The White Tiger, Aravind Adiga
Recommended by Marie Eckert
Akhmatova witnessed the tumultuous years of the Russian Revolution and survived Stalin’s repression and terror. Her elegy, “Requiem” was written in secret over three decades and was created in response to her son, Lev Gumilyov’s, imprisonment and the suffering of Russia’s people. A statue of her was recently erected across from the Leningrad Prison where her son was jailed and stands as a symbol of her artistic courage.
Anna Akhmatova
Recommended by Chelsea Querner
I Kno
w Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou
Recommended by Ramiza Koya
The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood
Recommended by Amy Prosenjak
The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin
Recommended by Susan Moore
This book was published in 1963 and consists of two essays. The first essay is a letter to Baldwin’s 14-year-old nephew, about the role of race in American history. The second essay deals with race in America and Baldwin’s experiences in Harlem. It was a national bestseller and considered one of the most important books about race relations in the 1960’s and influenced many writers that came after Baldwin.
The Sorrow of War, Ninh Bao
Recommended by Dao Strom
Amie Barrodale
Recommended by Hunt Holman
The demonstrated how rules that I thought were ironclad laws of nature are in fact only rules, and can be ignored at will.
Donald Barthelme
Recommended by Hunt Holman
When I encountered them in school had previously seemed boring and irrelevant, but they suddenly come alive in all their joy and fury and even apply to my own life.
Dykes to Watch Our For, Alison Bechdel
Recommended by Mel Wells
Long before Fun Home garnered critical acclaim, Alison Bechdel was creating visibility for the political and personal realities of contemporary queer life through Dykes to Watch Out For. But it’s not just LGBTQ audiences who benefit: Bechdel herself has said, “The secret, subversive goal of my work is to show that women, not just lesbians, are regular human beings.”
Silent Spring, Rachel Carson
Recommended by Susan Moore
Silent Spring was published in 1962 and brought the use of pesticides and the degradation of the environment into the consciousness of the American people. John F Kennedy asked the Department of Agriculture to investigate the books claims, and the book also led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970.
Death comes for the Archbishop, Willa Cather
Recommended by Mike Barr
A strange and hypnotic novel, based on the true story of two immigrant priests who, with incredible courage and strength of character, prevail over corruption, genocide, and prejudice in New Mexico.
When Things Fall Apart, Pema Chodron
Recommended by Ramiza Koya
Heaven’s Coast, Mark Doty
Recommended by Chelsea Querner
Doty’s memoir, Heaven’s Coast, accomplishes what is especially difficult during times of suffering: bears witness to a story many would rather forget. In the telling of his partner’s AIDS diagnosis and subsequent death, Doty humanized the AIDS epidemic and illustrated the opportunities we have—both publicly and privately, to practice empathy and find solace and strength in trauma. He wrote with love, humility, sensuality, and awe for the very world that was, for him and many of his friends, crowded with the suffering of AIDS. When he encountered moments of death or heartbreak, Doty sought out and reminded us of the beauty, too.
Novel Without a Name, Thu Hương Dương
Recommended by Dao Strom
No Man’s Land, Thu Hương Dương
Recommended by Dao Strom
Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison
Recommended by Jennifer Gurney
Pancho Savery led a Delve on this work back in 2008, and he had this to say about it: “I want to lead this seminar because I think Invisible Man is the most profound text ever produced in this country. It argues that the ideals [of the Founding Fathers] can be realized and that the key to this realization is the degree to which African Americans are fully integrated into American society. What theme is more American than this?” Quote: America is woven of many strands. I would recognize them and let it so remain. Our fate is to become one, and yet many.”
The Vagina Monologues, Eve Ensler
Recommended by Lydah DeBin
In college, in the 90s, in a conservative backwater, seeing The Vagina Monologues performed on campus stage was radical.
Love Medicine, Louise Erdrich
Recommended by Jennifer Gurney
Epic in family drama, it gave an inside look at a community so long considered “the other.” At the same time, it succeeded in showing the inherent strangeness of the concept of the Native American reservation. Quote: Society is like this card game here, cousin. We got dealt our hand before we were even born, and as we grow we have to play as best as we can.
A Coney Island of the Mind, Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Recommended by Maggie Allen
Overall Ferlinghetti had great impact in motivating the counterculture of the ‘50s and ‘60s. Through his bookstore and publishing house, he gave space and resources to writers so they could share their stories. A Coney Island of the Mind led a generation of readers and writers to question the establishment, capitalism, and tradition, and laid the groundwork for the exploration of the Beat generation.
A Lesson Before Dying, Ernest J. Gaines
Recommended by Ginnie Cooper
A wonderful book where people leave their own world for another. This book was the first book in Multnomah County Library’s EVERYBODY READS program which began while I led the library. Wonderful conversations happened between so many people at libraries, in juvenile detention centers with Mr. Gaines, within families, and on buses. Learning the stories of others leads to understanding and to change. We saw it happen.
Nonviolent Resistance, Mahatma Gandhi
Recommended by Bob Speltz
Gandhi led India to independence and his writings have inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. Employing nonviolent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. His book focuses on Gandhi’s vision of Satyagraha, whereby one appeals to reason and conscience, and puts an end to evil by converting the evil-doer. The book begins with an explanation of Satyagraha, and proceeds with detailed discussions of the self-training and courage necessary for Satyagraha. Satyagraha, which can be loosely translated as “insistence on truth”, is a philosophy of non-violent resistance which heavily influenced many civil rights movements of the 20th century. Notably Martin Luther King Jr. drew upon these ideas in his efforts to end segregation and discrimination in the United States. Nelson Mandela and his supporters were also greatly inspired by these ideas in their struggle to end apartheid in South Africa.
Lord of the Flies, William Golding
Recommended by Amy Prosenjak
Does a “no rules” society really work?
Team of Rivals, Doris Kearns Goodwin
Recommended by Amy Donohue
A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry
Recommended by Liz Olufson
This play shines a light on the deep issues that existed in the USA before the passage of the Fair Housing Act, and quite possibly had an impact on how people thought about the issue || It’s a portrait of mid-century life for African-American families; illustrating the racism and hardships they were/are faced with || Also, it became the first play written by an African American woman to be produced on Broadway
The Other America, Michael Harrington
Recommended by Amy Wayson
Published in the early 1960’s, many believe that this book is responsible for Johnson’s war on poverty. Programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and food stamps are viewed as having roots in Harrington’s ideas
Kaui Hart Hemmings
Recommended by Hunt Holman
They demonstrated how rules that I thought were ironclad laws of nature are in fact only rules, and can be ignored at will.
Steal This Book, Abbie Hoffman
Recommended by Ramón Pagán
Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
Recommended by Andrew Proctor
A novel about the role comfort can play in complacency, again with a strong emphasis on the role of language in pacifying a civilization
White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America, Nancy Isenberg
Recommended by Joanna Rose
A re-telling of American history. This country was founded on some pretty ugly principles, and freedom wasn’t one of them. It’s a popular book currently, and while the author clearly has an agenda (land-owning white guys = bad, poor people = victims) it’s a good place to start questioning the deep divide of economic opportunity.
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, James Joyce
Recommended by Ramiza Koya
The Laramie Project, Moisés Kaufman
Recommended by Liz Olufson
This play draws on hundreds of interviews conducted with inhabitants of Laramie, Wyoming after the murder (hate crime) of gay University of Wyoming student, Matthew Shepard. It does a lot to confront hate and promote empathy. There’s much hope in it, and it’s extra powerful that the words come from “ordinary folk”.
The Woman Warrior, Maxine Hong Kingston
Recommended by Ramiza Koya
This is a book that does all three, in the fiercest, most unapologetic way possible, offering up a model for how to break free of cages, of how to find your voice. Incredibly empowering for women and Asian-Americans, this book overturns stereotypes without replacing them with platitudes.
Darkness at Noon, Arthur Koestler
Recommended by Mike Barr
A true believer in the secular religion of communism realizes too late that the ends do not justify the means. This book is gripping, deeply philosophical, and extremely relevant for today.
To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
Recommended by Amy Wayson
What Work Is, Phillip Levine
Recommended by Ramiza Koya
None of my grandparents finished high school; many of my family members worked in factories, and my father’s family were indentured servants in Fiji. My working class roots are strong. Whenever I feel sorry for myself, I hear Levine’s voice saying no, “You just don’t know what work is.”
Audre Lorde
Recommended by Mel Wells
Her brilliant, moving, and unapologetic poetry and prose should be required reading for every human
Toni Morrison
Recommended by Amanda Bullock
Flowers of Hell, Chí Thiện Nguyễn
Recommended by Dao Strom
Mourning Headband for Hué, Ca Nhã
Recommended by Dao Strom
Breaking Off/Severance, Linh Nhất
Recommended by Dao Strom
The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien
Recommended by Ramiza Koya
1984, George Orwell
Recommended by Andrew Proctor
A crucial text about the dangers of revolution, and authoritarianism and, crucially, about the role of language plays in the exercise of control
Animal Farm, George Orwell
Recommended by Andrew Proctor
Unwinding, The: An Inner History of the New America, George Packer
Recommended by Bob Speltz
The book uses biographies of individual Americans as a means of discussing important forces in American history from 1978 to 2012, including the subprime mortgage crisis, the decline of American manufacturing, and the influence of money on politics. Packer defined the book’s theme as the unraveling of “a contract that said if you work hard, if you essentially are a good citizen, there will be a place for you, not only an economic place, you will have a secure life, your kids will have a chance to have a better life, but you will sort of be recognized as part of the national fabric.” The Unwinding follows the decline of a number of American institutions that the author believes underpinned this contract, including locally owned businesses, unions, and public schools. According to Packer, the “void” left by the decline of these institutions “was filled by the default force in American life, organized money.”
Common Sense, Thomas Paine
Recommended by Ramón Pagán
Orhan Pamuk
Recommended by Amanda Bullock
Bel Canto, Ann Patchett
Recommended by Marie Eckert
Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson
Recommended by Ginnie Cooper
This is the story of a boy and girl, very different from one another, who become friends. The sudden death of the girl leads the boy to come to understand who he can be. When I was eight years old, my best friend died suddenly. I read this book twenty years after Susan’s death, and came to understand her family and mine so much better.
Cry, The Beloved Country, Alan Paton
Recommended by Amy Prosenjak
Importance of dignity in a racially unjust world
This book moved me as a middle schooler. I attended a diverse, inner city school with lots of black friends. I suddenly realized the world might not be so fair or as easy as I thought it was in my bubble
Midnight’s Children, Salman Rushdie
Recommended by Ramiza Koya
The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Recommended by Betsy Henning
What do they say, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down”? This deceptively innocent story gets to the heart of self expression, dignity, and meaning in one’s life
for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf, Ntozake
Shange
Recommended by Liz Olufson
Acclaimed theater piece—a choreopoem —separate poems that are choreographed to music, it weaves interconnected stories of love, empowerment, struggle, and loss into a complex representation of sisterhood. It’s beautiful and powerful to read and/or see in person.
Sam Shepard
Recommended by Hunt Holman
The Jungle, Upton Sinclair
Recommended by Mary Rechner
Hope in the Dark Rebecca Solnit
Recommended by Megan Gex
An extremely optimistic book that helps even the most left-leaning radicals from clinging to despair. Explores shinning examples of world-wide resistance moments from the past 50 years.
Gulag Archipelago, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Recommended by Amy Wayson
By depicting the horrors of the repression of the Soviet system, this book and Solzhenitsyn gave face to those suffering under same, drew the world’s gaze and helped overturn the Soviet system
Maus, Art Spiegelman
Recommended by Amy Prosenjak
The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck
Recommended by Liz Olufson
Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe
Recommended by Amy Donohue
Kiss of the Spider Woman, Mario Vargos Llosa
Recommended by Ramiza Koya
One of the seminal models of how storytelling can save, how imagination can fight back against oppression, and how art can provide witness.
Phiến Võ
Recommended by Dao Strom
Cat’s Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut
Recommended by Maggie Allen
His works hold a critical magnifying glass to our society and values. I love Vonnegut because his work drops us in the shoes of characters who are personally discovering, through experience, the hypocrisy and beauty in a broken society. He provides the space for his characters to grow and to question their existence, the purpose of their lives, and the world around them. With Vonnegut’s personal experiences creating the skeleton of his characters and the flaws of our society building a fictional world, his work allows the reader to explore the problems currently faced by their society in an intimate and thoughtful way.
Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman
Recommended by Betsy Henning
Whitman was revolutionary in his own time, and is showing up today as newly meaningful again with his words about acceptance, tolerance and equity for all
Night, Elie Wiesel
Recommended by Marie Eckert
The Warmth of Other Suns, Isabella Wilkerson
Recommended by Joanna Rose
This book made me wonder where I’ve been all my life. It’s a devastating history of black America, abundant in fact and rich in personal stories. It allowed me to re-think my culture, and gave me a deep insight into the struggle of race-relations.
August Wilson
Recommended by Hunt Holman
I am grateful for the plays of August Wilson, because of how much I could learn about the souls of his characters, simply by listening to them talk, and talk, and talk, and talk…
Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe
Recommended by Marie Eckert
Brown Girl Dreaming, Jacqueline Woodson
Recommended by Lydah DeBin
Jacqueline Woodson writes primarily for kids and young adults. Woodson is an enormously powerful writer who takes on issues of gender, class and race. Woodson says, “There are all kinds of people in the world, and I want to help introduce readers to the kinds of people they might not otherwise meet.”
Richard Wright
Recommended by Amanda Bullock
This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color
Recommended by Mary Rechner
Feminist anthology, edited by Cherríe Moraga and Gloria E. Anzaldúa
Octavia’s Brood: Science Fiction Stories From Social Justice Movements
Recommended by Megan Gex
An anthology of short stories that connect science fiction with social justice. A book to celebrate the work of Octavia Butler from two young African-American women.