On My Bookshelf: Associate Professor Mark Warren

Currently reading: Caucasia by Danzy Senna

What drew you to it? My daughter Sade was assigned Caucasia for her African American Studies course in high school this fall. It sounded intriguing. I figured that if I read it this summer, I could discuss it with her in the fall. It takes me a month or two to read a book, while she devours them in a day or two. She has sworn me to silence about the book until she reads it. But it's the story of a girl who grows up in Boston in the seventies, the daughter of a white mother and an African American father, both Black Power radicals. Her teacher used to start the class with [Ralph Ellison's] Invisible Man, one of my all-time favorite books and one that had a great influence on me. But he wanted to start with a female voice and with a local and more contemporary story. I like it for all those reasons too. It's simply stunning.

First impressions: It's beautifully and powerfully written. Now that I've tried to write a few books myself, and know how hard it is, I take great pleasure in reading terrific prose. I just sit back and marvel at it.

What book have you read over and over again? None. I just don't seem to have the time right now. I have read The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera and The Chaneysville Incident by David Bradley a few times each, though. Bradley is a great story-teller and I love stories. If you're going to read The Chaneysville Incident, you should do so in the winter, at night, curled up with a hot drink.

Favorite spot to curl up with a good book: I like to read in my father's old armchair. When he was alive, he used to read to my daughters while they sat in his lap on that chair.

Noneducation genre of choice: I like to read books about food. I should say it's because they offer a window into the cultures of different communities and societies -- and they do. But, really, it's because I love to cook and I love to eat! I'm just very interested in food. For a great book on food and its influence on human history, I recommend Salt by Michael Kurlansky. As I read it, my daughters Sade and Imoh got sick of me asking them questions like, "What was Gandhi's first famous protest in India about?" to which the answer was always "Salt!" (Gandhi led a march to collect salt in protest against the British government's monopoly of salt production.) I love reading cookbooks too, although I never follow the recipes.

How do you find the time: Mostly, I don't! When I'm not working, I prioritize time with my family. By the time my kids are in bed, I'm often too tired to read. But I keep trying! Meanwhile, my daughters are great readers and they have no trouble finding the time to consume books. It's not fair!

Next up: I watched a documentary on the history of whaling and that reminded me that I've always wanted to read Moby Dick. Where will I ever find the time for that one?

Warren's most recent book is Fire in the Heart: How White Activists Embrace Racial Justice.

Photo: Tanit Sakakini