Grant Gonzalez
Featuring the FIVE FAVORITE READS of
NMH History teacher,
Grant Gonzalez
T.R.: The Last Romantic, by H.W. Brands
Mr. Gonzalez: “In this mammoth biography, Brands adeptly relates T.R.’s ’strenuous life,’ beginning with Roosevelt’s inauspicious sickly childhood and throughout his unceasing exploits and adventures. Although Brands’s book has not been the most acclaimed study of T.R., I personally found it more engaging and insightful than Edmund Morris’s treatment of our 26th President. ”
Mr. Gonzalez: “The Book of Job deals with those big nagging philosophical questions of why evil persists in our world, and the purpose of suffering. A beautiful book, it reminds me to keep questioning my own beliefs and traditions while knowing that I will never reach any final stage of omniscience (and that’s all right!). ”
Children of Gebelawi, by Naguib Mahfouz
Mr. Gonzalez: “Mahfouz is the Arab author most well known globally, and deservedly so. Children of Gebelawi (or alternatively titled as Children of the Alley), allegorizes on the three ‘religions of the book’ – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and their three respective prophets. ”
The Idiot, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Mr. Gonzalez: “I just borrowed Dostoyevsky’s great masterpiece from the library and it quickly vaulted to my top favorite books! The central character is the author’s attempt to create a naturally and completely “good” man. His interactions with 19th century Russian society provide an excellent reflection on social values for humanity as a whole.”
The Butter Battle Book, by Dr. Seuss
Mr. Gonzalez: ” Certainly no other book on international relations theory is as entertaining as Dr. Seuss’s treatment of the Cold War arms race. “
