UConn Magazine: A Feast for the Mind

Looking for something to read during the long, dark nights of winter? UConn's faculty has you covered.

Stacks of books written by UConn faculty members.

A still life of books by CLAS faculty published in 2018 on Feb. 25, 2019. (Peter Morenus/UConn Photo)

Frantic to find a last-minute gift? Or maybe you’re just looking for a book that’s thoughtful, provocative, or transporting to dig into during the holiday break. In either case, UConn has you covered.

Sixty-five recently published books by faculty members in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences run the gamut from ancient poetry to cutting-edge science.

Just a few examples, drawn at random from the teetering stack of UConn books: “Vast Expanses: A History of the Oceans,” in which Helen M. Rozwadowski, Professor of History at UConn Avery Point, weaves a fascinating and absorbing account of humanity’s relationship with the oceans that make up most of our planet, a work that won the 2019 Sharon Harris Book Award. Or maybe you’re looking to get lost in an epic tale of fantasy and imagination – in that case, the Department of English’s Leigh Grossman’s “The Lost Daughters” is just what the doctor ordered, praised by fantasy author Sarah Beth Durst as “a fantastic story about war, love, gods, and lies.” Back here on earth, Professor of Political Science Prakash Kashwan examines the urgent issues of environmental conservation and social justice in “Democracy in the Woods,” published by Oxford University Press.

Whether it’s history, anthropology, actuarial statistics, or the life and times of the boxer Rocky Marciano, UConn’s faculty has produced a crop of recent books that can satisfy anyone on your list – or provide you with plenty of intellectual sustenance during the long, dark nights of winter. Read on.