This is the second book in a three-part series and part of the first science fiction series I ever read. It helped me to understand how fictional stories about our future can help us understand lessons from our history.

I loved reading about Milo's adventures with my daughter when she was young. We would discuss the play with words, numbers, puns, and various lessons embedded within the story - especially the monsters on the Mountains of Ignorance.

Men of God and men of war have strange affinities.

This textbook marks a turning point in my career. It was assigned in my undergraduate Psychology of Women class, a class that inspired me to begin my own path towards understanding gender bias and inequality.

Phyllis Lassner's compelling study of the role that novels and films played in the antifascist struggles of the 1930s and 1940s and into the early Cold War years was an inspiration for my own book, Reading Espionage Fiction (2024). Espionage and Exile shows in a masterful way how valuable the study of popular literature can be, both for understanding an historical era and for drawing new attention to often forgotten works of fiction.

To quote the book: "Fear was an artificial condition. It's imposed from the outside. So it's possible to fight it. You should do the things you're afraid of." I picked this book because this story is a reminder that we have the strength to do things we are afraid of and we can overcome the "artificial conditions" that try to limit us and silence our voices. Murderbot is more than his programming, and I am more than my accomplishments.

I chose The Age of Surveillance Capitalism because my research focuses on how social media and emerging technologies shape society and democracy. Zuboff's book captures the profound ways that digital platforms collect and use data, often in ways that undermine trust, autonomy, and civic life. It reflects my scholarly interest in examining the democratic consequences of technology, and it aligns with my teaching commitment to preparing students with the media and data literacy skills they need to navigate - and challenge - the influence of these systems.

I chose this book because the in-depth class reading sessions during my final year of middle school sparked a lasting passion for literature and education. That experience not only deepened my appreciation for storytelling but also inspired me to pursue a degree in literature and ultimately a career in higher education as a librarian.

Throughout the course of my career, I have had the privilege of learning from and working with individuals all over the world. This book is a much-needed reminder that no matter our differences, we all strive for safety, connection, and happiness.

Twenty-five years on, this work remains influential and challenging. A profound, if very dense distillation of information organization - there's a reason students call it "The Red Devil."