9 SUMMER MUST-READS

Curated by the Upper School

English Department

THINKING, FAST AND SLOW

By Daniel Kahneman

Recommended by Jill Brown

Daniel Kahneman’s research has been applied to psychology, economics, sports and a myriad of other areas. It’s a fascinating look at how our minds work, how we make decisions and how understanding the shortcuts our minds take can help us see things more clearly.

Perfect for: Anyone interested in a deep read about how our brains make judgments — and anyone who wants to make better decisions — will enjoy “Thinking, Fast and Slow.”

ALL ABOUT LOVE: NEW VISIONS

By bell hooks

Recommended by Annu Dahiya

A New York Times best-selling book that argues love — self-love, familial love, romantic love and community love — can be both a personal and political source of healing.

Perfect for: Anyone who wants to (re)think the role of love in their life, and how it can be harnessed for social change.

Mislaid

By Nell Zink

Recommended by Leila Estes

An unconventional narrative about Peggy, a lesbian college student, who falls for a male poet and college professor, Lee. The latter is also gay. Nevertheless, their union results in two children, but Peggy decides to run away with their eldest child. Concerned she may be followed by Lee, Peggy decides to hide in plain sight in an all-Black community.

Perfect for: Anyone looking for a pleasantly intellectual read that’s still light enough to take to the beach.

The Fifth Season

By N. K. Jemisin

Recommended by Seraphine

Hamilton P’33

Calling all fantasy enthusiasts. Essun returns home to find her son murdered and her daughter missing. She must harness a power she’s attempted to keep secret for fear of discrimination — she can use Earth as a weapon. As she travels across her continent, the Stillness, to find her daughter, she must revive her power and reconnect with her past. It’s delicious.

Perfect for: Anyone who wants a read they just can’t put down. I mean it, you’ll excuse yourself from all requirements and not go to sleep until you’ve finished it!

Demon Copperhead

By Barbara Kingsolver

Recommended by Karen Latham

P’15 ’18

An incredible coming-of-age novel told in an authentic teen’s voice that is part Holden Caulfield, part Huck Finn and part Pip (or David Copperfield which inspired Kingsolver). The story takes you through a young boy’s challenging upbringing in Appalachia complete with foster homes, child labor, derelict schools, love, loss and addiction.

Perfect for: Anyone, anywhere. Once you start this novel, you won’t be able to put it down.

One Long Listening

By Chenxing Han

Recommended by Caroline Lee

It’s all in the title. Han’s memoir allows one to reflect not only on the beauty of languages but also on the silences and presence of and within human experience. This is a memoir that allows for deep reading and deep listening.

Perfect for: Anyone who enjoys storytelling, values listening and takes the time to sit in silence with a good book.

Nothing To See Here

By Kevin Wilson

Recommended by Jessica Manners

It’s almost better to go into this one knowing nothing because when the premise becomes clear, it’s so delightfully bizarre and surprising that you’ll be happy you didn’t see it coming. If you need something to go on, though, the beginning of the book’s blurb is an okay start: “A novel about a woman who finds meaning in her life when she begins caring for two children with a remarkable ability.”

Perfect for: Anyone who is looking for a novel that is laugh-out-loud funny. It is.

Warlight

By Michael Ondaatje

Recommended by Jamie McCulloch

In London near the end of World War II, 14-year-old Nathaniel and his sister Rachel are left in the care of an enigmatic figure named The Moth, their parents having moved to Singapore. The Moth affiliates with a motley group of eccentric, mysterious and in some ways nefarious characters who dominate the children’s experience early in the postwar period.

Perfect for: Anyone who enjoys a good coming of age, espionage and the homefront side of World War II.

ZEN FLESH, ZEN BONES

By Paul Reps

Recommended by Thomas Quigley P’12 ’14

This introduction to Zen helped me begin to grasp life. It contains famous koans from the 14th century and bushels of stories and philosophies as you seek to make positive changes within.

Perfect for: Anyone looking for a great summer book with short chapters you can dive in and out of.

For Upper School English teacher and Mock Trial advisor Jill Brown, this year’s state championship title was a total surprise and also somehow inevitable.

“This was my first year advising the team,” she shared, “so I really didn’t know what to expect. Once practices got underway in November, I saw the students’ love for Mock Trial, their willingness to put in long hours. Most notably, I saw how much they love working with our attorney coaches and how generous our coaches are with their time and knowledge. We have four exceptionally committed and exceptionally credentialed coaches,” said Brown.

That combination of commitment and credentials played a large role on March 20, 2023, when PDS defeated West Morris Mendham High School in the state finals. The victory capped an undefeated season and marked the first time in school history that the team earned the state title. The annual competition, sponsored by the New Jersey State Bar Foundation, is in its 41st year.

“Mock Trial brings so many benefits to the students,” Brown shared. “With each round of competition, the students learn to think with greater subtlety and precision. The work with the coaches has an incredible impact.”

“And,” she laughed, “at PDS, Mock Trial is mostly a family affair.”

While all four coaches share a deep knowledge of the law and a tie to PDS, three of them also share a family tree.

“I started coaching the team in 2005, the year after my son graduated,” Kathy Flicker P’04 shared. “And I’ve been doing it ever since.”

Flicker, who served as the director of the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice from 2002 to 2004, was the first woman to hold that position. She spent the bulk of her career in the Office of the Mercer County Prosecutor, serving as acting prosecutor, first assistant prosecutor and deputy first assistant prosecutor.

As a trial prosecutor, Flicker handled every type of criminal trial including homicide cases, kidnappings and sexual assault. She was named by the New Jersey Law Journal to their first class of Lifetime Achievement Award winners based on the totality of excellence in her professional career.

Flicker’s husband, Michael Rosenberg P’04, is also an accomplished attorney in the areas of civil litigation, complex multi-party product liability and toxic tort litigation. A certified civil trial attorney, he’s tried a wide variety of cases, both civil and criminal, in State and Federal courts throughout his 45-year career. Rosenberg has also worked in real estate tax law and as a private criminal lawyer, a public defender and a prosecutor.

After observing his wife’s experience working with the students, he began to volunteer alongside her and has been an integral part of the team for over a decade.

“The most important thing to remember is that these students probably aren’t future lawyers,” he said. “I was excited at the prospect of being part of their experience in learning how to be skilled public speakers, how to make a great first impression and especially how to prepare, which is really what it’s all about.”

Their son, Scott Rosenberg ’04, was never part of Mock Trial while he attended PDS.

“I was a theater kid,” he said. “That’s the thing about my parents — it didn’t matter that they didn’t have a prior connection to Mock Trial, they just wanted to help students. Sure, they loved PDS because I had such an outstanding experience, but they just wanted to have fun and help build some really valuable skills.”

The younger Rosenberg received his law degree from Temple University, though now works in business operations for a NYC-based creative agency. Hearing about his parents’ experience coaching the team, he was eager to join them.

“I love helping students with anything they’re passionate about,” he said. “I’ve been guided by passion my whole life, and my parents made that philosophy possible. It’s really neat to give back.”

Coach Lisa Warren ’71 P’13 feels the same.

“I was approaching retirement and flipping through one of the PDS Journals,” she explained. “I saw a write-up about the team and thought it would be a lot of fun and a great way to show my gratitude to PDS. They already had three wonderful coaches in Kathy, Michael and Scott, but they still welcomed me and valued my perspective.”

A coach since 2018, Warren spent more than 30 years of her distinguished legal career with Johnson & Johnson, overseeing product liability and managing employment litigation as assistant general counsel. Her experience has been a great strength for the team, who is now preparing for the upcoming national championship in Little Rock, Ark. in May.

While the overwhelming success of the season left everyone feeling confident, the team knows how much work lies ahead.

“The students are really excited to be competing and I am, too,” Warren shared. “But this case isn’t anything like what they’ve worked with before. It’s very dense and it will require a lot of dedication.”

Scott Rosenberg agreed.

“This case has pages upon pages of law theory and some really heavy sections of witness testimonials. The students have so much going on — AP exams, senior projects, finals — it’s an enormous amount of work,” he said.

Still, with the guidance and support of the coaches, advisor Jill Brown is eager to see them shine on the national stage.

“It was amazing watching them succeed this season,” she said. “With every new competition, the students got markedly better at thinking on their feet. They could respond in the moment without getting rattled. I can say with certainty that they learned these skills from Kathy, Michael, Lisa and Scott.”

Flicker has learned a thing or two from the students, as well.

“We get so much back from them,” she said. “They may not know what they’re teaching us, and maybe we can’t exactly articulate it, but spending so much time with these bright, talented, interesting students is so rewarding.”

The love is mutual.

“I couldn’t have dreamed about us going even remotely this far, and our performance is a testament to the level of commitment of everyone on the team, but especially the coaches. I’m grateful for them and for PDS,” said team member Akash Bhowmick ’23.

Reflecting on his time as a student, Scott Rosenberg shared, “When I was at PDS, I knew the school was a special place. I gained such a variety of skills. And I was never limited, I was always encouraged to think bigger, try something new. These students — they really can do anything.”