LTC Library: Monthly Research Guides: Books

Historical Perspectives

Banking on Freedom by Shennette Garrett-Scott
Call Number: HG181.G35 B36 2019
Publication Date: 2019-05-07
Between 1888 and 1930, African Americans opened more than a hundred banks and thousands of other financial institutions. In Banking on Freedom, Shennette Garrett-Scott explores this rich period of black financial innovation and its transformative impact on U.S. capitalism through the story of the St. Luke Bank in Richmond, Virginia: the first and only bank run by black women.
Black on Both Sides by C. Riley Snorton
Call Number: HQ77.95.U6 S66 2017
Publication Date: 2017-12-05
C. Riley Snorton identifies multiple intersections between blackness and transness from the mid-nineteenth century to present-day anti-black and anti-trans legislation and violence. Snorton follows multiple trajectories, from the medical experiments conducted on enslaved black women by J. Marion Sims, the "father of American gynecology," to the negation of blackness that makes transnormativity possible.
Caste by Isabel Wilkerson
Call Number: HT725.U6 W55 2020
Publication Date: 2020-08-04
An eye-opening story of people and history, and a reexamination of what lies under the surface of ordinary lives and of American life today.
Enraged, Rattled, and Wronged by Kristin J. Anderson
Call Number: HN90.M6 A57 2021
Publication Date: 2021-06-11
What happens to entitled people when they feel pushed aside? How does their inflated sense of deservingness make them vulnerable to manipulation by the demagogues who use them, blinding them to the negative outcomes that are often paradoxical? Anderson traces this phenomenon over time and delineates the link between individual-level processing of psychological deservingness and macro-level problems that impede equality.
Freedom Is a Constant Struggle by Angela Y. Davis; Cornel West (Foreword by); Frank Barat (Editor)
Call Number: JC571 .D33275 2016
Publication Date: 2016-01-25
In this collection of essays, interviews, and speeches, the renowned activist examines today's issues--from Black Lives Matter to prison abolition and more.
Sundown Towns by James W. Loewen
Call Number: E185.615 .L577 2018
Publication Date: 2018-07-17
In this groundbreaking work, sociologist James W. Loewen, author of the classic bestseller Lies My Teacher Told Me, brings to light decades of hidden racial exclusion in America. In a provocative, sweeping analysis of American residential patterns, Loewen uncovers the thousands of 'sundown towns' - almost exclusively white towns where it was an unspoken rule that blacks weren't welcome - that cropped up throughout the twentieth century, most of them located outside of the South.
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
Call Number: E185.6 .W685 2010
Publication Date: 2010-09-07
In this beautifully written masterwork, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson chronicles one of the great untold stories of American history: the decades-long migration of black citizens who fled the South for northern and western cities, in search of a better life. Wilkerson compares this epic migration to the migrations of other peoples in history. She interviewed more than a thousand people, and gained access to new data and official records, to write this definitive and vividly dramatic account of how these American journeys unfolded, altering our cities, our country, and ourselves.
A White-Collar Profession by Theresa A. Hammond
Call Number: HF5616.U5 H27 2002
Publication Date: 2002-05-27
Among the major professions, certified public accountancy has the most severe underrepresentation of African Americans: less than 1 percent of CPAs are black. Theresa Hammond explores the history behind this statistic and chronicles the courage and determination of African Americans who sought to enter the field. In the process, she expands our understanding of the links between race, education, and economics.

LGBTQIA+

Ace by Angela Chen
Call Number: HQ21 .C456 2020
Publication Date: 2020-09-15
An engaging exploration of what it means to be asexual in a world that's obsessed with sexual attraction, and what the ace perspective can teach all of us about desire and identity.
Beyond Magenta by Susan Kuklin
Call Number: E-book
Publication Date: 2014-02-11
A groundbreaking work of LGBT literature takes an honest look at the life, love, and struggles of transgender teens. Author and photographer Susan Kuklin met and interviewed six transgender or gender-neutral young adults and used her considerable skills to represent them thoughtfully and respectfully before, during, and after their personal acknowledgment of gender preference.
Bisexual and Pansexual Identities by Nikki Hayfield
Call Number: HQ74 .H39 2021
Publication Date: 2020-05-12
This book explores the invisibility and invalidation of bisexuality from the past to the present and is unique in extending the discussion to focus on contemporary and emerging identities. Nikki Hayfield draws on research from psychology and the social sciences to offer a detailed and in-depth exploration of the invisibility and invalidation of bisexuality, pansexuality, and asexuality.
Over the Top by Jonathan Van Ness
Call Number: PN2287.V336 A3 2020
Publication Date: 2020-09-29
A memoir from the beloved star of Netflix's Queer Eye, Jonathan Van Ness. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll come away knowing that no matter how broken or lost you may be, you're a Kelly Clarkson song, you're strong, and you've got this.
Refusing Compulsory Sexuality by Sherronda J. Brown; Hess Love (Foreword by); Grace B. Freedom (Afterword by)
Call Number: E-book
Publication Date: 2022-09-13
A Black queer feminist exploration of asexuality--and an incisive interrogation of the sex-obsessed culture that invisibilizes and ignores asexual and A-spec identity.
Sissy by Jacob Tobia
Publication Date: 2020-03-03
A deeply personal story of trauma and healing, a powerful reflection on gender and self-acceptance, and a hilarious guidebook for wearing tacky clip-on earrings in today's world, Sissy guarantees you'll never think about gender--both other people's and your own--the same way again.

Find lots more resources on LGBTQIA+ Studies in our Topic Guide:

LGBTQIA+ Pride Month
by Rachel Leverenz Last Updated Dec 5, 2024 7 views this year

Native American & Indigenous Studies

Sabrina and Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
Call Number: PS3606.A396 A6 2020
Publication Date: 2020-04-07
Latinas of Indigenous descent living in the American West take center stage in this haunting debut story collection--a powerful meditation on friendship, mothers and daughters, and the deep-rooted truths of our homelands.
New Native Kitchen by Freddie Bitsoie; James O. Fraioli; Quentin Bacon (By (photographer)); Gabriella Trujillo (Illustrator)
Call Number: TX715.2.N38 B58 2021
Publication Date: 2021-11-16
In this essential cookbook, Bitsoie shares his expertise and culinary insights into Native American cooking and suggests new approaches for every home cook. With recipes as varied as the peoples that inspired them, New Native Kitchen celebrates the Indigenous heritage of American cuisine.
Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard; Juana Martinez-Neal (Illustrator)
Call Number: DIVERSITY JUV PZ7.1.M34682 Fr 2019
Publication Date: 2019-10-22
Fry bread is food. It is warm and delicious, piled high on a plate. Fry bread is time. It brings families together for meals and new memories. Fry bread is nation. It is shared by many, from coast to coast and beyond. Fry bread is us. It is a celebration of old and new, traditional and modern, similarity and difference.
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
Call Number: E99.O8 G675 2017
Publication Date: 2017-04-18
In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe. Then, one by one, the Osage began to be killed off. As the death toll rose, the newly created FBI took up the case, and the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to try to unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including a Native American agent who infiltrated the region, and together with the Osage began to expose one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history.
The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen by Sean Sherman
Call Number: TX715 .S54 2017
Publication Date: 2017-10-10
Here is real food--our indigenous American fruits and vegetables, the wild and foraged ingredients, game and fish. Locally sourced, seasonal, "clean" ingredients and nose-to-tail cooking are nothing new to Sean Sherman, the Oglala Lakota chef and founder of The Sioux Chef.

Find lots more resources on Native American and Indigenous Studies in our Topic Guide:

Native American Heritage Month
by Rachel Leverenz Last Updated Oct 18, 2024 4 views this year

AAPI Studies

Staring down the Tiger by Pa Der Vang (Editor)
Call Number: PS508.H63 S73 2020
Publication Date: 2020-02-25
This collection of essays brings life and character to the challenges of maintaining identity, navigating changes in gender roles, transitioning to American culture, and breaking through cultural barriers.
Modern Jungles by Pao Lor
Call Number: E-book
Publication Date: 2021-02-17
As a five-year-old boy, Pao Lor joined thousands of Hmong who fled for their lives through the jungles of Laos in the aftermath of war. After a difficult and perilous journey that neither of his parents survived, he reached the safety of Thailand, but the young refugee boy's challenges were only just beginning. Now in Modern Jungles, Pao Lor shares his inspiring coming-of-age tale about perseverance, grit, and hope.
The Latehomecomer by Kao Kalia Yang
Call Number: E184.H55 Y36 2008
Publication Date: 2008-04-01
Driven to tell her family's story after her grandmother's death, The Latehomecomer is Kao Kalia Yang's tribute to the remarkable woman whose spirit held them all together. Through her words, the dreams, wisdom, and traditions passed down from her grandmother and shared by an entire community have finally found a voice.
Hmong America by Chia Youyee Vang
Call Number: E184.H55 V35 2010
Publication Date: 2010-12-06
The first scholarly work to come from inside the Hmong community, Hmong America documents Chia Youyee Vang's own migration from Laos to Minnesota at age nine and the transformations she has witnessed in Hmong communities throughout the migration and settlement processes.
Asian American Dreams by Helen Zia
Call Number: E184.O6 .Z53 2001
Publication Date: 2001-05-15
Written for both Asian Americans--the fastest-growing population in the United States--and non-Asians, Asian American Dreams argues that America can no longer afford to ignore these emergent, vital, and singular American people.

Find lots more resources about AAPI and Hmong Studies in our Topic Guides:

Hmong Heritage Month
by Rachel Leverenz Last Updated Jan 24, 2025 76 views this year

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
by Rachel Leverenz Last Updated Jul 16, 2024 96 views this year

Age

Agewise by Margaret Morganroth Gullette
Call Number: HQ1061 .G8633 2011
Publication Date: 2011-04-15
Drawing on provocative and under-reported evidence from biomedicine, literature, economics, and personal stories, Gullette probes the ageism that drives discontent with our bodies, our selves, and our accomplishments--and makes us easy prey for marketers who want to sell us an illusory vision of youthful perfection.
Ending Ageism, or How Not to Shoot Old People by Margaret Morganroth Gullette
Call Number: E-book
Publication Date: 2017-08-23
In this original and important book, Gullette presents evidence of pervasive age-related assaults in contemporary societies and their chronic affects.
This Chair Rocks by Ashton Applewhite
Call Number: HQ1061 .A67 2020
Publication Date: 2020-08-11
Explaining the roots of ageism in history and how it divides and debases, Applewhite looks at ageism in the workplace and the bedroom, exposes the cost of the all-American myth of independence, critiques the portrayal of elders as burdens to society, describes what an all-age-friendly world would look like, and offers a rousing call to action.
Women Rowing North by Mary Pipher
Call Number: E-book
Publication Date: 2019-04-04
Women growing older contend with ageism, misogyny and loss. Yet as Mary Pipher shows, most older women are deeply happy and filled with gratitude for the gifts of life. Their struggles help them grow into the authentic, empathetic and wise people they have always wanted to be .In Women Rowing North, Pipher offers a timely examination of the cultural and developmental issues women face as they age.

Body Positivity

The (Other) F Word by Angie Manfredi (Editor)
Call Number: E-book
Publication Date: 2019-09-24
This dazzling collection of art, poetry, essays, and fashion tips is meant for people of all sizes who desire to be seen and heard in a culture consumed by a narrow definition of beauty.
Landwhale by Jes Baker
Call Number: RC552.O25 B35 2018
Publication Date: 2018-05-08
A deeply personal take, Landwhale is a glimpse at life as a fat woman today, but it's also a reflection of the unforgiving ways our culture still treats fatness, all with Jes's biting voice as the guide.
Shrill by Lindy West
Call Number: PN4874.W425 A3 2016
Publication Date: 2017-02-28
Shrill provocatively dissects what it means to become self-aware the hard way, to go from wanting to be silent and invisible to earning a living defending the silenced in all caps.
Happy Fat: Taking up Space in a World That Wants to Shrink You by Sofie Hagen
Call Number: BF697.5.B63 H34 2020
Publication Date: 2020-04-07
Part memoir, part social commentary, Happy Fat is a funny, angry and impassioned look at how taking up space in a culture that is desperate to reduce you can be radical, emboldening and life-changing.
Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls by Jes Baker
Call Number: RC628 .B28 2015
Publication Date: 2015-10-27
Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls is an invitation for all women to reject fat prejudice, learn to love their bodies, and join the most progressive, and life-changing revolution there is: the movement to change the world by loving their bodies.

Personal Bias

Sway by Pragya Agarwal
Call Number: E-book
Publication Date: 2020-06-02
Experiments have shown that our brains categorize people by race in less than one-tenth of a second, about 50 milliseconds before determining sex. This means that we are labeling people by race and associating certain characteristics to them without even hearing them speak or getting to know them. In Sway, author Pragya Agarwal uncovers the science behind our "unintentional" biases.
Blindspot by Mahzarin R. Banaji; Anthony G. Greenwald
Call Number: BF575.P9 B25 2013
Publication Date: 2016-08-16
In Blindspot, the authors reveal hidden biases based on their experience with the Implicit Association Test, a method that has revolutionized the way scientists learn about the human mind and that gives us a glimpse into what lies within the metaphoric blindspot.
Diversity Beyond Lip Service by La'Wana Harris; Khalil Smith (Foreword by)
Call Number: E-book
Publication Date: 2019-05-28
The ugly truth about diversity is that some people worry they must give up their power for others to have a chance. La'Wana Harris's Inclusion Coaching method helps people realize that sharing power isn't the same as losing it.

Intersectionality

Unapologetic by Charlene Carruthers
Call Number: HQ75.6.U5 C36 2018
Publication Date: 2018-08-28
A manifesto from one of America's most influential activists which disrupts political, economic, and social norms by reimagining the Black Radical Tradition. Drawing on Black intellectual and grassroots organizing traditions, including the Haitian Revolution, the US civil rights movement, and LGBTQ rights and feminist movements, Unapologetic challenges all of us engaged in the social justice struggle to make the movement for Black liberation more radical, more queer, and more feminist.
Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall
Call Number: E185.86 .K46 2021
Publication Date: 2021-02-23
In her searing collection of essays, Mikki Kendall takes aim at the legitimacy of the modern feminist movement, arguing that it has chronically failed to address the needs of all but a few women. Drawing on her own experiences with hunger, violence, and hypersexualization, along with incisive commentary on reproductive rights, politics, pop culture, the stigma of mental health, and more, Hood Feminism delivers an irrefutable indictment of a movement in flux. An unforgettable debut, Kendall has written a ferocious clarion call to all would-be feminists to live out the true mandate of the movement in thought and in deed.
The Voices Of #MeToo by Carly Gieseler
Call Number: HV6625 .G54 2019
Publication Date: 2019-07-23
This book unravels the ideas and practices of activism throughout the #MeToo movement from its inception to its current viral moment. With chapters on black female activism, the LGBTQ+ community and disability, toxic masculinity, and international responses, the Voices of #MeToo issues a call for all movements to become more inclusive as they seek empowerment and resistance against oppressive and abusive forces.

Class

Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
Call Number: HD4918 E375 2001
Publication Date: 2011-08-02
Barbara Ehrenreich goes "undercover" as an unskilled worker to reveal the dark side of American prosperity. Millions of Americans work full time, year round, for poverty-level wages. Barbara Ehrenreich decided to join them. She was inspired in part by the rhetoric surrounding welfare reform, which promised that a job--any job--can be the ticket to a better life. But how does anyone survive, let alone prosper, on $8 an hour?
23 Things They Don't Tell You about Capitalism by Ha-Joon Chang
Call Number: E-book
Publication Date: 2011-01-02
This is a lighthearted book with a serious purpose: to question the assumptions behind the dogma and sheer hype that the dominant school of neoliberal economists-the apostles of the freemarket-have spun since the Age of Reagan.Chang. 23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism equips readers with an understanding of how global capitalism works-and doesn't.
Evicted by Matthew Desmond
Call Number: HD7287.96.U6 D47 2016
Publication Date: 2017-02-28
One of the most acclaimed books of our time, this modern classic transforms our understanding of poverty and economic exploitation while providing fresh ideas for solving one of twenty-first-century America's most devastating problems.
Janesville by Amy Goldstein
Call Number: HD8072.5 G65 2017
Publication Date: 2017-04-18
Pulitzer Prize winner Amy Goldstein has spent years immersed in Janesville, Wisconsin where the nation's oldest operating General Motors plant shut down in the midst of the Great Recession, two days before Christmas of 2008. Her reporting takes the reader deep into the lives of autoworkers, educators, bankers, politicians, and job re-trainers to show why it's so hard in the twenty-first century to recreate a healthy, prosperous working class.

African American Studies

The Black and the Blue by Matthew Horace; Ron Harris
Call Number: HV7911.H617 A3 2018
Publication Date: 2018-08-07
During his 28-year career, Matthew Horace rose through the ranks from a police officer working the beat to a federal agent working criminal cases in some of the toughest communities in America to a highly decorated federal law enforcement executive managing high-profile investigations nationwide. The Black and the Blue is an affirmation of the critical need for criminal justice reform, all the more urgent because it comes from an insider who respects his profession yet is willing to reveal its flaws.
Black Food by Bryant Terry (Editor)
Call Number: TX837 T477 2021
Publication Date: 2021-10-19
A beautiful, rich, and groundbreaking book exploring Black foodways within America and around the world, curated by food activist and author of Vegetable Kingdom Bryant Terry.
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
Call Number: HV9950 .A437 2010
Publication Date: 2010-01-05
Despite the triumphant dismantling of the Jim Crow Laws, the system that once forced African Americans into a segregated second-class citizenship still haunts America, the US criminal justice system still unfairly targets black men and an entire segment of the population is deprived of their basic rights. Outside of prisons, a web of laws and regulations discriminates against these wrongly convicted ex-offenders in voting, housing, employment and education. Alexander here offers an urgent call for justice.
Sister Outsider by Audre. Lorde; Cheryl Clarke (Foreword by)
Call Number: PS3562.O75 S5 2007
Publication Date: 2007-08-01
Presenting the essential writings of black lesbian poet and feminist writer Audre Lorde, Sister Outsider celebrates an influential voice in twentieth-century literature.
We Are Not yet Equal by Carol Anderson; Tonya Bolden
Call Number: E185.615 B57 2019
Publication Date: 2019-10-29
History texts often teach that the United States has made a straight line of progress toward Black equality. The reality is more complex: milestones like the end of slavery, school integration, and equal voting rights have all been met with racist legal and political maneuverings meant to limit that progress. We Are Not Yet Equal examines five of these moments.

Find lots more resources on Black and African American Studies in our Topic Guide:

Black History Month
by Rachel Leverenz Last Updated Jan 22, 2025 26 views this year

Gender & Women's Studies

Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall
Call Number: E185.86 .K46 2021
Publication Date: 2021-02-23
Mainstream feminists rarely talk about meeting basic needs as a feminist issue, argues Mikki Kendall, but food insecurity, access to quality education, safe neighborhoods, a living wage, and medical care are all feminist issues. All too often, however, the focus is not on basic survival for the many, but on increasing privilege for the few. Kendall has written a ferocious clarion call to all would-be feminists to live out the true mandate of the movement in thought and in deed.
Unapologetic by Charlene Carruthers
Call Number: HQ75.6.U5 C36 2018
Publication Date: 2018-08-28
A manifesto from one of America's most influential activists which disrupts political, economic, and social norms by reimagining the Black Radical Tradition. Drawing on Black intellectual and grassroots organizing traditions, including the Haitian Revolution, the US civil rights movement, and LGBTQ rights and feminist movements, Unapologetic challenges all of us engaged in the social justice struggle to make the movement for Black liberation more radical, more queer, and more feminist.
Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez
Call Number: HQ1237 .C75 2019
Publication Date: 2021-03-02
Data is fundamental to the modern world. From economic development to health care to education and public policy, we rely on numbers to allocate resources and make crucial decisions. But because so much data fails to take into account gender, because it treats men as the default and women as atypical, bias and discrimination are baked into our systems.
The Voices Of #MeToo by Carly Gieseler
Call Number: HV6625 .G54 2019
Publication Date: 2019-07-23
This book unravels the ideas and practices of activism throughout the #MeToo movement from its inception to its current viral moment. With chapters on black female activism, the LGBTQ+ community and disability, toxic masculinity, and international responses, the Voices of #MeToo issues a call for all movements to become more inclusive as they seek empowerment and resistance against oppressive and abusive forces.
Pandora's Jar by Natalie Haynes
Call Number: E-book
Publication Date: 2022-03-29
The tellers of Greek myths--historically men--have routinely sidelined the female characters. When they do take a larger role, women are often portrayed as monstrous, vengeful or just plain evil. With wit, humor, and savvy, Haynes revolutionizes our understanding of epic poems, stories, and plays, resurrecting them from a woman's perspective and tracing the origins of their mythic female characters. Pandora's Jar brings nuance and care to the millennia-old myths and legends and asks the question: Why are we so quick to villainize these women in the first place--and so eager to accept the stories we've been told?

Find lots more resources on Gender and Women's Studies in our Topic Guide:

Women's History Month
by Rachel Leverenz Last Updated Jul 16, 2024 3 views this year

Latinx & Hispanic Studies

Latino Police Officers in the United States by Martin Guevara Urbina (Editor); Sofia Espinoza Alvarez (Editor)
Call Number: HV7936 C83 U73 2015
Publication Date: 2015-03-30
Major topics include the need for Latino police officers; employment of Latino officers by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies; Chicano police officers working in the Latino community; Latino officers, policy, practice, and ethnic realities; Mexican American law enforcement; bridging the gaps, future research, and change in American institutions; policy recommendations toward a new police force; and the future of Latino officers in the American police.
Sabrina and Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
Call Number: PS3606.A396 A6 2020
Publication Date: 2020-04-07
Latinas of Indigenous descent living in the American West take center stage in this haunting debut story collection--a powerful meditation on friendship, mothers and daughters, and the deep-rooted truths of our homelands.
Voces Latinas: Hispanic adults speak to Hispanic young people by Beth Johnson
Call Number: E184.S75 V63 2010
Publication Date: 2010
In this book, ten men and women describe their life journeys: where they have come from, where they are now, and where they are going. In doing so, they give an extraordinary glimpse into the hearts and minds of today's Hispanic Americans
Somos Latinas by Andrea-Teresa Arenas; Eloisa Gómez; Dolores Huerta (Foreword by)
Call Number: F590.S75 A74 2018
Publication Date: 2018-05-11
Somos Latinas draws on activist interviews conducted as part of the Somos Latinas Digital History Project, housed at the Wisconsin Historical Society, and looks deep into the life and passion of each woman.
Latinos in Milwaukee by Joseph A. Rodriguez; Walter Sava
Call Number: F589.M69 S757 2006
Publication Date: 2006-06-21
More than 100,000 Latinos live in Milwaukee, and the continued growth of this community is visible in every segment of the city. Milwaukee's Latino community began humbly as a "Colonia Mexicana" in the 1920s, when Mexicans were recruited to work in the city's tanneries. Subsequent waves of workers came from Texas to work in Wisconsin's agricultural fields. In the early 1950s, Puerto Ricans began arriving to the area, and the population doubled in the 1990s.

Find lots more resources on Latinx & Hispanic Studies in our Topic Guide:

Hispanic Heritage Month
by Rachel Leverenz Last Updated Aug 13, 2024 4 views this year

Environmental Justice & Animal Rights

As Long As Grass Grows by Dina Gilio-Whitaker
Call Number: E98.S67 G55 2019
Publication Date: 2020-03-31
Throughout 2016, the Standing Rock protest put a national spotlight on Indigenous activists, but it also underscored how little Americans know about the longtime historical tensions between Native peoples and the mainstream environmental movement. Ultimately, modern environmentalists must look to the history of Indigenous resistance for wisdom and inspiration in our common fight for a just and sustainable future.
Toxic Communities by Dorceta Taylor
Call Number: GE230 .T38 2014
Publication Date: 2014-06-20
From St. Louis to New Orleans, from Baltimore to Oklahoma City, there are poor and minority neighborhoods so beset by pollution that just living in them can be hazardous to your health. Due to entrenched segregation, zoning ordinances that privilege wealthier communities, or because businesses have found the 'paths of least resistance,' there are many hazardous waste and toxic facilities in these communities, leading residents to experience health and wellness problems on top of the race and class discrimination most already experience. Toxic Communities greatly contributes to the study of race, the environment, and space in the contemporary United States.
Brewing Justice by Daniel Jaffee
Call Number: HD9199.D442 J34 2007
Publication Date: 2007-04-27
Fair trade is a fast-growing alternative market intended to bring better prices and greater social justice to small farmers around the world. But is it working? This vivid study of coffee farmers in Mexico offers the first thorough investigation of the social, economic, and environmental benefits of fair trade.
Enviromedics by Lemery Auerbach; Paul Auerbach; Jay Lemery
Call Number: QC981.8 L46 2017
Publication Date: 2017-10-20
Jay Lemery and Paul Auerbach clarify the science, dispel the myths, and help readers understand the threats of climate change to human health. No better argument exists for persuading people to care about climate change than a close look at its impacts on our physical and emotional well-being. The need has never been greater for a grounded, informative, and accessible discussion about this topic. In this groundbreaking book, the authors not only sound the alarm but address the health issues likely to arise in the coming years.
Varieties of Empathy by Elisa Aaltola
Call Number: BF575.E55 A25 2018
Publication Date: 2018-02-09
Empathy is a term used increasingly both in moral theory and animal ethics, with the suggestion that empathy enhances our moral ability and agency. Yet, its precise meaning is often left unexplored, together with the various obstacles and challenges met by an empathy-based ethic, such as those concerning the ways in which empathy is prone to bias and may also facilitate manipulation of others. These oversights render the contemporary discussion on empathy and animal ethics vulnerable to both conceptual confusion and moral simplicity.
Black Food by Bryant Terry (Editor)
Call Number: TX837 T477 2021
Publication Date: 2021-10-19
In this stunning and deeply heartfelt tribute to Black culinary ingenuity, Bryant Terry captures the broad and divergent voices of the African Diaspora through the prism of food. With contributions from more than 100 Black cultural luminaires from around the globe, the book moves through chapters exploring parts of the Black experience, from Homeland to Migration, Spirituality to Black Future, offering delicious recipes, moving essays, and arresting artwork.

Disability / Neurodiversity

Haben by Haben Girma
Call Number: KF373.G567 A3 2019
Publication Date: 2019-08-06
The incredible life story of Haben Girma, the first Deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School, and her amazing journey from isolation to the world stage. Warm, funny, thoughtful, and uplifting, this captivating memoir is a testament to one woman's determination to find the keys to connection.
Laughing at My Nightmare by Shane Burcaw
Call Number: RC935.A8 B87 2014
Publication Date: 2016-05-10
With acerbic wit and a hilarious voice, Shane Burcaw's Laughing at My Nightmare describes the challenges he faces as a twenty-one-year-old with spinal muscular atrophy. From awkward handshakes to having a girlfriend and everything in between, Shane handles his situation with humor and a "you-only-live-once" perspective on life.
The Neurodiverse Workplace by Victoria Honeybourne
Call Number: HV3005
Publication Date: 2019-12-19
Estimates suggest that up to 20% of employees, customers and clients might have a neurodivergent condition - such as dyslexia, autism, Asperger's, ADHD or dyspraxia - yet these individuals often struggle to gain and maintain employment, despite being very capable. This practical, authoritative business guide will help managers and employers support neurodiverse staff, and gives advice on how to ensure workplaces are neuro-friendly, benefiting both neurodiverse individuals and the companies employing them.
Neurotribes by Steve Silberman; Oliver Sacks (Foreword by)
Call Number: RC553.A88 S54 2015b
Publication Date: 2016-08-23
NeuroTribes considers the idea that neurological differences such as autism, dyslexia, and ADHD are not errors of nature or products of the toxic modern world, but the result of natural variations in the human genome. This groundbreaking book will reshape our understanding of the history, meaning, function, and implications of neurodiversity in our world.
Succeeding As a Student in the STEM Fields with an Invisible Disability by Christy Oslund
Call Number: LC4818.38 .O75 2013
Publication Date: 2013-04-28
The STEM fields attract many students with autism, ADD, affective disorders and related invisible disabilities who are highly intelligent and analytical, but who, upon entering higher education, may find that they struggle with independent living and a different way of learning. Offering practical advice and strategies, this is a useful handbook that students can refer to again and again throughout their college years guiding them on their paths.
Thinking in Pictures by Temple Grandin; Oliver Sacks (Foreword by)
Call Number: E-book
Publication Date: 1996-10-29
The animal scientist describes how she and other victims of autism perceive the world, and relates the ways in which she has been able to adapt and have a successful career.

Find lots more resources about Disability Studies in our Topic Guides:

Disability Pride Month
by Rachel Leverenz Last Updated Dec 5, 2024 8 views this year

Technological Divide

Weapons of Math Destruction by Cathy O'Neil
Call Number: QA76.9.B45 O64 2017
Publication Date: 2017-09-05
We live in the age of the algorithm. Increasingly, the decisions that affect our lives--where we go to school, whether we can get a job or a loan, how much we pay for health insurance--are being made not by humans, but by machines. In theory, this should lead to greater fairness: Everyone is judged according to the same rules. But as mathematician and data scientist Cathy O'Neil reveals, the mathematical models being used today are unregulated and uncontestable, even when they're wrong. Most troubling, they reinforce discrimination--propping up the lucky, punishing the downtrodden, and undermining our democracy in the process.
Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez
Call Number: HQ1237 .C75 2019
Publication Date: 2021-03-02
Caroline Criado Perez's Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men is a landmark, prize-winning, international bestselling examination of how a gender gap in data perpetuates bias and disadvantages women. This is a groundbreaking, highly readable exposé that will change the way you look at the world.

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Technological Divide