Summer Reading List 2024

Israel, by Daniel Gordis. With the subtitle ‘A Concise History of a Nation Reborn,’ you get a sense of what Gordis is after. In just a bit more than 400 pages he summarizes the history of the modern State, from its nascent period in the late 1800s, to the first major settlement times in the early 1900s, to the founding of the State in 1948, and its triumphs and tribulations since. Gordis writes in a lucid prose, uses anecdotal narratives to make his points (he was, after all, trained as a rabbi), and his palpable love for the Jewish homeland can be felt on every page.

Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry. This 1985 Western novel paints a broad landscape of a small town in Texas in the late 1870s and the vivd characters that live there, struggling to find meaning and connection in their lives. Beautifully written, funny and poignant, Lonesome Dove is a classic that will stay with you for a long time. It is also a long book, coming in at close to 900 pages!

You Dreamed of Empires, Alvaro Enrigue. This short novel by the Mexican writer Alvaro Enrigue explores issues of colonialism and conquest through the lens of the arrival of the Spanish conquistador Cortes in Mexico City in 1519. Sprinkle in some hallucinogenic mushrooms, a bit of human sacrifice, and surprise plot twist at the end, and you have a great beach read that at the same time is literary and wise.

Humanly Possible, by Sarah Bakewell. An exploration of the philosophy of humanism that begins in the 1300s and traces the development of humanist thought and the movement’s most important thinkers into modern times. What are the humanist values that might inform our contentious modern times? Where has humanism historically fallen short? Bakewell is a wonderful writer, and generously sprinkles her text with colorful anecdotes that both convey her points and also remind us of what it is that ultimately connects us as human beings.