What We've Been Reading This Summer
We don’t really believe in assigned summer reading here at Stone, but we do believe that the summer is one of the best seasons of the year to explore, learn, and grow. We asked Stone faculty members to share with us what they’ve particularly enjoyed reading this summer, and -- with selections which range from action novels to pedagogy to personal development to graphic novels -- it turns out our faculty reading choices are as diverse our curriculum!
Genevieve Munson, College Counseling.
Apple (Skin to the Core) by Eric Gansworth. This memoir caught my eye just after the Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative, explaining in an op-ed that she wanted to "address the inter-generational impact of Indian boarding schools." Using verse, images, and federal documents, Gansworth wove together his experience growing up at the Tuscarora Nation and his identity as an artist with the legacy of government boarding schools. It made me angry and hopeful and left me with a bunch of questions to answer.
Horst Rosenberg, Humanities.
Vanishing Fleece: Adventures in American Wool by Clara Parkes. I have a lifelong obsession with wool. From every perspective: scientific, historical, or sartorial, there is simply no textile that can rival wool for fascination and utility. Clara Parkes follows one 700 pound bale of wool on a journey through four separate mills and muses in the meantime on what we will lose if we lose the last vestiges of the American wool industry.
Jay Lance, Middle School Dean.
The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin is a science fiction novel translated from Chinese that imagines our world's first encounter with alien life. The realistic physics and politics of such an event were captivating and provided a thrilling read. I'm looking forward to reading the next two books of the trilogy about this exploration of an event that is often romanticized but which would probably cause great chaos to all of our lives.
Maribel Perez, Spanish.
Strung Out On Archeology, by Laurie A. Wilkie. I love Wilkie's approach because it's different from the traditional and (to some extent) tedious way of teaching archaeology. This book is about how to think as an archaeologist formulating interesting theoretical questions about contemporary social issues by analyzing events such as the Mardi Gras festival.
Discussion As A Way of Teaching, Tools and Techniques for Democratic Classrooms by Stephen D. Brookfield and Stephen Preskill. This book (especially Ch. 9 and 10) offers interesting tips on how to keep students' and teachers' voices in some kind of balance while stimulating a respectful and democratic discussion. The tone of this book fits perfectly with our learner-centered teaching environment at Stone.
Sam Savage, Middle School Science.
The City We Became, NK Jemisin. It's a weird one. A sci fi novel about people becoming human avatars for the different boroughs of NYC to battle an inter-dimensional force that destroys the soul of cities. Well rounded LGBTQ characters, addresses topics of systemic racism, gentrification, bigotry, perpetuation of violence, and so many others.
The Great Alone, Kristin Hannah. It's the 1970's and a young girl's family decides to move to the Alaskan wilderness to solve all their problems centering around dad's alcoholism and PTSD. That's not what happens. Features great depictions of life as a homesteader in Alaska, tackles themes of alcoholism, abuse, family, and community.
A Deadly Education, Naomi Novik. Grown up Harry Potter-esque fantasy. School for magic but no adults, just monsters that crawl through the drains and vents to eat students. One of my favorite fantasy writers- desperately awaiting the release of book 2 this fall.
Drew Hermeling, Upper School Humanities.
Ms. Marvel/The Champions: Outlawed, by Saladin Ahmed and Eve Ewing. This crossover comic event focused on the American government's attempts to curb and regulate the actions of teen superheroes, such as Ms. Marvel, Miles Morales's Spider-Man, and Ironheart, paternalistically claiming that it was for their own protection. This leads the teen superhero team the Champions in conflict with the newly-formed Child-Hero Reconnaissance And Disruption Law Enforcement (C.R.A.D.L.E.), as it is revealed that the money behind the government's actions are none other than the super-polluting multinational corporation Roxxon! Obviously, as a comic, much of the commentary is a bit on the nose, but I loved it because I saw in some of my favorite heroes the same energy that I see in our students, especially coming so closely on the heels of the Big Do! It reminded me of all of the obstacles and people who "knew better" who doubted that a bunch of teens from a tiny school could plant 5000 trees and inspire a community to "make change loud!"
Making Gender: The Poetics and Erotics of Culture, by Sherry Ortner. I've also been doing a lot of work on my own dissertation. This book outlines a particular approach to studying gender and power using the a set of sociological and anthropological approaches that broadly fall under the rubric of "Practice Theory." It is already proving very influential in my work, especially as I try to uncover how eighteenth-century women from both settler and Indigenous communities had a much bigger impact on transcultural diplomacy than the archive would superficially suggest.
Mike Simpson, Head of School.
I’m wrapping up reading Carole Robin and David Bradford’s remarkable book Connect: Building Exceptional Relationships With Family, Friends, and Colleagues. Robin and Bradford are the architects of one of the Stanford Graduate School of Business’ longest running and most popular classes -- Interpersonal Dynamics (which is also sometimes called “Touchy-Feely”) -- and they’ve written this book as a way to share their 45+ years of insight into how we listen and communicate, how we give and receive feedback, how we express care for one another. It’s been challenging and remarkable and deeply enriching.
Here I’ll add that I also read five Jack Reacher novels this summer. Those were...less enriching.
Brian Lehman, Upper and Middle School Visual Arts.
Just Mercy, by Bryan Stevenson is a powerful true story of how one man made a difference in the lives of many unjustly incarcerated individuals and their families. I must admit that I cried multiple times while reading this amazing story of justice and redemption.\
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See also: 2021-22 Curriculum Guide; Why We Still Don’t Believe in the AP; Snow Days Forever, Summer Reading At Stone.