Each week, the staff here at The Anchor give their recommendations on an album, book and movie to enjoy. Here are our recommendations for the week of 3/5-3/11.

Album- Reading, Writing and Arithmetic by The Sundays

Recommended by Kacie Burns

Released in 1990, The Sunday’s debut album perfectly captures the playful sounds of youth and innocence, with lyrics centered around petty childish emotions, feelings of inadequacy, and insecurity with growing up. All the songs are able to focus on specific emotions, either being an optimistic pessimism on “You’re Not the Only One I Know,” wary love on “A Certain Someone,” or just wanting to go home on “My Finest Hour”. Harriet Wheeler’s voice fluctuates from a Cocteau Twins lyricalness to a pretty giddy warmthness. She’s backed by David Gavurin on the guitar, whose gentle rhythms create a nostalgic atmosphere. Without a doubt, this album set the tone of the 90s-alternative music that would follow.

Film- Do the Right Thing by Spike Lee

Recommended by Francisco Aguirre-Ghiso

Spike Lee’s 1989 film Do the Right Thing continues to be discussed and praised 34 years after it’s release, and many consider it to be quintessential American cinema. The Library of Congress even inducted this film into their National Film Registry for preservation purposes, because they believed it to be of cultural, historical and aesthetic significance. That is an honor shared by films like Casablanca, Gone with the Wind and Citizen Kane. In film schools all over the world, this film is taught for both it’s thematic and technical value, courtesy of master director Spike Lee. The film follows the swelling racial tension between a few Italian-Americans who own a pizzeria and a few African-Americans who live in the neighborhood where the pizzeria is located. The whole film takes place over one hot summer day, similar to 12 Angry Men in the way heat increases impulse and violence. The film culminates in bitter tragedy and violence, which ultimately offers a lesson of peaceful coexistence. However, the film never undervalues the importance of ethnic identity in inner-city communities, making it a more realistic portrayal of race relations in America than one that preaches a utopian peacefulness between ethnic groups. Beyond its thematic importance, the film is also full of nuanced and colorful characters, from the proud and bold Radio Raheem to the mellow but frustrated Mookie. No character feels out of place in this developed, multicultural neighborhood, giving the film a tangible setting that reflects the real-world Brooklyn. It’s overall a fantastic watch that many consider to be one of the most important depictions of America’s melting pot across all mediums, across all times.

Book- A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle

Recommended by Sarah Nabi

Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence is a masterful re-telling of the author’s time in Provence, France. Having moved from the U.K, Mayle brings that classic, dry British humor to his debut as an author. Mayle was used to the hustle and bustle of his life as a British businessman when he up and moved to France. Having been forced to adapt to the infamously relaxed ways of French living, Mayle writes with the unique perspective of one who can observe the slow moving world around him while not knowing what on Earth is going on. Mayle possesses that special ability to stop time with his pen, explaining his environment to the last detail, all while interjecting with his wonderfully insightful humor. A Year in Provence will always be a good read.

If you want to submit your own recommendations, contact Francisco Aguirre-Ghiso at [email protected]