It's A Reader's World

Reading for Success

The Advantage Belongs to the Readers

We proudly introduce the framework for It's A Reader's World, which will be delivered to subscribers of The College World Reporter, with additional interactive features on this website. We are in the process of assembling a team to deliver this program to our readers.

What is It's A Reader's World, why is the CWR implementing it, and how will you as a reader benefit from participating in this program each month? It's A Reader's World is an interactive, informational and instructional program designed to greatly increase appreciation for the power of reading for success on a business and professional level.

According to a December 26, 2005 article in the Boston Globe, "...literacy specialists and educators are stunned by the results of a recent adult literacy assessment, which shows that the reading proficiency of college graduates has declined in the past decade.... Only 31 percent of college graduates can read a complex book and extrapolate from it."

As a result of this and other similar studies, the CWR is implementing It's A Reader's World because we believe in today's business world, the advantage goes to the readers. And we feel it is our responsibility as an empowerment publication to provide our readers with the resources to be empowered for success through reading.

It's A Reader's World Book Reviews

Under the Influence

Author: Erin Patton

By R. J. Phillips, Colorado State University

Many baby boomers are perplexed about the music their grandchildren listen to, the clothes they wear, and the sports heroes they admire. This book, written by a leading marketer to the urban youth culture, explains the connection between music, sports, and culture and the consumption patterns of youth. For example, readers will learn how the innovation of "mixtapes"--a collection of unreleased songs in the CD format--was crucial in the marketing success of artists such as 50 Cent. Also informative is the story of Nike's successful marketing of Air Jordans and how the company dealt with criticisms related to violent activity by those wanting this footwear. In chapter 4, Patton discusses his "7 Ciphers" for decoding urban consumer behavior and market dynamics. Though the "core urban" consumers are primarily African Americans and Hispanics age 14-25 who live in the inner city, other groups, such as the "tertiary urban," live in and around cities such as Atlanta and New Orleans. This volume will be of value to anyone involved in marketing to youth or interested in understanding the rise of the urban culture and its impact on society. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers; undergraduate students at all levels; and practitioners.

Patton, Erin O. Under the influence: tracing the hip-hop generation's impact on brands, sports, and pop culture. Paramount Market Publishing, 2009. 170p index; ISBN 9780980174540, pbk, $28.00. Reviewed in October 2009 issue of CHOICE Magazine, a publication of the American Library Association.

Same Kind of Different as Me

Authors: Ron Hall and Denver Moore, with Lynn Vincent

By Emma Harris, CWR Librarian

Ron Hall & Denver Moore, With Lynn Vincent. Same Kind of Different as Me. This true story is a refreshing read. An illiterate homeless black man, Denver Moore, has an encounter with a white woman, Deborah Hall that changes his life. Ron Hall is an International Art Dealer, who at first does not see why his wife is so dedicated to helping the homeless. Through love, her faith in God and a hope for a better world, Deborah Hall draws Denver Moore and Ron Hall together into a very unlikely friendship. The story is told in Denver and Ron's own words, alternately. It is at times sad, at times funny, but it will touch your heart. You'll come away knowing a lot more about the homeless, and wondering how a man in modern-day America can still be considered a slave.

100 Great Books and Authors to Read— Be a Well-Read Reader Prepared by: Emma Harris
From among the millions and millions of books, this is a recommended list of 100 titles and authors which will help students begin on the road to becoming a “well-read” reader. This list includes personal favorites, highly requested titles and authors, titles from various genres and subject areas, autobiographies, selections by African-American authors, and children’s and young adult titles. . Many well-know classics are omitted here, because the goal is to present a “list of 100 titles.” In order to introduce more authors, only one title or series by a particular author is included. The intention here is to urge students to read, to find authors and titles that appeal to them, and to create a thirst for reading. This will hopefully cause these student to visit and browse in libraries and bookstores, search on-line sources, and read Best Seller Lists in Sunday newspapers and magazines in their quest to be well-read and to keep abreast of the wonderful world of reading.
1.	Adams, Richard	*Watership Down*
2.	Aesop	*Aesop’s Fables*
3.	Allende, Isabel	*Paula*
4.	Angelou, Maya	*I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings*
5.	Atwood, Margaret	*The Handmaid’s Tale*
6.	Austen, Jane	*Pride and Prejudice*
7.	Avakian, Monique	*Atlas of Asian American History*
8.	Baldwin, James	*Go Tell It On The Mountain*
9.	*Bible, The.*	*(King James Version, with New World Translation, Amplified Bible, or The Good News Bible)*
10.	Boom, Corrie Ten	*The Hiding Place*
11.	Bradbury, Ray	*Fahrenheit 451*
12.	Brown, Margaret Wise	*Goodnight Moon*
13.	Burke, James Lee	*The Neon Rain (1^st title in the Robicheaux series)*
14.	Burns, Olive Ann	*Cold Sassy Tree*
15.	Butler, Octavia	*Parable of the Sower*
16.	Camus, Albert	*The Stranger*
17.	Card, Orson Scott	*Enders Game*
18.	Carle, Eric	*The Very Hungry Caterpillar*
19.	Ciseneros, Sandra	*House on Mango Street*
20.	Clancy, Tom	*The Hunt for Red October*
21.	Clege, Pearl	*What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day*
22.	Crichton, Michael	*The Lost World* *(Sequel to Jurassic Park)*
23.	Dickens, Charles	*A Tale of Two Cities*
24.	Dove, Rita	*Mother Love: Poems*
25.	Durant, Will & Ariel	*The Story of Civilization*
26.	Ellison, Ralph	*The Invisible Man*
27.	Faulkner, William	*Light in August*
28.	Fitzgerald, F. Scott	*The Great Gatsby*
29.	Frankl, Victor	*Man’s Search for Meaning*
30.	Fraser, George	*Success Runs in our Race*
31.	Gaines, Ernest J.	*The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman*
32.	Gardner, Chris	*The Pursuit of Happyness*
33.	Golding, William	*Lord of the Flies*
34.	Green, John	*Looking for Alaska*
35.	Grimm, Jacob & Wilhelm	*Grimm’s Fairy Tales*
36.	Grisham, John	*A Time to Kill*
37.	Gunter, John	*Death Be Not Proud*
38.	Hamilton, Edith	*Mythology*
39.	Hamilton, Virginia	*The Dies Drear Chronicles*
40.	Hansberry, Lorraine	*A Raisin in the Sun*
41.	Hawthorne, Nathaniel	*The Scarlet Letter*
42.	Heller, Joseph	*Catch 22*
43.	Hemingway, Ernest	*The Sun Also Rises*
44.	Hersey, John	*Hiroshima*
45.	Hossenni, Khaled	*The Kite Runner*
46.	Hurston, Zora Neale	*Their Eyes are Watching God*
47.	Jones, Edward P.	*The Known World*
48.	Kennedy, John F.	*Profiles in Courage*
49.	King, Stephen	*Apt Pupil*
50.	Kingsolver, Barbara	*Poisonwood Bible*
51.	Kiyosaki, Robert T.	*Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Children About Money…*
52.	Knowles, John	*A Separate Peace*
53.	Koontz, Dean	*Hideaway*
54.	Larsen, Nella	*Passing*
55.	Lee, Harper	*To Kill a Mockingbird*
56.	Lewis, C. S.	*The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe* (Chronicles of Narnia Series)
57.	London, Jack	*Call of the Wild*
58.	Lowry, Lois	*The Giver*
59.	Mitchell, Margaret	*Gone With the Wind*
60.	Marshall, Catherine	*Christy*
61.	Martel, Yann	*Life of Pi*
62.	Mathabane, Mark	*Kaffir Boy*
63.	McEwan, Ian	*Atonement*
64.	McMillan Terry	*The Interruption of Everything*
65.	Monk, Sue K.	*The Secret Lives of Bees*
66.	Morrison, Toni	*Song of Solomon*
67.	Mosley, Walter	*Devil in a Blue Dress*
68.	Myers, Walter Dean	*Now is Your Time: The African-American Struggle for Freedom*
69.	National Geographic	*Great Religions of the World*
70.	Obama, Barak	*The Audacity of Hope*
71.	Orman, Suzy	*Financial Guidebook*
72.	Orwell, George	*1984*
73.	Parks, Gordon	*A Choice of Weapons*
74.	Parker, T. Jefferson	*Laguna Heat*
75.	Patterson, James	*Kiss the Girls*
76.	Ramsey, Dave	*The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Success*
77.	Rice, Anne	*The Vampire Chronicles (A series of 10 books)*
78.	Rombauer, Irma & Others	*The Joy of Cooking: 75^th Anniversary Edition*
79.	Rowlin, JK	*Harry Potter Titles*
80.	Salinger, J. D.	*Catcher in the Rye*
81.	Sendak, Maurice	*Where the Wild Things Are*
82.	Shakespeare, William	*The Taming of the Shrew*
83.	Stegner, Wallace	*Angle of Repose*
84.	Steinbeck, John	*The Grapes of Wrath*
85.	Stevenson, Robert Louis	*Kidnapped*
86.	Tademy, Lalita	*Cane River*
87.	Tartt, Donna	*The Secret History*
88.	Taylor, Mildred	*Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry*
89.	Thurman, Wallace	*The Blacker the Berry*
90.	Tolkien, John R. R.	*The Hobbit (& The Ring Trilogy)*
91.	Tolle, Eckhart	*A New Earth*
92.	Toole, John Kennedy	*A Confederacy of Dunces*
93.	Twain, Mark	*The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn*
94.	Vonnegut, Kurt	*Slaughterhouse-Five*
95.	Walker, Alice	*Possessing the Secret of Joy*
96.	Walker, Persia	*Harlem Redux*
97.	Walker, Margaret	Jubilee
98.	Warren, Rick	*The Purpose Driven Life*
99.	Washington, Booker T.	*Up from Slavery: An Autobiography*
100.	Wright, Richard	*Black Boy*

It's A Reader's World consists of five components: (1.) Reading For Success, (2.) Recommended Reading, (3.) Monthly Book Reviews, (4.) The CWR Reading Mastery Program & It's A Reader's World Well Read Reader's Booklist, and (5.) Vocabulary, Comprehension, and Retention Exercises.

Our It's A Reader's World team will help those who need to improve their reading skills, and will help even the best readers enhance their abilities.

College students have so much reading to do that sometimes it is overwhelming. Is there a method or a system that will help students to get all of their reading done, improve their comprehension, and increase their retention? That is one of the challenges that we have accepted with It's A Reader's World.

Many analysts also say the most successful people over the next several years will be those who possess outstanding verbal and written skills. One gets those skills through reading.

Companies want employees who can converse effectively with their clients in both professional and social settings. Those who are well informed of current events, trade and industry news, and who possess knowledge on a wide range of topics are obviously more desirable as employees than those who do not. Reading helps one access this information and acquire this knowledge.

For example, if you are meeting with an important client, and he or she mentions a recent world event that affects his or her company and asks for your opinion. Here, the reader has the advantage over someone who rarely ever reads the news, is not aware of world events, and knows very little about the latest industry trends. And if you are a diligent reader, you never know when one of your clients, or a key executive in your own company, may appreciate the depth of your knowledge and offer you a major position to advance your career. This is the power of reading, and why we feel so strongly that it truly is a reader's world.

The College World Reporter

Changing the World, by Empowering Students