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Tina Campt
Six Princeton professors talk about beloved books on their shelves and share what’s on their summer reading lists — from scholarly nonfiction to crime fiction, with history, poetry, rom-com, artificial intelligence, magic, democracy, philosophy and more in the mix.
Some book choices reflect our contributors’ research and teaching. Others illuminate personal interests and current issues in the headlines.
Campt is the Roger S. Berlind '52 Professor in the Humanities, and professor of art & archaeology and visual arts at the Lewis Center for the Arts.
Tina Campt
"The Sweet Flypaper of Life," photographs by Roy DeCarava, text by Langston Hughes.
This exquisite little book (which when opened, nestles perfectly in the palm of your hands) is a volume I teach regularly, but it’s also an endless source of inspiration and a beacon of hope. DeCarava’s intimate black-and-white photos of Harlem street and domestic life allow us to “feel" Black sociality through a complex play of darkness, shadow and light which resonates with deep affective power.
His work is a prime example of a concept that lies at the heart of my research: "visual frequency" — a term that describes imagery that registers beyond what we see by soliciting powerful emotional responses. It captures ineffable qualities of Black sociality and its irrepressible strivings even in the face of the most challenging circumstances.
As I prepare to go on sabbatical, I have the privilege of allowing my personal and professional booklists to merge as I now begin to embrace the delight of extended unstructured reading time — beginning with two books of poetry:
"To the Realization of Perfect Helplessness" by Robin Coste Lewis takes us on a lyrical journey through the author’s family photographs and the confluence of insights, responses and emotions that emerge through our encounter with the memories and relations that photographs conjure.
"Bluest Nude" by Ama Codjoe is a collection of verses which enact through poetry what I aspire to do in prose. Like me, she "writes to" the artwork of Black artists including Betye Saar, Malick Sidibé, Mickalene Thomas, Carrie Mae Weems, and my Princeton colleague in visual arts Deana Lawson, among others.
Rounding out the top three titles on my work/pleasure reading list is "Devotion," the first catalog/collection of essays on and conversations with the genre-defying filmmaker Garrett Bradley. With essays and interviews by an exceptional range of artists, critics, curators and scholars including Huey Copeland, Tyler Mitchell, Joy James, Doreen St. Felix, Legacy Russell, Kevin Quashie, Arthur Jafa and Linda Goode Bryant, quite frankly, I cannot wait!
Tom Griffiths
Griffiths is the Henry R. Luce Professor of Information Technology, Consciousness, and Culture of Psychology and Computer Science.
I am going to break the rules a little bit to include two books that I highly recommend for readers interested in learning more about artificial intelligence:
"The Alignment Problem: Machine Learning and Human Values" by Brian Christian. One of the biggest questions raised by AI is how to create AI systems that are aligned with human values. This book takes on that question and provides a great introduction to some of the ideas behind modern AI. Brian was my co-author on "Algorithms to Live By" (2016), and I loved this new book of his.
"The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration, and Discovery at the Dawn of AI" by Fei-Fei Li, a 1999 alumna and former faculty member at Princeton, where she did some of the fundamental research that launched the AI revolution. This book elegantly interweaves her story with insights about how AI works and is this year's Pre-Read for the incoming Class of 2028.
Most of the non-fiction reading I do is about finding connections between topics in AI and cognitive science and ideas in other fields. Two books I’m excited to read are:
I also read a lot of fiction — about a book a week. Here are three novels I’m looking forward to reading this summer:
Jacob Nebel
Nebel is professor of philosophy and a 2013 Princeton graduate.
My favorite philosophy book is "Reasons and Persons" by Derek Parfit. It’s just breathtaking in scope, wrestling with questions about the rationality of morality and self-interest, our attitudes to time, the nature and importance of personal identity, and our obligations to future generations. The headline, “Tibetan monks found chanting text by Oxford philosopher,” refers to this book.
Parfit died unexpectedly in 2017. He, his work, and his mentorship (he supervised my BPhil thesis at Oxford) meant a great deal to me. A wonderful biography — “Parfit” by David Edmonds — was published last year by Princeton University Press.
Some philosophy books:
Some non-philosophy books:
Christy Wampole
Wampole is professor of French and Italian.
"Perspectives on Our Age: Jacques Ellul Speaks on His Life and Work." Recently, I’ve taken an interest in technophobia and technoskepticism and was happy to find some of my intuitions confirmed in the writings of the French sociologist Jacques Ellul (1912-1994).
Although he died before the Internet and cellphones had introduced now familiar forms of distraction, depression and anxiety, Ellul wrote presciently about the many ways technology would change every aspect of culture, including daily life, art, literature and philosophy. The humanity of his writing inspires me to bring an analog spirit to my writing and teaching.
I am in the middle of a book project on the Zeitgeist or the spirit of the times, an idea that emerged in response to the French Revolution.
Back then, several European thinkers — mostly Germans — tried to figure out why the people seemed suddenly moved by some invisible force to rise up against monarchy, and one of the more consistent explanations was that a ghostly figure, the spirit of the age, had exerted its influence on them.
This project has filled my shelves with an odd mix of books: writings on ghosts, revolution, atmospheres, Napoleon, vibes, pop culture, crowds, Romanticism, journalism, public opinion polls, generations. Still left to read over the summer are:
I will also do a deep dive into the Mass-Observation Archive, a social research project started in 1937 using questionnaires, diaries, and various observers who would record the minutiae of daily life. Some of the materials collected have been anthologized into volumes such as “Speak for Yourself: A Mass-Observation Anthology 1937-1949.”
Anna Yu Wang
Yu Wang is assistant professor of music.
"Representing African Music: Postcolonial Notes, Queries, Positions" by Kofi Agawu. With chapter titles like “Polymeter, Additive Rhythm, and Othering Enduring Myths,” this book is chock full of provocations on the ethics of researching African music (in particular) and music beyond the Western canon (in general). It models daring question-asking, compelling argumentation, and candor. My thinking continues to be challenged, in the best of ways, by this book.
First, let me recommend some mind-opening reads:
These more scholarly books on my summer reading (and rereading) list engage the ethics and politics of difference-making and relation-seeking, and the way these opposing tendencies leave their mark on aesthetic experience.
Leonard Wantchekon
Wantchekon is the James Madison Professor of Political Economy and professor of politics and international affairs.
My favorite book is "Ambiguous Adventure" by Cheikh Hamidou Kane, a classic of African literature. It is the captivating story of the Diallobe community facing the challenge of preserving their cultural identity in the face educational opportunities brought by the French colonial rule. The central character, Samba Diallo, becomes a brilliant college student in France, while remaining deeply rooted in his local traditions. The question is how to remain true to the “ultimate values” of the past while embracing modern education.
I am re-reading two novels related to my work:
Also on my list is "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, on the lives of two siblings from an upper-class family in Eastern Nigeria during the Civil War. It is a fascinating account of a wealthy Nigerian authoritarian family, the emotional turmoil of the children and the powerful bonds that emerge from it.
And three books to read ahead of the 2024 presidential election: