“I just finished 'The End of Poverty,' by Jeffrey Sachs. It's his plan to end extreme poverty by 2025 using the U.N. Millennium Development Goals.”

— Erin Locke, University of Notre Dame senior, WaKeeney

“I'm just starting 'The Great Upheaval,' by Jay Winik. It's along the same lines as 'A Magnificent Catastrophe,' by Edward J. Larson, but it has to do with the American Revolution from 1788 to 1800.”

— Dan Reed, financial aid officer, Lawrence

“I'm reading 'The Night Buffalo,' by Guillermo Arriaga. It's about a young man in Mexico City whose friend kills himself, and he goes searching after the meaning behind it all.”

— Tony Baker, sociology professor, Grand Rapids, Mich.

“'Perfect Match,' by Jodi Picoult. It's about a woman district attorney who prosecutes child molesters. Then her son is molested, and so then she has to work her way through the experience.”

— Martina Thompson, educator, Lawrence