What We Are Reading: Summer, 2021

Recommended by Librarian, Joan Hopkins.
Genre: Historical Fiction.
"Based on letters from the Smith College archives, this book tells the compelling story of a group of remarkable young women who went behind enemy lines to help rebuild French villages during the First World War."

Recommended by Nicki Anderson, Director of Leadership, Empowerment, Action, Development and Service
Genre: Non-fiction
"Here's a review that does a beautiful job of capturing the essence of the book: As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these lenses of knowledge together to show that the awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings are we capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learning to give our own gifts in return."

Recommended by Dr. Allison Wilson, Biology Department.
Genre: Non-fiction
"Thought-provoking and timely."

Recommended by an anonymous librarian.
Genre: Young Adult / Sci-Fi

Recommended by Librarian, Kent Carrico.
Genre: Chicago History.
"Learning the history of Chicago is to understand the forces that pushed the growth of America in the 19th century. For better or for worse, it is all there in City of the Century. Miller's narrative of muddy trading post to world-renowned city in less than 60-years is compelling for its unlikelihood of occurring. Against all odds, a handful of visionary people, such as Hubbard, Ogden, and McCormick, combined with thousands of immigrants looking for a better life to carved out the City of Chicago from marshy wetlands. Miller presents the warts, discouragements and amazing persistence of the human spirit in the telling of our rugged past, Chicago."

Recommended by student Sarah R. Howard.
"t’s a heavy read.. I’m working on my PhD! "

Recommended by Librarian, Silvia Larrondo.
Genre: Biography..

Recommended by Mesa Librarian, Janet Forde.
Genre: American History.

Recommended by Dr. Pat Somers, M.S. Program in Clinical Psychology.
Genre: Historical Fiction.
"Kept me up late reading."

Recommended by Librarian, Kent Carrico.
Genre: Autobiograpny.
"Incredible story of Robert Clary growing up as Robert Max Widerman in Paris, his survival in the concentration camps and subsequent successes on Broadway and on television as Robert Clary. Clary's writing is clear, evocative and he can make you cry with his story. Remarkable testament to the cruelty, madness and undying spirit of a creative man."

Recommended by Dr. Cheryl Heinz, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs.
Genre: Fiction.
"Gripping tale that takes place in two times and places -- 1980's Chicago at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, and 2015 Paris. The characters feel real, the topics are timely (how do we care for one another in a pandemic?), and if you're in or near Chicago, the places will ring true. (The author is a Chicagoan.)"

Recommended by Librarian, Joan Hopkins.
A favorite I'm re-reading this summer about American students who traveled to 19th century Paris to study medicine, art and literature, and then went on to achieve great things back in the USA.

Recommended by Librarian, Joan Hopkins.
Genre: Biographies
The story of how a generation of California teenagers created much of the music we associate with summer - The Beach Boys, Jan & Dean, and many others. Interesting to learn how their lives and their music were so intertwined."

Recommended by Dr. Pat Somers, M.S. Program in Clinical Psychology.
Genre: Memoir.
"If you have aging parents who are struggling to transition from their home and into assisted living, this is the book to read! Honest and heart wrenching."

Recommended by Dr. Peter Huff, Chief Mission Officer, Professor of Theology, Director of the Center for Mission and Identity.

Recommended by Dr. Peter Huff, Chief Mission Officer, Professor of Theology, Director of the Center for Mission and Identity.

Recommended by Courtney Croft, Marketing & Communications.
" A great Summertime, spooky read!"

Recommended by an anonymous librarian.
Genre: Documentary Film
"Not a book, of course, but I'm including it here anyway. I watched this documentary recently on Netflix and it was excellent."

Recommended by Dr. Peter Huff, Chief Mission Officer, Professor of Theology, Director of the Center for Mission and Identity.

Recommended by Mesa Librarian, Janet Forde.
Genre: Biography / Social Justice
"Not new, but important."

Recommended by Dr. Pat Somers, M.S. Program in Clinical Psychology.
"Well written, good character exposition. Raises difficult questions about loving/romantically more than one person at a time."

Recommended by Dr. Pat Somers, M.S. Program in Clinical Psychology.
Genre: Historical Fiction.
"Painfully beautiful prose. Setting is during slavery"

Recommended by Dr. Peter Huff, Chief Mission Officer, Professor of Theology, Director of the Center for Mission and Identity.

Recommended by librarian Joan Hopkins. (Recommended to her by Dr. Pat Somers.)
A touching story of a woman's life in British occupied India, and the influence she had on the grand-daughter she never knew.

Recommended by Cheryl Antonich, MSN Program.
Genre: Biographical Fiction.
Thousands of prisoners were tatooed during the Holocaust. This book recreates the experiences of one such tatooist - Lale Sokolov.

Recommended by Dr. Pat Somers, M.S. Program in Clinical Psychology.
Genre:Biography.

Recommended by Dr. Pat Somers, M.S. Program in Clinical Psychology.
"Parts are laugh-out-loud hilarious and parts are heartbreaking. Families are a cauldron of hurt and healing. Fabulous as an audiobook, read by the author."

Recommended by Dr. Peter Huff, Chief Mission Officer, Professor of Theology, Director of the Center for Mission and Identity.

Recommended by an anonymous librarian.
Genre: Fiction.
"This is a middle grade book many adults will enjoy too. It is beautifully written and won the 2021 Newbery Medal."

Recommended by Dr. Allison Wilson, Professor, Biological Sciences.
"An interesting search for the meaning of life as the author tells this story that primarily focuses on her infatuation and obsession with naturalist David Starr Jordan- a taxonomist, first president of Stanford University and eugenicist. Interesting read that will stick with you."