What did you all read this summer? Here are 7 books I read this summer that I recommend:
MY TOP PICK: The Place We Make: Breaking the Legacy of Legalized Hate by Sarah Sanderson
I loved this book and highly, highly recommend it. Sarah Sanderson traces the history of white supremacy in Oregon through the story of Jacob Vanderpool, a man expelled from Oregon under an exclusion law that banned people of African descent from living within its borders. BUT…she also traces this history through her white lineage. Doing so leads her through her own deeply personal journey of reckoning with privilege, white supremacy, and the complicity of silence.
It is VERY well written and worth every moment. If you are an audiobook junkie like me, I think you’ll appreciate hearing the author tell her story. She’s humble and genuine, and very attuned to the awkward space she’s inserted herself as a white author attempting to address racial injustice. Sanderson had her awakening well into her adulthood like many of us, but this makes her an ideal guide for those who wants to keep learning about how people of privilege hold responsibility for the places we have made. Sarah is a model of how to look squarely at oneself, but not to crumble into shame. She shares her own experience of receiving God’s grace to stand in the space of repentance and truth; no matter how uncomfortable.
The Expectation Gap by Steve Cuss—This book is a step-by-step guide to discovering and healing the gaps between our lived beliefs and what God is actually like. Steve Cuss is pastoral and practical in this book that addresses the intersection of psychological and spiritual growth.
Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad–A gritty memoir of a woman struggling through young adulthood while living through the ravages of cancer. She invites the reader not only into the illness journey, but also its aftermath.
FICTION:
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride—BEST CHARACTERS: Unlikely, everyday heroes are sprinkled through this story about loyalty and risk through the eyes of immigrant Jews and African Americans.
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles—MOST SURPRISING: This book was delightful; funny, warm, and unpredictable. It was original and captivating, hard to put down!
The Women by Kristin Hannah–MOST WRENCHING: You’ve not read a Vietnam novel about the women who served there. It’s an important story, well-researched and gripping.
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams–MOST ORIGINAL: A wonderfully told story of a word-lover who found her way to rescue the language of marginalized women.
Tell us your favorite book of the summer in the comments!
6 Responses
I enjoyed the dictionary of lost words. Read it with my book club.
I will listen to ANY audiobook narrated by Julia Whelan! Have placed holds for “The Women” and “Heaven and Earth Grocery Store” through the library. Loved “Between Two Kingdoms.” Thanks for these recommendations!
I am just reading Heaven on Earth Grocery store, and it is a jem. It brings smiles chuckles while reading the wonderful descriptions of both the Jewish, Chrietian and Negrow characters. I think I prefer reading it than having someone read it to me. I can give it my own voice.
Read two books on your list this year 😊 Thank goodness for the masterful weavers of words in the world that expand our perspective and knowledge. Thanks for sharing!
Great list, Janice! Sarah Sanderson did a great job with her book and research of my hometown!! – she presented at our church in Seattle and was very well received! And, The Women! Just finished and am so glad to read a book about women serving in the Vietnam war. Wow. Fun to see your list and have read a couple – now I will add a couple more to my list. Thank you!!
I loved Lincoln Highway and Dictionary of Lost Words — Reading the Women now. I have a hard time reading nonfiction these days. Thanks for sharing.