Oana Stanescu – Family

Published in 1969, Life is Elsewhere tells the story of Jaromil, a character who dedicates his life to poetry, in the period leading up to, during, and after the Second World War in Czechoslovakia. Kundera is the author of the Unbearable Lightness of Being, among other classics. His philosophy-drenched writing is both profound and accessible.

The Second Sex, by the influential feminist and existentialist Simone de Beauvoir, is widely-considered one of the most significant texts in the history of feminist philosophy and a catalyst for the emergence of second-wave feminism. “One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman,” Beauvoir writes, setting the stage for the development of gender theory and contemporary feminist discourse.

In Rhinoceros, a 1959 play by Eugène Ionesco, all but one of the inhabitants of a small, French village turn into rhinoceroses. Taking place over three acts, the play is often read as a commentary on the emergence of Communism, Fascism, and Nazism in the period before the Second World War.

Elaine Molinar – Snøhetta

Perhaps more than any other city, Manhattan is known for its urban plan – that is to say, the grid. City on a Grid: How New York Became New York tells the story of the street grid that has inspired manifestos, essays, and countless designs, as well as frustration and ire.

Craig Dykers – Snøhetta

What Kind of Creatures Are We? is a collection of lectures by the world-renowned linguist and political theorist Noam Chomsky. Spanning wide theoretical ground, from language theory to the politics of “libertarian socialism,” the book is a good introduction to Chomsky’s work.

Jorge Otero-Pailos

Speaking of summer heat, imagine living in a time when there was no way to know whether to grab an umbrella or a sunhat. Weather Experiment: the Pioneers Who Sought to See the Future tells the story of the men who set out to decode the mysteries of weather.

Stay tuned for more from Archinect's summer reading list!