Nalanda Institute Community 2023 Summer Reading List
Nalanda Institute Community 2023 Summer Reading List
By Nalanda Institute
The Age of Movies: Selected Writings of Pauline Kael: A Library of America Special Publication
Pauline Kael
$29.95 $27.85Will Klein is slowly working his way through this collection of writings by the remarkable and influential Pauline Kael.
Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream
Alissa Quart
$32.00 $29.76Just published, ‘Bootstrapped’ has received rave reviews. Zemeira Singer says, “I heard the author read at a book party and had to get her book. Alissa takes a journalistic view on the history and mythology of the American Dream, looking at the way that anti-poverty and racist narratives have shaped a false view that ‘pulling oneself up by their bootstraps’ is possible. I am always looking for writing that provides alternate visions for how we can live with care and integrity. I can’t wait to start this one.”
Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom
Rick Hanson
$18.95 $17.62This summer, Mar Aige is honing her language skills by reading ‘O Cérebro de Buda,’ the Portuguese translation of Rick Hanson’s classic Buddha’s Brain.”
Conspirituality: How New Age Conspiracy Theories Became a Health Threat
Matthew Remski, Derek Beres, et al.
$30.00 $27.90Tom Damrauer says, “I believe it was John Lurie who tweeted, ‘I used to love conspiracy theories until they fell into the wrong hands.’ ”
Crying in H Mart: A Memoir
Michelle Zauner
$26.95 $25.06Zemeira Singer says of this #1 New York Times Bestseller, “I just finished ‘Crying in H Mart,’ I can't recommend it enough. Michelle writes with heartbreaking honesty about her mother's untimely death, her search for her Korean-American identity, and the relationship between food, memory, and grief. This book made me laugh and cry. It also made me hungry.”
The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity
David Wengrow and David Graeber
$35.00 $32.55Dan Donohue says,“ ‘The Dawn of Everything’ was on our list last year (that’s how I found it), but it’s so good that I want to recommend it again (and thank the person [Joe and Tom] who recommended it last year). If you like books that upend the dominant narrative of history, you’ll love this book. It uses archeology and anthropology to uproot a lot of what we take for granted about the development of societies -that they progressed in a neat, straight line with Western civilization at the top.”
Edvard Munch: An Inner Life
Øystein Ustvedt
$19.95 $18.55Soren Glassing will be reading Øystein Ustvedt’s illustrated volume on the life and work of the great artist.
Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age
Katherine May
$26.00 $24.18This much-loved book is recommended for your summer reading by Marianne Gunther.
The Existentialist's Survival Guide: How to Live Authentically in an Inauthentic Age
Gordon Marino
$16.99 $15.80Soren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Paul Sartre…this summer, Soren Glassing is reading ‘The Existentialist's Survival Guide.’ It recasts the practical takeaways existentialism offers for the twenty-first century.
Freshwater
Akwaeke Emezi
$18.00 $16.74Richard Williams recommends Akwaeke Emezi’s highly praised debut novel. “It is a fictional story of the daughter of African immigrants to the US and the indigenous spirits that were born with her who experiences a sexual assault and her journey back to wholeness after the trauma fractures her spirit and mind. This breath-giving story reminds us of the power of awareness and mentor bonds.”
A Future We Can Love: How We Can Reverse the Climate Crisis with the Power of Our Hearts and Minds
Stephanie Higgs and Susan Bauer-Wu
$24.95 $23.20Doris Chang recommends ‘A Future We Can Love,’ which offers wisdom and guidance from beloved spiritual and environmental leaders of our time, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Greta Thunberg, Joanna Macy, and Matthieu Ricard.
How to Go Mad Without Losing Your Mind: Madness and Black Radical Creativity
La Marr Jurelle Bruce
$34.44Richard Williams proclaims this Duke University Press book as a “masterpiece of critical and liberatory reimagination and transformation of the vortex that is the intersection of race, psychiatric disability, and creativity, from the individual to society. It will prove to be a delicious expedition of all into adjacency of those of us Black and psychologically divergent.”
I Have a Dream \ Yo Tengo Un Sueño (Spanish Edition)
Martin Luther King
$19.99 $18.59The Spanish edition of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s ‘I Have a Dream’ is next to Mar Aige's bed this summer.
The Life of Plants: A Metaphysics of Mixture
Emanuele Coccia
$22.95Emanuele Coccia’s highly recommended book is also recommended by Joe Loizzo. He praises ‘The Life of Plants’ as “an inspiring, illuminating look at life and the world from the perspective of our green and growing life-partners.”
Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness
Sharon Salzberg
$16.95 $15.76Ayesha Basi highly recommends that you add the classic ‘Lovingkindness’ by Sharon Salzberg to your summer reading list. “Intertwined with personal anecdotes, along with meditations and practices, ‘Lovingkindness’ is a very captivating and heart-felt read which takes us through explaining the four heavenly abodes of Buddhism — love, joy, compassion. and equanimity — and how to cultivate these in our everyday lives.”
Magic Dance: The Display of the Self-Nature of the Five Wisdom Dakinis
Thinley Norbu
$19.95 $18.55Mar Aige is just about to dig into ‘Magic Dance’ after having it shared with her by a dedicated CPP student.
The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture
Gabor Maté
$32.00 $29.76This summer, Ayesha Basi is enjoying reading Dr. Gabor Maté’s most recent book. She says “Maté focuses on the interconnected nature of our lives, and how everything from our past traumas to the societies we've built affect our bodies and minds. It’s a strong call to change how we live toward being more mindful, compassionate, and love filled societies.”
The Nutmeg's Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis
Amitav Ghosh
$25.00 $23.25Dan Donohue recommends this book by acclaimed author Amitav Ghosh. Dan says, “This book studies the mindset of colonization and capitalism, starting with the Dutch’s theft of Solomon Island to monopolize the nutmeg trade in the 1600s. It shows how it is still present and responsible for the climate crisis."
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
$18.99 $17.66According to William Kennedy in the New York Times Book Review, “One Hundred Years of Solitude is the first piece of literature since the Book of Genesis that should be required reading for the entire human race.” Walt Matteson agrees and has put it on his summer book list.
Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity
Peter Attia
$32.00 $29.76This #1 New York Times Bestseller comes recommended by James Bae. “In exploring issues around chronic, neurodegenerative diseases — and simply aging well — I am finding Dr. Attila’s attention to exercise and quality of life (vis à vis emotion regulation) a valuable contribution to the dialogue and a challenge to Asian medical considerations around longevity and rejuvenation. In addition, his focus on a centenarian decathlon has been fodder for inquiry around the Mindbody exercises we associate with longevity (such as qigong and meditation), and evidence-based approaches to the latter!”
Pageboy: A Memoir
Elliot Page
$29.99 $27.89Elliott Pages’ powerful memoir comes highly recommended by Rachel Hammerman. “This brave being bares his vulnerable heart in this memoir of highs and wounds. Elliot is an inspiration for living an unfettered, liberated life, courageously and proudly.”
The Persuaders: At the Front Lines of the Fight for Hearts, Minds, and Democracy
Anand Giridharadas
$30.00 $27.90Barbara Barnes highly recommends Anand Giridharadas’ New York Times bestseller. “For me, ‘The Persuaders,’ in its stories of several contemporary, since 2016, progressive political activists, gave me much food for thought on having political conversations with folks, especially those who think differently from me, on political issues of our times. AOC stands out; but so do Alica Garza, one of the founders of Black Lives Matter; the deep canvassing initiated by the LGBTQ+ community in California after losing a referendum on the right to marry, and a chapter on understanding folks who are members of cults. Also Linda Sarsouer, Bernie Sanders, and the work of the race/class narrative group on messaging in our political work. For me ongoing work is how to use what I have come to understand through my exploration of Buddhist ethics and psychology in my work as a political activist for social justice, particularly anti-racist work.”
Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good
$20.00 $18.60
How do we make social justice the most pleasurable human experience? Marianne Gunther recommends reading adrienne maree brown's intriguing book to find out.
The Psychology of Buddhist Tantra
Rob Preece
$27.95 $25.99“I’m finding this book to be a helpful read about the confluence of Western and Tibetan Buddhist psychology, with a much-appreciated application to everyday life,” says Geri Loizzo.
A Queer Dharma: Yoga and Meditations for Liberation
Jacoby Ballard
$17.95 $16.69Ray Gannon says, “I recently purchased ‘A Queer Dharma: Yoga and Meditations for Liberation’ by Jacoby Ballard after going on a Queer weekend silent retreat where he was one of the facilitators.
