Our Cultures Connecting team are avid readers and while we have a long list of books we recommend, we decided to share one of the most impactful books, fiction or nonfiction, that we read in 2023.
Exclusion & Embrace by Miroslav Volf
Richard: I returned to this theology book that I read a number of years ago, a book dealing with identity, division, othering and community, to remind myself of the deep and big challenges of this work.
Caste by Isabel Wilkerson
Caprice: I’m learning so many things I did not know and to think differently about things I did know. For example, “No current-day adult will be alive in the year in which African Americans as a group will have been free for as long as they have been enslaved. That will not come until the year 2111," (page 48) Wow!
Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
Judy: I've been reading lots of fiction and nonfiction by AANHPI authors. I enjoyed how subversive this book was while reflecting my experiences as an AANHPI through the voice of a White narrator. It was so entertaining that I read it in a couple of days.
She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
Ilsa: I really enjoyed the exploration of gender identity. It was a great adventure tale, an opportunity to learn more about culture and history, and included nuanced awareness of interpersonal dynamics.
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Jerod: This book has brought me back to imagination and creative in all aspects of my life that I feel I’ve moved away from.