Looking for a new summer read? Here are 8 suggestions from Philly community members and leaders

Whether you’re inside avoiding a heat wave or taking in some sun at the pool, summer is a perfect time to crack open a new book. And while most summer reading suggestions come from celebrities or expert professionals, there’s something to be said for a book recommended by a neighbor or friend.

Here are eight books to add to your summer reading list, from Philly community members and leaders:

This Soviet-era literary novel comes recommended by Jared Beck, community schools coordinator for the Alain Locke School in Mill Creek. The Master and Margarita, published in 1967, is a satirical critique of the Stalinist Soviet Union, told through dark humor and the supernatural, featuring Pontius Pilate and Satan’s visit to Moscow. The book is one of Russia’s most beloved and frequently read novels, and was recently adapted into a successful film.

“[It] was such a fun read. I love reading magical realism [especially during the summer months] because it’s such an easy way to escape into a new world,” Beck said.

Check it out on Amazon and Bookshop.

A teenage coming-of-age story may be essential for any summer reading list. This recommendation from Yace Sula, education and programming coordinator with Philadelphia Film Society, is about a girl navigating grief from the past while suddenly discovering a long-lost sister. Its author, Myah Hollis, is a Pennsylvanian who describes her debut novel as Euphoria meets Girl in Pieces.

“It’s a very refreshing take on the abrasiveness of adolescence and how we navigate grieving the dead and sometimes the living,” Sula said.

“I think it’ll be an affirming read for folks still sifting through childhood trauma in adulthood.”

Check it out on Amazon and Bookshop.

This love story is more than your typical summer romance novel. It tells the story of two teenagers on opposite sides of the island nation of Cyprus’ conflict between its Greek and Turkish communities. After war breaks out and splits them apart, one returns to Cyprus decades later to find their lost love. Bareeq Barqawi, former chair of the Network of Arab American Professionals Philadelphia chapter, recommends it, believing that the teenagers’ forbidden romance taking place beneath a symbolic fig tree adds a unique layer to the story.

“The novel’s exploration of the effects of conflict and displacement on individuals and communities is universally relatable, making it a timely and thought-provoking read,” she said.

Check it out on Amazon and Bookshop.

Do you dream of a garden overflowing with thriving tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and so much more? According to the promising blurb, this book — a must-read for the novice gardener — “is your key to unlocking the joy and benefits of homegrown produce and blooms.”

For Keisha Hudson, chief defender of the city’s Defender Association of Philadelphia, which provides legal counsel for the city poorest defendants, working in the soil is the ultimate in relaxation.

“I selected this book because I am gardening this year, growing our own herbs and vegetables. Gardening is meditation for me,” Hudson said.

Check it out on Amazon.

Lincoln Steffens made the infamous 1904 comment that Philadelphia was “corrupt and contented,” and a century later, author Brett Mandel finds the epithet is still warranted. Jacqueline Wiggins, a North Philadelphia advocate, heard Mandel discuss his book at a book signing, and it’s become her summer read.

“A friend and I went to Mandel’s book signing some months ago. He suggested not to go to the index to find names of people. Couldn’t help myself.

“While the focus is on the city’s current and past history of corruption and how ‘human frailty’ has consequences, especially with respect to the Johnny Dougherty/Bobby Henon cases to a great extent,” Wiggins said, “other names in the book left me with major ‘shock and awe’ coupled with my very own, ‘I knew something was up with...’”

Check it out on Amazon and Bookshop.

This primer explores the connections between environmentalism and racism, arguing that the uplift of marginalized people is linked to the protection of the Earth. Its author, Leah Thomas, is a young activist whose organization, Intersectional Environmentalist, creates programming and builds partnerships that support environmental justice efforts and education.

Carmela Dow, a leader with Friends of Malcolm X Park, recommends this book because she believes its message is essential for leaders, businesses, and movements.

“It left me feeling ready to jump into action and ready to interact positively with others, and coexist in a way that ensures the future of Earth, humanity, and all the species that we interact with,” she said.

Check it out on Amazon and Bookshop.

If the summer has you already feeling in a back-to-school mood, Bryan Belknap, the founder of the Kensington nonprofit Philly Bridge & Jawn (PB&J), recommends this book to better understand how the structure of our brains influences how we feel and think. Belknap said that he uses what he’s learned from this book to design PB&J’s programming, which pays Philly youth to cook meals for one another.

“We are in the midst of a gun violence and opioid epidemic and just coming out of the isolation of the COVID pandemic. Teaching people tools to deal with toxic stress and trauma has [never] been more important. This book smashes myths like, ‘What doesn’t kill us makes us strong,’” he said.

Check it out on Amazon and Bookshop.

For Chad Lassiter, executive director of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, his day job is spent looking for ways to help Pennsylvania’s almost 13 million residents get along peacefully despite our differences. His summer reading list reflects the task: White Rural Rage: The Threat to American Democracy by Tom Schaller and Paul Waldman; We Are the Leaders We Have Been Looking For by Eddie S. Glaude Jr.; and Metaracism: How Systemic Racism Devastates Black Lives – and How we Break Free by Tricia Rose.

But the one he is reading now is The False White Gospel: Rejecting Christian Nationalism, Reclaiming True Faith, and Refounding Democracy by Jim Wallis, who discusses how to save both the democracy and the church from the ravages of white Christian nationalism. “I pick these books because there are vast challenges in our democracy and I need to draw on not only inspiration but informed knowledge that is full of social justice and social change themes.”

Check it out on Amazon and Bookshop.