2015-2017. Books: The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride and Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. Everyone must "negotiate" and shape their identity as they mature, age, and adapt
to fate and circumstance. Together, these books offer timeless and relevant themes
of individual and collective identity in America--themes that continue to be important
to our communities, state, and nation. Resources.
2013-15. Books: The Influencing Machine by Brooke Gladstone and Escape from Camp 14 from Blaine Harden. We invite you to explore the power of ideas and ideology to
shape our realities, and emphasize the importance of critically assessing the validity
of information. Resources.
2011-13. Books: The Working Poor by David Shipler and The Big Short by Michael Lewis. Together these books capture people in the economic extremes of
our society – the rich and the poor. In America, where “everything has its price,”
money and morality define our incomes, lifestyles, and personal responsibilities.
These selections help us understand our assumptions, and the role money plays in the
decisions each of us make. Resources.
2009/10. Books: Shopping for Porcupine by Seth Kantner and The Whale and the Supercomupter by Charles Wohlforth. Based in Alaska, written by Alaskans, these two books provide
a good introduction to rural Alaskan ways of life. Together they reveal many of the
changes that have occurred there over the past half century and demonstrate what’s
at stake for rural communities facing the effects of climate change. The books also
contrast the ways Alaska Native people and scientists acquire and use knowledge. They
call upon both Native wisdom and Western science to address the problems associated
with climate change, and they illustrate how profoundly climate and cultural change
can affect both people and entire ecosystems. Resources.
2008/09. Books: Growing Up Native in Alaska edited by A.J. McClanahan, Yuryaraq: The Way of the Human Being by Harold Napolean, and Do Alaska Native People Get Free Medical Care? edited by Libby Roderick. Together, these books address critical issues, correct
historical inaccuracies, and authentically represent Alaskan Native cultures, communities,
and peoples. Resources.
