April 23 is the day of the great event in the literary world, the day when the Spanish writer Cervantes died; it is also the birth and anniversary of the great writer Shakespeare; it is also the birthday of the American writer Vladimir Nabokov, the Icelandic Nobel Prize winner Laksnes and other writers. Coincidentally, UNESCO has chosen 23 April to be World Book and Copyright Day ("World Book Day"), with the aim of encouraging more people to read and write. Therefore, we invite Yidan Prize winners to share books that have inspired them or made them re-read from time to time.
Professor Carl Wieman
Winner of the 2020 Yidan Education Research Award
Guns, Germs and Steel
Author: [United States] Jared Diamond
"This book brings me a new perspective on how the environment affects the evolution of different human societies and cultures."
Scientific Learning
Author: [American] Daniel Schwartz et al
"This is a book on the study of cognitive psychology, and its chapters on important aspects of education and learning are particularly outstanding. Every time I read it, I can understand new ideas for teaching. ”
Ms. Lucy Lake
Winner of the 2020 Yidan Education Development Award
Poisonwood Bible
Author: [American] Barbara Kinsovo
"Rather than trying to impose the unknown on something familiar, poisonwood is about the power to prepare yourself for the unknown."
The Shadow King
By Maaza Mengiste
"The book brings a new perspective to the historical events of Ethiopia and the little-known stories of women in the war. The book covers many dimensions of the topic—from gender to power, and the context in which the story takes place—and one reading is not enough to tap into the book's rich connotations. ”
Dr. Rukmini Banerji
Winner of the 2021 Yidan Education Development Award
War and Peace
Author: [Russian] Lev Tolstoy
"My parents were college English teachers. Where they teach, English is not a universal language. I remember when I was in elementary school, my father had a blind student, and to help this student, my father asked other students to read aloud for him. I was only eight or nine years old, and I sat next to this student and read to him, and War and Peace was one of the books I had read. Although I read aloud quickly (which is very practical for people listening to the book), I know very little about the content of the book. It wasn't until I was in my twenties, re-reading War and Peace, that I learned the grandeur and depth of this tome. To this day, I still read the book from time to time, and even in the contemporary world, War and Peace is still profound. ”
Shohoj Paath
Author: [Ind] Robin De la Nate Tagore
"The well-known Tagore is an Indian poet and writer who wrote in Bengali. His writings are not in the minority—from poetry, stories, lyrics, to plays. But among them, tagore's favorite work is Shohoj Paath, which to this day is the first book children have picked up after learning to read. It's simple, catchy, and beautifully illustrated, and I read the book silently and for kids. This book has been deeply rooted in my mind. ”
Ms. Angeline Murimirwa
Winner of the 2020 Yidan Education Development Award