The World’s on Fire, and We’re Telling Stories

If there’s one thing I believe in, it’s the power of stories. The things we tell each other, sharing both our lived experiences as well as narratives from the depths of our imagination, are what make us human. Our entire society is built on stories in some form. We have myths, fables, religion, even historical documents. Read More …

Fun Home: Alison Bechdel’s Decidedly Not Pretentious Study of Fatherhood

One evening last semester, I lounged on my couch with my roommate, drinking hot chocolate while we trash-talked pretension in academia. We complained about articles filled with long-winded jargon seemingly meant only to confuse the reader. We griped about the class readings we didn’t care about but were required to write papers on. We moaned Read More …

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

  As young, inexperienced college students, many of us are seeking good advice and reliable role models to help get us through life’s challenges. For Mitch Albom, that source of inspiration was Morrie Schwartz, his old sociology professor. A compilation of the good advice and meaningful conversations with his dying professor, Tuesdays with Morrie offers Read More …

Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere

As a college student who has long since deviated from finishing books in one sitting or even just reading for the fun of it (sound familiar?), it takes a lot to keep me invested. I can’t count how many books I’ve started and promptly forgotten due to a weak plot, lackluster characters, or whatever it Read More …

Cheryl Strayed’s Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

When reflecting on her 1,100-mile solo hike along the Pacific Crest Trail, Cheryl Strayed writes “I knew that if I allowed fear to overtake me, my journey was doomed. Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves, and so I chose to tell myself a different story from the one Read More …

Learning about the Midwest in the Midwest

The University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus is quite unique. The city itself is full of people from all over the country and world, and the campus’ diversity sometimes makes it hard to remember it resides in the Midwest. While those who were born and raised in the Midwest pick up on the things that Read More …

Lisa Makman

Lisa Makman is a lecturer and the Internship Director in the English department at the University of Michigan. Makman welcomes discussions with and among students both in her classes and in personal meetings, which allows for thriving conversations to blossom from any interaction with her. I sat down with her to discuss how she got Read More …

Paulo Coelho’s Hippie

Read it Out is a regular column that reviews and recommends books for college students. We delve into a wide array of books that offer guidance, commentary, and perspective of aspects of this exciting, yet confusing time in our lives. We hope that this column not only suggests possible reads, but also allows for our Read More …