Last August I offered Art of Simple readers a fall reading list—a syllabus of sorts to sharpen minds and open hearts. Even though we are preparing for a very different school year, I refuse to give up my commitment to lifelong learning. Reading across genres is such a simple way to nurture intellectual curiosity.
History/Science
The Ghost Map: The Story of London’s Most Terrifying Epidemic, and How it Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World
by Steven Johnson
Okay, maybe not everyone wants to read about an epidemic during a pandemic. Give this one a shot. It has a brilliant, almost novelistic narrative and—spoiler alert—a happy ending. I loved learning about how people worked together to crack the case on cholera.
Theology
The Cross and the Lynching Tree
by James H. Cone
I am amazed by how much my seminary education was weighted toward white male voices. It’s not that we didn’t read works by BIPOC or women; they were always just secondary to the “standard” canon. Now that I direct my own reading, I try to make sure I am reading theology by people of color on the regular. Few books have cracked me open quite like this contemporary classic by the father of black liberationist theology. It’s not an easy read—intellectually rigorous and emotionally devastating—but I truly felt like I saw Jesus—and the cross—through new eyes upon reading it.
Culinary Arts/American History
Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine
by Sarah Lohman
With a remarkable breadth of history, the author traces the way each of the eight flavors became part of American culture. This is a book about food—but also a book about identity, racism, geopolitics, immigration, tradition, culture…from the first paragraph, in which I geeked out about the author’s association with Hale Farm (#northeastohio), I just loved every page.
Literature
Homegoing
by Yaa Gyasi
If this sounds familiar, it’s because Tsh only just recommended it. I borrowed it from the library on her recommendation and am here to tell you: you need to read this book. The novel follows the lineage of two half-sisters, one who remained in the Gold Coast of Africa, and one who was sold into slavery in America. It’s the best kind of historical fiction, braiding meticulous research with breathtakingly real characters.
Poetry
Full Woman, Fleshly Apple, Hot Moon
by Pablo Neruda (Translated by Stephen Mitchell)
One of my all-time favorite poetry books, this collection of poems by Pablo Neruda is sexy and funny and exquisitely beautiful. Be prepared to be inspired to write your own odes to ordinary things.
