We asked colleagues, “What have you read that has informed your work or resonated for you, and why? This can be reading in any form (e.g., books, articles, videos, podcasts, audiobooks, etc.).” Perhaps you’ll find a book for reading over the winter break or for future exploration individually or as a team.
Cynthia Castro, Director/Associate Athletics Director, Academics for Student Athletes
In Dare to Lead, Brené Brown (2018) (Valley Library print, ebook) states, “The true underlying obstacle to brave leadership is how we respond to our fear” (p. 12). This insight resonates in higher education, where we sometimes encounter hesitance to engage openly. By addressing these fears, we can shed our protective armor and embrace vulnerability. Courageous conversations foster genuine connections and create a supportive environment for everyone. When we approach challenges with openness, we encourage growth and resilience. Together, we can lead authentically, transforming our community into a space where all individuals feel valued and empowered to thrive.
Tait Bergstom, Director, Graduate Writing Center
I research multimodal approaches to literacy and writing. Recently, one book read for fun became unexpectedly relevant: The Confessions by Jean Jacques Rousseau (Valley Library print). He describes vividly the relationship between writing and human movement: he seemed to arrive at almost all his big ideas while walking. He also notes frequently becoming socially paralyzed or incommunicative when forced to stand still and lecture in the public speaking style that was esteemed in his day. He needed physical movement and the input of changing scenery in a way that seems relevant to how people talk about composition strategies for neurodivergent writers today.
Allison Wilson, Director, Center for Advocacy, Prevention & Education (CAPE), Student Health Services
The Wound Makes the Medicine by Pixie Lighthorse – this is a beautifully written book providing insights to help navigate the grief of loss & fear of change. So many folx that we work with at CAPE are navigating vulnerable and extremely difficult experiences, including staff who are supporting folx as they move through trauma. This reading has been so helpful for me in thinking about ways that folx navigate grief, loss and change in the context of gender-based violence work and how I can best support them (and myself) through those processes.
Regan A.R. Gurung, Professor, School of Psychological Science
If you have noticed people are more attached to their phones than ever (especially students scrolling reels), Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation: How the great rewiring of childhood is causing an epidemic of mental illness (2024) (Valley Library print) is an absorbing must read. Disturbing and stimulating, it documents how the advent of the smartphone maps on to kids spending less time with each other in person and a rise in depression, loneliness, and anxiety. While I do not agree with all the suggestions, this is great food for thought regarding how we (as a university/ society), live with technology and social media.
