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Research Guides

Why Reading Lists?

These reading lists are meant to help you look at books within the Recommended Reads for Equity collection that have a shared topic or theme.

Top Hits

These twenty books are the current most popular books in the collection.

Check out what other Huskies are reading!

Recommended by: Carolyn Martin, Staff UW Seattle, Health Sciences Library

Recommended by: Holly Williams, Staff UW Seattle, Bioengineering

Recommended by: Jose D Sanchez Frugone, Student UW Seattle, Bioengineering

"This book is a very personal, honest coming to age novel about teenage love. At moments poetic and romantic, at moments messy and starkly real. With a backdrop of lgbt and minority themes which add context but do not overpower the beautifully written experiences of a character in conflict with himself; this book explores identity, family relations, friendship, and love in a way that is relevant to all."


 

Recommended by: Melissa, Staff UW Bothell, Library

 

Recommended by: Thomas Walker, Student UW Seattle, English

"This book offers a number of concrete, poignant examples to illustrate systemic injustice. Even for those already familiar with racial inequality, this book will offer new insight and Cacho's trenchant supporting analysis is thoroughly researched and relentlessly compelling."


 

Recommended by: Gabriella Dahlin, Student UW Seattle, UW Libraries and iSchool

"This book is written by an incredible local activist. Her book is framed in an approachable way, and is welcoming for folks who are new, but open, to talking about race. I personally found it helpful for framing my own conversations with other people who might not be as deeply interested involved in social justice. It's honest and direct and really, really great."

 

Recommended by: Judith Wood, Staff UW Seattle, Continuum College

"Oluo is a brilliant and incisive observer, analyst, and writer around issues pertaining to race, equity, and intersectionality. She is local and would make for a lively author event."

 

Recommended by: Kate Orville, Staff UW Seattle, Center on Human Development and Disability- Clinical Training Unit

"The author's purpose with this book was to enable people to talk about race and to have the tools to be able to do so. The author starts each chapter with a personal story illustrating the topic she's going to talk about, then talks about why it's important, data and studies behind it and how and why it is important. As a person who's white and wants to more directly engage in learning about racial discrimination and what I can do about it, this book helped me feel better prepared to have conversations about race. I do not want to ask friends of color to give me the 101 version of things I should take the time to learn on my own first."

 

Recommended by: Anonymous

"As the title would suggest, a perfect introduction to diversity and inclusion that should be read by everyone. It is not written just for people who are still denying that racism exists in America today, but for people who know it does but don't necessarily know all the ways it manifests itself."

 

Recommended by Chloe Horning, Staff UW Bothell, UWB Library


 

Recommended by: Holly, Student UW Seattle, Speech & Hearing Science

"This book is so powerful. It discusses how culture, language, and national origin have an impact on health care (and vise-versa). It left me feeling outraged, contemplative, defeated, empowered, and ultimately grateful for the family that has shared their story so we may learn from it."

Recommended by: Anna Nakano-Baker, Student UW Seattle, iSchool
"This heartbreaking book has themes of war, immigration, assimilation and healthcare in the lives of Hmong Americans--it can be a great primer for Asian American Studies, and it is also beautifully written."

Recommended by: Dinah Aldrich, Staff UW Seattle, Family Medicine-Research


 

 

Recommended by: Anonymous

"Most Americans don't understand how inaccessible housing is for lower-income people, and how crippling an eviction typically is for people's economic prospects, future housing opportunities and future employment. This highly readable journalistic account depicts the lives of lower-income Americans from several communities around the US and their often-desperate quest to keep a roof over their heads."


 

Recommended by: Susan Fitch, Staff UW Seattle, UW Libraries Special Collections

"It's a basic, non-judgmental introduction for white readers new to the concept of systemic racism."


 

Recommended by: Cherise Fuselier, Student UW Seattle, iSchool

"This YA series features an albino Nigerian-American teenage girl named Sunny. It takes place in Nigeria, and Sunny and her friends have magical powers and must fight evil. It's kind of like a more diverse Harry Potter, Nigerian-style. The author is a Nigerian-American woman."


 

 

Recommended by: Chloe Horning, Staff UW Bothell, UWB Library


 

Recommended by: Sumyat Thu, Student UW Seattle, English

 

Recommended by: Chloe Horning, Staff UW Bothell, Library


 

 

Recommended by: Sumyat Thu, Student UW Seattle, English

"Accessible interviews with a legend who provides so much insights into recent events such as Black Lives Matter and BDS movement for Palestine."


 

Recommended by: Melissa, Staff UW Bothell, Library

Recommended by: Anonymous

"A smart history of how race and class have effected marginalized peoples as they mobilize to vote and how institutional forces have come down in order to stop them. Especially poignant as the mid-term elections start up, understanding how gerrymandering, voter ID, and restrictions on voter registration are damaging to our democracy today and throughout history is important as we continue to strive for equality and representation."


 

Recommended by: K Wheeler, Student UW Seattle

"This is an amazing book about racial diversity, equity, and police brutality."



 

 

Recommended by: Nichole Gustavsen, UW Botthell, UWB / Cascadia College Library

Recommended by: Jeffrey Hou, Faculty UW Seattle, Landscape Architecture