Commonfund Institute is excited to share our must-reads for summer 2023. These books are the perfect partner for some fun in the sun, or some time relaxing in the shade. We hope you have a great summer and look forward to hearing your thoughts on our latest picks!
12 Notes: On Life and Creativity | Quincy Jones
“12 Notes is a self-development guide that will affirm that creativity is a calling that can and should be answered, no matter your age or experience. Drawing from his own life, and those of his many creative collaborators past and present, Quincy Jones presents readers with lessons that are hardworking and accessible, yet speak to the passion of self-expression.”
Backable: The surprising truth behind what makes people take a chance on you | Carlye Adler, Suneel Gupta
“No one makes it alone. But there's a reason why some people can get investors or bosses to believe in them while others cannot. And that reason has little to do with experience, pedigree or a polished business plan. Backable people seem to have a hidden quality that inspires others to take action. ….Backable reveals how the key to success is not charisma, connections, or even your CV, but rather your ability to persuade others to take a chance on you. This groundbreaking book will show you how.”
Before We Were Yours: A Novel | Lisa Wingate
“Based on one of America’s most notorious real-life scandals—in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country—Lisa Wingate’s riveting, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong.”
The Children of Harvey Milk: How LGBTQ Politicians Changed the World | Andrew Reynolds
“Part political thriller, part meditation on social change, part love story, The Children of Harvey Milk tells the epic stories of courageous men and women around the world who came forward to make their voices heard during the struggle for equal rights.”
The Everyday Feminist: The Key to Sustainable Social Impact Driving Movements We Need Now More Than Ever | Latanya Mapp Frett
“In The Everyday Feminist: The Key to Sustainable Social Impact-Driving Movements We Need Now More than Ever, accomplished feminist activist and executive Latanya Mapp Frett delivers a powerful and practical exploration of the factors that make a feminist social movement impactful in its place and time. In the book, you'll discover popular and not-so-popular social movements and the leaders, art, research, and narratives that drove them.”
I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness | Austin Channing Brown
“From a leading voice on racial justice, an eye-opening account of growing up Black, Christian, and female that exposes how White America’s love affair with “diversity” so often falls short of its ideals.”
Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love | Dani Shapiro
“Inheritance is a book about secrets–secrets within families, kept out of shame or self-protectiveness; secrets we keep from one another in the name of love. It is the story of a woman's urgent quest to unlock the story of her own identity, a story that has been scrupulously hidden from her for more than fifty years, years she had spent writing brilliantly, and compulsively, on themes of identity and family history. It is a book about the extraordinary moment we live in--a moment in which science and technology have outpaced not only medical ethics but also the capacities of the human heart to contend with the consequences of what we discover.”
LGBTQ Leadership in Higher Education | Raymond E. Crossman
“In LGBTQ Leadership in Higher Education, Raymond Crossman brings together 15 currently serving or retired LGBTQ presidents and chancellors in higher education to explain why, to whom, and how LGBTQ leadership matters. Writing from the perspective of their lived and specific experiences as LGBTQ presidents, these current and former leaders consider whether there is something distinctive about LGBTQ leadership. They also attempt to draw insights and principles from their personal stories. ”
The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times | Michelle Obama
“Michelle Obama offers readers a series of fresh stories and insightful reflections on change, challenge, and power, including her belief that when we light up for others, we can illuminate the richness and potential of the world around us, discovering deeper truths and new pathways for progress. Drawing from her experiences as a mother, daughter, spouse, friend, and First Lady, she shares the habits and principles she has developed to successfully adapt to change and overcome various obstacles—the earned wisdom that helps her continue to “become.”
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind | Yuval Noah Harari
“Most books about the history of humanity pursue either a historical or a biological approach, but Dr. Yuval Noah Harari breaks the mold with this highly original book that begins about 70,000 years ago with the appearance of modern cognition. From examining the role evolving humans have played in the global ecosystem to charting the rise of empires, Sapiens integrates history and science to reconsider accepted narratives, connect past developments with contemporary concerns, and examine specific events within the context of larger ideas.”
Speak, Okinawa: A Memoir | Elizabeth Miki Brina
“…Elizabeth comes to recognize the shame and self-loathing that haunt both her and her mother, and attempts a form of reconciliation, not only to come to terms with the embattled dynamics of her family but also to reckon with the injustices that reverberate throughout the history of Okinawa and its people. Clear-eyed and profoundly humane, Speak, Okinawa is a startling accomplishment—a heartfelt exploration of identity, inheritance, forgiveness, and what it means to be an American.”
The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz | Erik Larson
“In The Splendid and the Vile, Erik Larson shows, in cinematic detail, how Churchill taught the British people “the art of being fearless.” It is a story of political brinkmanship, but it’s also an intimate domestic drama, set against the backdrop of Churchill’s prime-ministerial country home, Chequers; his wartime retreat, Ditchley, where he and his entourage go when the moon is brightest and the bombing threat is highest; and of course 10 Downing Street in London. ”
Stories from the Tenants Downstairs | Sidik Fofana
“In eight interconnected stories, Sidik Fofana conjures a residential community under pressure. ….We root for the tight-knit cast of characters as they weave in and out of one another’s narratives, working to escape their pasts and blaze new paths forward for themselves and the people they love. All the while we brace, as they do, for the challenges of a rapidly shifting future.”
The Vanishing Half: A Novel | Brit Bennett
“Weaving together multiple strands and generations of this family, from the Deep South to California, from the 1950s to the 1990s, Brit Bennett produces a story that is at once a riveting, emotional family story and a brilliant exploration of the American history of passing. Looking well beyond issues of race, The Vanishing Half considers the lasting influence of the past as it shapes a person's decisions, desires, and expectations, and explores some of the multiple reasons and realms in which people sometimes feel pulled to live as something other than their origins.”
Sources
- 12 Notes: On Life and Creativity
- Backable: The surprising truth behind what makes people take a chance on you
- Before We Were Yours: A Novel
- The Children of Harvey Milk: How LGBTQ Politicians Changed the World
- The Everyday Feminist: The Key to Sustainable Social Impact Driving Movements We Need Now More Than Ever
- I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness
- Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love
- LGBTQ Leadership in Higher Education
- The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times
- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
- Speak, Okinawa: A Memoir
- The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz
- Stories from the Tenants Downstairs
- The Vanishing Half: A Novel
