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I am really bad at history and find many history books challenging to read. Do you have any book recommendations for world history that are easy to understand/read?

I am really bad at history and find many history books challenging to read. Do you have any book recommendations for world history that are easy to understand/read?
I am really bad at history and find many history books challenging to read. Do you have any book recommendations for world history that are easy to understand/read?

I have lots of history major helpers, so lots of possible suggestions. 1) It’s probably not you, it’s the author. It’s OK to shop for another historian on the same topic until you get one that makes more sense. 2) Lots of people who don’t like history love biographies, and a good biography of an important person will teach you a lot of history. 3) Check out the Cartoon History of the Universe on the shelf to my left.

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What is the best book for psychology for absolute beginners?

What is the best book for psychology for absolute beginners?
What is the best book for psychology for absolute beginners?

There’s not any one book that covers the entirety of psychology comprehensively without being dull. Here are some interesting, engaging titles to serve as entry points into a variety of fields within psychology: Thinking, Fast & Slow, by Daniel Kahneman (bit.ly/bcl-thinking-fast-slow), Investigating Pop Psychology: Pseudoscience, Fringe Science, and Controversies, edited by Stephen Hupp and Richard Wiseman (bit.ly/bcl-pop-psych), The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales, by Oliver Sacks (bit.ly/bcl-man-mistook-wife), The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind: My Tale of of Madness and Recovery (bit.ly/bcl-neuro-lost-mind), and for comprehensive context, The Oxford Encyclopedia of the History of Pyschology (bit.ly/bcl-oxford-history-psychology). Enjoy!

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Do we have any courses on business history in BC?

Do we have any courses on business history in BC?
Do we have any courses on business history in BC?

You can always check the course lists on the University Catalog (https://bit.ly/universitycatalog). It looks like there are a few that might be related to business and history: American Capitalism and Its Critics, The Credit Nexus: The Secret History of the Economy in Britain, 1600s-1900s, Heritage Marketing. BC also has a financial historian, Paul Schmelzing, whose classes will likely include historical perspectives.

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What determines if we got 3 or 4 years of housing? Is it random?

What determines if we got 3 or 4 years of housing? Is it random?
What determines if we got 3 or 4 years of housing? Is it random?

According to ResLife: “The majority of Boston College students receive three years of guaranteed housing. Sophomore transfer students receive one year of guaranteed housing, while nursing students, Presidential Scholars, and certain student-athletes receive four years of guaranteed housing.” bit.ly/ResLife3OR4

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How to be confident in myself?

How to be confident in myself?
How to be confident in myself?

Patience with yourself and practice is the short answer. Often pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone, and practicing positive self-affirmation and positive body language are a good starting point. And avoiding comparison. As a wall, I’d say standing straight and being happy with who I am is key, and I’ve also accepted that I’ll never get as much human interaction as the library door and that doesn’t change how much I’m needed as a wall.

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There is this on-campus group I auditioned for, but I got cut. I thought I’d get over it by now, but I am through missing out on the thing I want to do more than anything else. Any advice?

There is this on-campus group I auditioned for, but I got cut. I thought I'd get over it by now, but I am through missing out on the thing I want to do more than anything else. Any advice?
There is this on-campus group I auditioned for, but I got cut. I thought I’d get over it by now, but I am through missing out on the thing I want to do more than anything else. Any advice?

Anything that requires auditions is brutal, you have my sympathy. Is there another thing you could do with those talents that you’d enjoy? With a lot of arts anything you do makes you better at them, and it’s a small world, your shot might come around again a little later.

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Don’t take a class w/ Prof. [redacted name]. She is a BIGOT.

Don't take a class w/ Prof. [redacted name]. She is a BIGOT.
Don’t take a class w/ Prof. [redacted name]. She is a BIGOT.

I am sorry you had a bad experience with a professor! This is a serious matter that I recommend you take up either with your academic adviser, the department chair, or with the office of institutional diversity, who has a hate crimes and bias-related incidents reporting system: bit.ly/bc-hate-bias. I’ve redacted the name of the professor because I have a policy (on the sign above me) about removing personal names and information.

girl what??? you got censored :(
girl what??? you got censored 🙁

My ground rules for this are stated upfront right on top of me: Good fences make good neighbors, right? This wall welcomes questions of all kinds. Please be respectful of other people, groups, and individual privacy. Anything derogatory, potentially hurtful, or that identifies a particular person will be removed.

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Are there any kinds of books that should be banned?

Are there any kinds of books that should be banned? On what basis? Who can make those decisions?
Are there any kinds of books that should be banned? On what basis? Who can make those decisions?

The short answer is no, you’re not going to meet many librarians (or library walls) in favor of banning books under almost any circumstances. The baseline for the profession is the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights. Librarians try to build collections that serve all of a community, and you can’t do that without collecting material that will be controversial to some. The few shouldn’t get to dictate to the many what they can read.