Senior Associate Director of College Counseling Abbey Massoud-Tastor

I just read Maame by Jessica George. It was a wonderful book about a young woman finding herself among the struggle of family responsibilities and expectations. I couldn't put it down!

 

Head of Enrollment Management Kristen Mariotti

I am reading Building Brand Communities: How Organizations Succeed By Creating Belonging, by Carrie Melissa Jones and Charles Vogl. 

After having the opportunity to see the incredibly dynamic Charles Vogl speak at a professional conference this summer, I knew I had to read this book. The book explores key lessons to create engaged and effective communities by growing mutual concern, expressing common values, and sharing experiences.

 

English Instructor Marlo Daniels

 

I am reading Elliot Page’s memoir, Pageboy. The students are excited about it and asked me to read it with them. Plus, I am a big fan of Juno as well as The Umbrella Academy. 

I am also rereading Henry IV, V, VI, and Richard III in my two person book club with John Ball Shakespeare is my homeboy!

 

Chief Communications Officer Luke Meyers

I am (re)reading The Border Trilogy by Cormac McCarthy. This anthology takes place in the border region of Texas and Mexico but shifts between characters and time periods throughout. This three-book set famously includes the novel All The Pretty Horses, which really kicked off the film adaptation craze of McCarthy's work, including the titles The Road and No Country for Old Men.

The other two books in the set are The Crossing and Cities of the Plain. McCarthy passed recently and it caused me to investigate a bit more deeply into his life and legacy, which is admittedly under increasing scrutiny for the ways that he over-simplified many of his characters and their motivations. However, all three of these novels share an element of "coming of age" that I think we can all relate to and they certainly reflect McCarthy's own (vocal) belief that society is a construct not adequately accommodating or accepting of all people.

 

History and Psychology Instructor Carol Bendall

I am currently reading Elderflora, by Jared Farmer.  It is a fascinating history of the world's oldest trees, and it includes quite a bit of local history and culture as the author's focus moves around the world. Happy summer!

 

Science Instructor and Chair of Experiential Learning Jon Calos

True Grit, Charles Portis. In the vein of Cormac Mccarthy and the subject of two movie adaptations.

Science and History Instructor John Ball

I am reading The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs. Urban planners revere this book for its insight into how to build thriving cities. I am reading this to prepare for a JesterMester trip to New York City in which students will explore what makes the city work.

 

Head of School Jenny Rao

I just finished (in 2-days!) The Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski, a book about 2 people living in the same city and living in completely different realities. They meet by chance and continue to meet every Monday for years, and in doing so change each other’s lives forever.

 

Mathematics Instructor Brett LaFave

Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks

I would recommend this book because it tells the fascinating story of abolitionist John Brown. Brown is one of the most famous historical figures I know of. Though he is often viewed as a one-dimensional meme today, he was a complex character who befriended some very important figures like Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman. Brown felt so strongly that slavery was wrong that there was nothing he wasn't willing to give up to end it. There are so many angles from which Brown can be viewed: He was an ambitious person whose reality never matched his aspirations; he was a deeply religious man who treated people of all races and genders with dignity at a time when this was unheard of; he was a somewhat inept businessman; and he was a freedom fighter who ultimately sacrificed his life (and those of his family members) in an effort to start a revolution that would bring his nation closer to its ideals.

 

Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson

I am rereading this book, which investigates why some nations around the world have long traditions of civic engagement, rule of law and democracy, while others have long been plagued by war and tyranny. The authors observe common factors that have led to the rise (and sometimes decline) of great civilizations.

The Upside of Stress: Why Stress is Good for You and How to Get Better at It by Kelly McGonigal

I read this book in the spring at the suggestion of an advisee and I wish every student (and teacher) read it. McGonigal argues that stress, if seen as harmful, is indeed harmful. But McGonigal presents an alternate framing of stress as a potential superpower, if harnessed. In this book McGonigal discusses ways in which people can learn to live, and thrive, with stress.

 

Associate Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Gemma Halfi

The Firekeeper's Daughter, Angeline Boulley

As a DEI practitioner working with adolescents and teenagers, it's always eye-catching and inspiring to find a YA book that offers perspectives and experiences outside of historically dominant narratives. Author Angeline Boulley was a guest speaker at a DEI conference I attended, and after hearing her speak, I immediately put The Firekeeper's Daughter on my summer list. I've just generally been drawn to books by indigenous authors recently after reading Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer this year.

 

Latin Instructor Rob Matera

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Haunting and hopeful, this novel experiments with form and meditates on knowledge, perception, and the good, even in the face of wickedness, in humanity and our world.  It's wondrous.  Straight onto my list of favorites.

Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco

I'm only halfway through, but so far this is a hilarious romp through Templar conspiracy theories told from the perspective of neurotic editors at an academic press, one of whom may or may not have been kidnapped by Templars. Very enjoyable.

Cuddy by Benjamin Myers

I love what this novel, another experiment with form, asks us to consider about people and nations and their relationships with their histories. 

Knowledge: A Very Short Introduction by Jennifer Nagel

Clear, readable, fascinating.

Clouds by Aristophanes

It's funny, it's foul, it's outrageous. Aristophanes mocks intellectual fads, those too dull to understand them, and everyone else for good measure. His commentary on rhetoric and specious logic in a democracy is still worthwhile. To my present-day sensibilities, though, the ending is unusually disturbing for a Greek comedy. If it would be your first play by Aristophanes, Lysistrata might be a better place to start. Just be prepared: Aristophanes is witty but X-rated.

The Iliad by Homer

This time through, I'm especially appreciating how many different characters tell us their views.  I'm looking forward to the conversation between Achilles and Xanthos, his horse, but I know it's going to break my heart.”

 

English Instructor Kathleen McNamara

Just finished Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet. Beautiful, evocative writing. Attention to historical detail, but not fussily so. Not quite a coming of age story, but similar to Madeleine Miller’s Circe in giving a minor character center stage.

 

Associate Director of Content Marketing Kaitlin Resler

 

I'm working on Maddalena and the Dark by Julia Fine, about two girls at the Ospedale della Pietà in 18th century Venice. Very gothic-fairy-tale, lush and dreamy but I’m hoping this one picks up a little as time goes on! I’ve started A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers, but I’m not certain if I’ll finish it with everything else I’ve on hold at the library!

Earlier in the season I blazed through All The Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me by Patrick Bringley (very good, I expected it so be sort of sappy and sentimental but it ended up being quite lovely and a good kick-off for summer reading), Happy Hour by Marlowe Granados (summaries had me thinking this was going to be fluff, but it’s quite smart in detailing female friendship, navigating the city, class, loss, etc. while also capturing that 20 year-old in New York feeling), and Happening by Annie Ernaux (I was waiting for a different Ernaux from the library, but grabbed this one while I waited. An autobiographical recollection of the author’s experience of abortion in France before it was legal, an intense short read but a really incredible example of recording memories and their potency decades later).

 

Science Instructor Megan Labbate

The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green - Recommended to me by Caroline Boyajian, our Director of Curriculum and Innovation, this book provides Yelp-like reviews of a number of things in the modern era, including Canada Geese, CNN, and Diet Dr Pepper. Green shares anecdotes from his own life about each topic, historical context, and quips that make each review informational, memoir-like, and humorous. Each review is short so this book is easy to pick up.

The Exceptions by Kate Zernike - This book shares the story of Nancy Hopkins, a renowned scientist at MIT, and the fight for women's inclusion in science. Originally a story in The Boston Globe, Zernike expands on the story of Hopkins, expanding on the history of discrimination and the inspiring path women took to advocate for themselves and others. This is a must-read for those who are interested in the challenges women and other minorities face in science.

 

Mathematics Instructor Alexandra Schmidt

Adapting from the inside cover: Emily Hahn traveled across the country dressed as a boy in the 1920s, was one of the first American women to earn a degree as a mining engineer, ran away to the Belgian Congo as a Red Cross worker during the Great Depression, became the concubine of a Chinese poet in Shanghai during the 1930s, acquired and kicked an opium addiction, had an affair and a child with the head of the British Secret Service in Hong Kong just before World War Ii began, was involved in underground relief work in Japanese-occupied Hong Kong, and became a pioneer in wildlife preservation in the United States.  She also wrote hundreds of articles and short stories for the New Yorker between 1925 and 1995, as well as poetry and fifty-two books.  

After Hahn's 1997 death at the age of 92, her granddaughter wrote, "Chances are that your grandmother didn't smoke cigars and let you hold wild role-playing parties in her apartment.  Chances are that she didn't teach you Swahili obscenities.  Chances are that when she took you to the zoo, she didn't start whooping passionately at the top of her lungs as you passed the gibbon cage.  Sadly for you...your grandmother was not Emily Hahn."

So you may be asking (as I certainly did), "why I have I not heard of this amazing person?"  Sexism is one reason--male writers simply got more attention.  Another is that her clear, witty writing spanned so many genres that it defies easy categorization.  But now you've heard of her.  At the very least, go look her up on Wikipedia and learn more.  I admit that when one reads about her life, it's very easy to think, "I am a worm!  I haven't done anything!".  But (a) that's not true and (b) let her inspire you.  Do things that speak to you, not necessarily the things people tell you that you should do.  Take a few chances.  Really learn another language.  Decide what your values are.  Be open to love.

 

One of our favorite activities is coming up in the fall: senior-led book talks! The class of 2023 has chosen a wide array of books to check out over the summer to then lead a discussion of each book during opening days!

Check out their choices this year:

The Secret History, Donna Tartt

Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky

A Certain Hunger, Chelsea G. Summers

The Bell, Iris Murdoch

The Marvels, brian Zelznick

Memory Speaks, Julie Sedivy

Sophie’s World, Jostein Gaarder

Morning in the Burned House, Margaret Atwood

If You Could See the Sun, Ann Liang

Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides

Tess of the d’Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy

Once Upon a Broken Heart, Stephanie Garber

Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card

Babel, R.F. Kuang

Speak, Okinawa, Elizabeth Miki Brina

Homeland Elegies, Ayad Akhtar

Before the Coffee gets Cold, Toshikazu Kawagushi

Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson

The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger

Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich, Norman Ohler

Mistborn, Brandon Sanderson

The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton

Beautiful World, Where are You?, Sally Rooney

That’s Not What Happened, Kody Keplinger

Victoria, Knut Hamsun

Little Fires Everywhere, Celeste Ng

All the Bright Places, Jennifer Niven

Out of my Mind, Sharon M. Draper

Nothing to See Here, Kevin Wilson