“With two
little ones at home,” says Dan Garcia (M.S.’95, Ph.D.’00 EECS), “my reading
time has pretty much been limited to my BART commute.” But he did find the time
to give us an annotated list of his favorite books.
Complete
Prose, by Woody Allen
“Here’s a
sample: ‘The great roe is a mythological beast with the head of a lion and the
body of a lion, though not the same lion.’”
The Story
of Ferdinand, by Munro Leaf, illustrated by Robert Lawson
“I’ve begun
collecting great children’s books. This pacifist book points out to children
that you should follow your heart.”
How Children
Fail, by John Holt
“Insights
of a great teacher that have stood the test of time. The most important idea:
Let the students drive their learning!”
Winning
Ways for Your Mathematical Plays, by Elwyn Berlekamp, John Conway and Richard
Guy
“The bible
of combinatorial game theory, puzzles and recreational mathematics.”
The New
Games Book, by Andrew Fluegelman
“I spent
almost 20 years as a high school camp counselor; this and other New Games books
were tremendous resources.”
The
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (all of them), by Douglas Adams
“I find
myself laughing out loud, even on re-reads. Bring a towel.”
