Jesse Williams

Explore the answer to the central problem in global history with Guns, Germs, and Steel. In this insightful book, author Jared Diamond looks at the broad movements of peoples and ideas on every continent since the Ice Age. He presents a biology-driven answer to The Rise of the West, focusing on geography, demography, and ecological happenstance. With a binocular perspective of an evolutionary biologist and a heart that belongs to the people of New Guinea, Diamond presents a well-rounded and evenhanded review of human history.

A man born shortly after a failed attempt at flight spends his life trying to take to the skies. In this imaginative coming-of-age novel, Toni Morrison introduces a world of characters in Milkman Dead's journey from his rustbelt city to his family's origins. Along the way, readers meet assassins, liars, and seeresses in a fully realized black world.

This collection of essays by W. E. B. Du Bois is a foundational work in black protest literature. Originally published in 1903, Du Bois eloquently argues against the idea that black people should accommodate white supremacy, stating that it is beneath their dignity to beg for inherent human rights. Du Bois' ideas helped to polarize black leaders in America and his influence cannot be overstated. Essential reading for anyone interested in African-American history and civil rights struggles.

This modern classic explores the idea that man's ego is the source of human progress. Follow the story of young architect Howard Roark, whose integrity is unyielding, as he navigates love and societal condemnation. With a philosophy that continues to challenge readers today, this groundbreaking novel is a must-read for anyone seeking thought-provoking literature.

Follow the hilarious and tragic misadventures of 30-year-old Ignatius J. Reilly, a medievalist who lives with his mother in New Orleans. Ignatius is forced to enter the working world after a car accident, spawning a series of subplots involving eccentric characters such as a stripper with a talented cockatoo and a gay blade. A Confederacy of Dunces ties together the complicated subplots in the end, with Ignatius carrying the story as a modern-day Quixote. The novel is both comedic and melancholic, revealing the fragility beneath the humor. This novel is a fitting memorial to the talented and tormented life of John Kennedy Toole, who never saw the publication of his work.