Nothing replaces community and conversation, but our worlds also expand immeasurably with a good book in hand. These are some titles that bring new voices, perspectives, facts and figures into the room. The list includes both nonfiction (data-driven, historical, biographical) and fiction set against a backdrop of places, moments and individuals drawn from real life. Those settings range from farmland to marshes; from Flint, Michigan to Lyallpur, Punjab; from the Great Migration to the largest social movements of today. Some are new releases, others timeless classics that hold true.

They have kept me company, enriched my life and gotten me hooked. Hope you find some pages here that do the same for you. Click for links to summaries and feel free reach out with recommendations or reflections to share.

*Note on accessibility: Much as I encourage supporting book shops, a growing collection can get costly, and finding time to read can be tricky. That said, I found nearly all of these through the library, and though I love turning pages, appreciated how many audio versions were available – for free, and often read by the author.

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