. I'm also enjoying Stephen Fry's The Ode Less Travelled: Unlocking the Poet Within, which makes it possible for any of us to enjoy and write all kinds of poems, just for the love of the language.”
—Joli Jensen, University of Tulsa
“I seek out books written by women leaders in other fields to learn from their leadership experience. In advance of moving to Washington, I thought that perhaps the United States’ first woman Secretary of State could offer some wisdom. I read Madeleine Albright’s memoir, Madame Secretary: A Memoir. Although a daunting volume, she goes into great detail about diplomacy and her negotiation strategies (successes and mishaps) throughout her career. In the final chapter she shares lessons learned with tips for women leaders. One recommendation stood out in particular: ‘learn to interrupt men.’”
—Liesel Fenner, Americans for the Arts
The Known World: A Novel, by Edward P. Jones
“This book is a meditation on slavery. Mr. Jones takes us into the territories of Maryland and Virgina and introduces the reader to black slaves who owned other slaves. It is a moving poetic account of being lost in America. It has opened my heart to the challenges of the African Diaspora for us black artists living on the edge of the subculture's major breath.”
—Rhodessa Jones, Cultural Odyssey
The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom, by Yochai Benkler
“It’s a great introduction to and discussion of the legal and economic implications of web-based social networking and its relationship to non-market cultural production and distribution. Timely, useful information.”
—Sam Miller, Leveraging Investments in Creativity
The Spark: Igniting the Creative Fire That Lives Within Us All, by John U. Bacon and Lyn Heward
“While written as a fictional account, the book touches on the very real experience of creative burnout from the perspective of a mid-life executive. A chance interaction at a Cirque du Soleil show opens up a whole new view on sustaining a creative life. It’s a quick read and a good choice if you have the same-old blues.”
—Anne L’Ecuyer, Americans for the Arts
Best,
Ann
January 2007