As is the ODI tradition, this 2023 list is curated in the spirit of our ongoing efforts to affirm, ally for solidarity, and act in the pursuit of racial equity and justice and make SU a thriving place for all. This consequential year revealed the depth of the gulf of understandings of our shared history and the present manifestations.
Thanks to our robust and dynamic partnership with Lemieux Library, we are pleased to offer direct access to the 2023 Summer Reading List books through this link, generously compiled by Lemieux Library team.
Caveat: Reading alone is insufficient to realize our shared vision for an inclusive and equitable university. Yet, without widening perspectives progress remains elusive. Please continue to share your ideas of resources from research and enlightening reads over summer and beyond to inclusion@seattleu.edu.
Finally, colleagues, we must take care of ourselves to maintain strength for the journey toward justice. I wish you time to rest, restore, and to experience joy this summer. Stay safe and be well.
Curated by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Seattle University
- Joy is My Justice by Tanmeet Sethi
- Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Common Text AY 2023-2024)
- The 272: The Families Who Were Enslaved and Sold to Build the American Catholic Church by Rachel L. Swarms
- Cuba: An American History by Ada Ferrer
- Just Action: How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under the Color of Law by Richard Rothstein and Leah Rothstein
- I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times by Mónica Guzmán
- Vanishing Maps: A Novel by Cristina García
- Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally by Emily Ladau
- Pageboy: A Memoir by Elliot Page
- Asian American Histories of the United States by Catherine Ceniza Choy
- Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World by Christian Cooper
- After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging by Willie James Jennings
- Freedom House: Poems by KB Brookins
- A Brutal Reckoning: Andrew Jackson, the Creek Indians, and the Epic War for the American South by Peter Cozzens
- Running While Black: Finding Freedom in a Sport That Wasn't Built for Us by Alison Mariella Désir
- The Personal Librarian: A Novel by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
- Say Anarcha: A Young Woman, a Devious Surgeon, and the Harrowing Birth of Modern Women's Health by J.C. Hallman
- Biting the Hand: Growing Up Asian in Black and White America by Julia Lee
- True: The Four Seasons of Jackie Robinson by Kostya Kennedy
- By Hands Now Known: Jim Crow’s Legal Executioners by Margaret A. Burnham
- The Sentence: A Novel by Louise Erdrich
- Up to Speed: The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes by Christine Yu
- A Good Country: My Life in Twelve Towns and the Devastating Battle for a White America by Sofia Ali-Khan
- Weathering: The Extraordinary Stress of Ordinary Life in an Unjust Society by Dr. Arline T. Geronimus
- Waging a Good War: A Military History of the Civil Rights Movement, 1954-1968 by Thomas E. Ricks
- The Racism of People Who Love You: Essays on Mixed Race Belonging by Samira K. Mehta
- Yellowface: A Novel by R.F. Kuang
- Racial Innocence: Unmasking Latino Anti-Black Bias and the Struggle for Equality by Tanya Katerí Hernández
- Weaving Sundown in a Scarlet Light: 50 Poems for 50 Years by Joy Harjo (with foreword by Sandra Cisneros)
- A Dream Called Home: A Novel by Reyna Grande
Previous Summer Inclusive Excellence Reading Lists