SUGGESTED READINGS FROM POLS 7400X PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION STUDENTS Lydia Joseph A Peoples History of the Supreme Court

By Peter Irons I read this book last semester for my Constitutional Law 1 course that I took as an elective towards my Masters Degree in Urban Policy and Administration. This book was a very interesting read. The book detailed how the United States Supreme Court got its beginnings and it highlighted all of its landmark cases in recent history in a way that was easy to read for someone whom may not be verse in legal terms. The cases the book highlighted gave both sides of the arguments that were put before the court with a clear understanding of the issues the Supreme Court was tasked to make an informed decision on. I always had an interest in some of the land mark cases such as the Dred Scott case, Plessey verses Ferguson, and Brown verse the Board of Education and a host of other decisions that impacted the lives of the American Citizen This book provided a good foundation In understanding the circumstances that brought about each case and the decisions itself from the Chief Justices that presided of the cases. Katiria Casilla A book that I have read that I have found significant in my life personally is called Why Forgive? By Johann Cristoph Arnold. I have never been a person to hold grudges and have been blessed or maybe cursed with the art of forgiving often, in my case I forgive and forget which leads to the same things happening to me again because I forget. Anyhow for many people forgiving and forgetting is difficult so when I was gifted this book by the author I read it because everyone has room for improvement. If I recall correctly the book is composed of several short true stories and how those portrayed have dealt with their pain and overcome. It is a beautifully written book that unveils for its audience the emotions of forgiving. It was inspirational to read and I very much enjoyed it. If you would like to read this book here is a link to a free electronic copy, enjoy! http://www.plough.com/ebooks/whyforgive.html Wilberto Rivera Jr There is a book by the philosopher Justus Buckler entitled Metaphysics of Natural Complexes. The book goes into depth about what the philosopher considers to be the questions of reality. He covers many meaningful and somewhat spiritual concepts of what one considers being the self. The ultimate testament of the book is to recognize that nothing is unnatural and that everything within it self exist as its own natural complex. It can be expanded into very harsh subcategories, which could make some people feel uneasy but the book does not go there. There is a naturalistic approach to the way the philosopher depicts his interpretation of events, processes, spirit and other components of the human experience. I read this book when I was 20 years old and it took me to a place of true self-recognition and understanding in terms of who I am in relation to family, my community, world and myself. The book taught me how to coexist with various aspects of the world that I did deem unnatural. I enjoy reading theory way more political science or fiction or non-fiction. I studied philosophy and psychology during undergrad and I kind of stick to these kinds of readings.

If I were to throw some film titles in here, I would say check out the constant gardener, bubble, magnolia, little children and memento. All of these films are extremely excellent films. I also highly recommend watching TED Talks. This organization located in Manhattan conducts public speeches and records them and sets them up online as well on Netflixs and for sale for others to see. The presentations are usually 15 to 18 minutes long and cover categories such as architecture, science, space, love as well as art etc. It has been mind blowing to find all of these researches and interesting people express what they are experiencing, doing or finding etc. tonya RAPley The Magic of thinking BIG by David J Schwartz. This book was given to me by my little sister at a time when I needed it most. Given the state of the economy and seemingly limited opportunities, its easy to give up on oneself. Sometimes we allow others truths or ideas to define our own truths, which can be very detrimental. This book uplifted my spirits and helped me implement daily and weekly activities to avoid and engage in that rejuvenate my spirit. Sharitza Lopez Color Blind The Rise of Post-Racial Politics and The Retreat From Racial Equity Written by: Tim Wise This book gave me the opportunity to examine how race is still a major principal in the policy making of the United States. It touches on the "culturr of poverty". As I read in gave me a better understanding of what was some of the struggles we faced around the topic of race a public policy without directly having any influence over the outcome. It talks about the depiction of who is poor and what they look like, further influencing policies on welfare spending. Suggested film: Beast of the Southern Wild (2012) I just saw this film about two weeks ago at the Sunshine theater on Houston Street. It made me tgink how can we try to change communities that have found a wat to survive? Hasan A. Janbieh As a budding political philosopher with a specialty in Black Existentialism, my favorite novel is The Outsider by African-American author Richard Wright. Why this novel? Every day it becomes more and more aware that humans are truly uninformed and unaware, especially in this age of neoliberal capitalism, of the segregated divide amongst white and black. And still, after realizing the errors of Americas ways through creating Public Administrative projects and community initiatives, persons of color still find themselves embroiled in a fight against desolation, isolation, and the impending absurdity of a society that cares more about paper than its fellow human beings. These thoughts cause a rational human to think and act in accordance with his true beliefs: the openly-existent human removes the many veils of illusion obscuring his vision and then only can he act authentically. He establishes a new sense of value and then can objectively bestow the universe with significance. The full recognition of his whole and dreadful autonomy, of the small detail that he has no inherent temperament but in fact must establish and take one as his own, that he is of a

drastically dissimilar sort, of not being from any else, uniquein actuality a type of nonexistence which can infiltrate ones personthat he has no quintessence but is of mutable essence devastates him at the outset, as does his alarming accountability, a total accountability for not only himself and his acts but for all of humanity. And in America today, no one feels these feelings stronger than people of color: The way Negroes were transported to this country and sold into slavery, then stripped of their tribal culture and held in bondage; and then allowed, so teasingly and over so long a period of time, to be sucked into our way of life is something which resembles the rise of all men from whatever it was we all came fromWe are not now keeping the Negro on such a short chain and they are slowly entering our culture. But that is not the end of the problem; it is the beginningNegroes, as they enter our culture, are going to inherit the problems we have, but with a difference. They are outsiders and they are going to know that they have these problems. They are going to be self-conscious; they are going to be gifted with a double vision, for, being Negroes, they are going to be both inside and outside of our culture at the same time. Every emotional and cultural convulsion that ever shook the heart and soul of Western man will shake them. Negroes will develop unique and specially defined psychological typesthe political, social, and psychological consequences of this will be enormousimagine a man inclined to think, to probe, to ask, to question. Why, hed be in a wonderful position to do so, would he not, if he were black and lived in America? In terms of the person of color living in present-day America, no one can tell him what he ought to do with his life, for there is no cogent way of determining his path in this hypocritical society, yet move he must. For the white American, living in civil society is a boon, but to the person of color in America, it has proven time and time again to be a burden. These conditions, those which befall persons of color in America to this day, have allowed persons of color to best further the contemporary Existentialist dialogue from its Western roots and illustrate how Existential feelings plague persons of color in the modern-day. This is why Wrights novel is so essential. Tamara Felton The book I chose as a suggested reading is a novel by Suzette Francis, Rules for a Pretty Woman. The book title may make one assume that it is a very vain read; but I can assure that isnt. This book is a about a woman who is very successful career wise, but has no backbone for life challenges. This book teaches a woman about having a stern outlook on daily life disputes and how to maneuver them to work in their favor. Victoria Gumennaya I read a lot of scientific literature in Russia and thats why Im not sure it will be suitable for our class, because Im simply not sure that it would be possible to find this literature in English. But anyway Shedrovitskiy, G.P. Thinking, Understanding, Analyzing, 2005. This book teaches how to effectively make decisions, on what level human beings make effective decisions, the importance of analysis and self-reflection. This book also has a couple of good paragraphs about leadership skills and how to develop them.

Dante Lopez Suggested Reading Name of Book: Dispatches From The Edge Author: Anderson Cooper In life we come across reading material that leaves an impact on us forever. The one that left a major impact on me is called Dispatches From the Edge by Anderson Cooper. He has been the primetime news anchor for CNN for many years and is one of the best journalists of our time. In this book, he describes his most dangerous stories that he had to cover while discussing the darkest times in his life. One factor that I found interesting about him is that most primetime news anchors/journalist never leave from behind the desk to cover a dangerous or life threatening story. This book gives you an in-depth look into the life of a person who took his career to the next level to stand out from the rest. In my opinion, this is more than a book; this is inspiration for those who need it when times seem hopeless. Richard Distel One book I found significant in my life is called Eating Animals, it is by Jonathan Safran Foer. He is known for writing books about detailed stories, and this is equally as detailed but about the real people. It focuses on the narrative of what we eat, and why it is culturally accepted. It has been one of the books that have changed the way I look at food and realize the truth behind what I eat. I am not a vegetarian or anything like that, but the book tells the story of both local, family type farms and the more prevalent factory farms. It will be a book that I keep close because it is both filled with interesting stories told in a detailed narrative, but also written from the style of a reporter who has gained information and facts over the years of looking into what is behind the animals we eat. And a movie I would highly recommend is called Underground, which was made in 1995 by Emir Kusturica who is a Serbian musician, actor and director. The movie is also known by its subtitle, Once Upon a Time There Was a Country. The story follows an underground weapons manufacturer during WWII and evolves into fairly surreal situations. A black marketeer who smuggles the weapons to partisans doesn't mention to the workers that the war is over, and they keep producing. Years later, they break out of their underground "shelter" --- only to convince themselves that the war is still going on. Vctor Hugo Taranto Love in the Time of Cholera (in Spanish: El amor en los tiempos del clera). This is a novel by Nobel Prize winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Since I am a little romantic, I like to read romantic novels. This is not the typical love story like the Notebook; this is more like a story of perseverance, determination and dedication. That is why this novel is significant for me. The story tells us about the endless love Florentino Ariza (the main character) has for Fermina Daza (the female main character). They met when they were teenagers, but they were forced to stop seeing each other by Ferminas father because he believed Florentino was not good enough for his daughter. Eventually she married another man and had children. However, Florentino never married because he was waiting for his first love. During his adult live, he dedicated to work and managed to improve his position in society. He had many casual love affairs, but never fell in love again until the end of the book when he is reunited with Fermina again.