tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post627139990935161011..comments2024-03-25T02:33:41.590-05:00Comments on FemaleScienceProfessor: No Academic MagicFemale Science Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15288567883197987690noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-41443751138805885862013-04-12T07:58:57.094-05:002013-04-12T07:58:57.094-05:00My all-time favorite: "Secret history", ...My all-time favorite: "Secret history", by Dona Tartt. It is not exactly new, and not only an academic novel in the sense that you use this term, but it does depict university life and student-professor relationships in a fascinating way (although there might not be enough faculty meetings to your taste... )<br />Also, "Special topics in calamity physics", by Marisha Pessl, that describes (among other things) the relationship between a teenage girl and her academic father. Not sure that it is relatable, but definitely highly entertaining (which is also the idea, right?)<br />And now, have a good day, and enjoy your readings (whatever they are)!Daisynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-34566008867393565022011-06-24T19:19:23.406-05:002011-06-24T19:19:23.406-05:00Learning Curves by Dorie LaRue
http://www.amazon....Learning Curves by Dorie LaRue<br /><br />http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Curves-Novel-Academe-1/dp/1460982908/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1308958717&sr=1-3PimpMyNovelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07089372005782713715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-21291152995194842062010-08-16T12:34:30.147-05:002010-08-16T12:34:30.147-05:00I have three suggestions. The first two are books...I have three suggestions. The first two are books I assign in a class about women and science. Intuition by Allegra Goodman (which has already been suggested) and Easter Island by Jennifer Vanderbes. Easter Island weaves together stories of two women studying the island several generations apart. <br /><br />Finall, my favorite academic novel, in which the characters are very real and sympathetic, is Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner.K McCainnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-33443462467396588492010-08-15T12:17:01.190-05:002010-08-15T12:17:01.190-05:00As a Smithie I hated "Commencement".As a Smithie I hated "Commencement".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-72637183687743410932010-08-12T22:56:42.602-05:002010-08-12T22:56:42.602-05:00I don't think anyone has mentioned Academia Nu...I don't think anyone has mentioned Academia Nuts by Michael Wilding.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-13551127610653365802010-08-12T10:35:35.714-05:002010-08-12T10:35:35.714-05:00@Amy S: That was I Am Charlotte Simmons. It was ...@Amy S: That was <i>I Am Charlotte Simmons</i>. It was very macho and I disliked it as well. NOT recommended.Susan B. Anthonynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-9350119728662480942010-08-11T23:52:46.289-05:002010-08-11T23:52:46.289-05:00I enjoyed The Thousand Autumns of Jacob very much....I enjoyed The Thousand Autumns of Jacob very much. It's much more narratively straightforward than his earlier work, but there are some wonderful characters. One commenter called it slow, and in the beginning, the parts on the island are - but to be fair, they are stuck on an island waiting for the next trade season! <br /><br />What about Zadie Smith - on Beauty.<br /><br />Also, I read the Tom Woolfe book set on a campus (don't recall the name) and I did NOT like it. He does not write a 18 year old girl well.Amy Snoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-48995849232546122952010-08-11T18:56:54.622-05:002010-08-11T18:56:54.622-05:00I liked The Ask!I liked The Ask!Female Science Professorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288567883197987690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-2736320607861516632010-08-11T18:11:53.198-05:002010-08-11T18:11:53.198-05:00For a witty view of the non-academic side of the a...For a witty view of the non-academic side of the academic world, you could try 'The Ask' by Sam Lipsyte; a satiric take on life as a university-based fund-raiser or 'academic development officer'.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-83895184144609158012010-08-11T14:41:41.455-05:002010-08-11T14:41:41.455-05:00Read Arrowsmith.Read Arrowsmith.Female Science Professorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288567883197987690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-35213173700514500222010-08-11T14:13:53.846-05:002010-08-11T14:13:53.846-05:00I second Arrowsmith. It's amazing how much re...I second Arrowsmith. It's amazing how much remains the same since the 1920s when he wrote this book.<br /><br />Mark PAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-13024061893586031842010-08-11T12:20:14.445-05:002010-08-11T12:20:14.445-05:00"My Freshman Year" was a quick, easy rea..."My Freshman Year" was a quick, easy ready. Some of her perspectives from the student's point of view were interesting to try to remember if that is how I felt.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-61654702086528610852010-08-11T08:53:40.372-05:002010-08-11T08:53:40.372-05:00Funny but a little harsh: the Wilt books by Tom S...Funny but a little harsh: the Wilt books by Tom Sharpe.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-37949669416667426112010-08-11T01:06:19.651-05:002010-08-11T01:06:19.651-05:00Second The Lacuna -- not strictly academic, but a ...Second <i>The Lacuna</i> -- not strictly academic, but a wonderful, amazing, epic story.<br /><br />I am re-reading A. S. Byatt's <i>Possession</i> and enjoying it immensely, as always. It's also not strictly about the academy, but it is about literature and the excitement of primary (literary) research. And there are lots of gleefully portrayed academic characters of various sorts.<br /><br />I'm enjoying the other suggestions and will definitely try some of them!Susan B. Anthonynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-6778822659617740142010-08-10T18:59:59.581-05:002010-08-10T18:59:59.581-05:00If you haven't already read it, you might try ...If you haven't already read it, you might try Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis (1925). It's been a long time since I've read the book, but back when I was a larval biologist, I thought it was fantastic. Some have claimed that it's the first significant novel about the process and culture of science. (Lewis was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for the book, but famously turned it down.)Plague of Cricketshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05140722431892746237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-2920260498601407142010-08-10T18:11:31.956-05:002010-08-10T18:11:31.956-05:00I read and did not like The Big U. My favorite aca...I read and did not like The Big U. My favorite academic novels are the classics: Straight Man, Moo. Can I also count White Noise? I loved White Noise.Female Science Professorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288567883197987690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-54679393831233415252010-08-10T17:50:27.149-05:002010-08-10T17:50:27.149-05:00I quite enjoyed this post. And now I feel compell...I quite enjoyed this post. And now I feel compelled to read that book. By the way, what was the name of the title of the last book in which you found the academic characters likeable?R.L.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09415181469636262733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-47683474371319428962010-08-10T17:45:29.993-05:002010-08-10T17:45:29.993-05:00If you went to Harvard, MIT, or Boston University ...If you went to Harvard, MIT, or Boston University (or you like to make fun of any of those places), I recommend "The Big U" by Neal Stephenson.<br /><br />The more extreme view of academia (loosely speaking) can be found in one of his other books "Anathem".The Lesser Halfnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-62510001473355833692010-08-10T16:45:55.760-05:002010-08-10T16:45:55.760-05:00My post was not intended as a comprehensive book r...My post was not intended as a comprehensive book review (I actually thought the book overall was OK and am glad I read it). I chose to focus on the specific topic of the portrayal of the academic couple.<br /><br />I have read Moo, Straight Man, Thinks (and other David Lodge books). I hope I will not be disappointed by the new David Mitchell book, but now I am emotionally prepared for this possibility. Thanks again for all the comments.Female Science Professorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288567883197987690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-85365663242149677982010-08-10T13:57:44.600-05:002010-08-10T13:57:44.600-05:00I think I mentioned this in a similar past post of...I think I mentioned this in a similar past post of yours, but I recently finished "The Bubble Chamber" by S.C.H. Thurston<br /><br />It's set in scientific academia and is a fairly quick and fun read. Some of the people are caricatures, but it does have an interesting and slightly bitter take on the different worlds of faculty who came of scientific age decades ago and the reality of life for current grad students working with them.<br /><br />The book definitely could have used a harsher editor to trim some sections and some of the characters could have been better formed, but, all-in-all, I recommend it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-40102159427502378142010-08-10T13:57:11.257-05:002010-08-10T13:57:11.257-05:00David Lodge has many great books on life in academ...David Lodge has many great books on life in academia. The one I like the best is called "Thinks".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-54529075242179007742010-08-10T13:28:32.444-05:002010-08-10T13:28:32.444-05:00You could try "A Live Coal in the Sea" b...You could try "A Live Coal in the Sea" by Madeleine L'Engle. The book starts off with the main character (a retiring female astronomy professor) receiving an award from her college for a lifetime of scholarly achievement. There are definitely some negatively portrayed academics (one in particular), but a lot of the book takes place in an academic setting and portrays academics quite favorably overall.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-89545688921856262692010-08-10T13:05:40.311-05:002010-08-10T13:05:40.311-05:00_Still Alice_ is a good book, but a warning: if yo..._Still Alice_ is a good book, but a warning: if you have dealt with a family member or friend with dementia, it may be hard to deal with. Or, who knows, you may enjoy the feeling of having company.Dame Eleanor Hullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06512884104691200975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-29767764962735115312010-08-10T12:46:05.994-05:002010-08-10T12:46:05.994-05:00Thanks for the suggestions. I have read Moo, 36 Ar...Thanks for the suggestions. I have read Moo, 36 Arguments, Intuition, but will look into all the non-Harry Potter suggestions.Female Science Professorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15288567883197987690noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-49144103569566890142010-08-10T12:19:15.216-05:002010-08-10T12:19:15.216-05:00Let me second Maggie's recommendation of Jane ...Let me second Maggie's recommendation of Jane Smiley's "Moo", which is simply great. It's extremely funny, and poignant, and in the end is something of a love letter to the great midwestern state universities.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com