Over the last month I’ve read ten recently published books. My May list of recommended reads features one book published in 2020 and nine published in 2021.
- (5.0) The Hospital: Life, Death, and Dollars in a Small American Town by Brian Alexander (St. Martin’s Press, 2021)
- (5.0) Reinventing Food Banks and Pantries: New Tools to End Hunger by Katie S. Martin (Island Press, 2021)
- (4.5) #ChurchToo: How Purity Culture Upholds Abuse and How to Find Healing by Emily Joy Allison (Broadleaf Books, 2021)
- (4.5) The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going by Ryan P. Burge (Fortress Press, 2021)
- (4.5) Decolonizing Christianity: Becoming Badass Believers by Miguel A. De La Torre (William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2021)
- (4.0) Keep Sharp: Build a Better Brain at Any Age by Sanjay Gupta (Simon & Schuster, 2021)
- (4.0) The Call to Unite: Voices of Hope and Awakening edited by Tim Shriver and Tom Rosshirt (The Open Field, 2021)
- (4.0) Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding by Daniel E. Lieberman (Pantheon Books, 2020)
- (3.5) Parable Church: How the Teachings of Jesus Shape the Culture of our Faith by Mike Burnette (Zondervan Reflective, 2021)
- (3.5) I Love it Here: How Great Leaders Create Organizations Their People Never Want to Leave by Clint Pulver (Page Two Books, 2021)
The Hospital
As someone who has worked in healthcare roles that included implementing new ways to better serve underserved populations, I’m well aware of the challenges in rural American healthcare including the rapid decline in independent rural hospitals. And, I never imagined I’d have the opportunity to explore in-depth the story of how one such hospital managed to survive – at least for now.
Journalist Brian Alexander gained nearly unlimited access to an independent community hospital. The Hospital offers an unparalleled look into the story of community hospital in Bryan, Ohio (population 8,251) from March 2018 through August 2020. Weaving together stories from multiple perspectives – from patients to the C-suite – Alexander showcases this increasingly rare yet tremendously valuable part of the American healthcare system.
The Hospital is an essential read that should help raise at least as many questions as it answers.
Reinventing Food Banks and Pantries
As someone who operates a neighbor choice food pantry as part of a holistic Christian ministry designed to help people thrive I was excited to learn more about what we are doing well, and challenged to consider how we might improve and also model and encourage increased collaboration and perhaps even consolidation.
Katie S. Martin is a thought leader on food security issues, and the executive director of the Foodshare Institute for Hunger Research & Solutions. Her first book – Reinventing Food Banks and Pantries – is and will likely continue to be a must read for years to come for those interested in creating the next generation of food banks and pantries with a primary focus on outcomes rather than outputs. It’s a book I’ll be introducing to my team, and one that I recommend you pick up if you have ever been food insecure, donated food to a food drive, volunteered at a food pantry, or simply care about making your local community a better place for all people.