Read Like A Longhorn: Book Recommendations

Recommended by Lydia, UT staff​: A beautiful and haunting collection of short stories by Moroccan writer Malika Moustadraf. It confronts the Western ideal of feminism with the reality of what it means to be a woman, LGBTQ+, and/or disabled in a country where "feminism" looks and behaves very differently.

Recommended by Brock, UT freshman: It’s probably the funniest book I’ve ever read. Abbey combines satiric narration with exaggerated characters to deliver his social commentary through the lens of four misfit Southwesterners.

Recommended by Geoffrey, UT junior: Convinced me to pursue physics in college and as a career, Feynman describes physics in such a captivating and understandable way, sharing his life experiences and his own joy of learning. Plus he is extremely funny!

Recommended by Grant, UT Libraries staff: Partners is a memoir written by Stephen Housewright (a librarian!) about his life with his partner, Texas experimental composer Jerry Hunt. Essential reading for anyone who grew up as a weirdo in suburban America (in this case, Dallas, TX), Partners intimately surveys the lives of two people who refused to compromise their personal and artistic integrity. Privately released in the 1995 after Jerry's death, Partners received a wider release in 2021 thanks to Blank Forms (my personal favorite publisher!).

Recommended by Dale, UT Libraries staff: In Gaza Unsilenced, Palestinians in Gaza and around the world document and express the cost, pain, and reflections on war. Written long before the 2023 war began, this volume still resonates with today's events.

Recommended by Sol, UT senior & library student worker: I love a fantasy book with a shapeshifter and two men in love, fighting on opposite sides. Nimona and Lord Ballister Blackheart are seen as villains, but are Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and the others at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics truly heroes? This graphic novel was recently adapted into a movie on Netflix! I recommend the book if you liked the movie and vice versa. This book was also written before the author, Nate Stevenson, came out as trans, but, in my opinion, you can already see the themes of trans identity in how he writes Nimona.