First Generation Students- A UNLV Libraries Guide

"I enjoyed reading this book during my early college years. It poses some of the critical issues that we face in our human experience and makes one contemplate upon one's own life decisions."
Recommended by: David Ramos-Candelas, Mason Peer Research Coach, UNLV Libraries

Book description: "Novelist and short story writer Kate Chopin (1851-1904) was the first American woman to deal with women's roles as wives and mothers. The Awakening (1899), her most famous novel, concerns a woman dissatisfied with her indifferent husband. She eventually gives in to her desire for other men and commits adultery. It is a searing indictment of the religious and social pressures brought to bear on women who transgress restrictive Victorian codes of behavior."

"I'd like to recommend this autobiography of a woman who rose from extreme poverty to success as a writer, anthropologist, and folklorist. Her story illustrates that tenacity and dedication to one's education can take you beyond a cycle of disenfranchisement and can even propel you to legendary status."
Recommended by Stormye Hendrix, Reference Specialist, UNLV Libraries

Book description: "Dust Tracks on a Road is the bold, poignant, and funny autobiography of novelist, folklorist, and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston, one of American literature’s most compelling and influential authors. Hurston’s powerful novels of the South—including Jonah’s Gourd Vine and, most famously, Their Eyes Were Watching God—continue to enthrall readers with their lyrical grace, sharp detail, and captivating emotionality. First published in 1942, Dust Tracks on a Road is Hurston’s personal story, told in her own words."

"I recommend this film because it was fun to watch and reminded me (through a young boy’s imagination) that joy and success can be found when you adjust your perspective." Recommended by Bibi Lopez, Mason Peer Research Coach, UNLV Libraries

Film description "From acclaimed New Zealand director Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok, What We Do in the Shadows) comes an award-winning new comedy. Julian Dennison stars as Ricky is a defiant young city kid who finds himself on the run with his cantankerous foster uncle (Sam Neil) in the wild New Zealand bush. A national manhunt ensues, and the two are forced to put aside their differences and work together."

"This book is an interesting read for anyone who is curious in learning how people from other parts of the world can make an everlasting impact in the U.S."
Recommended by: David Ramos-Candelas, Mason Peer Research Coach, UNLV Libraries

Book description: According to census projections, by 2050 nearly one in three U.S. residents will be Latino, and the overwhelming majority of these will be of Mexican descent. This dramatic demographic shift is reshaping politics, culture, and fundamental ideas about American identity. Neil Foley, a leading Mexican American historian, offers a sweeping view of the evolution of Mexican America, from a colonial outpost on Mexico's northern frontier to a twenty-first-century people integral to the nation they have helped build. Mexicans have lived in and migrated to the American West and Southwest for centuries. When the United States annexed those territories following the Mexican-American War in 1848, the unequal destinies of the two nations were sealed. Despite their well-established presence in farm fields, workshops, and military service, Mexicans in America have long been regarded as aliens and outsiders. Xenophobic fantasies of a tidal wave of Mexicans overrunning the borders and transforming "real America" beyond recognition have inspired measures ranging from Operation Wetback in the 1950s to Arizona's draconian SB 1070 anti-immigration law and the 700-mile security fence under construction along the U.S.-Mexican border today. Yet the cultural, linguistic, and economic ties that bind Mexico to the United States continue to grow. Mexicans in the Making of America demonstrates that America has always been a composite of racially blended peoples, never a purely white Anglo-Protestant nation. The struggle of Latinos to gain full citizenship bears witness to the continual remaking of American culture into something more democratic, egalitarian, and truer to its multiracial and multiethnic origins.

"I recommend this book because I appreciate how Guevara evolved as his awareness about other people’s lives increased. It was a reminder to always meet new people and learn from them. Every single person has something to teach you." Recommended by Bibi Lopez, Mason Peer Research Coach, UNLV Libraries

Book description: "The young Che Guevara's lively and highly entertaining travel diary, now a popular movie and a New York Times bestseller. This new, expanded edition features exclusive, unpublished photos taken by the 23-year-old Ernesto on his journey across a continent, and a tender preface by Aleida Guevara, offering an insightful perspective on the man and the icon."

"I love this movie so much! It has a great cast and soundtrack that tells the story of one Mexican-American family spanning over several generations. As a 4th generation Mexican-American and a 1st generation college student, I heavily identify with it. It reminds me of where I came from and the importance that my family has played in keeping me grounded and humble and to always remember where my roots are. It is also representative of a different time (the film was released in 1995, the year after I graduated from high school and perhaps why it has been so important and impactful to me personally) and might give younger students with a similar heritage some perspective of the journey of their parents and grandparents." Recommended by Ruby Nugent, Dental Medicine Liaison Librarian, UNLV Libraries

Film description: "Presents the three-generation saga of the Sanchez family as told by the eldest son. From the beginnings of his father's journey from Mexico to California in the 1920s, to his brother Chucho's tragic rebellion of the 1950s, to the stark realities of modern day, the struggle to live the American dream is sometimes darkened but never diminished for Paco Sanchez and his family"

"I recommend this book to all first-generation students. It is important for us to be able to create positive habits that will allow us to succeed. This is true both in the academic setting and in the professional world. Charles Duhigg, in the book, helps us identify the different components of habits. Through this, we can easily adapt to new environments and situations we are placed in. This is extremely useful as a first-generation student." Recommended by: Vinicius Passos, Mason Peer Research Coach, UNLV Libraries

Book description: "In The Power of Habit, award-winning business reporter Charles Duhigg takes us to the thrilling edge of scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed. Distilling vast amounts of information into engrossing narratives that take us from the boardrooms of Procter & Gamble to the sidelines of the NFL to the front lines of the civil rights movement, Duhigg presents a whole new understanding of human nature and its potential."

"I recommend this book to first-gen students because it taught me to take charge of my future. The first habit of being proactive resonates with me because it means taking control of situations instead of feeling reaction or falling victim to it. It is empowering to hear that I have control." Recommended by Evelyn Rodriguez, Mason Peer Research Coach, UNLV Libraries

Book description "In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, author Stephen R. Covey presents a holistic, integrated, principle-centered approach for solving personal and professional problems. With penetrating insights and pointed anecdotes, Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, service, and human dignity--principles that give us the security to adapt to change and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates."

"I recommend this book because it speaks on adverse childhood experiences and traumas in the form of case studies and discusses how they impact our lives and how we can overcome them." Recommended by Rebekah D'Amato, Mason Peer Research Coach, UNLV Libraries

Book description: "Clinical psychologist and author of The Defining Decade, Meg Jay takes us into the world of the supernormal: those who soar to unexpected heights after childhood adversity."

"In my very first class in college, my professor forced us all to watch Wit (2001) even though it had nothing to do with the subject of the course, scientific revolutions. Based on a play by Margaret Edson, this movie stars Emma Thompson as Vivian Bearing, a brilliant but callous English professor who confronts her death due to cancer. The film is terribly depressing and there is no happy ending, but it is a film that has stuck with me ever since for the actors' performances, the clever writing, and the intimate treatment of dying. As an Asian first-generation college student of immigrant parents, I felt and still sometimes feel the expectation to be as successful as possible regardless of my own or others' feelings. However, I just as often think about this film and wonder how I will be treated when I am dying and when what I have achieved in my life matters less than the relationships I have created or lost. I won't force you to watch this film as my professor did, but it is truly haunting and rewarding if you do." Recommended by James Cheng, Library Data Analyst, UNLV Libraries

Film description: "An English professor, who alienates her students, has always had control over her life. That is until she is diagnosed with a devastating illness. She agrees to undergo a series of procedures that are brutal, extensive and experimental. She finds that the fine line between life and death can only be walked with wit"