Common Reads: Freshman Year Reading

Hoping to unite a college community in thought and discussion, colleges and universities across the nation participate in Common Reads, or First-Year Reading programs, assigning incoming freshman classes the same book to read over the summer. Our Common Reads study guide collection of fiction and nonfiction works spans a wide range of topics, from politics and memoirs to world history and social justice issues. We hope this collection serves as a resource for inspiring energetic discussions in the fall semester and helping students get the most out of their freshman-year experience.

Publication year 2020Genre Novel, FictionThemes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Climate, Natural World: Environment, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Religion & SpiritualityTags Climate Change, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction

Publication year 1989Genre Play, FictionThemes Society: War, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Military / War, Play: Drama, True Crime / Legal, Social Justice, Politics / Government

A Few Good Men is a play written by Aaron Sorkin and first performed in 1989. The story involves a military lawyer who defends two Marines accused of murder. The play was well-received, and Sorkin adapted it into a screenplay for the film of the same name (released in 1992), which was a popular and critical success.Plot SummaryA Few Good Men opens as two Marines, Downey and Dawson, recall the details of a nighttime incident... Read A Few Good Men Summary


Publication year 2016Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: FriendshipTags Historical Fiction

Published in 2016, A Gentleman in Moscow, by American author Amor Towles, is the story of Count Alexander Rostov, a Russian nobleman who, after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, is sentenced to lifelong imprisonment in Moscow’s Metropol Hotel. The Count must adjust not only to his new circumstances in a small room in the hotel’s belfry but also to the knowledge that his way of life is disappearing under the Bolshevik regime. As the years... Read A Gentleman in Moscow Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Anthology/Varied Collection, NonfictionThemes Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / PerseveranceTags Climate Change, Science / Nature, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction)

Publication year 2018Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Society: Immigration, Society: CommunityTags Immigration / Refugee

American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures (2018) is an essay collection edited by actress and activist America Ferrera with E. Cayce Dumont. The collection contains essays from notable individuals in movie and TV entertainment, food, publishing, public service, comedy, music, and self-help content creation. These first-person accounts all address the often troublesome question of what it means to be American, especially when growing up between different cultures. American Like Me is a New... Read American Like Me Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Relationships: Teams, Society: Community, Society: Class, Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / PerseveranceTags Sports, Race / Racism, History: U.S., African American Literature

Publication year 2021Genre Novella, FictionThemes Relationships: Friendship, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: GratitudeTags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy, LGBTQ, Action / Adventure

Publication year 1965Genre Poem, FictionThemes Identity: Gender, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Identity: Femininity, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Order & ChaosTags Free verse, Animals, Race / Racism, Gender / Feminism, Confessional

Publication year 269Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionThemes Society: Education, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Animals, Society: EconomicsTags Education, Science / Nature, Philosophy

A Sand County Almanac is a 1949 nonfiction book by the American naturalist and writer Aldo Leopold. The book is structured as a series of essays, beginning with Leopold’s description of a year on his farm and progressing to a series of essays on humanity’s relationship with nature, culminating in an argument for an ethical approach to the land. Published by Oxford University Press a year after Leopold’s death, the book is credited with having... Read A Sand County Almanac Summary


Publication year 1988Genre Essay / Speech, NonfictionThemes Society: Politics & Government, Society: Colonialism, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Society: Class, Society: Education, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & GreedTags Creative Nonfiction, Afro-Caribbean Literature, History: World, Politics / Government, Black Lives Matter

A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid is a work of creative nonfiction originally published in 1988. Kincaid shares memories of her home country, Antigua, both while it was under colonial rule and self-governance. She illustrates how life has and hasn’t changed for Antiguan citizens because of government corruption, the legacies of slavery, and the preoccupation with tourism over public welfare. Though the book won no awards, Kincaid has won a plethora of awards for her... Read A Small Place Summary


Publication year 1791Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Fame, Society: Community, Society: Politics & Government, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Midlife, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / PerseveranceTags History: U.S., Politics / Government, Inspirational, American Revolution, Age of Enlightenment

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin was written in pieces from 1771 to 1790. The work was first published in 1791 in Paris, France, after Franklin’s death as The Private Life of the Late Benjamin Franklin. The autobiography was then published in London in 1793. In his writing, Franklin reflects upon his academic, professional, and philosophical pursuits. He examines how he advanced his economic and social standing during the formation of the United States, covering from... Read Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Summary


Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Class, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Identity: RaceTags Technology, Politics / Government, Sociology, Science / Nature, Social Justice, Race / Racism, Poverty, Class, History: U.S.

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionTags True Crime / Legal

One of the great corporate frauds of the 21st century, the Theranos blood-test scam, is brought to light in the award-winning bestseller Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup, published in 2018 and updated in 2020. Author John Carreyrou, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and bureau chief at The Wall Street Journal, brings his years of experience to the case against tech startup Theranos and its spellbinding CEO, Elizabeth Holmes. The Vintage Books... Read Bad Blood Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Equality, Society: Community, Society: Education, Society: Politics & Government, Identity: DisabilityTags Disability, Social Justice, History: U.S., Politics / Government

Publication year 2020Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Relationships: Friendship, Identity: Race, Self Discovery, Society: CommunityTags Self Help, Gender / Feminism

Publication year 2013Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Community, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Equality, Identity: GenderTags Psychology, Race / Racism, Science / Nature, Social Justice, Sociology

Publication year 2016Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Society: Colonialism, Life/Time: Coming of AgeTags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Race / Racism, History: African

Born a Crime is a comedic autobiographical work chronicling Trevor Noah’s childhood growing up in South Africa. Published in 2016, it became a New York Times Bestseller, and it’s currently being adapted into a film. Born a Crime doesn’t follow a linear timeline; rather, the narrative jumps around, offering anecdotes from Noah’s past. Before each chapter begins, there’s a prologue that’s related to the content of the upcoming chapter. Usually, these sections provide historical facts... Read Born A Crime Summary


Publication year 2016Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Joy, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Midlife, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Fate, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Fame, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Music, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Music, Arts / Culture, Mental Illness, Social Justice

Publication year 2013Genre Book, NonfictionTags Science / Nature

Written in 2013, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants is a nonfiction book by Robin Wall Kimmerer, a botanist and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. The work examines modern botany and environmentalism through the lens of the traditions and cultures of the Indigenous peoples of North America. Through a series of personal reflections, the author explores the connection between living things and human efforts to cultivate a more sustainable... Read Braiding Sweetgrass Summary


Publication year 1994Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Identity: Gender, Identity: Race, Society: ColonialismTags Historical Fiction, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Gender / Feminism, Afro-Caribbean Literature

Breath, Eyes, Memory is a novel by Haitian American author Edwidge Danticat, first published in 1994. The book is semi-autobiographical: like the protagonist, 12-year-old Sophie Caco, Danticat herself was born in Haiti but moved to the United States at a young age. She has since written several novels and short stories about Haiti, immigration, and the complex ways that one’s identity is formed by where they are from and where they now live. The novel... Read Breath, Eyes, Memory Summary


Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Society: Politics & Government, Society: NationTags History: U.S., Politics / Government, Race / Racism, Sociology, Military / War, True Crime / Legal

Publication year 2014Genre Novel/Book in Verse, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Race / Racism, Narrative / Epic Poem, Auto/Biographical Fiction, Children's Literature

Brown Girl Dreaming (2014) is a memoir in verse by Jacqueline Woodson, a children’s and young adult fiction writer. Published by Nancy Paulsen Books, a division of the Penguin Group, the memoir won the National Book Award, the Newberry Honor Book Award, and the Coretta Scott King Award.Plot SummaryBrown Girl Dreaming covers Woodson’s childhood, detailing her family history and her beginnings as a writer. Woodson was born in Columbus, Ohio, on February 12, 1963, the... Read Brown Girl Dreaming Summary


Publication year 2016Genre Poem, FictionThemes Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Race / Racism, Relationships, African American Literature

Publication year 2002Genre Reference/Text Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Language, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Relationships: TeamsTags Self Help, Business / Economics, Leadership/Organization/Management

Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When the Stakes Are High (2002) was written by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Al Switzler, and Ron McMillan. It has become a cornerstone of the field of interpersonal communication and self-improvement, offering insights into the dynamics that govern our most vital conversations. Both Kerry Patterson and Joseph Grenny are leading authorities on organizational change and have advised some of the world’s largest organizations. Al Switzler is a renowned speaker and... Read Crucial Conversations Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Anthology/Varied Collection, NonfictionTags Disability, Social Justice, Diversity

Publication year 2012Genre Play, Fiction

Disgraced, by Ayad Akhtar, premiered in Chicago in 2012. Later that year, the play opened Off-Broadway at Lincoln Center. Disgraced won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2013, opened on the West End in 2014, and made its Broadway premiere in 2015. Like the main character, Amir Akhtar is the son of Pakistani-American immigrants and was born in the United States. His work addresses the experience of being Muslim in America and the way Islamophobia... Read Disgraced Summary


Publication year 2015Genre Book, NonfictionTags Politics / Government

Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic (Bloomsburg Press, 2015) is a nonfiction book by American journalist and writer Sam Quinones. It won the NBCC Award for General Nonfiction and was on Amazon’s list of best books of the year in 2015 as well as Slate’s list of the 50 best books of the past 25 years. In the book Quinones charts the parallel rise of prescription opiates and black tar heroin, and describes... Read Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic Summary


Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionTags Gender / Feminism, Race / Racism, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: Class, Society: Education, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Philosophy, Science / Nature, Psychology, Sociology, Politics / Government, Health / Medicine, Agriculture, Business / Economics, Class, Climate Change, Social Justice

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Trust & DoubtTags Sociology, Science / Nature

Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World—And Why Things Are Better Than You Think, written by Hans Rosling, Ola Rosling, and Anna Rosling Rönnlund, was published by Flatiron Books in 2018. This book examines how people across cultures view the world through a negative lens, which leads them to believe conditions everywhere are declining. Doctor and global health expert Hans Rosling offers research and anecdotes from his medical experience and his lectures to unpack... Read Factfulness Summary


Publication year 2018Genre Short Story Collection, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Race / Racism, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Fantasy

Publication year 2021Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Animals, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Values/Ideas: EqualityTags Science / Nature, Animals, True Crime / Legal, Humor

Publication year 2019Genre Graphic Memoir , NonfictionThemes Relationships: Family, Identity: Race, Relationships: Daughters & Sons, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Mothers, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Fathers, Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: The Future, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: LonelinessTags Race / Racism, Politics / Government, September 11 Attacks, Relationships, LGBTQ, Grief / Death, Parenting, Social Justice, Immigration / Refugee

Publication year 2016Genre Book, NonfictionTags Chinese Literature, Asian Literature

Angela Duckworth’s best-selling 2016 book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance describes how persistent practice, and not mere talent, is the key to success among students and professionals. Duckworth’s extensive research demonstrates that young people do best in activities that hold their interest and give them a sense of purpose. This encourages them to practice hard and overcome obstacles until they achieve mastery and success in school and, later, in their professional lives. The... Read Grit Summary


Publication year 1990Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Language, Values/Ideas: Literature, Society: Politics & Government, Natural World: Appearance & RealityTags Magical Realism, Fantasy, Allegory / Fable / Parable, History: Asian

Haroun and the Sea of Stories is a 1990 book for young adults, written by Salman Rushdie. Haroun is the follow-up to Rushdie’s novel The Satanic Verses, which was deemed blasphemous by the Ayatollah (a high-ranking Iranian clergyman) at the time, who pronounced a death sentence on the author. As a response to the ayatollah’s decree, Haroun explores themes of free speech, the need for storytelling, and the value of fiction.Plot SummaryThe novel begins with... Read Haroun and the Sea of Stories Summary


Publication year 2018Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Society: ClassTags Politics / Government, Class

Heartland (2018) is both a memoir of Sarah Smarsh’s upbringing in rural Kansas as the daughter of working-class people and an exploration of the class system in America today. The book is subtitled: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth; this hits the core of the book, as Smarsh seeks to use her family’s anecdotes and memories to get to the truth of why mostly honest, hardworking people... Read Heartland Summary


Publication year 2014Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Music, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Science & TechnologyTags Music

Publication year 2022Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Identity: Mental HealthTags Philosophy, Humor, Self Help, Psychology

Publication year 2013Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Identity: Language, Identity: MasculinityTags Creative Nonfiction, Race / Racism, Relationships, Social Justice, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, African American Literature

Publication year 2022Genre Short Story Collection, FictionThemes Relationships: Family, Society: Immigration, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Identity: RaceTags Historical Fiction, Race / Racism, African American Literature

Publication year 2020Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Race, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Realistic Fiction, Allegory / Fable / Parable, Race / Racism, Arts / Culture, Diversity, History: U.S., Asian Literature, American Literature

Publication year 2000Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Natural World: Animals, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Society: EconomicsTags History: U.S., Action / Adventure

While many know the story of the sinking of the Titanic, fewer have heard the story of the Essex, a whaling ship that was sunk after being repeatedly rammed by an enormous whale during a whaling expedition in 1820. At one time, however, the story of the Essex was the most famous story of maritime tragedy in the United States, even inspiring certain aspects of Herman Melville’s novel Moby-Dick. Nathaniel Philbrick’s account of the journey... Read In the Heart of the Sea Summary


Publication year 1950Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & DangerTags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Classic Fiction

I, Robot, a science fiction novel by Isaac Asimov, is a set of stories about the first robotic machines and the problems and pitfalls of living with and working alongside them. The book is the first in a series of several novels about robots; it is famous for its Three Laws of Robotics that govern machine behavior, and for its device, the positronic brain, which contains a robot’s conscious intelligence.Asimov (1920-1992) is one of the... Read I, Robot Summary


Publication year 2014Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: MusicTags History: U.S., True Crime / Legal

Part memoir, part exhortation for much-needed reform to the American criminal justice system, Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy is a heartrending and inspirational call to arms written by the activist lawyer who founded the Equal Justice Initiative, an Alabama-based organization responsible for freeing or reducing the sentences of scores of wrongfully convicted individuals. Stevenson’s memoir weaves together personal stories from his years as a lawyer with strong statements against racial and legal injustice, drawing a clear... Read Just Mercy Summary


Publication year 2011Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Society: War, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: TeamsTags Travel Literature, Inspirational, Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Military / War, Love / Sexuality, Social Justice

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Publication year 2019Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Society: Class, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Mental Health, Relationships: MothersTags Sociology, Poverty

Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive is Stephanie Land’s first book. Land is a former professional house cleaner whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic. Her writing explores issues related to systemic poverty, the hardships and stigmas associated with social services, surviving in the gig economy, and the challenges of motherhood. Maid was originally inspired by a Vox article she wrote about... Read Maid Summary


Publication year 2014Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Science & TechnologyTags Education, Psychology, Self Help, Science / Nature

Publication year 2016Genre Graphic Memoir , NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: EqualityTags Civil Rights / Jim Crow, History: U.S., Race / Racism, Social Justice

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Publication year 1986Genre Graphic Novel/Book, NonfictionThemes Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Family, Values/Ideas: FateTags History: World, WWII / World War II, Holocaust, History: European, Post Modernism

Maus by Art Spiegelman is the first graphic novel to win the Pulitzer Prize. It originally ran in Spiegelman’s Raw magazine between 1980 and 1991 before receiving mainstream attention as two collected volumes, Maus I in 1986 and Maus II in 1991. This guide is based on the 1996 complete edition. This historic memoir interlaces two narratives, one of Spiegelman’s Jewish father as he survives World War II Poland and the Auschwitz concentration camp, and... Read Maus Summary


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Publication year -1Genre Essay / Speech, NonfictionThemes Society: Education, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Philosophy, Education, Politics / Government, Science / Nature, Ancient Greece

One of the founding documents of Western philosophy, Plato’s Meno recounts a dialog on the nature of virtue between Socrates and his pupil Meno, a rising star among the leaders of ancient Greece. They discuss how virtue can be recognized, where it comes from, and whether it can be taught.Meno takes place in 402 BCE in Athens; Plato, Socrates’s most famous student, in 385 BCE wrote down his recollection of the conversation. It offers a... Read Meno Summary


Publication year 2001Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Class, Society: Economics, Society: Globalization, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Sociology, Poverty, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America is a 2001 nonfiction book written by Barbara Ehrenreich. This book is considered a classic of investigative journalism and was ranked #13 in The Guardian’s list of the 100 best books of the 21st century. Ehrenreich takes a series of low-paying, entry-level jobs in three cities (Key West, Florida; Portland, Maine; Minneapolis, Minnesota) to answer the question of whether one can survive on these wages and... Read Nickel and Dimed Summary


Publication year 2018Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Natural World: Food, Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & AngerTags Food, Race / Racism, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman

Publication year 2002Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Regret, Identity: Indigenous, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Family, Society: Colonialism, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Religion & SpiritualityTags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Southern Gothic

One Foot in Eden is a 2002 crime novel by Ron Rash. Rash employs a blend of Southern Gothic and detective fiction to create suspense and explore the psychological inner conflict of the characters. The novel follows five different narrators as the people of Jocassee, South Carolina, discover the murder of Holland Winchester. As the investigation continues, the characters must come to terms with the displacement of their community while Carolina Power evicts the inhabitants... Read One Foot in Eden Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Community, Natural World: Animals, Natural World: FoodTags Food, Agriculture, Social Justice

One Size Fits None: A Farm Girl’s Search for the Promise of Regenerative Agriculture is a 2019 book on how the American food production system must move beyond conventional and sustainable farming to embrace regenerative farming strategies tailored to individual environments. Anderson, who grew up on a conventional ranch outside of Bison, South Dakota, has firsthand knowledge of US conventional farming strategies. As a young journalist for the Tri-State Neighbor newspaper, she started off wanting... Read One Size Fits None Summary


Publication year 2021Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Emotions/Behavior: ConflictTags History: U.S., Race / Racism, Social Justice, Black Lives Matter, Civil Rights / Jim Crow, Education, Politics / Government

Publication year 2019Genre Novel, FictionThemes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Relationships: Family, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: FameTags African American Literature, Music, Realistic Fiction, Race / Racism, Poverty

On the Come Up, published in 2019, is the second novel by acclaimed young adult author Angie Thomas. It takes place in the same neighborhood as Thomas’s first novel, The Hate U Give (2017), but aside from occasional references to the murder and riots in Garden Heights, On the Come Up features a new cast of characters. The book received numerous awards, including the American Library Association’s Top Ten Books for Young Adults, and it... Read On the Come Up Summary


Publication year 2005Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Relationships: Teams, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Trust & DoubtTags Business / Economics, Self Help

Publication year 2019Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Fame, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Music, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / PerseveranceTags Business / Economics, Psychology, Self Help, Science / Nature, Education, Sports, Music, Arts / Culture

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Natural World: Climate, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Science & TechnologyTags Science / Nature, Climate Change

Publication year 2021Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionTags American Civil War, History: U.S., Politics / Government

Publication year 2023Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Society: Class, Society: Community, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: TeamsTags Health / Medicine, Sociology, Poverty, Class, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Publication year 2019Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s short story collection Sabrina & Corina (2019) centers the lives of Latinx, Indigenous women and their daily struggles, including poverty, racism, and addictions of various kinds. All of the stories take place in Colorado.Plot SummaryIn “Sugar Babies,” preteen Sierra struggles with coming to terms with her mother, who was a teen mother who abandoned her when she was a child. In school, Sierra is forced to participate in an exercise in which she... Read Sabrina & Corina: Stories Summary


Publication year 2016Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Business / Economics

Shoe Dog is a first-person memoir written by Nike co-founder Phil Knight. It was published in 2016. Shoe Dog primarily recounts the events from 1962, the year Knight traveled around the world as a young man, to 1980, the year Nike went public and Knight became a multimillionaire. The years in between are comprised of the struggles and challenges Knight faced as he worked to build the company that would ultimately be known worldwide as... Read Shoe Dog Summary


Publication year 1962Genre Book, NonfictionTags Science / Nature

Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring is widely regarded as a foundational text of the 20th century environmental movement. Originally published as a series in The New Yorker, Carson’s essays carefully articulate the impacts of widespread chemical use for insect and plant control. Throughout the text, Carson emphasizes the ways that humans disregard the interrelation of species on earth, and argues that as a result, humans are at a pivotal moment. If methods of insect control are... Read Silent Spring Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Identity: Femininity, Identity: Disability, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Values/Ideas: Equality, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & PrideTags Disability, Social Justice, Gender / Feminism

Publication year 2020Genre Biography, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Society: Immigration, Society: War, Relationships: Family, Society: CommunityTags Immigration / Refugee, Social Justice

Publication year 2014Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: MemoryTags Music, Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction

Published in 2014, Station Eleven is the fourth novel by Emily St. John Mandel. The book won the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 2015, as well as the Toronto Book Award, and was shortlisted or nominated for several others. Set in a post-apocalyptic future where a flu outbreak decimates the world’s population, the book is sometimes categorized as science fiction, although it does not feature any fictional technology; its protagonists’ dramatic involvement also qualifies it... Read Station Eleven Summary


Publication year 2015Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Relationships: Teams, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / PerseveranceTags Business / Economics, Politics / Government

Publication year 2017Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionThemes Society: Class, Society: Immigration, Society: EconomicsTags History: U.S., Class, Sociology, Race / Racism

Tales of Two Americas: Stories of Inequality in a Divided Nation is a 2017 non-fiction collection of 36 essays, poems, and short stories edited by former Granta editor John Freeman and including contributions by Rebecca Solnit, Sandra Cisneros, Edwidge Danticat, Julia Alvarez, Joyce Carol Oates, Ann Patchett, Annie Dillard, Roxane Gay, and more. The text crosses disciplinary boundaries, covering sociology, history, racial and ethnic studies, and gender studies.The personal essays, stories, and poetry in Tales... Read Tales of Two Americas Summary


Publication year 2017Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionThemes Society: Politics & Government, Society: ImmigrationTags Immigration / Refugee, Social Justice, Race / Racism, Trauma / Abuse / Violence

Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions is Valeria Luiselli’s 2017 book-length essay exploring the influx of undocumented child migrants from Latin America that began in 2014. Through her work as a volunteer translator, Luiselli became intimately aware of what these children experienced, and the essay argues that their inhumane treatment at the hands of American bureaucracy is an unjust denial of due process and the core principles of the American Dream... Read Tell Me How It Ends Summary


Publication year 1994Genre Novel, FictionThemes Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Humor, Satire, American Literature

Originally published in 1994, Thank You for Smoking is a political satire novel centered around Nick Naylor, a lobbyist for the fictional Academy of Tobacco Studies, an organization founded by the tobacco industry with the true purpose of countering negative scientific data and public condemnation of tobacco. Nick’s job has made him a pariah, as he has humiliated everyone from grieving relatives of cancer victims to federal employees. He also must watch his back, as... Read Thank You for Smoking Summary


Publication year 1876Genre Novel, FictionThemes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Emotions/Behavior: courage, Life/Time: Childhood & YouthTags Action / Adventure, American Literature, Classic Fiction, Historical Fiction

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is an 1876 novel by Mark Twain written for both youth and adult readers. It is a story about Tom Sawyer, a boy from the fictional town of St. Petersburg, Missouri. Tom lives a life of constant adventure, drama, self-aggrandizement, and self-inflicted woes as he comes of age. The novel is equal parts comical and poignant, dark and light, and is one of Twain’s many odes to the pleasures and... Read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Summary


Publication year 2007Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: EconomicsTags Business / Economics, Philosophy, Science / Nature, Psychology, Finance / Money / Wealth, Sociology, History: World

Publication year 2019Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Natural World: Nurture v. Nature

Publication year 1903Genre Novel, FictionThemes Natural World: Animals, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Power & GreedTags Action / Adventure, American Literature, Animals, Naturalism

Originally serialized in 1903, Jack London’s The Call of the Wild is an adventure story about Buck, a dog from the Santa Clara Valley who finds himself living the life of a sled dog in the Arctic wilderness. Through Buck’s adventure, the novel addresses what it takes to survive in the natural world, contemplates the connection of life and death, and demonstrates the power of respect and love. The Call of the Wild was immediately... Read The Call of the Wild Summary


Publication year 1996Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: ClassTags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Race / Racism, Civil Rights / Jim Crow, Religion / Spirituality, Parenting, African American Literature, Great Depression, American Literature

The Color of Water is a nonfiction autobiography published in 1996 by the American author and musician James McBride. Subtitled A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother, The Color of Water chronicles the author’s challenges growing up in the 1960s and 1970s as a child with a white Jewish mother and Black father. Interspersed with the author’s recollections are interview transcripts describing his mother’s abusive upbringing as an Orthodox Jewish woman living in the... Read The Color of Water Summary


Publication year 2010Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: EqualityTags Race / Racism, History: U.S., Social Justice

Khalil Gibran Muhammad’s book The Condemnation of Blackness: Race, Crime, and the Making of Modern Urban America is a nonfiction history published in 2010. Muhammad, an American historian specializing on race and public policy, studies the connections between Blackness, crime, and the makings of America’s urban North after the Civil War. The book has garnered significant accolade, winning awards such as the 2011 John Hope Franklin Publication Prize and landing on the Vera Institute of... Read The Condemnation of Blackness Summary


Publication year 2017Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Natural World: FoodTags Southern Literature, History: U.S., Race / Racism, Food

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Relationships: Family, Society: Class, Society: Community, Identity: Mental Health, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Life/Time: The Past, Identity: Disability, Life/Time: The Future, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Natural World: Nurture v. Nature, Society: Education, Life/Time: Childhood & YouthTags Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Mental Illness, Science / Nature, Health / Medicine

Publication year 2022Genre Novel/Book in Verse, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Natural World: Place, Relationships: Family, Relationships: Siblings, Relationships: Grandparents, Relationships: Friendship, Relationships: Mothers, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Identity: Language, Identity: Masculinity, Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Life/Time: Childhood & Youth, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: Nation, Society: Education, Self Discovery, Relationships: FathersTags Historical Fiction, Children's Literature, Free verse, Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Race / Racism, History: African , African American Literature

Publication year 2016Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Fame, Society: Immigration, Relationships: FamilyTags Race / Racism, Immigration / Refugee

The Fortunes (2016) is a historical novel by British author Peter Ho Davies. Written in the form of four interconnected stories, it details the experiences of various groups of Chinese immigrants and their descendants in the United States. Three of the four stories are based on real, historical figures, and together the narratives form a vast, multi-generational portrait of Chinese American communities across time and in various regions of the US. The four stories take... Read The Fortunes Summary


Publication year 2010Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: courage, Emotions/Behavior: JoyTags Self Help, Inspirational, Psychology, Religion / Spirituality

The Gifts of Imperfection: Your Guide to Wholehearted Living (2022) by Brené Brown (originally published as The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are in 2010) introduces the key concepts that have become a signature of Brown’s research, such as reclaiming the importance of vulnerability and defining shame as an obstacle to self-development and connection. The original book spent 75 weeks on The New... Read The Gifts of Imperfection Summary


Publication year 1994Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Natural World: Environment, Society: Globalization, Society: CommunityTags Science / Nature, Health / Medicine

The Hot Zone by Richard Preston is a non-fiction thriller, published in 1994, two years after his article “Crisis in the Hot Zone” appeared in The New Yorker. Preston writes often on Ebola, bioweapons, and emerging viruses. The Hot Zone deals with the breaking of Ebola into the human species and a 1989 incident in which an Ebola-like virus, the Reston virus, sweeps through a monkey quarantine facility outside of Washington, DC. The book served... Read The Hot Zone Summary


Publication year 2008Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction

The Hunger Games is a best-selling young adult novel, the first in Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games trilogy. It details the life of teenage heroine Katniss Everdeen as she fights to the death for the entertainment of her fascist government. Since its publication in 2008, the trilogy has sold more than 65 million copies in the United States alone and, in 2019, was listed as one of 100 most influential novels by BBC News. The Hunger... Read The Hunger Games Summary


Publication year 2017Genre Novel, FictionThemes Life/Time: Coming of Age, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Coming of Age / Bildungsroman, Auto/Biographical Fiction, Immigration / Refugee

Elif Batuman is a contemporary Turkish-American author. She received her BA from Harvard University and PhD in Comparative Literature from Stanford University and spent several years in Turkey as a resident writer at Koç University. Her first novel, The Idiot (2017), as well as her collection of essays, The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and the People Who Read Them (2010), are auto-biographical in nature and focus on life within US academia. Both titles allude... Read The Idiot Summary


Publication year 2006Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Natural World: Space & The UniverseTags Science / Nature, Religion / Spirituality, American Literature

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Values/Ideas: LiteratureTags History: U.S., True Crime / Legal

Susan Orlean, longtime staff writer at The New Yorker and best-selling author of The Orchid Thief, returned to narrative nonfiction with The Library Book (2018). Through the story of the Los Angeles Central Library, Orlean provides a history of libraries, examining what we stand to lose as the world’s base of knowledge transitions into the digital realm. Orlean received a Goodreads Choice Awards nomination for Best Nonfiction and a place on Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine... Read The Library Book Summary


Publication year 1985Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Disability, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Values/Ideas: Science & TechnologyTags Science / Nature, Psychology, Health / Medicine, Disability

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales (1973) is British neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks’s fourth book. Sacks is a renowned physician, professor, and writer whom the New York Times calls “the poet laureate of medicine.” Sacks is best known for his 1973 memoir Awakenings, in which he explores the history of the encephalitis lethargica epidemic. In 1990, the story was adapted into a critically acclaimed movie starring Robin Williams... Read The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat Summary


Publication year 2011Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Relationships: Teams, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Science & TechnologyTags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Science / Nature

Andy Weir’s debut novel, The Martian, was originally published in 2011 as serialized blog posts; after its 2014 book publication, it was a New York Times bestseller. A software engineer and son of a physicist and an electrical engineer, Weir identifies himself in the book jacket biography as a “lifelong space nerd,” and the novel is notable for staying strictly within the bounds of existing scientific understanding. Set just over two decades beyond the novel’s... Read The Martian Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Self Discovery, Identity: Race, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Natural World: Appearance & RealityTags Incarceration

Publication year 2006Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Natural World: Animals, Natural World: Food, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Flora/plantsTags Food, Health / Medicine, Science / Nature

The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan is an exploration of what people eat and why. Pollan is an immersive journalist who has studied and written on a wide range of topics including gardening, food, architecture, and psychedelics. Pollan is the Knight Professor of Science and Environmental Journalism at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Each of Pollan’s books examines the intersection of humans and nature. Pollan’s 2001 book... Read The Omnivore's Dilemma Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Education, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags History: U.S., Science / Nature, Health / Medicine, Race / Racism, True Crime / Legal

Publication year 2016Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Literature, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Race / Racism, Politics / Government

Publication year 1999Genre Essay / Speech, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Memory, Society: WarTags Holocaust

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Class, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Equality, Identity: RaceTags Self Help, Psychology, Race / Racism, Social Justice

Publication year 2017Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Gender, Life/Time: The Future, Identity: FemininityTags Gender / Feminism, Science / Nature, Politics / Government

Influenced by the dystopian futuristic vision of Margaret Atwood’s landmark 1985 feminist work The Handmaid’s Tale, Naomi Alderman’s 2016 novel The Power fuses genre elements of speculative fiction with the traditional historical novel. Part allegory, part satire, the novel depicts a near-contemporary world in which women move into positions of real power through an inexplicable genetic anomaly: they develop an extra braid of muscle along their collarbones that enables them to shoot devastating jolts of... Read The Power Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Education, Life/Time: Coming of Age, Society: ClassTags Education, Class, Sociology, Race / Racism

Publication year 2018Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Society: Community, Society: ClassTags Race / Racism, Social Justice, Class, Gender / Feminism, Women's Studies (Nonfiction)

Publication year 2010Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Literature, Life/Time: The Future, Emotions/Behavior: MemoryTags Science / Nature, Technology, Sociology, Philosophy, Information Age

The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by American journalist Nicholas Carr has its roots in Carr’s essay “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” which was published in The Atlantic in 2008. The book was first published in the UK with the title The Shallows: How the Internet Is Changing the Way We Think, Read and Remember. It investigates the effects the Internet has on the brain with a central thesis that reading... Read The Shallows Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Natural World: Climate, Society: Economics, Society: GlobalizationTags Climate Change, Science / Nature, Food

Publication year 2021Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Society: CommunityTags Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Southern Literature, Race / Racism, Black Lives Matter

Publication year 2020Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: Community, Values/Ideas: Equality, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Philosophy, Politics / Government, Sociology, Social Justice

Publication year 2019Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Identity: Mental HealthTags Psychology, Science / Nature, Self Help, Sociology, Arts / Culture, Technology

Publication year 2003Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Gender, Identity: Masculinity, Values/Ideas: EqualityTags Gender / Feminism, Love / Sexuality, Relationships, Psychology, Philosophy, Social Justice

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Gender

The Woman’s Hour (2018) is a nonfiction chronicle of the final battle for ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, which gave American women the right to vote. The book explores the blood, sweat, and tears required to gain women’s suffrage in this country. Contrary to popular opinion, the process was neither quick nor easy. The events chronicled in the book take place during July and August of 1920 in Nashville, Tennessee. The author’s uses... Read The Woman's Hour Summary


Publication year 2009Genre Essay / Speech, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Self Discovery, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: FateTags Philosophy, American Literature, Self Help

Publication year 2015Genre Graphic Novel/Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Society: CommunityTags Philosophy

Unflattening began as the first comic-form dissertation at Columbia University, where Nick Sousanis completed a doctorate in education in 2014. It was published by Harvard University Press in 2015 and functions as an argument for visual thinking in teaching and learning. In 2016 the book received the further accolade of the American Publishers Award for Professional and Scholarly Excellence. In a Paris Review interview with Timothy Hodler, Sousanis cited Scott McCloud’s 1993 Understanding Comics as... Read Unflattening Summary


Publication year 2018Genre Poem, FictionThemes Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Relationships: Family, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / PerseveranceTags Lyric Poem, Race / Racism, African American Literature, Mythology

Publication year 2016Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Science & TechnologyTags Business / Economics

In this nonfiction book, data scientist and mathematician Catherine O’Neil’s Weapons of Math Destruction (2016) explores how math-driven models encoded in technology shape many people’s lives and opportunities in the United States. She calls these models weapons of math destruction (WMDs) for their ability to wreak mass havoc on the poor and marginalized peoples of America. This book deals with difficult subject matter, such as socioeconomic oppression, racial discrimination, gender inequality, and discrimination against individuals... Read Weapons of Math Destruction Summary


Publication year 2019Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Natural World: Climate, Natural World: Food, Life/Time: The FutureTags Science / Nature, Climate Change

Publication year 2014Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Science & TechnologyTags Science / Nature, Humor

Publication year 2004Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Education, Relationships: Teams, Self Discovery, Values/Ideas: EqualityTags Education

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Relationships: FamilyTags Health / Medicine, Politics / Government, Science / Nature

What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City (2018) is pediatrician, scientist, and public health advocate Mona Hanna-Attisha’s (Dr. Mona) debut book that provides an in-depth look at the government’s poisoning of Flint residents and subsequent coverup. This story, according to Dr. Mona, is also about much deeper crises that the broader American society is currently facing: a breakdown in local democracy; misguided austerity policies; environmental injustices... Read What the Eyes Don’t See Summary


Publication year 2018Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Race / Racism, Black Lives Matter

When They Call You a Terrorist is a nonfiction memoir published in 2018 by the American authors and activists Patrisse Khan-Cullors and asha bandele. Subtitled A Black Lives Matter Memoir, the book chronicles Cullors’s early life in Los Angeles and her role in cofounding Black Lives Matter, a decentralized racial justice movement established after George Zimmerman’s acquittal in the Trayvon Martin shooting. The book’s title refers to accusations of terrorism lobbed at Cullors and her... Read When They Call You a Terrorist Summary


Publication year 2020Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Emotions/Behavior: ConflictTags Science / Nature, Philosophy, Animals, Race / Racism

Publication year 2022Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Mental Health, Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: courageTags Psychology, Self Help

Publication year 2019Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Hate & Anger, Emotions/Behavior: Forgiveness, Emotions/Behavior: ApathyTags Historical Fiction, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Race / Racism