From GW Today: Washington Reading List
GW Today has spotlighted some famous writers that set their novels in DC! Two publications linked to the English department were highlighted. Congrats again to David McAleavey, Christina Daub, and Ramola Dharmaraj for their work on Full Moon on K Street. Congrats are also in order for Thomas Mallon whose book Fellow Travelers was chosen to represent DC. Interestingly enough, the article they link for Mallon is my original piece about him for this blog.
Original Article Below:
Washington Reading List
They cover everything from romance and poetry to political scandal and the supernatural, but these books have one thing in common: their D.C. setting.
Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson: This compulsively readable work of nonfiction begins with the murder of Abraham Lincoln and traces the escape and capture of John Wilkes Booth and a host of conspirators. Key sites depicted in the book—including Ford’s Theatre and Peterson House, where Lincoln died—are easily accessible from GW. In addition, a Manhunt exhibition developed in conjunction with author James L. Swanson is at D.C.’s Newseum through May 31.
All Aunt Hagar’s Children by Edward P. Jones: A beautifully wrought collection of short stories told from the African American perspective and set in the city throughout the 20th century. The book’s Pulitzer Prize-winning author will join GW’s faculty this year as a professor of English.
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty: Set in 1940s Georgetown, the horror story of demonic possession still has the power to scare readers. And the Exorcist stairs, made famous in the 1973 movie, are a little more than a mile up M Street from GW.
Fellow Travelers by Thomas Mallon: GW Professor of English Thomas Mallon sets his compelling novel in 1950s Washington, D.C., where two gay men attempt to navigate double lives at the State Department at a time when “sexual subversives” are increasingly part of the McCarthy witch hunt.
The Night Gardener by George Pelacanos: D.C. detectives investigate similar murders separated by two decades. A Washington, D.C., native, George Pelacanos has written 15 crime novels set in and around the city.
The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu: The poignant story of the struggles of an Ethiopian immigrant in D.C.’s Logan Circle neighborhood. The author, who was born in Ethiopia, is a Georgetown graduate.
Full Moon on K Street: Poems About Washington, D.C.: This newly released collection features more than a hundred contemporary poems with subjects ranging from D.C.’s monuments to its lawyers and half-smokes. Edited by Kim Roberts, a former visiting poet at GW, contributors include Professor of English David McAleavey and part-time faculty members Christina Daub and Ramola Dharmaraj.
All the President’s Men by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein: The classic page-turner chronicles the investigative reporting of its Washington Post authors from the initial aftermath of the Watergate break-in to the resignation of some of its key players. A room in GW’s Hall on Virginia Avenue, then a Howard Johnson hotel, was used as a “lookout” by Watergate burglars.
Sammy’s Hill by Kristin Gore: Soon to be a movie, this light-hearted story of life and love on Capitol Hill by Al Gore’s daughter is a fast read.
