Nurturing for Community: April 6th at 10:30am

THE THREE MOTHERS: HOW THE MOTHERS OF MARTIN LUTHER KING JR, MALCOLM X AND JAMES BALDWIN SHAPED A NATION 

ANNA MALAIKA TUBBS

FLATIRON BOOKS (2021)

Much has been written about Berdis Baldwin’s son James, about Alberta King’s son Martin Luther, and Louise Little’s son Malcolm. But virtually nothing has been said about the extraordinary women who raised them. In her groundbreaking and essential debut The Three Mothers, scholar Anna Malaika Tubbs celebrates Black motherhood by telling the story of the three women who raised and shaped some of America’s most pivotal heroes. These women used their strength and motherhood to push their children toward greatness, all with a conviction that every human being deserves dignity and respect despite the rampant discrimination they faced.

Education for Mission: June 22nd at 10:30am

INVISIBLE CHILD: POVERTY, SURVIVAL, AND HOPE IN AN AMERICAN CITY 

ANDREA ELLIOT

RANDOM HOUSE (2021) 

The winner of the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize and a finalist for the Bernstein Award, this book follows eight dramatic years in the life of Dasani, a precocious and imaginative girl living in a homeless shelter in Brooklyn. Elliott weaves the story of Dasani’s childhood with the history of her ancestors, tracing their passage from slavery to the Great Migration north. As Dasani comes of age, New York City’s homeless crisis has exploded, deepening the chasm between rich and poor. She must guide her siblings through a world riddled by hunger, violence, racism, drug addiction, and the threat of foster care.

Leadership Development: August 17th at 10:30am

BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY: A MEMOIR
QIAN JULIE WANG
DOUBLEDAY (2021)

Seven-year-old Qian arrives in New York full of curiosity—and overwhelmed by fear and scarcity. While in Chinese, the word for America translates to “beautiful country,” her new life is anything but beautiful. Formerly professors, now Qian’s parents labor in sweatshops and fight constantly, desperate to survive in poverty in the richest country in the world. Shunned by her classmates for her limited English, Qian turns to books—and small joys that keep her going. This New York Times bestseller reveals a family fracturing under the weight of invisibility, and a girl coming of age in the shadows, who never stops seeking the light.

Spiritual Growth: September 28th at 10:30am

BRAIDING SWEETGRASS: INDIGENOUS WISDOM, SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE, AND THE TEACHINGS OF PLANTS 

ROBIN WALL KIMMERER

MILKWEED EDITIONS (2020) 

As a botanist, Kimmerer is trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers.  Here, she brings these two lenses together. Drawing on her life as an Indigenous scientist and a woman, Kimmerer shows how other living beings offer us gifts and lessons, even if we’ve forgotten how to hear their voices. She circles toward a central argument: that the awakening of ecological consciousness requires acknowledgement and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world.

Social Action: November 16th at 10:30am

PREY TELL: WHY WE SILENCE WOMEN WHO TELL THE TRUTH AND HOW EVERYONE CAN SPEAK UP 

TIFFANY BLUHM

BRAZOS PRESS (2021) 

Addressing men and women in all work settings—within the church and beyond—popular author and podcast host Tiffany Bluhm addresses sexual harassment, sexual assault, and the complex dynamics of power and abuse in systems we all find ourselves in. Ultimately, Prey Tell seeks to expose the cultural and spiritual narratives that silence women and illuminate the devastating emotional, financial, and social impact of silence in the face of injustice. The book is hailed as a must-read, though a difficult read, for anyone who longs to see justice upheld in the world.