Lauren Hirschfield, junior, read “White Is for Witching,” the third novel by Helen Oyeyemi. The short novel is about a woman named Miranda Silver, who has a rare condition called pica. This gives her insatiable cravings for non-edible things.
“‘White Is for Witching’ gives the reader a glimpse into the warped reality of the human mind and its ability to perceive and believe most anything,” said Hirschfield.
Eliza Berse, senior, recommends “Blink” by Malcom Gladwell. “It’s all about gut instinct, and the importance of listening to that,” explained Berse. “It taught me to always listen to my first thought, even if it doesn’t seem like the right idea at the moment.”
Alexander Kellogg, junior, read what he describes as a “pretty sexy book,”. Milan Kundera’s novel, “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” is about a man living in communist occupied Prague.
“He has multiple affairs with different women, gets married, but continues those affairs.” Kellogg said it teaches you that everything is acceptable in life, and to just live and enjoy it with the people you enjoy.
“It has some surreal-Freudian points as well,” he said, “a very good read for Purchase kids.”
A timely read right now could be “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” by Johnathan Safran Foer, recommended Ashley Sosa.
“It’s about a boy whose father died in Sept. 11. He finds a key in his father’s things and goes around New York City looking for information.”
Sosa suggested this book because it makes you think a lot about your parents and your family history.
“It’s cool that it’s in the city. Sept. 11 was a huge part of our lives, and our age group,” she said. “With the anniversary this month, I’m so happy I read it this summer.”
For those who want to read something thrilling, Marc Giannavola, senior, recommended his summer read, “Skeleton Crew” by Stephen King.
“All the stories are top notch, and super messed up,” said Giannavola. “I’d suggest it to anyone who wanted to read some serious, mind-bending stories.”
So next time you’ve got a second in between stimulating textbook chapters, pick up one of the books read by your fellow Purchase students. Good taste for great books is certainly a quality we’ve got.