What are you reading in 2021?

Are Ibram X. Kendi, Charles Dickens, and Nobel Laureate Paul Nurse on your bookshelf, too? 

These are a few of the authors your colleagues are reading in 2021. 

A diverse panel of clinicians, basic scientists, early-career faculty, and regulators submitted their book recommendations to The Cancer Letter for the second year in a row. 

Non-fiction and fiction are equally represented, ranging from opera to Obama, Proust to fly fishing. This year’s reading list genres have expanded to include a poetry anthology, a children’s book, a podcast—and  Wafik El-Deiry’s in-depth review of seven books, which appears here.

Last year’s book recommendations told a story of a year filled with activism, grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, and using fiction as an escape, perhaps in place of a much-needed vacation (The Cancer Letter, Aug. 6, 2020). The list seemed to want to answer the question: “What the hell is going on?”

This year’s list demonstrates an evolution of thought: stories of personal and professional growth, the challenge of becoming a better leader, and deeper explorations of systemic racism in the U.S. All that, plus a passion for a good book—and fly fishing.

If the question last year was “What the hell is going on,” this year’s question appears to be, “How can we be better?

• Malignant: How Bad Policy and Bad Evidence Harm People with Cancer, by Vinayak K. Prasad, MD, MPH
• Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China That Never Was, by Barry Hughart

Dr. Prasad walks us through the flawed process of oncology drug clinical trial design, approvals, and marketing, highlighting with each step the multiple ways that our current healthcare structure fails our patients and fosters high costs. 

With a keen mind (and #SoMe rabble-rouser credentials), Prasad has made a name for himself as a champion for restraint in a cancer industry hype machine that often over promises and under delivers meaningful outcomes.

Before I knew what “culture appropriation” was, I fell in love with this China-themed fantasy novel about a magical adventure filled with mystery and mayhem. The characters are dynamic and rich, the plot is fast-paced and captivating, and the dialogue is witty and engaging. I tend to re-read it once a year, and after 20-odd reads, it still delivers with humor, heart, and a conclusion with enough emotional heft to (literally) bring me to tears each time.

• Black Wave, by Kim Ghattas
• Love In The Time Of Cholera, by Gabriel García Márquez

I am currently finishing two books, quite different in material and topic:

Black Wave (by Kim Ghattas): a fascinating “big picture” book that weaves together history, politics, and culture to deliver a gripping vivid story about the Middle East since 1979. It is a masterpiece that is based on extensive historical research and on-the-ground reporting from the author. 

To me, this is an essential book for anyone interested in understanding the forces shaping the Middle East today. It struck a chord with me, as I share a similar background as the author and I grew up in the middle of this geopolitical drama.

Love In The Time Of Cholera (By Gabriel García Márquez): One of the best works of Nobel prize Laureate “Gabito”. It explores the solitude of the individual and of humankind. In this novel, the existential anguish of feeling alone is portrayed through the solitude of love. 

Both love and cholera are so intertwined in this novel because love can be as intense as cholera and can take many faces: jealousy, agony, obsession, desire, pity, aging, suffering and vengeance. Is it love after all?

• Ask Again, Yes, by Mary Beth Keane

I have always found that reading fiction helps me stay a bit more balanced and fulfilled. As a historian specializing in families and mental illness in the 20th century (I have a PhD in American history in addition to my day job as an oncologist), I often find myself drawn to multigenerational narratives that illustrate changing social and cultural norms. 

Mary Beth Keane’s Ask Again, Yes (Scribner, 2019) is a beautifully written portrayal of two intertwined families living in and around New York City from the 1970s to the present. As so many good domestic novels do, Keane explores themes of love, career, betrayal, and forgiveness, all while portraying mental illness and physical disability with great sensitivity. I couldn’t put it down. 

• What is Life? Five Great Ideas in Biology, by Paul Nurse
• Guinea-Pig Doctors: The Drama of Medical Research Through Self-Experimentation, by Jon Franklin and Jon Sutherland (out of print)
• Letter To A Young Female Physician: Notes from a Medical Life, by Suzanne Koven
• Off Our Chests: A Candid Tour Through The World Of Cancer, by John Marshall and Liza Marshall
• Editing Humanity: The CRISPR Revolution And The New Era Of Genome Editing, by Kevin Davies
• 100 Questions and Answers About Ovarian Cancer, 4th Edition, by Don Dizon, Dorinda “Dee” Sparacio, and Vance Broach
• Rethinking Cancer: A New Paradigm for the Post-Genomic Era, by Bernhard Strauss, Marta Bertolaso, Ingemar Ernberg, and Minna J. Bissell

A full review of El-Deiry’s recommendations appears here. 

• The Body Keeps the Score, by Bessel van der Kolk

I am currently reading The Body Keeps The Score, by Boston-based Dutch psychiatrist and pioneering PTSD researcher Bessel van der Kolk, MD. The book provides a really fascinating, exceptionally well-presented, and in-depth examination of the impact of painful, traumatic experiences on our mental and physical health. 

The author draws from the fields of developmental psychopathology, neuroscience, and neurobiology, and provides powerful, illustrative examples from his own work and that of others which renders the at times technical subject matter, quite accessible for the non-neuroscientist. 

In reading this book, one appreciates the long lasting manifestations of traumatic experiences in all aspects of our life, but also the tangible ways that help begin the healing process.

• The Coaching Effect : What Great Leaders Do to Increase Sales, Enhance Performance, and Sustain Growth, by Bill Eckstrom  and Sarah Wirth  
• Get Well Soon: History’s Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them, by Jennifer Wright 

Authors Bill Eckstrom and Sarah Wirth summarize decades of research on the behaviors, thought patterns, and activities that produce high performance among leaders. This research involved greater than 100,000 coaching interactions in the workplace. 

The authors discuss three critical performance drivers and four high-growth activities that coaches utilize to build a high performing team. Eckstrom and Wirth describe in detail how leaders can measure and improve their coaching to lead their teams to better results. This resource can help leaders at all levels to help engage their colleagues and enable high performance across any organization.

Get Well Soon is an enthralling, witty and surprisingly prescient  history of pandemic diseases. Throughout the course of this work, Jennifer Wright clearly describes the  hazards of disease in ways that are thought-provoking and offer intriguing insights that have modern relevance. 

This book details the plagues the planet has faced over several centuries and provides in depth stories of the heroic women and men who helped to overcome them. 

This work provides an interesting mix of research and storytelling with intermittent humor and pop culture references, while never diminishing the tragedy of the lives lost. Her passion for humanity is evident throughout.

• Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, by Yuval Noah Harari

I just finished Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. It was a 10,000 foot view of humanity from its nascence and divergence from our prehistoric ancestors to the development of modern society. While it is infused with the author’s philosophy and interpretations of history, I found that Dr. Harari was able to easily weave together the various historical data available on the introduction of new ideas, science, and technology into a critical, but enlightening exposé of human history. 

He breaks down the book into larger breakthroughs that have radically changed civilization through what he terms are the cognitive, agricultural, and scientific revolutions. 

He has a unique perspective on how science, capitalism, racism, religion, and colonization, among others, intersect. I enjoyed the integration of so many aspects of human history into one book and after reading this, I am more aware of the intricate interplay between all of the influencing factors that brought humans to where we are today in the modern world.

• The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter, by Michael D. Watkins
• Old In Art School: A Memoir of Starting Over, by Nell Painter

I am often reading two books at once, normally loosely related, one data-heavy or learning-focused and one fun read. 

With my recent career transition from community oncology to academia, I read The First 90 Days, which provided some remarkable insights into understanding a new culture quickly and building strategic alliances, as well as strategies for early wins. I particularly liked the FOGLAMP pneumonic for project checklists: Focus, Oversight, Goals, Leadership, Abilities, Means, & Processes. The book’s constant reminder to say no to projects that did not align with your career goals was much needed reinforcement. 

I paired First 90 Days with Old in Art School, because if Dr. Nell Painter can, at age 64, also manage a dramatic career transition successfully (coincidentally also intersecting the Ocean State), then surely, I can! 

She explores the value of power, institutional support, aging, racism, and sexism—issues we face in medicine as well. The glimpse into the complex world of art and art world politics was interesting, and the struggle of balancing life with aging parents resonated.  

• The Third Pole: Mystery, Obsession, and Death on Mount Everest, by Mark Synnott
• Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, by Isabel Wilkerson
• Curse of the Pogo Stick(Dr. Siri Mysteries Book 5), by Colin Cotterill
• The Optimist: A Case for the Fly Fishing Life, by David Coggins
• Mission To Space, by John Herrington

The Third Pole: Mystery, Obsession and Death on Mount Everest: Having climbed to Everest Basecamp in 2017 with the non-profit Radiating Hope, I was intrigued by this account of the author’s expedition in search of evidence that George Mallory and Sandy Irvine may have been the first to summit Mount Everest in 1924, well before Hillary and Norgay became the first confirmed to reach the summit in 1953. 

While I have zero interest in the oxygen deprivation and danger associated with an actual Everest summit attempt, I do love the Himalayan mountains and people, and am enjoying experiencing this adventure, along with the mystery of Mallory and Irvine, through this book. 

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson: This will also likely be on several others’ reading lists, but even if so it is certainly worth repeating. Cliff Hudis sent this book to me when I assumed my Chief Medical Officer role at ASCO, emphasizing ASCO’s commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. 

The book describes our social structure as an unrecognized caste system based on skin color, and how this arbitrary hierarchy continues to divide us and contributes to our current societal inequities. The book is timely, extremely well-written, and eye-opening for me —causing me to do a lot of deep thinking and re-examination of my own privilege, actions, and relationships. 

Curse of the Pogo Stick (Dr. Siri Mysteries Book 5) by Colin Cotterill: I’m a big fan of mysteries, especially those set in locations I’ve enjoyed through my international travel. One of my favorite trips was a trip to Vientiane and Luang Prabang, Laos, with a few of the faculty attending the South East Asia Breast Cancer Symposium. 

This fun series is set in late-1970s Laos, and features Dr. Siri Paiboun, the national coroner of Laos, who ends up in the middle of many murder investigations. I enjoy the characters and dialogue, and especially the weaving of the history, politics, and mysticism of Hmong culture into the plots. 

The Optimist: A Case for the Fly Fishing Life by David Coggins: My husband and I are listening to this as an audio book when we’re on long drives or out in the boat this summer. While he is the real fisherman in the family, I enjoy the serenity of being on the water, and I also have the local claim-to-fame of winning the 2019 San Juan Island coho salmon derby! Each chapter focuses on a specific place, fish, and skill. The book is entertaining and humorous, and shows how fly fishing can teach focus, inner calmness, and a connection to nature.

Mission To Space by John Herrington: This is actually a children’s book, and I purchased it after meeting author John Herrington this summer. He’s a member of the Chickasaw tribe and NASA astronaut who was the first indigenous person in space. 

We met at a small airport in Montana while on a cross-country trip in our Cessna. My father was a Navy test pilot, and I’ve always been interested in planes and flying. In the book Herrington talks about his astronaut training and his mission to the International Space Station. I particularly love the picture of his eagle feather and flute floating inside the International Space Station, and the English-to-Chickasaw vocabulary list of space-related terms created by the tribe to explain concepts like astronaut (“above walker” – aba nowa) and space shuttle (“flying canoe” – piini wakaa).

• Home Waters – A Chronicle of Family and a River, by John N. Maclean

I am currently reading Home Waters – A Chronicle of Family and a River by John N. Maclean, the son of Norman Maclean, the author of A River Runs Through It, which was, as I’m sure you are aware, made into a movie starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt.

I am an avid, although infrequent, fly fisherman, and so this book is particularly enjoyable. In it, Mr. Maclean chronicles the pioneering experience of his grandfather, a Presbyterian minister who moved his family (including Norman and his brother Paul) to Missoula Montana at the turn of the 20th century and their love of fly fishing. 

He covers his own family’s illustrious history, especially that of his father (who taught English and Literature at the University of Chicago but always returned to Montana for summer outings) and his Uncle Paul. You may recall that in the movie, Paul (played by Brad Pitt) is apparently murdered in Montana after an evening of drinking and gambling. In real life, he was murdered in Chicago under very mysterious circumstances.

He also provides insight into the original foray of Europeans into the area, famously highlighted by Merriweather Lewis’s (of Lewis and Clark) brief separation from Clark as he and a small band made a side expedition through the region.

I am particularly reading this book at this time because, in addition to it just having caught my eye, I am planning a fishing trip to the Bitterroot in September, which runs south out of Missoula. Although much of this book revolves around the Blackfoot and Clearwater Rivers, they all converge in Missoula, so, indeed, I’ll be on a River that Runs Through It.

Strongly recommended for anyone who fly fishes, and modestly recommended for those who are interested in either Norman’s original novella or the movie. I suspect anyone without either of these two interests may find it a bit plodding, but still worth the descriptions of one of the most beautiful settings in North America.

• The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation, by Jon Gertner
• Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens
• Three Body-Problem trilogy, by Cixin Liu

The Idea Factory is the story of Bell Labs, the research institute that was the source of an astounding amount of technological innovation in the 20th century.  

This book resonated with me because it highlighted how important it is to give people creative license to do basic research, even when there is not a clear translational application or short term goal in mind. 

This approach is becoming less common in today’s research enterprise and we are increasingly losing sight of the importance of creative freedom in how we fund and reward research.  

I read Great Expectations because my high school daughter was assigned it for school, and I realized that it was a classic novel that I had not read.  

I really enjoyed this quintessential coming-of-age story, as it was a nice escape to enter Dickens’s world and appreciate his keen observations of humans.

I read the Three Body Problem trilogy over the past couple of years and really appreciated this intelligent science fiction series. Liu is brilliant in working modern physical theories into an interesting story involving human contact with life elsewhere in the universe.  This is also a series that gets better with each book.

• When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi
• Why So Slow? The Advancement of Women, by Virgina Valian

Two books that I am currently reading that really resonate with me are the following:

In anticipation of our upcoming Women in Medicine Summit where Dr. Lucy Kalanithi will be one of our keynote speakers, I am re-reading the book written by her late husband Dr. Paul Kalanithi, When Breath Becomes Air. I could quote the entire book when sharing sections that stay with me.  Here are the two I chose.  The first is when Dr. Kalinithi’s oncologist makes this powerful statement: 

“I’m totally happy for us to make your medical plan together; obviously you’re a doctor, you know what you’re talking about, and it’s your life. But if you ever want me to just be the doctor, I’m happy to do that too.” 

Different patients desire a different level of involvement in their own care. Some prefer a physician to make all their decisions, while others prefer a team based approach where decision making is done with physician and patient discussing and weighing the options together. 

As a patient who is also a physician, the burden of trying to manage and understand one’s own diagnosis, and make decisions based on what the science says, and what is in line with one’s own personal goals and desires, can be a difficult internal struggle. Objectivity in taking care of the patient can go right out the window when the patient requiring treatment is you. 

This statement from Dr. Kalanithi’s oncologist is so powerful and so important. Sometimes, giving the patient the power to BE the patient by saying out loud these simple words, especially when the patient is in healthcare, can be exactly what they need to hear. 

They may not want to abdicate that role, but giving them the choice to just be the patient may allow them to traverse the diagnosis with more peace of mind, regardless of the way they choose to move forward. And in the future, if they decide to just be the patent, mentally they have been given the permission to do just that. 

Another section that sticks out comes from the epilogue:

“This book carries the urgency of racing against time, of having important things to say. Paul confronted death-examined it, wrestled with it, accepted it- as a physician and a patient. He wanted to help people understand death and face their mortality. Dying in one’s fourth decade is unusual now, but dying is not.” 

As an oncologist, I walk patients through death and dying on a regular basis. Simply seeing a visit with me on their calendar can elicit high levels of anxiety and stress for my patients and their families. With each visit, phone call, conversation, my patients and their families worry if this will be the time I tell them the cancer has recurred, or if we have run out of treatment options. 

That humanity, remembering that each person has a family, a job, a life, outside of the walls of our clinic, of our hospital, is what makes me more dedicated to providing each patient care personalized to their lives. 

Allowing my patients to not just exist with cancer, but live with cancer, get the most of their time on earth and feel some control, when they often feel they have lost any decision making in their lives, that is what continues to drive me forward as an oncologist. 

This book, and Drs. Paul and Lucy Kalinithi’s story, is a beautiful, poignant, and sometimes painful reminder of what our patients experience when they leave the doors of our clinics. 

I am also reading Why So Slow? The Advancement of Women by Virgina Valian. 

Several sections in this book bring up questions and solutions posed in unique ways that I think get to the heart of why gender inequities are so pervasive in our society. One such example is this section:

“Two different questions can be posed. The first is, why have women advanced as much as they have? The second is, Why have they advanced so slowly? The second question is easier to answer than the first. Schemas change slowly, especially if people do not know how schemas operate. Even when they do know, they may require frequent reminders…Unless we- women and men alike- understand how gender schemas disadvantage women professionally, women will not receive the positive evaluations their work merits, women will get less than their fair share, and women’s advancement will continue to be slow.”

This book also provides some powerful solutions on how to work towards a more equitable society including more accurate evaluations, challenging our own underlying biases, conducting thought experiments by switching the sexes and seeing if your conclusions remain, awareness training, institutional policy changes, and more objective performance evaluation criteria, to name a few. Many of these types of interventions can all make an impact and are just a few of the solutions described in this objective, well-written, thoughtful scholarly book.

• A Promised Land, by Barack Obama

A Promised Land by Barack Obama is a very personal story from our young and very first black president that begins with a few details of his early days in my old home town (Chicago) with Michelle and then a small family, and how he was stung by the “bug” of politics and public office. 

The excitement and stress of campaigning for the presidency as a young devoted family man, the vital roles of his team-mates through this and later endeavors and the challenges he felt in his role as “leader of the free world” really come through in this truly exciting account of a few short years of the author’s life.

• Project Hail Mary: A Novel, by Andy Weir
• The House in the Cerulean Sea, by T.J. Klune 
• Set Me On Fire: A Poem for Every Feeling, by Ella Risbridger

At any given time, I’m reading at least two books. I read one on my Kindle and the other I listen to on audio while driving. I prefer fiction of all types (except romance) but I’ve recently been exploring poetry. This is one habit I picked up at the beginning of the pandemic, and I’m grateful for it. 

Project Hail Mary: A Novel by Andy Weir is science fiction at its absolute best. The plot involves a science teacher who finds himself on a space mission to save Earth, and the story is filled with science, mystery, and humor. Ultimately, it’s a story about life and friendship, and I’m so sad I finished reading it. 

The House in the Cerulean Sea is a lovely story about a man who finds family in a very unexpected place. This book is in the fantasy genre, and despite the fact that I don’t like romance novels, this turns out to be a love story in the end. It’s beautiful and heartwarming, and I found myself smiling the entire way through it. 

Set Me On Fire: A Poem for Every Feeling is an anthology of poetry compiled by Ella Risbridger. She explains in her introduction and at the end of the book that she began writing the book for her best friend, who hated poetry, as a way of showing her what good poetry could be. And oh, does she succeed. The anthology is filled with a diversity of poems, written by a wonderfully diverse group of poets, and I highly recommend keeping this by your bed or on your living room coffee table so it’s easily accessible.

• The Cellist, by Daniel Silva

Nothing I enjoy more on my summer holiday than sitting by the cool waters of Lake Michigan with family and reading a fun book. I look to summer to recharge and read something unrelated to our shared cancer mission, and a chance to escape. 

I look forward each year to the annual installment of the adventures of spymaster and master art restorer Gabriel Allon as wonderfully written by Daniel Silva. This year’s installment, The Cellist, did not disappoint!

• Radical Candor: Fully Revised & Updated Edition: Be A Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity, by Kim Scott

I am reading Radical Candor: Fully Revised & Updated Edition: Be A Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim Scott, CEO coach and former lead at a number of tech companies. This book is of interest as it explains different styles of leadership and how to utilize them to be an effective leader in the workplace.

• A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hussein 

I read to briefly escape my daily routine and anything related to medicine, especially during the past year where we have been consumed and overwhelmed by COVID. I like to lose myself in a story that not only does not resemble my current life, but also teaches me about history, current events, or other ways of living. A Thousand Splendid Suns details the beautiful story of two women from different generations that are subjected to an arranged marriage to the same man. During the novel, the women create a “mother-daughter-like bond” through similar shared experiences during Afghanistan’s civil war.

• Supreme Inequality: The Supreme Court’s Fifty-Year Battle For A More Unjust America, by Adam Cohen

I recently read the book Supreme Inequality: The Supreme Court’s Fifty-Year Battle For A More Unjust America by Adam Cohen.

This book reviews the impact of the shift in the US Supreme Court in a conservative direction 50 years ago on major court rulings since. Cases decided by the court addressing several important topics including education, campaign finance, and criminal justice are described in length. 

The author makes a compelling case to show that the interests of the common man have been left behind and this has made a huge impact on the present society. Given that the present composition of the court has turned even more conservative, it should be of concern to everyone as to where we are headed. 

This book is sure to raise the reader’s blood pressure, but hopefully will also increase one’s commitment to speak up for the less fortunate.

• Swann’s Way: In Search of Lost Time, Vol. 1, by Marcel Proust, translated by Lydia Davis
• The Secret Sharer, by Joseph Conrad
• The Making of the Atomic Bomb, by Richard Rhodes

“How is it possible that you have not read Proust?” asked my friend Sharon Cameron, professor of English literature at Johns Hopkins. I had no excuse except to say I was daunted by the set of five volumes. “Order Swann’s Way translated by Lydia Davis immediately.” I did. I am into volume three presently. Completely ravished. 

Others have commented on the musicality of Proust’s language, the attention he pays to the minutiae of detail concerning the smallest observation, every perception, his exquisite sensibility and sensitivity. 

For me, he reigns supreme when writing about love. In Toni Morrison’s BELOVED, when Paul D tells Sethe, “Girl your love too thick,” she responds, “Love ain’t thick or thin. It either is or ain’t.” It is so with Proust. And does he know how to describe both states—the utter madness, the blinding passion, the consuming insanity of falling in love, as well as the disheartening, disillusioning, sorry disenchantment of falling out. I am smitten forever and will read and reread Proust for the rest of my life, even if just for the experiential delight of his glorious writing. 

COVID-19 lockdown provided an exceptional opportunity for reading. Obsessed by the question of how a normal cell transforms itself into a malignant killing machine bent upon destroying its very creator, I spent the year reviewing everything there is to know about the phases The First Cell in statu nascendi must transition through. 

At the same time, as I was mulling over the idea that The First Cell may be two cells, I read Joseph Conrad’s The Secret Sharer. Conrad explores the needs of concealment in both the Captain of a Ship whose cabin is parasitized by a crafty, deadly killer, and the need of the murderer to hide while coming to terms with his rageful impulses leading to the accidental death of a shipmate. And suddenly I could imagine how a stressed malignant cell could also worm its way into a normal blood cell and become the secret sharer of its passport to travel all over the body in search of new homes, hiding in plain sight, while the normal cell is forced to conceal the secret sharer because of the potential for immortality it brings along.

 Give up the secret sharer and the blood cell will age and die. Fiction supplements imagination.

Another book I should have read a long time ago but got to this fall because it arrived as a birthday present from my brother Abbas. Published in 1986, simply magnificent in scope, written in noble language, exceptionally gripping in its powers of story-telling, The Making of the Atomic Bomb remains startlingly relevant today. Rhodes starts with the birth of the atom and quantum physics providing splendid biographies of the men and women involved, making them come alive. 

From the tragic rise of anti-Semitism and Fascism to the eruption of the second World War, he recounts extraordinary acts of heroism and extreme cruelty by leaders on the world’s stage, the firebombing that razed thriving cities into ash overnight, the stunning show of patriotism and resistance by the Japanese forcing the gruesome solution in Hiroshima. 

It is at least ten books in one. It has become, very simply, the best book about science I have ever read. 

• The Other Einstein, by Marie Benedict 
• Four Hundred Souls:  A Community History of African America, 1619-2019, edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain

The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict: In this book, I met Mitza Maric who is described as being “a little different from other girls”. Thankfully, we now celebrate and encourage this “difference”. I enjoy obtaining insight into the social and political context of pioneer female scientists. Peering into the heart and mind of Einstein’s first wife and her love of science (and him) was intriguing, entertaining and a great summer read! 

Four Hundred Souls:  A Community History of African America, 1619-2019: This communal diary was penned when African America symbolically turned 400 years old. It is an innovative, moving, poetic and passionate collective. Rather than “reading” this community history, I have been slowing digesting and savoring every morsel of the masterfully written prose. 

The taste may be too bitter for some as we often too quickly summarize the ills of enslavement.  I have re-read sections, underlined facts, read aloud to my family and experienced this book. 400 Souls stirred emotions of anger, sadness, pride, and jubilance.

As a history enthusiast, I wondered how the field trips of my childhood would have been different if at least some of the history unearthed in 400 Souls would have been shared. 

The book is filled with stories of struggle and resilience and the connections to our contemporary life are clear. It reminds us that racism is not unique to America and chronicles the development of legislation, religious practices, and policies that birthed a complex structure of anti-Black racism. 

I was moved to learn about Elizabeth Keye, an African American woman who during the colonial period instigated the “single most important legislative acting concern the history of enslavement, race, and reproduction in the colonial Atlantic world” (pg 39). It is a must read for all who live in America—particularly those who are committed to eradicating suffering from cancer and other diseases. 

Living and working in the symbolic birthplace of African America, I am recharged to contribute towards the dismantling of structural racism.

• I Came As A Shadow: An Autobiography, by John Thompson with Jesse Washington

I have read several books this summer, but my favorite was I Came As A Shadow: An Autobiography by John Thompson with Jesse Washington.

I came as a shadow,
I stand now in light;
The depth of my darkness
Transfigures the light.
      -Lewis Grandison Alexander

Coach John Thompson was an iconic NCAA championship coach, educator, and social activist. I Came as a Shadow details the many influences that shaped John Thompson. These early influences informed Coach Thompson’s views on many controversial topics including his protest of Proposition 42 which would have denied many players the opportunity to become student-athletes. 

John Thompson was more than a coach, he was a molder and leader of men. His off the court mentorship shaped the lives of many players including Allen Iverson, Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning, and Patrick Ewing. Perhaps Coach Thompson’s relationship with Georgetown can be best summarized by the quote that is engraved on his statue in the John Thompson Athletic Center, “When I’m gone, if I can’t go to Heaven, take me back to Georgetown.”

• Mad Scenes and Exit Arias: The Death of the New York City Opera and the Future of Opera in America, by Heidi Waleson
• WorkLife with Adam Grant: a TED original podcast

Mad Scenes and Exit Arias: The Death of the New York City Opera and the Future of Opera in America by Heidi Waleson—A sizable proportion of ideas and inspiration, I find outside of the healthcare environment. Understanding upheaval, reconciling with change, and observing organizations riding the realities around them are hardly unique to healthcare. 

Though I’ve had the book on my shelf for about two years, I just recently picked up and finished Heidi Waleson’s Mad Scenes and Exit Arias: The Death of the New York City Opera and the Future of Opera in America. The content centers around the collapse of an institution built on a noble charge of providing accessibility to a cloistered entity (in this case, opera) to a broader community.  

Ms. Waleson, who is the opera critic for the Wall Street Journal for over two decades, expertly describes the circumstances of this organization—you see the decision-making over the years leading up to the unfortunate final outcome and, more importantly, you recognize the interplay between one organization, a wavering strategic vision, and an equally flawed implementation strategy, all occurring in an environment with overwhelming external forces impacting (nay, interfering) with its existence. Learning from history is a privilege for those who choose to do so—this book provides that type of insight. 

WorkLife with Adam Grant: a TED original podcast—My absolute favorite group of academics are industrial-organizational (IO) psychologists—as a field, IO psychology provides a clarity into the workplace experience that is based on rigorous quantitative research and evaluation methodology. Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist at Penn, has a very engaging TED original podcast called WorkLife with Adam Grant. 

I listen to episodes on my runs but then when I’m stationary (in the evening or on flights), I relisten and follow along with the transcript online because he links out to the original research studies that he references in those conversations. Each episode is concise and topic-focused with guests who often played key roles in events of global consequence. 

The real fun is when you go down the rabbit hole and read more into the linked studies and into the work of his guests.  A must-listen episode is How to Rethink a Bad Decision, which provided me with an eye-opening understanding of sunk costs – the linked study was a fascinating meta-analysis on the project, psychological, social, and structural determinants that impact the escalation of commitment into a proverbial lost cause.  

This content will likely resonate with many in clinical oncology as we collectively look to reclaim ownership of our own and our team’s time and to raise the level of self-awareness in the workplace.

• A Promised Land. by Barack Obama
• Eat A Peach: A Memoir, by David Chang

Each of the last two books I have read this summer are memoirs, both interesting takes on strategy and messaging in the face of big leaps.

Obama’s A Promised Land reveals the balance a leader faces trying to carefully craft values-driven policy vs. being ready when chance opportunities arise. The self-told story of designing and passing the Affordable Care Act is most interesting. The anecdotes are informative too: I personally can’t hear the “Fired Up – Ready to Go” campaign story too many times. 

Obama describes his efforts not to be so long-winded in a bumper-sticker world, but there’s still apparently a learning curve because these 701 pages only get the story to half way through his first term!

David Chang’s Eat A Peach is from the now celebrity chef who started Momofuku Noodle Bar in Manhattan nearly 20 years ago. The tale moves pretty fast and is told quite casually, but there are definitely pauses here for leadership lessons that go beyond the restaurant industry, such as Don’t serve dumplings just because you think you should. And perhaps more important: Don’t assume that your clever, made-up, fast-food Korean burritos will be a hit either. 

• Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, by Isabel Wilkerson
• The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level, by Gay Hendricks

I am reading the second work of Isabela Wilkinson that provides an in-depth look into how we think about the Caste system in the US. As we explore precision and individualized medicine, this work reminds us to explore those factors beyond race but to do an examination of how and why people are “grouped” in our culture and how those groupings can inform health and other life outcomes.

The Big Leap is a book that was recommended to me by a friend and life coach. The book takes the reader through some real introspection of life’s barriers that may be preventing us from going from good to great. It provides the reader with real life tools on how to remove those obstacles that either we or life has placed in front of us that prevents us from living our best life.