Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation
by Linda Villarosa

Acclaimed journalist Linda Villarosa makes a powerful and guardedly hopeful case for our need to acknowledge and address the systems of advantage deeply woven into every facet of American healthcare. As Under the Skin makes clear, the stakes are high for everyone, whether insured or not, regardless of economic means. A Pulitzer Prize finalist.

“A stunning exposé of why Black people in our society ‘live sicker and die quicker’—an eye-opening game changer.”—Oprah Daily

Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business
by Danny Meyer

Danny Meyer started Union Square Cafe when he was 27, with a good idea and hopeful investors. He is now the co-owner of a restaurant empire. How did he do it? How did he beat the odds in one of the toughest trades around? In this landmark book, Danny shares the lessons he learned developing the dynamic philosophy he calls Enlightened Hospitality. The tenets of that philosophy, which emphasize strong in-house relationships and customer satisfaction, apply to anyone who works in any business. Whether you are a manager, an executive, or a waiter, Danny’s story and philosophy will help you become more effective and productive while deepening your understanding and appreciation of a job well done.

Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy
by Jamie Raskin

In this searing memoir, Congressman Jamie Raskin tells the story of the forty-five days at the start of 2021 that permanently changed his life—and his family’s—as he confronted the painful loss of his son to suicide, lived through the violent insurrection in our nation’s Capitol, and led the impeachment effort to hold President Trump accountable for inciting the political violence.

More Than Words: Communications Practices of Courageous Leaders by Carrie Fox

Communication is a powerful force for change. How we communicate dictates how significant a change we can make in our companies, communities, and world. This book is designed to help you realize your power as a communicator through a more-than-words approach grounded in courage, care, and clarity. With over twenty years as a social impact communications consultant and a leader in the B Corporation movement, Carrie Fox takes to heart the role- and responsibility- that leading communicators hold in shaping how stories are told, how narratives are shaped, and how decisions are made. With lessons and insights from some of the brightest minds in social impact communications and tools to help you practically apply these lessons to your work, More Than Words will meet you where you are in your quest to become a more authentic, inclusive, and connected communicator.

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood
by Trevor Noah

Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime is a brilliant and witty memoir that illustrates an unbreakable bond between mother and son. Noah’s poignant prose creates a startling portrayal of his experience growing up in South Africa during apartheid. This memoir, while filled with Noah’s quick wit and humor, is a thought-provoking and insightful look into the life of a comedian who, quite literally, was born a crime.

From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life
by Arthur Brooks

Many of us assume that the more successful we are, the less susceptible we become to the sense of professional and social irrelevance that often accompanies aging. But the truth is, the greater our achievements and our attachment to them, the more we notice our decline and the more painful it is when it occurs. What can we do, starting now, to make our older years a time of happiness, purpose, and, yes, success? Based on social science, philosophy, biography, theology, Eastern wisdom, and dozens of interviews with everyday men and women, Brooks shows us that true life success is well within our reach. By refocusing on certain priorities and habits that anyone can learn, such as deep wisdom, detachment from empty rewards, connection, service to others, and spiritual progress, we can set ourselves up for increased happiness.

The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together
by Heather McGee

Heather McGhee embarks on a deeply personal journey across the country from Maine to Mississippi to California, tallying what we lose when we buy into the zero-sum paradigm—the idea that progress for some of us must come at the expense of others. Along the way, she meets white people who confide in her about losing their homes, their dreams, and their shot at better jobs to the toxic mix of American racism and greed. This is the story of how public goods in this country—from parks and pools to functioning schools—have become private luxuries; of how unions collapsed, wages stagnated, and inequality increased; and of how this country, unique among the world’s advanced economies, has thwarted universal healthcare.

The Art of Living: Peace and Freedom in the Here and Now
by Thich Nhat Hanh

In troubled times, there is an urgency to understand ourselves and our world. We have many questions that tug at us night and day, consciously and unconsciously. In this important volume, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh—one of the most revered spiritual leaders in the world today—reveals an art of living in mindfulness that helps us answer life’s most profound questions and experience the happiness and freedom we desire.  Thich Nhat Hanh presents seven transformative meditations that open up new perspectives on our lives, relationships, and interconnectedness with the world around us. Based on the last full talks before his sudden hospitalization and drawing on intimate examples from his own life, Thich Nhat Hanh shows us how these seven meditations can free us to live a happy, peaceful, and active life and face aging and dying with curiosity and joy and without fear.

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead
by Brene Brown

Daring Greatly is not about winning or losing. It’s about courage. In a world where “never enough” dominates and feeling afraid has become second nature, vulnerability is subversive. Uncomfortable. It’s even a little dangerous at times. And, without question, putting ourselves out there means there’s a far greater risk of getting criticized or feeling hurt. But when we step back and examine our lives, we will find that nothing is as uncomfortable, dangerous, and hurtful as standing on the outside of our lives, looking in and wondering what it would be like if we had the courage to step into the arena—whether it’s a new relationship, an important meeting, the creative process, or a difficult family conversation. Daring Greatly is a practice and a powerful new vision for letting ourselves be seen.

Love is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times
by Bishop Michael Curry

As the descendant of slaves and the son of a civil rights activist, Bishop Michael Curry’s life illustrates massive changes in our times. Much of the world met Bishop Curry when he delivered his sermon on the redemptive power of love at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle. Here, he expands on his message of hope in an inspirational road map for living the way of love, illuminated with moving lessons from his life. Through the prism of his faith, ancestry, and personal journey, Love Is the Way shows us how America came this far and, more importantly, how to go much further. The way of love is essential for addressing the seemingly insurmountable challenges facing the world today: poverty, racism, selfishness, deep ideological divisions, competing claims to speak for God. This book will lead readers to discover the gifts they need to live the way of love: deep reservoirs of hope and resilience, simple wisdom, the discipline of nonviolence, and unshakable regard for human dignity.

Pregnant Girl: A Story of Teen Motherhood, College, and Creating a Better Future for Young Families
by Nichole Lynn Lewis

Pregnant Girl presents the possibility of a different future for young mothers—one of success and stability—amid the dismal statistics that dominate the national conversation. After Nicole became pregnant during her senior year in high school, she was told that college was no longer a reality—a negative outlook often unfairly presented to teen mothers. Nicole left home and experienced periods of homelessness, hunger, and poverty. Despite these obstacles, she enrolled at the College of William & Mary and brought her 3-month-old daughter. She discovered her true calling through her experiences fighting for resources to put herself through college. She founded her organization, Generation Hope, to support teen parents and their children so they can thrive in college and kindergarten—driving a 2-generation solution to poverty.

“[T]his book is so much more than a memoir . . . . Her prose has the power to undo deep-set cultural biases about poverty and parenthood.”—New York Times Book Review

The Blue Zones Challenge: A 4-Week Plan for a Longer, Better Life
by Dan Buettner

Get started on the path to a longer, healthier, happier life with this quick start to building your own Blue Zones lifestyle. Dan Buettner, founder of the Blue Zones and author of the New York Times number one best-selling Blue Zones Kitchen, offers the challenge of a lifetime: Build a foundation for better nutrition, more exercise, and a stronger social life that will extend your lifetime by years.

In this easy-to-implement guide, you’ll start with the rules of the Blue Zones Challenge, including tips and tricks from the five Blue Zones—locations around the world where people consistently live to 100—advice for setting up a successful kitchen and pantry and resources for expanding you support network. After four weeks—with the help of easy-to-use worksheets and recipes—follow the Blue Zones challenge through the rest of the year with an 11-month sustainability calendar that will continue to encourage you and build upon the foundation you’ve already started.

How Democracies Die
by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt

Donald Trump’s presidency raised a question that many of us never thought we’d be asking: Is our democracy in danger? Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt have spent more than twenty years studying the breakdown of democracies in Europe and Latin America, and they believe the answer is yes. Democracy no longer ends with a bang—in a revolution or military coup—but with a whimper: the slow, steady weakening of critical institutions, such as the judiciary and the press, and the gradual erosion of long-standing political norms. The good news is that several exit ramps are on the road to authoritarianism. The bad news is that, by electing Trump, we have already passed the first one. Drawing on decades of research and a wide range of historical and global examples, from 1930s Europe to contemporary Hungary, Turkey, and Venezuela, to the American South during Jim Crow, Levitsky, and Ziblatt show how democracies die—and how ours can be saved.

Scaling Up Excellence: Getting to More Without Settling for Less
by Bob Sutton and Huggy Rao

Bob Sutton and Huggy Rao have devoted much of the last decade to uncovering what it takes to build and uncover pockets of exemplary performance, to help spread them, and to keep recharging organizations with ever-better work practices. Drawing on inside accounts, case studies, and academic research from a wealth of industries— including start-ups, pharmaceuticals, airlines, retail, financial services, high-tech, education, non-profits, government, and healthcare— Sutton and Rao identify the key scaling challenges that confront every organization. They tackle the difficult trade-offs that organizations must make between encouraging individualized approaches tailored to local needs or replicating the same practices and customs as an organization or program expands. They reveal how the best leaders and teams develop, spread, and instill the right mindsets in their people—rather than ruining or watering down the things that have fueled successful growth. They unpack the principles that help cascade excellence throughout an organization and show how to eliminate destructive beliefs and behaviors that will hold them back.

The Black Experience in Graphic Design: Identity, Expression, and Reflection
edited by Anne H. Berry, Kareem Collie, Penina Acayo Laker, Lesley-Ann Noel, and Jennifer Rittner

Excluded from traditional design history and educational canons that heavily favor European modernist influences, the work and experiences of Black designers have been systematically overlooked in the profession for decades. However, given the national focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the aftermath of the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests in the United States, educators, practitioners, and students now have the opportunity—as well as the social and political momentum—to make long-term, systemic changes in design education, research, and practice, reclaiming the contributions of Black designers in the process. The Black Experience in Design serves as both inspiration and a catalyst for the next generation of creative minds tasked with imagining, shaping, and designing our future.