Fall 2022: Dopesick
Dopesick by ISBN: 9780316551281Publication Date: 2018Beth Macy shows that one thing uniting Americans across geographic, partisan, and class lines is opioid drug abuse. But even in the midst of twin crises in drug abuse and healthcare, Macy finds reason to hope and ample signs of the spirit and tenacity that are helping the countless ordinary people ensnared by addiction build a better future for themselves, their families, and their communities. "An impressive feat of journalism, monumental in scope and urgent in its implications." -- Jennifer Latson, The Boston Globe
One important point to note: substance use is an extremely stigmatized public health issue. As a field, we are constantly working to use the most inclusive language as we discuss stigmatized issues.
Check out this resource from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) about stigmatizing language in substance use: Words Matter - Terms to Use and Avoid When Talking About Addiction. The end of the article includes a helpful list of terminology and how we can use person-first language to be more inclusive.
Spring 2022: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
BANNED BOOK!
September 6, 2018, Betsy Gomez
"The buzz for Angie Thomas’s debut novel The Hate U Give came well in advance of its publication. The young adult novel debuted to rave reviews, won several awards, and sat atop The New York Times bestseller list for 50 weeks. But the story about black teen Starr Williams, who witnesses the police shooting of a childhood friend, has drawn the attention of would-be censors, who have attacked it for being “pervasively vulgar” and for the depiction of drug use, profanity, and offensive language. Released in early 2017, the book landed in the eighth spot on the American Library Association’s top ten challenged and banned books list."
Fall 2021: The Spirit Catches You...
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down explores the clash between a small county hospital in California and a refugee family from Laos over the care of Lia Lee, a Hmong child diagnosed with severe epilepsy. Lia's parents and her doctors both wanted what was best for Lia, but the lack of understanding between them led to tragedy. Anne Fadiman's compassionate account of this cultural impasse is literary journalism at its finest. Lia Lee 1982-2012 Lia Lee died on August 31, 2012. She was thirty years old and had been in a vegetative state since the age of four. Until the day of her death, her family cared for her lovingly at home.
Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by ISBN: 9780374533403Publication Date: 2012
Fadiman: In 'Spirit,' "The Villain is Cultural Misunderstanding"-an interview with the author in 2013
First Book Summer 2021
The book focuses on the life and legacy of Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman born in 1920 who lived in Baltimore, MD. During treatment for cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital, a sample of Henrietta's cells were taken without her permission. Those cells gave rise to a multitude of advancements in medicine, including treatment for cancers and infectious diseases vaccines, gene therapy, and much more. This book will give you the opportunity to discuss ethics, the history of racism and discrimination, scientific advancement and privacy, and much more, all through the lens of one family's story. This book is perfect for those new to the field of public health, as well as those that will soon be wrapping up their public health education and are thinking about life beyond graduate school.
- Famous Tumors(RadioLab, October 22, 2013, The section about Henrietta Lacks starts at about 35:00)