We’re a few weeks into a fresh school year and autumn is officially here, but the Turning the Page Chicago office is still reeling from some of our favorite summer reads! We like to practice what we preach and believe that a good book is best when it’s shared between friends, family, and strangers. Our list includes works of fiction, history, poetry, biography, and more. Read on to discover a few of TTP’s staff favorite books they’ve read over the past few months.
Summer Reads
I recently started reading Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome by Dr. Joy DeGruy, Ph. D. which provides her historical, cultural, and psychological research on the black diaspora. The simple premise is to provide all people a view of the mental slaving of Black persons and her thoughts on how this pervading problem of “Black shaming” started. She also discusses what Black people (in some instances) were taught to do to support such stereotypes and biases.
– Jasmine Jones, Partnership Manager
Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore—I was not able to put this book down! I honestly felt if I closed the book the characters might cease to exist; this is the environment that Murakami thrusts upon you, one where the book seems less of printed words on a page and more of a self-contained world where time is fluid and characters interact with a reality that is not concrete.
– Jacob Dimuzio, Development Coordinator
My favorite book this summer is Black Privilege by Charlamagne Tha God. This is one of my favorites because it’s more of an autobiography of a radio personality who has a powerful and raw life story of his ups and downs and how you can overcome and take your life in your own hands and become successful.
– Justin Barrett, Communications Specialist VISTA
One of my favorite books I read this summer was Why Did You Leave the Horse Alone? by Mahmoud Darwish. This book was serendipitously recommended to me by a customer while I was working in the Thompson Center Carpe Librum. Admittedly, I was unfamiliar with the late Palestinian poet before that moment. This translated work explores the worlds of both narrative and beauty, of pain and perseverance, and of the real and the magical.
– Andrew Hertzberg, Communications and Development Specialist VISTA
My Soul is Satisfied by Lashonda Bowman. I love books centered around love, faith, and life altering events and this book did not disappoint. Books like this one inspire me to keep it pushing no matter what the circumstances are.
– Jacqueline Ingram, Volunteer and Program Support Specialist VISTA
My favorite book I’ve read this summer would have to be The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. This book was so powerful and timely. Thomas did an amazing job creating characters that are relatable and pull at our heart strings. Couldn’t put it down!
– Emily Allen, Operations Specialist VISTA