Dear students,

There are many ways the library can help you prepare for the stress that accompanies the end of every semester. Whether you have a handful of final exams or one large research paper, we know that it can be a lot to handle. But Falvey Library can be an incredible source of academic help and support. The list of excellent and peer-reviewed primary and secondary scholarly sources accessible to all Villanova students grows everyday. Additionally, no matter what your major, there’s a librarian who specializes in instructing you on how to access articles, books, and information you need to succeed. Stop by and meet your subject librarian soon…you’ll be glad you did!

During December, we’re counting down to the holidays by featuring a new Falvey Library acquisition every day…sort of like those fun Advent calendars you enjoyed as a kid! Have fun discovering the latest choices here at your library!

Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

In 1985, Yale Tishman, the development director for a Chicago art gallery, is about to pull off a coup, bringing an extraordinary collection of 1920s paintings. Yet as his career begins to flourish, the carnage of the AIDs epidemic grows around him. One by one, his friends are dying and after his friend Nico’s funeral, the virus circles closer and closer to Yale himself. Soon the only person he has left is Fiona, Nico’s little sister.

Thirty years later, Fiona is in Paris tracking down her estranged daughter who disappeared into a cult. While staying with an old friend, a famous photographer who documented the Chicago epidemic, she finds herself finally grappling with the devastating ways the AIDS crisis affected her life and her relationship with her daughter. Yale and Fiona’s intertwining stories take us through the heartbreak of 80’s and the chaos of the modern world, as both struggle to find goodness in the midst of disaster (from Rebecca Makkai’s website).

There There: A Novel by Tommy Orange

Selected as one of The New York Times‘ Top 10 Books of 2018. The novel follows a large cast of Native Americans living in the area of Oakland, CA, as they face depression, alcoholism, unemployment, and the ethnic identity of being “ambiguously nonwhite.”

There There explores themes of native people living in urban spaces, issues related to natives’ struggles with identity and authenticity.

Check the blog tomorrow for another new resource!