Melissa Harris-Perry: Thanks for sticking with The Takeaway. I'm Melissa Harris-Perry.
August is nearly here and back to school signs are going up in the aisles of big box stores, but don't worry, there's still time to do a little summer reading. After our extravaganza of author conversations last week, we wanted to hear from you about the books that you are loving. Now, many of you are looking to the past to understand our complicated histories and what they tell us about who we are.
Elizabeth: Hi, my name's Elizabeth, and I'm calling from Brooklyn. I am currently reading Learning From The Germans by Susan Neiman. It should be read by anyone who's interested in race relations and social justice. She's a philosopher, and this book articulates how German society continues to wrestle with their Nazi past, and how Americans see themselves reflected in the German experience.
James Mitchell: Yes, this is James Mitchell from Slidell, Texas. Books I'm reading this summer, one of them is Dreams Of El Dorado by H W Brands. The other one is The Soul Of America by Jon Meacham.
Vance: Hi, this is Vance from Cornea, North Carolina. My book of the summer is The Waterman's Song by David Cecelski. It's about slavery in North Carolina along the waterfront. It is a fascinating and well put together book.
Melissa Harris-Perry: Thanks to all of you who recommended some pretty compelling memoirs.
Peter Demont: Peter Demont, Berkeley, California. I have finished a book, a remarkable book, and it's called The Choice: Embrace The possible, a memoir by Dr. Edith Eva Eger.
Mike: My name is Mike. I'm calling from Plainfield, New Jersey. I'd like to recommend Four Funerals, No Marriage and Memoir. It's a beautiful, funny and touching tale of one man's care-giving of his aging and dying parents.
Melissa Harris-Perry: Now, of course, plenty of you are taking some fiction out pool side this summer as well.
Pat Busher: Hi, this is Pat Busher from Portland, Oregon. I just finished Listening To The Gown by Jennifer Robson. It is about two young women who worked for a dress designer just after World War II, and they were involved in making the gown for Queen Elizabeth's wedding.
Melissa Harris-Perry: Of course, I can completely relate to all of you who prefer to toggle back and forth between fiction and non-fiction.
Susan: This is Susan from Richmond, Virginia. This summer I'm reading the whole Bridgerton Series. I like some meet with my romance. I'm also reading How Fascism Works: The Politics Of Us Vs Them by Jason Stanley.
Doug: Right now I'm reading two books. One of them is Running Blind, a Jack Lecher novel, and the other one is called Drug Use for Grown-ups: Chasing Liberty In The Land Of Fear, and it's very good. Thanks. This is Doug in Portland, Oregon.
Amber: This is Amber from Nashua, New Hampshire. So far, the summer, the books I've read that I'd recommend are The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Bomb Shelter by Mary Laura Philpott, and The Rise And Fall Of The Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte.
Melissa Harris-Perry: Thanks so much for sharing the titles on your summer reading list. I'm Melissa Harris-Perry, and this is The Takeaway.
[00:03:49] [END OF AUDIO]
Copyright © 2024 New York Public Radio. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use at www.wnyc.org for further information.
New York Public Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline, often by contractors. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of New York Public Radio’s programming is the audio record.
