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What is on the reading list of Marquette's vice president for student affairs? Marquette Magazine asked Dr. L. Christopher Miller to name his top five favorite books and tell us why they make his list.

1. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston: "I love Hurston's use of dialect — it forces the reader to read out loud. It's an investment that pays off with a wonderful story."

2. The American by Henry James: "This is one of those great turn-of-the-century stories of American expatriates. James writes the character Newman in such a way that the reader feels he knows him and anticipates what he'll do next. This is my favorite James novel."

3. My Antonia by Willa Cather: "I enjoy Cather's vivid descriptions of frontier America and the richness of her characters."

4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: "This novel made me want to study the law. The book is so special because of Scout's viewpoint and her perceptions about her father and the small southern community in which they lived."

5. Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo: "This novel's descriptions of the realities of war resonates today. I also appreciate this novel on another level after reading about Dalton Trumbo's life after he was blacklisted during the McCarthy era."