Staff Book Recommendations
Moriah Pettway:
Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer
Summary:
Battlefield of the Mind is a book about applicable ways to change negative thinking and work through anxiety and depression. Meyer uses The Bible and her own life experience to help readers manage their day to day thoughts.
Impact/Opinion:
Reading this daily, helped me realize that battling negative thoughts are not that much of a challenge when you get into the habit of paying attention to them and when you have tools to combat them.
Manjari Misra:
The Worlds Within You by Shreya Ramachandran
Summary:
This is a story about a young college student coming to terms with her mental health, identity and family. It is a journey set over the course of seven writing classes that she takes.
Opinions:
While mental health is a growing topic in India, there is still a lot that needs to be done; and thus, this book is a refreshing and much-needed take on the issue. It focuses on one person, allowing the reader an insight into her situation, making it relatable and opening up questions about their own mental state. The inclusion of interactions with family members and friends also ground her experiences.
Cynthia A. Phillips:
Beauty: The Invisible Embrace by John O’Donohue
Summary: The book asks us to embrace beauty in all its forms, focusing on nature, art, and literature, among other experiences.
Opinions:
The audiobook version is a luxury and adds a layer of beauty to the book.
Sara Pisak:
All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis Edited by Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Dr. Katharine K. Wilkinson
Summary: All We Can Save is an anthology of essays, poems, and artwork. Broken down into eight sections, root, advocate, reframe, reshape, persist, feel, nourish, and rise, the book presents a women-lead discussion on climate change.
Opinion/Impact:An anthology of only women writers is a rare treat, and the wide-reaching spectrum of careers, passions, and ideas leave a lasting impact on readers and on society.
Allyson Foerster:
The Maybe-Bird By: Jennifer Elise Foerster
Summary: The Maybe-Bird, published by The Song Cave, contains new and conceptual poetic forms. The Maybe-Bird discusses genocide, displacement, and ecological devastation.
Opinion/Impact: This is my sister’s newly published book of poems!
Annaliese Persaud
Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
Summary: Red, White and Royal Blue is an LGBTQ+ romance story that revolves around the rivals, Alex Claremont-Diaz, the First Son of the United States, and Prince Henry, a British Prince. After a mishap at Prince Phillip’s wedding involving Henry and Alex, the two are forced to stage a friendship, but fall in love along the way.
Opinion/Impact: The forbidden love trope has always been used in straight romances, but reading a story that focuses on two men, who are in powerful positions figuring out their feelings for each other is both refreshing and enlightening. If you are a reader that loves the classic trope, enemies to lovers, or just needs a new romance book, I recommend this story.
