The 2024-2025 Chicago Area Schweitzer Fellows are dedicating their time to community projects and expanding their knowledge through literature. From novels and memoirs to scientific analyses and investigative journalism, these works reflect the Fellows’ commitment to health equity, social justice, and personal growth.
Here’s a glimpse into their recommended reads:
Novels for Insight and Empathy
- How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin – A gripping tale exploring self-discovery and resilience. Recommended by Roberto Mizhquiri.
- How the Penguins Saved Veronica by Hazel Prior – A heartwarming novel about unlikely friendships and personal growth. Recommended by Jesse Gamoran.
- All Fours by Miranda July – A quirky, imaginative journey into complex human relationships. Recommended by Daniel Benedum.
Memoirs that Confront Inequities
- Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine by Uché Blackstock – A powerful narrative about the personal and systemic struggles of addressing racism in health care. Recommended by Nicole Safran.
Non-Fiction That Challenges Norms
- The Anti-Ableist Manifesto: Smashing Stereotypes, Forging Change, and Building a Disability-Inclusive World by Tiffany Yu – A groundbreaking call to action for disability inclusion and equity. Recommended by Nicole Safran.
- Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good by adrienne maree brown – Essays that intertwine joy, justice, and social change. Recommended by Suvitha Viswanathan.
- Inflamed: Deep Medicine and the Anatomy of Injustice by Raj Patel and Rupa Marya – A deep dive into the connections between health, inequality, and environmental justice. Recommended by Kavya Anjur.
- The Mind-Gut Connection: How the Hidden Conversation Within Our Bodies Impacts Our Mood, Our Choices, and Our Overall Health by Emeran Mayer – An exploration of how the gut influences mental and physical health. Recommended by Saranya Menon.
Articles Sparking Reflection
- The Moral Crisis of America’s Doctors by Eyal Press in the New York Times – An investigative look at the ethical dilemmas facing today’s medical professionals. Recommended by Binita Pandya.
- I Am Not Your Minority by Carmen Black, Jessica P. Cerdeña, and E. Vanessa Spearman-McCarthy in The Lancet – A powerful commentary on racial inequities in health care. Recommended by Jesse Gamoran.