In June 2011, UM-Flint English professor Tom Foster will publish his third book with HarperCollins. His new publication is called "25 Books that Shaped America" and covers the literary history of America from 1780 to 1980, including works from Benjamin Franklin, Thoreau, Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Walt Whitman, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. According to Foster, he has worked on “25 Books” intermittently for the past one and a half years. The idea for the publication originated with his publishers, but Foster had no trouble coming up with the 25 best.
“I wanted to cover books that told the story of America,” Foster said.
Foster, who has taught at UM-Flint since 1987, is also the chair of the English department. Despite his busy obligations as English chair and professor, Foster has found time to publish other works besides "25 Books that Shaped America."
In 2003, Foster published “How to Read Literature like a Professor”, a book that does just what it says by explaining the nuances of symbolism and plot in literature. Five years after publication, “How to Read Literature like a Professor” took an unexpected twist in sales when it began to be adopted as part of the curriculum for high school English classes around the United States. Foster’s work quickly became a contender on the New York Times Bestseller “Extended List” for seven weeks in the category of Advice, Self-help, and Miscellaneous. According to Foster, a sales development like this is usually unheard of five years after publication.
“It took on another life that no one could have predicted in classroom adoption,” Foster said.
While "How to Read Literature like a Professor" is no longer on the New York Times Best Seller List, it is still popular among buyers. Mary Davis, Public Relations Director for Corporate Affairs for Border's and Walden Books confirms that book continues to be successful.
"The book has sold well for us this year," Davis said via email interview. "Which is notable because it was published in 2003."
Foster’s work is well suited to the high school audience because of its humor, easy-reading, and memorable chapter headings. With chapter titles like “When in Doubt, It’s from Shakespeare” “Hanseldee and Greteldum”, and “It’s Greek to Me” students can connect a witty saying to complex literary term.
Dr. Foster reads an Excerpt from "How to Read Literature like a Professor"
Shortly after the success of “How to Read Literature like a Professor”, Foster published a similar book called “How to Read Novels like a Professor” in 2008. While the “How to Read Literature” focuses on symbols and figurative language, “How to Read Novels” deals with structure and narrative. According to Foster, “How to Read Novels” deals more with the structure of a novel and features chapter themes like “Pickup Lines and Open(ing) Seductions or Why Novels Have First Pages”.
While Foster usually promotes his books via radio interview, he has also visited many area high schools that are using his book. This past fall, Foster visited Powers Catholic High School in Mt. Morris Township, where they use his book for AP English Classes.
Stacy Reynolds, an AP English Teacher at Powers, has required Foster’s “How to Read Literature like a Professor” as the first book on her students’ summer reading list for the past two years.
“After reading this, they can analyze any piece of literature,” Reynolds said via phone interview on Dec. 7. “It’s not as daunting as a regular literature textbook. Professor Foster makes it so easy to understand and the students enjoy his sense of humor.”
While Foster continues to prepare for the June 1, 2011 publication of “25 Books that Shaped America”, he has also been thinking about the future. Foster would not give details about any upcoming projects, but he did admit to having more projects in mind.
“I’ve sent off a bunch of new ideas to my publisher,” Foster said. “It’s a good moment right now to pitch ideas.”
In this video, Foster applies concepts from his book "How to Read Novels like a Professor" to Louise Eldrich's book, "Love Medicine".
“I wanted to cover books that told the story of America,” Foster said.
Foster, who has taught at UM-Flint since 1987, is also the chair of the English department. Despite his busy obligations as English chair and professor, Foster has found time to publish other works besides "25 Books that Shaped America."
In 2003, Foster published “How to Read Literature like a Professor”, a book that does just what it says by explaining the nuances of symbolism and plot in literature. Five years after publication, “How to Read Literature like a Professor” took an unexpected twist in sales when it began to be adopted as part of the curriculum for high school English classes around the United States. Foster’s work quickly became a contender on the New York Times Bestseller “Extended List” for seven weeks in the category of Advice, Self-help, and Miscellaneous. According to Foster, a sales development like this is usually unheard of five years after publication.
“It took on another life that no one could have predicted in classroom adoption,” Foster said.
While "How to Read Literature like a Professor" is no longer on the New York Times Best Seller List, it is still popular among buyers. Mary Davis, Public Relations Director for Corporate Affairs for Border's and Walden Books confirms that book continues to be successful.
"The book has sold well for us this year," Davis said via email interview. "Which is notable because it was published in 2003."
Foster’s work is well suited to the high school audience because of its humor, easy-reading, and memorable chapter headings. With chapter titles like “When in Doubt, It’s from Shakespeare” “Hanseldee and Greteldum”, and “It’s Greek to Me” students can connect a witty saying to complex literary term.
Shortly after the success of “How to Read Literature like a Professor”, Foster published a similar book called “How to Read Novels like a Professor” in 2008. While the “How to Read Literature” focuses on symbols and figurative language, “How to Read Novels” deals with structure and narrative. According to Foster, “How to Read Novels” deals more with the structure of a novel and features chapter themes like “Pickup Lines and Open(ing) Seductions or Why Novels Have First Pages”.
While Foster usually promotes his books via radio interview, he has also visited many area high schools that are using his book. This past fall, Foster visited Powers Catholic High School in Mt. Morris Township, where they use his book for AP English Classes.
Stacy Reynolds, an AP English Teacher at Powers, has required Foster’s “How to Read Literature like a Professor” as the first book on her students’ summer reading list for the past two years.
“After reading this, they can analyze any piece of literature,” Reynolds said via phone interview on Dec. 7. “It’s not as daunting as a regular literature textbook. Professor Foster makes it so easy to understand and the students enjoy his sense of humor.”
While Foster continues to prepare for the June 1, 2011 publication of “25 Books that Shaped America”, he has also been thinking about the future. Foster would not give details about any upcoming projects, but he did admit to having more projects in mind.
“I’ve sent off a bunch of new ideas to my publisher,” Foster said. “It’s a good moment right now to pitch ideas.”
In this video, Foster applies concepts from his book "How to Read Novels like a Professor" to Louise Eldrich's book, "Love Medicine".
