School’s out for summer and my summer bucket list needs filling. Among the list of achievements I hope to check off is my annual summer goal of reading 9 books. My annual #summerreads list is something that I look forward to, and I have shared it via the blog since 2018.

I will read some of these books for pleasure, some for personal and professional development, and hopefully, some will fulfill both categories. Does it bother me that I won’t finish ALL of the books on my list? No, especially not after reading this quote from Melissa Kirsch:

Will I finish the many books I’m partway through before I move on to this bounty of summer picks? Honestly, as much as it pains me to leave things undone, I’m giving myself a fresh slate. I want to read enthusiastically, athletically, this summer. I’m determined to be a closer. My itinerary is set and my reading list planned. Now, I leave it up to the season to bring on the sunny days and shady patches of grass.MELISSA KIRSCH

This year I’m adding something new to the list, and pairing each title with another for yet more inspiration, plus at the end of the blog post, I share a collection of fantastic book list suggestions from other sites. There is ALWAYS something for everyone in my annual #summerreads blog post.

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

This is the #slowchathealth Book of the Month for June and it’s the book that is all over my (and probably your) social media feed. It’s also likely the reason for Dr. Vivek Murthy, Surgeon General’s recent suggestion that social media platforms should come with a health warning. This book is described as “A must-read for all parents: the generation-defining investigation into the collapse of youth mental health in the era of smartphones, social media, and big tech—and a plan for a healthier, freer childhood.”

As a teacher of post-pandemic teenagers, and a father of two young sons with cell phones, this topic is a hot one for me. I was able to snag a copy from my school library AND I have the audio version too! Look out for a potential book club discussion from me later in the summer.

THE podcast to check out on this, is Jonathan Haidt’s episode with Rich Roll BUT you might also want to listen to this episode of the This Is So Awkward podcast to remind you to read The Anxious Generation with a critical eye.

Pair this book with How to Break Up with Your Phone: The 30-Day Plan to Take Back Your Life by Catherine Price.

This Is So Awkward by Dr. Cara Natterson, and Vanessa Kroll Bennett

Which segue’s nicely into the #slowchathealth Book of the Month selection for July. Dr. Cara Natterson, and Vanessa Kroll Bennett, are here to remove the cringe not only for teenagers going through puberty, but also the adults in their lives who are there to understand and guide them through this awkward period of their lives. Their book is the perfect accompaniment for their podcast (have you checked out the Christopher Pepper episode?) This book is so good, that I picked it up from my local library, and within minutes of reading it, decided to order it online so that I could highlight all of the info that I’ll use not only in class, but also at home with my own family.

Pair this book with The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents by Lisa Damour.

Yes, Your Kid by Debby Herbenick

Thank you to Shafia Zaloom for recommending this book to me. I planning on using this book to improve my lesson on sexually explicit materials. “An essential read for parents, educators, and anyone else trying to support our teens’ sexual health in a complex and increasingly digital world.” Combining insights from cutting-edge research, conversations with real students, and on-the-ground legal experience, Yes, Your Kid provides:

• Inclusive sexuality education tips for parents of young people on the autism spectrum.
• An overview of key topics in sexuality, from communication and consent to pornography and rough sex, describing how things have changed.
• Real-world legal stories illustrating today’s consensual sex pitfalls and clear tips for how to help your child avoid them.
• Age-appropriate tools to talk with tweens and teens about bodies, puberty, technology, birth control, and consent.
• Concrete advice parents can share directly with their children so that—if and when their children become sexually active with partners—they are more likely to have safer, consensual sex.

Pair this book with either of Peggy Orenstein‘s titles, Boys & Sex or Girls & Sex.

Teaching Boys: Developing Classroom Practices That Work by Amanda Keddie & Martin Mills

Thanks go to Christopher Pepper for nudging us all in this direction. His advocacy, his conference presentations, his newsletter, and his forthcoming book have emboldened me to deliver PD at school next year on the topic of teaching boys. I found this title on the awesome Next Gen Men site, and picked up a used copy online. I’m excited that the book promises to provide a practical framework for teachers to improve boys’ education in ways that are appropriate for their school context and also sustainable.

Pair this book with Christopher Pepper’s free substack newsletter.

Becoming a Distinguished Physical Education Teacher by Gary Zaharatos

I love it when members of the #HPE community step into the arena and create opportunities for others to learn from their experiences. Gary Zaharatos, the author, has been in public education for twenty years, first as a PE teacher and then as an instructional coach who supports PE teachers in Denver Public Schools and was named SHAPE Colorado’s Administrator of the Year in 2023.

Written in 3 parts, this book is a must-read for future professionals, and veterans alike. Gary has shared has poured his heart into this text, and continues the conversation over on Facebook where is the moderator of a very positive, and forward-thinking group.

One reviewer wrote “As an Admin who struggles to know what guidance to give the specials teachers on my caseload, this book is exactly what was needed to help my teachers go from good to great.“. Others have suggested that this book would make for a great book study with district PE teachers! I hope to find it an affirming read, and I know I will find nuggets of advice to help me become a better teacher.

Pair this book with What Kind of Teacher Do You Want to Be? by Mark Housel.

Grading for Equity by Joe Feldman

My school has ‘Learning Collaboratives’, which are groups of teachers who pursue a specific line of inquiry over a year, engaging in collaboration and experimentation and creating a community of belonging. This year I chose to focus on assessment practices and this book will remind me that I can continue to do a better job at improving my ‘common-sense’ approach to grading. I want to deliver what the book promises – more equitable grading, which when implemented effectively should create a more rigorous, humane, and positive school experience for all of my students.

Pair this book with Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain by Zaretta Hammond.

Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum by Antonia Hylton

This isn’t as left field a choice as you might think. As a health teacher I want to dive into diverse readings, and last year I read a lot around the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. This book comes highly regarded by Clint Smith, an author who I enjoy reading.

Madness tells the 93-year-old history of Crownsville Hospital, one of the last segregated asylums with surviving records. Antonia Hylton blends intimate tales of patients and employees whose lives were shaped by Crownsville with a decade-worth of investigative research and archival documents chronicling the stories of Black families whose mental health suffered as they tried, and sometimes failed, to find safety and dignity.

Pair this book with Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation by Linda Villarosa.

The Parrot and The Igloo by David Lipsky

I started my summer reading with this one and I wish I was a faster reader. Like my food, chewing every mouthful, I have to read EVERY word, and this book has me hooked. It’s a fantastic (and alarming) story that takes readers from Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and Nikola Tesla―who made our technological world – to the scientists who sounded the alarm once they identified carbon dioxide as the culprit of our warming planet. We meet the hucksters, zealots, and crackpots who lied about that science and misled the public in ever more outrageous ways and Lipsky masterfully traces the evolution of climate denial, exposing how it grew out of early efforts to build a network of untruth about products like aspirin and cigarettes.

Pair this book with The Intersectional Environmentalist by Leah Thomas.

Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange

My annual #summerreads have included The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones, Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty and (of course) There There by Tommy Orange. All acclaimed indigenous authors who have each released new books since I first met them.

Wandering Stars traces the legacies of the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 and the Carlisle Indian Industrial School through three generations and asks what it means to bet he children and grandchildren of massacre. It’s a novel about epigenetic and generational trauma that “has the force and vision of a modern epic.”

Pair this book with the author’s first novel There There.

Other reading lists from which you might find inspiration:

UC Berkeley has a cool summer reading list for new students with their theme this year being “Defining Moments”.

47 Books for Summer from The New York Times.

The Ultimate Summer 2024 Reading List from Literary Hub.

What to Read This Summer from NPR

A Reading Roadtrip Across the U.S.A. from Goodreads

The Great American Read downloadable checklist of 100 great books.

Race, Racism and Rebellion, an essential, and ever-growing collated list of social justice reads.

The Slowchathealth Books of the Month. See what books have been recommended by the blog over the last few years.

Please share what books you plan on reading this summer on social media or in the comments section below.

If you’re interested in what I’m listening to right now, here’s my 2024 playlist of songs that have caught my eye/ear this year to date.