College isn't just lectures, textbooks and exams. Some professors and staff go the extra mile and write books actually worth your time. Here are some books with a brief review.

Night Battle by William Logan, English Professor
A collection of poems that describe life in the South. His poetry causes me to rock to the rhythm of his words as he describes "Sundays in the South"

"The cold of winter is somehow colder here/ the trees bleaker, with their rags of Spanish moss/the very air clipped and impatient/ You wouldn't realize summer's forest." excerpt from Florida in January

True Stories of Cats by Brenda Carroll Merkley
This story reminds me of the back in the day when reading was just for fun. It is a story about the relationship between two stray cats with a message for humankind.

"This is the story of two stray tomcats and their adventures at the oasis. It's a story about arrogance and humility, the young and the old, and sharing." From her website.

Edisto Revisited by Padgett Powell, Director of Creative Writing for the English Department
Like listening to a friend with a good story to tell, you will chuckle and nod but you can't turn away. The main character, Simons, has recently graduated, with a degree in architecture which he had no desire for in the first place. He returns to his mother's house at the beach in Edisto for a unstable attempt at a relationship before striking out for adventure as a full-fledged adult.

"My mother waked me to sleep, and I take my sleeping slow, as the poet with plenty of lying topspin did not put it, and I am inclined to a life of perennial nod."
Edisto Revisited, pg. 1

Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing Edited by Mark A. Reid, English Professor
A collection of essays that analyze the controversial film. It forces you back into the early 90's and the political and racial dilemma of America.

"A look at the film industry's portrayals of African-Americans before DRT is instructive. In such films as Cry Freedom (1987), Mississippi Burning (1988), and Glory (1990), the African-American struggle is a subtext for white heroism."
Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, pg. 17

The Nature of Things on Sanibel Island by George Campbell
This is a humorous book about the plight of the animals in Campbell's hometown of Sanibel Island off the southwest coast of Florida. The title to Chapter 13, Sharks, Rays or It's Safer to swim in your pool, demonstrates his light humor as the love he feels for his community blends into every word.

The Civil War Soldier by Ray M. Carson, Photographer, UF Communications Services
The Civil War revisited with words and photos of re-enactments. This book is filled with crisp, striking photos that engage the reader in a battle for attention.

"Through stark, un posed photographs of Civil War reenactors, photographer and reenactor Ray Carson has captured this reality of the common soldier's life. Combining the intimacy and intensity of modern photojournalism with the authenticity and historical feel of 1860s photography, Carson has painted a vivid portrait of both glory and the tragedy of the Civil War." From the forward by James I. Robertson, Jr.

The Blank Stare by H.G. Leiva
Most intros should be skipped, but not this one. It propelled me into the mental anguish of a young man as he mentally prepares himself to take an HIV test. Point blank, I bought the book.

-- By Te-Ericka Patterson