University Daily Kansan / Thursday, October 12, 1989
Lifestyle
7
An island best-seller list
imagine a desert island. The days aren't too hot and the nights aren't too cold. There are miles of sandy
beaches waiting to ooze between your toes.
Long, colorful sunsets give way to skies full of bright stars. There are no tests, no homework and no quizzes to grade. It's nothing but peace and quiet.
It's relaxing for a couple of days. Exciting for a week. But then reality sinks in and life on the island becomes monotonous and boring. There are only so many caves to explore and so many rocks to skip across the water.
If only you had planned more carefully and thought of something to bring, such as a few of those books you've always wanted to read but never had the time.
What books would you take if you knew you would be stranded on a deserted island for at least a year? It's a question that sounds easy to answer, but involves more thought than you might suspect.
"I would take 'The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' (by Emperor) as simply because it's long," he said. "It might be pretty interesting too."
Mike Gaines, director of undergraduate biology, said he would choose books that would entertain him as well as occupy his time.
Gaines also picked "The Origin of Species," by Charles Darwin even though he had read it several times.
Jack Conn
Mike Gaines
to go over again," he said.
Other books on Gaines' list were an anthology of Shakespearean plays and a collection of works by modern poets.
Gaines had trouble choosing the last book on his list.
"Those would probably keep me pretty busy," he said.
"I would say the Old Testament, but that is such an easy answer," he said. "Everyone would probably take that.
"It is always something you need
Jack Cohn, assistant professor of English, said the books he would choose would depend on the circumstances.
"If you're going to be lonely you'd probably want to take something by Mickey Spillane," he said.
"The first thing I would do if I knew I was going to be on a desert island would be to go to the nearest bookstore and find a book on desert survival," she said. "That way I can survive and read the other books."
Besides the Spillane novel, Cohn chose books that he could read each week.
Before she chose her books, Marilyn Carlson, lecturer in mathematics and computers, explained her first reaction to the question.
"I'm currently teaching and reading the 'Theory of Computability' so I would take it," she said.
After her trip to the bookstore, Carlson said she would take a book she was using in one of her classes.
He would take "Walden," by Henry David Thoreau, "The Magus," by John Fowles, "Anna Karena," by
Carlson also chose two history books, a brief history of the world to get an overview and a complete history of the world to understand details. A collection of Shakespearean plays was the last item on her list.
Leo Tolstoy, "The Green Hills of Africa," by Ernest Hemingway and "Little Big Man," by Thomas Berger.
The books share a common theme. "They are all set in nature," he said. "They each have the same elemental philosophy to accept life in the natural sphere and realize that social reality needs to be torn away."
Marilyn Carlson
Cohn contemplated choosing "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville but decided against it.
Tibisay Carrasquel, teaching assistant in Spanish and Portuguese, picked books familiar to her Spanish background.
She also chose two operas, "Madame Butterfly," by Giacomo Puccini and a French opera based on a story by Gustave Flaubert. The last book on Carrasqueil's list was "Ulysses," by James Jovece.
would help me get ahead so I could be better when I got back to civilization."
point of view from previous works of Latin American fiction."
The last book Fitzgerald would take was one for pure entertainment.
"I would definitely take 'Don Quixote,' by Miguel de Cervantes) and 'One Hundedered Years of Solitude' by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez," she said.
Tibisav Carrasquel
Fitzgerald considered taking "The Prince," by Machiavelli, but then changed his mind.
"One Hundred Years of Solitude"
was one of the books that started the
renewal of the novel in 1957.
The '60s, Carrasqueil said. "It had
different techniques and a different
"I would have to take 'Huckleberry Finn,' by Mark Twain because I have always wanted to read it," he said.
"Those two books would get me through life on the island," he said.
wield of Nations," by Adam Smith and a complete history of the world.
Joel Fitzgerald
"Adam Smith has always intrigued me and history is important because if we fail to learn it we are doomed to repeat it," he said. "Those books
She considered taking a collection of poems and short stories by Edgar Allen Poe, but decided the books she had already chosen were enough to keep her busy.
"I wouldn't want everybody to be scared of me when I got off the island." he said.
Joel Fitzgerald, Ness City junior,
said he would take the Bible and a
Boy Scout handbook so he could
survive.
2
Laverne Woode
dreams."
"I would take 'Gone with the Wind' (by Margaret Mitchell) and 'The Little Engine that Could,'" she said. "I would also take that book you see advertised in the back of magazines on how to marry the man of your
Woode said the marriage book cost $90 but came with a money-back-guarantee in case you didn't marry Mr. Right.
Laverne Woode, Leavenworth junior, also picked the Bible and a survival manual, but her other books were for entertainment, for occupying her time and for keeping a positive attitude while stranded on the island.
"The engine book would keep my attitude up so when I get off the island I can get married right away," she said.
Tosha Hov
For entertainment, Hoy would take "Pet Smetervy," by Steen Kinn.
"After reading it, though, and seeing what I wouldn't want to be alone," she said.
Tosha Hoy, Coffeffive junior,
picked books for a variety of reasons.
Hoy also chose "The Apology," by Plato.
"I would take a Bible to read over and over and a wilderness cookbook so I wouldn't starve," she said.
The last collection of books on Hoy's list was a group of texts required for Western Civilization class.
"He seemed to have a lot of time on
his hands like I would on an island," she said. "He would probably be pretty interesting too."
"It's not that I would read them," she said. "I'll just need something to keep a campfire burning."
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