Here are 100 books that The Lecherous Professor fans have personally recommended if you like The Lecherous Professor. Book DNA is a community of 13,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of My Dark Vanessa

Janette DeFelice Author Of The Last Pirouette

From my list on exploring power, exploitation, and female resilience.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been interested in stories about power, exploitation, and female resilience for as long as I can remember. As a former professional dancer, I grew up in a world where the body was watched, judged, disciplined, and expected to perform, no matter the circumstance. My later experience as a physician scholar and as a mother has deepened my interest in the systems that shape girls’ and women’s ideas about their own lives. Finally, as a survivor, I also understand how these experiences can distort a girl’s sense of herself. I come to these books from the intersection of art, medicine, feminism, and lived experience.

Janette's book list on exploring power, exploitation, and female resilience

Janette DeFelice Why Janette loves this book

I found this book powerful in its subtle exposé of how, for generations, girls have been forced to see the world through the eyes of men. The gatekeepers—in art, literature, and popular culture—have historically been men.

We see how teenage Vanessa has been influenced by the sexualization of a young Britney Spears and Fiona Apple, as well as books like Lolita that have been recommended to her by her favorite teacher. Her teacher is the beneficiary of the societal grooming that has already taken root in Vanessa’s psyche, exploiting it further to serve his own sexual needs.

This book ruined me because even after her teacher tells her, “I will ruin you,” Vanessa sees herself as being in control of their inappropriate relationship when she is anything but.

By Kate Elizabeth Russell ,

Why should I read it?

10 authors picked My Dark Vanessa as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An instant New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2021 DYLAN THOMAS AWARD

'A package of dynamite' Stephen King

'Powerful, compulsive, brilliant' Marian Keyes

An era-defining novel about the relationship between a fifteen-year-old girl and her teacher

ALL HE DID WAS FALL IN LOVE WITH ME AND THE WORLD TURNED HIM INTO A MONSTER

Vanessa Wye was fifteen-years-old when she first had sex with her English teacher.

She is now thirty-two and in the storm of allegations against powerful men in 2017, the teacher, Jacob Strane, has just been accused of sexual…


If you love The Lecherous Professor...

Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

Book cover of Studies in Lechery

Julie Cruse Author Of The Burn List

From my list on gender-based violence in higher education.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a survivor of dual tracks of abuse: both in the home and in higher education. The disturbing link between the two emerged after twenty years working across public, private, and elite universities, where I witnessed and endured so much. My story is one data point in a widespread crisis festering in the dark. Exposing that pressures universities to change. Through my memoir, related projects, and academicabuse.com—a hub of data and resources to identify and disrupt the problem—I aim to apply that pressure, and give survivors the tools and courage to do the same.

Julie's book list on gender-based violence in higher education

Julie Cruse Why Julie loves this book

Phoenix does something unique: alongside her lived story, she builds an irrefutable case for why "consensual" relationships between professors and students are inherently unethical.

Her examination of how adults over 18 remain neurologically underdeveloped, her analysis of obedience to authority dynamics, and her discussion of professors as "helping professionals" evading sexual boundary ethics struck at the heart of the problem.

Additionally, the university, in her case, did hold the accused accountable and created new policies that were modeled by other universities. That's what inspired me to file my own Title IX complaint, which led to the resignation of the accused.

By Cal Louise Phoenix ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Studies in Lechery as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Cal is determined to forge a stable future, free from the burdens of poverty, mental illness, and alcoholism. Pursuing academia—writing, research, and teaching—promises her a path to advance in life. But when her sociology professor seduces her, everything she’s worked for is threatened.What begins as a seemingly consensual relationship spirals into a nightmare fueled by deceit and manipulation. After it ends, Cal discovers she's just one of many victims of a serial predator who exploits students and other faculty for his own pathological desires, and that the institution she trusted has no policies to regulate this abuse.Through Cal's journey, we…


If you love Billie Wright Dziech...

Book cover of The Tao of Poison

The Tao of Poison by Isham Cook,

A poisonous maiden, a Daoist sex cult, and a violent insurgency.

The polyandrous Yan family in China's rural Shaanxi Province takes in two carpenter brothers. When one brother is convicted of murder after killing their neighbor in a dispute, a constable threatens to expose the family's rumored polyandry and extorts…

Book cover of Complaint!

Julie Cruse Author Of The Burn List

From my list on gender-based violence in higher education.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a survivor of dual tracks of abuse: both in the home and in higher education. The disturbing link between the two emerged after twenty years working across public, private, and elite universities, where I witnessed and endured so much. My story is one data point in a widespread crisis festering in the dark. Exposing that pressures universities to change. Through my memoir, related projects, and academicabuse.com—a hub of data and resources to identify and disrupt the problem—I aim to apply that pressure, and give survivors the tools and courage to do the same.

Julie's book list on gender-based violence in higher education

Julie Cruse Why Julie loves this book

Sara Ahmed publicly resigned from her professorship at Goldsmiths in 2016 as a direct protest against the institution's failure to address sexual harassment.

This book was an outgrowth of all the letters she received from other victims, sharing how their universities also failed them during their complaints. Ahmed exposes the commonalities among the letters, unveiling how universities weaponize "shadow policies" to bury complaints and complainants' careers.

This book became my bible when I filed my first formal complaint and began experiencing the same systemic cover-up and retaliation she documents. Seeing every university trick in her book play out in real time in my case, at the very least, empowered me with a sense of solidarity.

By Sara Ahmed ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Complaint! as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In Complaint! Sara Ahmed examines what we can learn about power from those who complain about abuses of power. Drawing on oral and written testimonies from academics and students who have made complaints about harassment, bullying, and unequal working conditions at universities, Ahmed explores the gap between what is supposed to happen when complaints are made and what actually happens. To make complaints within institutions is to learn how they work and for whom they work: complaint as feminist pedagogy. Ahmed explores how complaints are made behind closed doors and how doors are often closed on those who complain. To…


Book cover of Campusland

Andrew Pessin Author Of Nevergreen

From my list on the college campus and its craziness.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a professor myself who writes novels, so am especially drawn to novels about campus life! I really do value the life of the mind, but am also aware of just how strange a life that is within contemporary culture. At the same time, campuses are hotbeds of ideas, ranging from the deep and the true to the shallow and the crazy, and young passionate impressionable students simmer in those ideas for several years and then go on to shape our future. What could be more important than novels which bring all that to light? 

Andrew's book list on the college campus and its craziness

Andrew Pessin Why Andrew loves this book

And then there was Campusland… Fast, funny, and brutal in its satirical account of today’s campuses, with their “safe spaces” and identity politics and administrators and students alike running amok, this is a book with an agenda (be forewarned) but which executes that agenda extremely well. Johnston really nails certain character types present on many liberal arts colleges and elite campuses, as well as the dynamics as those characters execute their own agendas. If you share the author’s agenda you will lap it up; if not, you will be enraged; but either way you will be entertained. And if you haven’t been paying attention to the campus scene for a while—prepare to be shocked.  

By Scott Johnston ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Campusland as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Eph Russell is an English professor up for tenure. He may look and sound privileged, but Eph is right out of gun-rack, Bible-thumping rural Alabama. His beloved Devon, though, has become a place of warring tribes, and there are landmines waiting for Eph that he is unequipped to see. The cultural rules are changing fast.

Lulu Harris is an entitled freshman - er, first year - from Manhattan. Her singular ambition is to be a prominent socialite - an "It Girl." While most would kill for a place at Devon, to her college is a dreary impediment. She is pleasantly…


Book cover of On Beauty

Janice Weizman Author Of Our Little Histories

From my list on family dramas in a multi-generational perspective.

Why am I passionate about this?

For me, writing fiction is a way of tackling issues of fate and identity through storytelling. I believe we’re each the result of an intersection between personality and history and I’m interested in the way our time and place impacts us and creates a backdrop for our lives. My first novel, The Wayward Moon, is historical fiction set in the 9th-century Middle East. My second novel follows a Jewish family back six generations to Belarus. But no matter what period I’m writing about, the most important thing is always to tell a good story.

Janice's book list on family dramas in a multi-generational perspective

Janice Weizman Why Janice loves this book

Smith is a master at depicting multi-racial families (something she knows all about, as she grew up in one).

Her narratives take up the complex nature of the relationships between parents, children, and siblings, while delving into issues of race, class, politics, infidelity, and self-knowledge. Smith is expert with her use of voice, as she composes character through idiosyncratic styles of language and expression.

Life in this novel is colorful and messy, as it cleverly investigates the impossibility of really knowing those closest to you.

By Zadie Smith ,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked On Beauty as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION

SHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE

SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER

From the acclaimed author of Swing Time, White Teeth and Grand Union, discover a brilliantly funny and deeply moving story about love and family

Why do we fall in love with the people we do? Why do we visit our mistakes on our children? What makes life truly beautiful?

Set between New England and London, On Beauty concerns a pair of feuding families - the Belseys and the Kipps - and a clutch of doomed affairs. It puts low morals among high…


If you love The Lecherous Professor...

Book cover of Big Ideas... For Small Businesses: Simple, Practical Tools and Tactics to Help Your Small Business Grow

Big Ideas... For Small Businesses by John Lamerton,

Big Ideas… for Small Businesses is a straight-talking, no-nonsense guide to growing a small business without sacrificing your lifestyle. Written by a former civil servant turned entrepreneur, the book challenges hustle culture and instead champions the idea of an "ambitious lifestyle business" - one that provides freedom and financial stability,…

Book cover of Lucky Jim

Aggeliki Pelekidis Author Of Unlucky Mel

From my list on experience college without going into debt.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a former graduate student who holds an MA and Ph.D in English with a Creative Writing emphasis, but also as the child of immigrants and the first in my family to go to college, I love when writers deflate the pretensions of academia. I didn’t grow up around formally educated people so I can relate to the imposter syndrome some of the characters in these books experience. I don’t know who recommended Lucky Jim to me, but that book began my infatuation with the genre of academic satires or campus novels, of which there are many others. 

Aggeliki's book list on experience college without going into debt

Aggeliki Pelekidis Why Aggeliki loves this book

This is classic, quintessential British humor, the kind of dry wit that makes you laugh out loud as you’re reading. I didn’t want it to end because of how hilarious I found the main character. Even while being funny, the book does a great job establishing the imposter syndrome the main character feels as a member of the middle class attempting to enter the elite halls of academia as an older graduate student.

He is a fish out of water, incapable of having normal social interactions with his peers, “betters,” or students. Possibly, the best-ever hangover scene in writing occurs in this book. 

By Kingsley Amis ,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Lucky Jim as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Penguin Decades bring you the novels that helped shape modern Britain. When they were published, some were bestsellers, some were considered scandalous, and others were simply misunderstood. All represent their time and helped define their generation, while today each is considered a landmark work of storytelling.

Kingsley Amis's Lucky Jim was published in 1954, and is a hilarious satire of British university life. Jim Dixon is bored by his job as a medieval history lecturer. His days are only improved by pulling faces behind the backs of his superiors as he tries desperately to survive provincial bourgeois society, an unbearable…


Book cover of Falconer

L.A. Fields Author Of Homo Superiors

From my list on queer love and murder.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the author of over a dozen LGBT novels. I wrote my college thesis on queer criminal coding in Victorian London novels vs. 20th-century American literature. I was a teenage fan of Leopold and Loeb fiction before I added to the canon myself. I chose these books for a queer murder compendium because each offers something unique to the genre. Challenge yourself by asking: do you have sympathy for these murderers? Is it dangerous when queer characters are criminals? Is it fair representation, since homosexuality is illegal to act on, identify with, or speak of in many places? Read these stories, and let their implications disturb you.

L.A.'s book list on queer love and murder

L.A. Fields Why L.A. loves this book

Ezekiel Farragut is a former university professor and current inmate at Falconer prison.

A drug addict and a murderer for killing his own brother during an argument, while incarcerated Farragut must wean himself from his addiction with methadone, and suffer visits from his profoundly disappointed wife. He is also involved romantically with a fellow prisoner—the captivating Jody, who all the guys want to screw.

When Jody successfully escapes, Farragut is left to contemplate how his own failures got him to this lonely place, and how to be a better man if he is ever able to leave it. This is where the grim, dreamlike beauty of Cheever’s best-known signature works shines through.

If you like this, also check out Blake Bailey’s biography of Cheever. The parallels between fact and fiction are fascinating.

By John Cheever ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Falconer as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Stunning and brutally powerful, "one of the most important novels of our time" (The New York Times) tells the story of a man named Farragut, his crime and punishment, and his struggle to remain a man in a universe bent on beating him back into childhood.

In a nightmarish prison, out of Farragut's suffering and astonishing salvation, Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Cheever crafted his most powerful work of fiction. Only Cheever could deliver these grand themes with the irony, unforced eloquence, and exhilarating humor that make Falconer such a triumphant work of the moral…


Book cover of LSD and the Mind of the Universe: Diamonds from Heaven

Wade Richardson Author Of The Psychedelic Mindmeld: Telepathically Exploring Shared Consciousness

From my list on advanced use of psychedelics.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am passionate about exploring consciousness using psychedelics, meditation, and the dreamscape because it leads us toward our greatest human potential. Psychedelics have been my main tool for exploring consciousness, and I want to share how they can be safely used to access our greatest psychic gifts and, in particular, to lovingly share consciousness telepathically with others to explore the infinite living cosmos together.

Wade's book list on advanced use of psychedelics

Wade Richardson Why Wade loves this book

This book chronicles the heroic journey of Christopher Bache’s 73 high-dose LSD sessions over twenty years and how these sessions impacted his life.

His story was a testament to me of the incredible hard work and persistence required to clear the body of energetic blockages when using psychedelics to reach the highest states of consciousness, including tapping into the cosmic creative principle of the living universe, exploring hell and heavenly realms, and nonduality. I loved how compelling and inspiring Bache’s story is.

By Christopher M. Bache ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked LSD and the Mind of the Universe as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A professor of religious studies meticulously documents his insights from 73 high-dose LSD sessions conducted over the course of 20 years

* Chronicles, with unprecedented rigor, the author's systematic journey into a unified field of consciousness that underlies all physical existence

* Makes a powerful case for the value of psychedelically induced spiritual experience and discusses the challenge of integrating these experiences into everyday life

* Shows how psychedelic experience can take you beyond self-transformation into collective transformation and help birth the future of humanity

On November 24, 1979, Christopher M. Bache took the first step on what would become…


If you love Billie Wright Dziech...

Book cover of Sexy Selfie Nation: Standing Up for Yourself in Today's Toxic, Sexist Culture

Sexy Selfie Nation by Leora Tanenbaum,

The problem is not with the actions young women take but with the toxic, sexist conditions they are responding to.

Tanenbaum found, based on six years of interviews with young people ages 14-30, that young women are navigating a culture littered with gendered dress codes, revenge porn, and sexually explicit…

Book cover of The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe

Catherine Lundoff Author Of Silver Moon: A Wolves of Wolf's Point Novel

From my list on fantasy tales about women over 40.

Why am I passionate about this?

I started writing a series about menopausal werewolves eleven years ago, right before my fiftieth birthday. I wanted to see more women like me in science fiction and fantasy: middle-aged and older women who had led full lives but were still up for more adventure, new worlds, eager to see what came next. I also started a bibliography project on older women protagonists in speculative fiction and began proposing and speaking on convention programming about older women in the genre. We’ve had a lot of great discussions and agree that the needle is slowly moving toward more and better representation. I’m thrilled to be a part of that.

Catherine's book list on fantasy tales about women over 40

Catherine Lundoff Why Catherine loves this book

In a genre full of stories of almost infinite variety, this is one that caught my eye.

A middle-aged female professor of mathematics goes on a quest with her cat to track down a former student who is the only one who can save their world from destruction. Sounds cozy, doesn’t it? Except for the world-ending part.

And the fact that Vellitt’s path lies straight through a dreamscape out of the Lovecraftian mythos in this critique/homage to H.P. Lovecraft’s The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath. But you don’t have to have read the latter to enjoy the journey.

Vellitt is a marvelous character, the world-building is brilliant and the cat is the perfect addition that helps set the tone for a new and different kind of quest fantasy.

By Kij Johnson ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

World Fantasy Award winner, Hugo, Nebula, John W. Campbell, and Locus Award finalist for Best Novella, and one of NPR's Best Books of 2016

Professor Vellitt Boe teaches at the prestigious Ulthar Women’s College. When one of her most gifted students elopes with a dreamer from the waking world, Vellitt must retrieve her.
d"Kij Johnson's haunting novella The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe is both a commentary on a classic H.P. Lovecraft tale and a profound reflection on a woman's life. Vellitt's quest to find a former student who may be the only person who can save her community takes her…


Book cover of My Dark Vanessa
Book cover of Studies in Lechery
Book cover of Consent

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