| title and author | description | proposed | rank | pg |
| Free Speech by Corey Brettschneider (editor) | Key texts from the U.S. Supreme Court, John Stuart Mill, Alexander Meiklejohn, Ida B. Wells and Charles Lawrence illuminate the immediate questions and pressing issues of free speech.
| sharon | 12 | 208 |
| American Schism: How the Two Enlightenments Hold the Secret to Healing our Nation by Seth David Radwell | Those seeking to heal our divided nation should read American Schism. In an age of unreason, Seth David Radwell deftly conveys the history of our core values and shows us a reasoned way forward. | sharon | 6 | 496 |
| What We Owe the Future by William MacAskill | argues for longtermism, that idea that positively influencing the distant future is a key moral priority of our time. From this perspective, it’s not enough to reverse climate change or avert the next pandemic. We must ensure that civilization would rebound if it collapsed; counter the end of moral progress; and prepare for a planet where the smartest beings are digital, not human. | sharon | 8 | 352 |
| American Cultural Shifts: Examining the Issues That Are Tearing Our Country Apart by Dr. Alan Scarrow | call for patriotic Americans at both ends of the political spectrum to pause, lay down our agendas, and consider the consequences of demonizing their political opponents. Dr. Alan Scarrow former President of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons takes readers on a deep exploration into the complex social issues facing our country and fueling our divisive culture | sharon | 11 | 226 |
| The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones | placing slavery and its continuing legacy at the center of our national narrative. This book substantially expands on that work, weaving together eighteen essays that explore the legacy of slavery in present-day America with thirty-six poems and works of fiction that illuminate key moments of oppression, struggle, and resistance | sharon | 7 | 1040 |
| Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature by Janine M Benyus | takes readers into the lab and in the field with maverick thinkers as they: discover miracle drugs by watching what chimps eat when they're sick; learn how to create by watching spiders weave fibers; harness energy by examining how a leaf converts sunlight into fuel in trillionths of a second; and many more examples | sharon | 5 | 308 |
| The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative by Florence Williams | investigates the science behind nature’s positive effects on the brain. Delving into brand-new research, she uncovers the powers of the natural world to improve health, promote reflection and innovation, and strengthen our relationships. | sharon | 2 | 304 |
| Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival & Hope in an American City by Andrea Elliott | story of Dasani’s childhood with the history of her ancestors, tracing their passage from slavery to the Great Migration north. As Dasani comes of age, New York City’s homeless crisis has exploded, deepening the chasm between rich and poor. She must guide her siblings through a world riddled by hunger, violence, racism, drug addiction, and the threat of foster care | kevin | 4 | 640 |
| Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass | graphic descriptions of his childhood and horrifying experiences as a slave as well as a harrowing record of his dramatic escape to the North and eventual freedom | marcella | 3 | 96 |
| Ishmael:A Novel by Daniel Quinn | story of a man who embarks on a highly provocative intellectual adventure with a gorilla—a journey of the mind and spirit that changes forever the way he sees the world and humankind’s place in it. | marcella | 1 | 263 |
| Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America by Marcia Chatelain | cooperation among fast food companies, black capitalists, and civil rights leaders, who—in the troubled years after King’s assassination—believed they found an economic answer to the problem of racial inequality. With the discourse of social welfare all but evaporated, federal programs under presidents Johnson and Nixon promoted a new vision for racial justice: that the franchising of fast food restaurants, by black citizens in their own neighborhoods | kevin | 10 | 336 |
| A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide by Samantha Power | tells the stories of countless Americans who took seriously the slogan of "never again" and tried to secure American intervention. Only by understanding the reasons for their small successes and colossal failures can we understand what we as a country, and we as citizens, could have done to stop the most savage crimes of the last century | kevin | 9 | 640 |
