What were the books that sparked the intellectual curiosity of Fordham Law professors this year? A number of faculty members shared their picks, which span multiple genres, from historical fiction to memoir, nonfiction, and true crime. Read more below about why these books resonated so strongly for them.
Afterlives, by Abdulrazak Gurnah
“This is a historical fiction book recounting the lives and experiences of several principal characters who survived the devastation of Germany’s colonial rule in early 20th century East Africa. The book explores the intersection of Tanzanian, Indian, and German cultures in that place and time. A related theme involves how migration fosters both intense pain and unanticipated salvation across generations. Gurnah was born and spent his early years in Zanzibar before moving to the UK. He writes powerfully about the deprivations and triumphs of his central characters, and he unearthed (for me) a set of historical connections about which I knew little.”—James J. Brudney, Joseph Crowley Chair in Labor and Employment Law
Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott
“It’s not a book about birds (I love birds); it’s a book about how to write a novel (I don’t write novels). But more broadly, it’s a book about letting creativity (and life) unfold, and I found it illuminating, sweet, and funny.”—Howard M. Erichson, Professor of Law
The Copenhagen Trilogy by Tove Ditlevsen
“This summer I went to Copenhagen and took Tove Ditlevsen’s The Copenhagen Trilogy with me. The immersive experience of reading about growing up as a writer in Denmark while walking its streets and being able to stand on a corner while seeing it through the look and smell of the same place during World War II was utterly transporting. Every sentence of the autofictional book was beautiful and honest as it dealt with hard subjects like poverty, sexism, abortion, infidelity, and addiction. Even if you can’t read it in Copenhagen itself, the book will take you into one woman’s inner life that is extraordinary to behold.”—Ethan J. Leib, John D. Calamari Distinguished Professor of Law
Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver and David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens
“I would recommend the experience of reading Barbara Kingsolver’s revelatory and heartbreaking Demon Copperhead alongside the book that inspired it, Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield, which somehow feels as present and vital and gripping today as it must have been in 1850. Reading them in dialogue is well worth the time.”—Nestor M. Davidson, Albert A. Walsh Chair in Real Estate, Land Use, and Property Law; Faculty Director, Urban Law Center
The Devil That Danced on the Water, by Aminatta Forna
“This book from 2002 was described to me as a nonfiction detective story crossed with a memoir, but it is more than either. Forna intertwines two stories: her investigation as an adult into how her doctor father came to be executed for his political activism in 1975 in their home country of Sierra Leone, and her memories of being a young girl there at the time, doing a child’s best to understand what was happening in her beloved family. An extraordinarily moving and beautifully written portrait of a daughter, a father, and a nation. (I also loved Forna’s more recent novel, Happiness).”—Jennifer Gordon, Professor of Law and John D. Feerick Research Chair
Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination, by Robin D.G. Kelley
“This year, I re-read parts of historian Robin D.G. Kelley’s Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination, which was revised and expanded in celebration of 20 years passing since its publication date. Kelley writes of past movements —womanist/feminist, surrealist, reparations and black liberation—not as an answer for movements now, but as a prompt. The new edition includes a stunning forward by poet Aja Monet. Monet writes, “the capacity to dream, to cultivate and facilitate the collective as self-determined visionaries, is how we demand the alternative.”—Norrinda Brown, Associate Professor of Law
Tom Lake, by Ann Patchett
“This novel is set during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is much more than just another pandemic novel. The book explores the complexities of having meaningful relationships with one’s adult children while at the same time reflecting on how we navigate what contributions we want to make to the world. Given the frenetic pace of our legal profession, Tom Lake provides a welcome reminder to pause and reflect on what kind of societal contribution we want to make with our work as legal professionals and humans in the world.”—Tanya K. Hernández, Archibald R. Murray Professor of Law
Torn Apart: How the Child Welfare System Destroys Black Families, by Dorothy Roberts
“For me, Dorothy Robert’s Torn Apart: How the Child Welfare System Destroys Black Families was a revelation. As a criminal justice scholar, I’m familiar with most things in my field. What I didn’t realize until I read Torn Apart is how many parallels there are between our criminal system and the family welfare system, from the hyper-surveillance and over-policing of Black families, to the disparities in punishment, with about one in ten Black children being forcibly separated from their parents and placed in foster care. It was a sobering book, revealing another policing system hidden in plain sight. I’m glad I got to review it in the Harvard Law Review.”—Bennett Capers, Stanley D. and Nikki Waxberg Professor of Law and Director, Center on Race, Law and Justice
