Rest & Fortify Reading List
As we peer into the last few weeks of December and into January, we're thinking about rest and fortification. We know the beginning of 2025 is likely to be chaotic and we want to be ready to provide support and guidance to those in our circle.
One of the ways that we both rest and fortify is by reading. We appreciate the insight and comfort that can come from the words and ideas of others. Here's what we'll be reading during the winter holidays.
Heather’s List
On a recent call with coaching colleagues, we discussed the kind of support community leaders need at this moment. The work of two authors/activists kept coming up: Prentis Hemphill and adrienne maree brown. After that conversation, I added What It Takes to Heal by Prentis Hemphill and Pleasure Activism by adrienne maree brown to my bookshelf.
In my post-election doom scrolling, I frequently paused on images from one Instagram account - Black Liturgies. The book, Black Liturgies by Cole Arthur Riley, is full of quotes, essays, prayers, and questions to ponder. Here's one of my favorite meditations from Riley:
INHALE: My practice is love.
EXHALE: My path is justice.
Meredith's List
I’m returning to a book that was given to me by a long-time friend and equal justice advocate in 2020 - Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and it Urgent Lessons for Today by Eddie S. Glaude, Jr. I read half the book in 2020 and remember it being an important reminder to keep pushing forward even in the wake of despair and disillusionment.
Heather Cox Richardson’s Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America is an insightful retrospective on how we got to this moment of authoritarians and oligarchs. She tracks the evolution of the Republican party and politics since the Reagan years. I’ve been reminded that I’ve been caught up on this path since my first election as a voter.
In a quest for a bit of hope and optimism, I recently finished Doris Kearns Goodwin’s An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s. I loved the opportunity to glance into the lives and stories of people who played critical roles in both the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. The stories of Dick Goodwin’s relationship with Lyndon B. Johnson reminded me of the complexities of politics and politicians.
One of my go-tos throughout the election season has been a newsletter called, The.Ink, from Anand Giridharadas where he and other contributors share insights on politics and culture, money and power. The most recent edition has a powerful interview with Prentis Hemphill about the connections between healing and justice. Prentis muses on the ways that “our culture of individualism has eroded our relational skills,” something that has been on my mind as well.
We hope that you have opportunities to rest and fortify in the coming weeks. It might be with books or podcasts, around a table with friends and family, or on a solitary walk in the woods - all of it matters.
Breathing in love and exhaling justice,
- Meredith & Heather