Summer Reading

Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty

BY PATRICK RADDEN KEEFE

By now, most of us know that the opioid epidemic was brought on by doctors flagrantly over-prescribing pain medication. But how much do you actually know? Patrick Radden Keefe takes us inside the family that is arguably most responsible for the marriage of medicine and advertising that set the stage for mass addiction to opioids. The Sacklers — who own Purdue Pharma, the company that patented OxyContin — sent salespeople to health clinics across the country, hawking the drug with such ferocity that they left whole towns decimated by overdoses. It’s a meticulously researched, captivating read. ERICA CICCARONE

Transcendent Kingdom

BY YAA GYASI

In her stunning second novel, Yaa Gyasi tells the story of a Gifty, a PhD candidate intent on understanding the neural circuits of depression and addiction. Why? Because knowing the scientific basis for the suffering her family has experienced may bring her some semblance of control over her life. Transcendent Kingdom is among the best novels in recent years to uncover the breathtakingly close relationships between siblings that keep families afloat. ERICA CICCARONE

Deep Delta Justice: A Black Teen, His Lawyer, and Their Groundbreaking Battle for Civil Rights In The South

BY MATTHEW VON METER

Though not as well known as other famous cases like Brown v. Board of Education that eliminated state-sanctioned segregation in schools, or Loving vs. Virginia which shattered the ban on interracial marriage, Duncan v. Louisiana played an equally big role in the fight for social justice and equity. The 1966 case that involved 19-year-old Gary Duncan, who was arrested and imprisoned despite trying to be a peacemaker in a racially charged fight, eventually led to revolutionary changes in judicial procedure and structure affecting generations of poor and disproportionately Black clients accused of various crimes. The case's history, as well as the two-year process it took leading up to the ultimate Supreme Court ruling and its exact importance, are comprehensively detailed in journalist Matthew Von Meter's outstanding volume Deep Delta Justice: A Black Teen, His Lawyer, and Their Groundbreaking Battle for Civil Rights In The South. Van Meter not only outlines its history, but provides multiple interviews, analysis and scope to chronicle a story that deserves far greater exposure and celebration. RON WYNN

The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song

BY HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR.

This companion guide to the recent PBS two-part, four hour series is the latest in acclaimed historian and author Henry Louis Gates' incisive portraits of African American life. The book covers every aspect of the Black church, an institution Gates considers the most powerful and influential in the African American community. He spotlights key figures and events, pivotal denominations, and shows how the church has helped shape Black and by extension American culture in multiple ways. Gates doesn't overlook problem areas either, most notably the resistance to giving women leadership roles despite their overwhelming prominence and participation in church matters since the beginning. He also examines the music, doctrines, and other aspects of Black spirituality that continue to make the church such a vital part of daily life. This book's wealth of material is a treasure chest for the devout believer, and valuable for everyone. RON WYNN

Detransition, Baby

BY TORREY PETERS

In her fearless debut novel, Torrey Peters disarms our notions of womanhood and motherhood with wit, vulnerability and unforgettable characters. Reese is a trans matriarch — smart and acerbic. Amy is her ex — but since she detransitioned (that is, started presenting as male, which was the gender assigned to her at birth), she goes by Ames. Katrina is Ames’ boss and lover. And they just might raise a child together. ERICA CICCARONE

Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family

BY ROBERT KOLKER

On the surface, the Galvin family was living the mid-century American dream. But behind closed doors, six of the family’s 10 sons were slipping away from reality and into the throes of schizophrenia, a disease that scientists simply did not understand at that time. Because of the clear role that genetics played in the Galvin boys’ psychology, the family helped scientists not only to understand the disease, but to treat it. Author Robert Kolker’s empathy in telling their story is unimpeachable, and it makes the family legacy one of great hope. ERICA CICCARONE

At the Center of All Beauty: Solitude and the Creative Life

BY FENTON JOHNSON

A vendor and writer for The Contributor sent me this book at the beginning of the pandemic — a time when the thought of solitude while sharing a house with a toddler and husband seemed insane. But that made the reading of it more interesting — Fenton Johnson’s characters, folks he pulls from history to muse on their solitude, range from Emily Dickinson to Zora Neale Hurston. Johnson can get off track with the memoir that weaves in and out — it seems he’s trying hard to cement his place among the solitaires. But parts of it work, and it’s worth a read. AMANDA HAGGARD

The Fire Next Time

BY JAMES BALDWIN

James Baldwin writes with a clear, sensitive voice. He begins The Fire Next Time with an intimate letter to his nephew then continues on to describe formative influences on his life. From his time as a "boy preacher" to an uncomfortable dinner at the mansion of Elijah Mohammad, Baldwin offers us a meaningful glimpse into the pitfalls, pain and pride of existing while black in 20th century America. JEN ALEXANDER

What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat

BY AUBREY GORDON

Discrimination against fat people is the final social-justice frontier. In a frank 166 pages, Aubrey Gordon makes the case that it’s high time we unlearn anti-fat bias. She marshals evidence from scientific studies, pop culture, her own experience and more to unveil the white-supremacist roots of the BMI, the failure of the “body positive movement,” the faulty assumptions of healthcare workers and more. Everyone should read this book. ERICA CICCARONE

When Helping Hurts

By Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert

When Helping Hurts provides biblical and practical framework for how individuals and the Church should interact with poverty. Addressing ways in which the Church has often failed to serve communities, it encourages readers to both address their own brokenness and sustainably engage in the brokenness around them. MAGGIE YOUNGS

Girl, Woman, Other

BY BERNARDINE EVARISTO

This book weaves together the narratives of 12 different Black British people, mostly women, and one nonbinary person, in a way that makes it tough to put down. The stories center women and nonbinary people, exploring the relationships, family structures and lifestyles. In an interview, Bernardine Evaristo once said that she first thought she might have 100 Black women protagonists in the book. “One hundred Black women characters? How can I do that? I need more poetic form. Now there are only 12 main characters.” While only 12 main characters remain, her idea of a full range of life encompassing many paths remains. AMANDA HAGGARD

The Desiderata

BY MAX EHRMANN

I first read the Desiderata at the age of 10, hanging in the entryway of my home. It would be a piece I would add in my home. A poem written in 1927 by Max Ehrmann, an attorney in Indiana, it would later be turned into a song in 1971 by Les Crane. It made it all the way to No. 8 on the Billboard charts. It speaks of love, patience and humanity, how we should live our lives. “You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars, you have a right to be here.” He also wrote: “I should like, if I could, to leave a humble gift — a bit of chaste prose that had caught up some noble moods.” I find it helpful every day. VICKY BATCHER

The Nickel Boys

BY COLSON WHITEHEAD

Colson Whitehead weaves together multiple true stories to draw this fictional, harrowing tale of cruelty and injustice perpetrated against young black boys condemned to a corrupt reform school in the Jim Crow South. This carefully worded and paced novel highlights the lasting harm that is done when we allow our social systems to operate without oversight or humanity for the sake and profit of white America. JEN ALEXANDER

I Am Not Trying To Hide My Hungers From The World

BY KENDRA DECOLO

Nashville poet Kendra DeColo’s latest collection of poems casts motherhood as heroic and brutal, joyful and defiant. In one poem, she’s pumping her breast milk by hand into a public sink. In another, she’s chatting with other mothers at the playground, feeling “worn out and hollowed.” She pauses to muse about Nicolas Cage, to send Hillary Clinton well wishes for a good lay, and to consider popular memes. The poems in this sexy, hilarious collection make one thing clear: Motherhood is hardcore. ERICA CICCARONE

Such a Fun Age

BY KILEY REID

An examination of white privilege and fake wokeness, Such A Fun Age follows a young Black nanny caught up in a series of problems after working for a well-intentioned white woman. Many parts of the book feel ripped from nonfiction headlines: a viral video makes life harder for people and an influencer (the aforementioned white woman) tries to exploit the video for her own purposes. It’ll all seem very familiar. This is Kiley Reid’s debut novel and the writer is already looking to put it to film. AMANDA HAGGARD