Below is a annotated listing of books now in the Prince of Peace Library related to topics of Justice and Diversity.  More book titles can be found on the Justice and Diversity Educational Resources webpage along with other helpful links (https://popportage.org/pages/educational-resources).    

Happy Reading! 

Bedlam: An Intimate Journey Into America's Mental Health Crisis by Kenneth Paul Rosenberg
A psychiatrist and award-winning documentarian sheds light on the mental health care crisis in the U.S.  There has never been a more important time for this conversation, as one in five adults — 40 million Americans — experiences mental illness each year. Today, the largest mental institution in the U.S. is the LA County Jail, and the last refuge for many of the 20,000 mentally ill people living on the streets of Los Angeles is LA County Hospital. There, Dr. Rosenberg begins his chronicle of what it means to be mentally ill in America today, integrating his own moving story of how the system failed his sister, Merle, who had schizophrenia.  

Caste, The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
The Pulitzer Prize–winning, bestselling author of The Warmth of Other Suns examines the unspoken caste system that has shaped America and shows how our lives today are still defined by a hierarchy of human divisions.  

House of the Cerulean Sea by T J Klune
TJ Klune is a Lambda Literary Award-winning author (Into This River I Drown). Being queer himself, TJ believes it's important—now more than ever—to have accurate, positive, queer representation in stories.  An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place—and realizing that family is yours.  

See No Stranger by Valarie Kaur
Kaur takes readers through her own riveting journey—as a brown girl growing up in California farmland finding her place in the world; as a young adult galvanized by the murders of Sikhs after 9/11; as a law student fighting injustices in American prisons and on Guantánamo Bay; as an activist working with communities recovering from xenophobic attacks; and as a woman trying to heal from her own experiences with police violence and sexual assault. Drawing from the wisdom of sages, scientists, and activists, Kaur reclaims love as an active, public, and revolutionary force that creates new possibilities for ourselves, our communities, and our world. See No Stranger helps us imagine new ways of being with each other—and with ourselves—so that together we can begin to build the world we want to see.  

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
Seldom does a book have the impact of Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow. Since it was first published in 2010, it has been cited in judicial decisions and has been adopted in campus-wide and community-wide reads; it helped inspire the creation of the Marshall Project and the new $100 million Art for Justice Fund; it has been the winner of numerous prizes, including the prestigious NAACP Image Award; and it has spent nearly 250 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.  

The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee
One of today’s most insightful and influential thinkers offers a powerful exploration of inequality and the lesson that generations of Americans have failed to learn: Racism has a cost for everyone—not just for people of color. 

Transforming: The Bible & the Lives of Transgender Christians by Austen Hartke
In 2014, Time magazine announced that America had reached “the transgender tipping point,” suggesting that transgender issues would become the next civil rights frontier. Years later, many people—even many LGBTQ allies—still lack understanding of gender identity and the transgender experience. Into this void, Austen Hartke offers a biblically based, educational, and affirming resource to shed light and wisdom on this modern gender landscape.  

Unclobbered:  Rethinking our Misuse of the Bible on Homosexuality by Colby Martin Armed with only six passages in the Bible―often known as the "Clobber Passages"―the conservative Christian position has been one that stands against the full inclusion of our LGBTQ siblings. UnClobber reexamines each of those frequently quoted passages of Scripture, alternating with author Colby Martin's own story of being fired from an evangelical megachurch when they discovered his stance on sexuality.  

Understanding Mental Illness by Carlin Barnes and Marketa Wills
Get the straight facts about mental illness from two Harvard trained psychiatrists. More than 40 million people in the US suffer from mental health problems—yet less than half receive adequate care and treatment.  This book is a practical guide to educate and help everyone better understand mental health.