Diversity Boston: Book shelf

<![CDATA[<p>We asked 11 influential Bostonians to describe books that transformed their thinking and their understanding of the world around them.</p> <p>Here are their recommendations.</p>]]>

<![CDATA[<h3><a href=”http://www.amazon.com/Ive-Got-Light-Freedom-Mississippi/dp/0520251768/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338926276&sr=1-1″>I’ve Got the Light of Freedom</a></h3> <b>Written by:</b> Charles M. Payne<br> <b>Recommended by:</b> Soo Hong, assistant professor of education, Wellesley College<br> <p>”It wasn’t until I read this book that I came to understand how much movements can be sustained and led by ordinary men and women. High school students, sharecroppers, and beauticians contributed to the movement by building relationships, reaching out to neighbors, walking neighborhood blocks. Through my work in Boston, I have seen how young people and their families can be powerful forces in shaping change.”</p>]]>

<![CDATA[<h3><a href=”http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Autobiography-L-A-Gang-Member/dp/0802141447/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338926424&sr=1-1″>Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member</h3></a> <b>Written by:</b> Sanyika Shakur<br> <b>Recommended by:</b> Latoyia Edwards, evening anchor, NECN<br> <p> The author “was jumped-in at age 11. At 13, he stomped a man into a coma, earning his nickname Monster, and eventually served many years behind bars. He was candid about the turmoil his family experienced because of him. And just when you thought he couldn’t get more rotten, Shakur finds salvation in a dingy cell. My worldview changed forever when I accepted that redemption is possible even for a Monster.”</p>]]>

<![CDATA[<h3><a href=”http://www.amazon.com/Daddies-Daughters-Carmen-Renee-Berry/dp/0684849933/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338926689&sr=1-1″>Daddies and Daughters</a></h3> <b>Written by:</b> Carmen Renee Berry<br> <b>Recommended by:</b> Alberto Vasallo III, editor in chief, El Mundo Boston <br> <p>”Not only is ‘Daddies and Daughters’ a remarkable tribute to the extraordinary and enduring father-daughter relationship, but it has forced me to reflect upon an entirely different world that was, quite honestly, foreign to me. This book took me on an amazing journey — all the way from birth to the very complex “growing pains” of young girls, and finally, to the daily challenges faced by women.”</p>]]>

<![CDATA[<h3><a href=”http://www.amazon.com/The-Lakota-Way-Strength-Courage/dp/1604078782/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338926785&sr=1-1″>The Lakota Way of Strength and Courage</a></h3> <b>Written by:</b> Joseph M. Marshall III<br> <b>Recommended by:</b> Jason Talbot, cofounder, Artists For Humanity <br> <p>”In the Lakota nation, every young man learns to make a bow and arrow. These tools were more than just weapons — they were also symbols of strength and purpose. The bow, made of ash, and the arrow, created out of willow, are a metaphor for the transformation and resiliency needed to be a powerful person and a powerful contributor to the community or tribe. As a creative person, this book struck me on a basic level about how we as human beings can preserve what is fundamental.”</p>]]>

<![CDATA[<h3><a href=”http://www.amazon.com/Nudge-Improving-Decisions-Health-Happiness/dp/014311526X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338926910&sr=1-1″>Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness</h3></a> <b>Written by:</b> Richard H. Thaler<br> <b>Recommended by:</b> Sylvia Ferrell-Jones, chief executive, YWCA Boston<br> <p>”The book is about the science behind creating change. The authors describe how many of our seemingly independent choices are in fact created for us by hidden systems of ‘choice architecture.’ This made me think about ‘choices’ we make with respect to many aspects of diversity in our lives. If the environments in which we function are structured by choice architects then we must think and act consciously to notice, and then to choose differently.”</P>]]>

<![CDATA[<h3><a href=”http://www.amazon.com/The-Power-One-A-Novel/dp/034541005X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338927040&sr=1-1″>The Power of One: A Novel</a></h3> <b>Written by:</b> Bryce Courtenay<br> <b>Recommended by:</b> David C. Howse, executive director, Boston Children’s Chorus<br> <p>”The themes of this powerful story are woven through the protagonist Peekay — a young white South African boy who finds out what it means to be different. Peekay finds that in order to survive, he has to find a way to be true to himself and find ‘the power of one’ within. For me, this story confirms that we can overcome our greatest challenges when we know who we are as individuals — when we are true to our best selves.”</p>]]>

<![CDATA[<h3><a href=”http://www.amazon.com/Shifting-Double-Lives-Black-America/dp/0060090553/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338927195&sr=1-1″>Shifting: The Double Lives of Black Women in America</a></h3> <b>Written by:</b> Charisse Jones<br> <b>Recommended by:</b> Yvonne Spicer, vice president, National Center for Technological Literacy, Museum of Science <br> <p>”This is one of the most important books I’ve read and one of my favorites because it is filled with the voices of real African-American women. The phrase ‘shifting’ refers to a strategy of moving among roles, personalities, and ways of speaking to survive. The topic speaks to the limits and labels that African-American females have had to navigate.”</p>]]>

<![CDATA[<h3><a href=”http://www.amazon.com/The-Blind-Advantage-Principal-Disabilities/dp/1612501095/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338927413&sr=1-1″>The Blind Advantage</h3></a> <b>Written by:</b> Bill Henderson<br> <b>Recommended by:</b> Kim Charlson, director, Perkins Braille Talking Book Library <br> <p>”As an adult, Bill Henderson lost his sight to a degenerative eye disease. But he didn’t listen to professionals who told him he could never be a teacher, and that he should go on disability and stay home. He learned to use the strengths of his vision loss to become a more compassionate and sensitive teacher and administrator.”</p>]]>

<![CDATA[<h3><a href=”http://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Heart-Howard-Thurman/dp/0807010235/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338927520&sr=1-1″>Meditations of the Heart</a></h3> <b>Written by:</b> Howard Thurman<br> <b>Recommended by:</b> Deborah Jackson, president, Cambridge College <br> <p>”Thurman came from humble beginnings, born in the late 1800s and raised by a grandmother who had been a slave. He went on to graduate from Morehouse College, earn a doctorate from Haverford College, serve as a dean at Howard University, and become the first black dean of Marsh Chapel at Boston University. Thurman’s meditations have offered me peace and tranquility through many of life’s challenging moments.”</p>]]>

<![CDATA[<h3><a href=”http://www.amazon.com/The-Uses-Haiti-Paul-Farmer/dp/1567513441/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338927636&sr=1-1″>The Uses of Haiti</h3></a> <b>Written by:</b> Paul Farmer<br> <b>Recommeded by:</b> Elaine Ng, executive director, Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center <br> <p>”Farmer recounts Haiti’s complex history and examines the role of European nations and the United States with an unrelenting eye. The last chapters, which are devoted to the stories of three Haitians, are a reminder to us all of the strength of the human spirit and the importance of ordinary people transforming themselves, and the world. It changed my view about international intervention and foreign aid for developing nations.”</p>]]>

<![CDATA[<h3><a href=”http://www.amazon.com/Fine-Balance-Oprahs-Book-Club/dp/140003065X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338927738&sr=1-1″>A Fine Balance</a></h3> <b>Written by:</b>Rohinton Mistry<br> <b>Recommended by:</b> Lee Swislow, executive director, GLAD (Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders) <p>”It has been over 10 years since I first read this book, but it continues to have an effect on me. Set in India in 1975, this compelling novel describes the often brutal and devastating dynamics affecting the country. The book introduced me to a culture I knew nothing about — and it opened me up to a world of literature by authors from all over the globe.”</p>]]>