On My Bookshelf: Lecturer David Dockterman, Ed.D.'88

What are you currently reading? Finding Margaret Fuller: A Novel by Allison Pataki 

What drew you to this book? I’ve been part of the same book club for more than 15 years and Finding Margaret Fuller is our current read. We earlier read a biography of Margaret Fuller, a pioneering American feminist in the first half of the 19th century. This fictionalized version of her story provides a nuanced representation of her personal interactions with all kinds of leading authors, intellectuals, and reformers of the time, much of it taking place in Boston, Cambridge, and Concord. I am enjoying exploring the craft of historical fiction.

Your favorite book as a child? My early childhood happened a long time ago. I mainly remember sitting in a rocking chair with my mother. I have a much easier time remembering my favorite book as the parent of a young child. I loved reading Sandra Boynton’s Moo, Baa, La La La! to my son. It was the first book to make him giggle uncontrollably. Sometimes the joy of reading as a child comes from being in the lap of a loved one. 

What kind of reader were you? I enjoyed reading book series. Encyclopedia Brown, Hardy Boys, Marvel Comics, Doc Savage. A series provides both security and mystery. You know everything will eventually turn out okay, you just don’t know how. A series is also an old-fashioned way to gamify reading, as you are compelled to progress through title after title. 

You’re forming a new book group. Who would you invite? I am happy to name the nine other people in my current, long-standing book group. We were brought together by a common dear friend who was dying from cancer, and we’ve stayed together long after his passing. We come from different backgrounds and have complementary interests. We also have great connections that we’ve leveraged to get authors, including Walter Isaacson and Daniel Yergin, to join us virtually to discuss their books. 

Where do you like reading? I am mostly a digital reader these days, although I often have a physical book on my bedside table. I might describe myself as an opportunistic reader. I listen to books and The Economist while walking, cooking, or cleaning. I read while sitting in buses, subways, trains, planes, boats, and cars. I also read on the couch and in bed, although my to-do list and exhaustion often truncate those experiences. 

Do you have a favorite bookstore? I love bookstores for their serendipity. I also used to enjoy visiting the stacks in Gutman Library, back when you had to find the book you wanted yourself. You see unexpected titles, and a bookstore in Cambridge or Concord will display different titles than a bookstore in Chicago, Raleigh, or Dallas, let alone Helsinki, Dublin, or Cairo.

What’s next on your list? I’m working my way through Mick Herron’s Slough House series. I still love series. I would read mysteries with my mother and thrillers with my father. For more intellectual stimulation ... books related to consciousness and the evolution of the mind have taken the top spot.