Summer Reading No. 10: Israel Díaz

We’ve had a fun summer of sharing recommendations with staff and faculty at the Candler School of Theology and Pitts Theology Library, and we hope you’ve enjoyed reading along with us!

Our final summer reading recommendation post for this summer comes from Israel Díaz-Freytes, Candler’s Senior Instructional Designer. In that role, Israel works with both the Office of Digital Learning and the La Mesa Academy for Theological Studies. This week, let’s see how Israel is entertaining himself when he’s not busy supporting digital coursework.

First on Israel’s list is Engaging Technology in Theological Education: All That We Can’t Leave Behind by Mary Hess. About this influential book, he says,

“I came across Mary E. Hess’ work as I was working on my doctoral thesis. I appreciated that Hess not only offers a critical look at the challenges posed by digital technologies in theological education, but also recognizes the reality that we are to engage in its use.”

This book is a staple for religious educators, even many years after its publication. By encouraging teachers to incorporate new media and technology into their pedagogy, Hess explores the ways we can critically engage technology while still staying true to Christian teachings.

Engaging Technology in Theological Education is available at Pitts.

Next is The Church of God and Its Human Face: The Contribution of Joseph A. Komonchak to Ecclesiology by Martin Madar. Joseph Komonchak is an influential Catholic theologian and priest engaged in ecclesiology. About this book devoted to Komonchak, Israel says,

“I appreciated Martin Madar’s engagement of Joseph Komanchak’s work on the local church within the context of Catholic ecclesiology in the 20th century. I particularly found his chapter on Vatican II and the Shift in Catholic ecclesiology helpfully in tracing the different ecclesial ideologies leading to Vatican II and the challenges that followed.”

The Church of God and Its Human Face is available at Pitts.

Finally, Israel recommends a podcast called The Bible for Normal People.

“I enjoy this podcast as it offers an eclectic cast of contributors to speak on contemporary critical issues relating to the Bible.”

The B4NP podcast is part of a larger organization that offers courses and publishes books and blogs, seeking to make Biblical scholarship more accessible to the general public.

The Bible for Normal People is available on their website and wherever you listen to podcasts.

Summer Reading No. 9: Dee Roberts

headshot of Deanna Roberts

Reference and Outreach Librarian Dee Roberts supports patrons by helping them find the resources they need and reaching out across Candler and the broader community to build connections with the library. This week, let’s see how Dee keeps herself entertained in her free time.

First up, Dee recommends the podcast V Interesting with V Spehar. She says,

“V is the host and creator of TikTok’s @underthedesknews. #Underthedesknews offers 60-second daily wrap ups of current events, political analysis, and special interest stories. V is excellent at taking complex issues and breaking them down into easily digestible and understandable segments. What started out as my method of making sense of the world during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, has now turned into my preferred source for all things news.”

V Interesting is available on the Lemonada Media website and everywhere podcasts are found.

Next, Dee recommends Cry, Baby: Why Our Tears Matter, a nonfiction selection that encourages us to feel all those feelings and cry.

“Author Benjamin Perry, a fellow graduate of the Union Theology Seminary in the City of New York, writes about the importance and necessity of expressing our most internal feelings. Exploring the vast history, literature, physiology, psychology, and spirituality of crying, we can recognize our deepest hopes and longings, how we connect to others, and the social forces bent on keeping us from mourning.”

Cry, Baby is available for purchase at your favorite bookseller; we recommend checking out Bookshop.org for local bookshops!

Finally, a lover of “raw tunes”, Dee has curated a playlist of must-listen to songs to accompany you on your travels this season. Listen here or on Spotify.

We hope you’re enjoying these recommendations. Tune in next week for the final installment of our 2023 summer reading series!

Summer Reading No. 8: Ann McShane

headshot of Ann McShane

We’re back to Pitts staff recommendations this week with Digital Asset Librarian, Ann McShane. When Ann isn’t busy digitizing library materials and making them available online (check out digital.pitts.emory.edu!), they stay entertained with fantastical stories, graphic novels, and a brand new game on Nintendo Switch.

First up, Ann recommends A Natural History of Transition by Callum Angus. About this book, they say,

“Short stories about change and magic and the world around us. My favorite of the collection was “Migration,” which feels that same combination of devastating and mundane that comes every year when the late-summer storms get bigger and the winters get shorter. For good and bad, how should I feel about my home changing around me?”

A Natural History of Transition is a collection of short stories that explore transitions in nature to complicate the perception that trans people can (and do) only have one transition. These stories mix in magic and horror to create compelling narratives that build complete lives for the characters in each tale.

A Natural History of Transition is available at Woodruff Library.

Next, they recommend Boys Weekend by Mattie Lubchansky. Ann explains this book as,

Boys Weekend is a graphic novel about leaving behind the past and awkward conversations. Also sea monsters and pyramid schemes and murdering your clone for fun. Mostly the first things, though. This is a quick read and full of neat little sight gags.”

Taking place over a bachelor party weekend, Sammie and their friends encounter a cult doing ritual sacrifices staying in their Vegas-like hotel. Through the stories of horror (often couched in satire), the novel explores the negative societal effects of toxic masculinity and bro culture.

Boys Weekend is available at the Dekalb County Public Library.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Ann recommends the Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom game on Nintendo Switch.

“I’m going to be honest with y’all – so far, I spent most of my free time playing Zelda. I’d love to recommend a thought-provoking book, but I have not read another book to recommend. I was busy. Playing Zelda. This puts me in an odd place, as I now have to explain what Zelda is for my work blog. Weird. Anyway.

Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a sequel to the 2016 Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for the Nintendo Switch. You play as Link, a chosen swordsman of the fallen kingdom of Hyrule. There’s a princess, Zelda, and she needs saving from a funky mummy villain, Ganondorf. Many Zelda games over the past 37 years operate on some version of that basic premise. I’m not recommending this for the story, though. I’m here to climb the tallest thing I can see, look for something interesting in the distance, go there, and explore whatever part of the kingdom I end up in.”

Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available for the Nintendo Switch console.

Like what you see? Stay tuned for more summer reading recommendations from the faculty and staff at Pitts and Candler!

Summer Reading No. 7: Bill Doerr

This week, we are joined by Bill Doerr, the Assistant Dean of Advancement and Alumni Engagement at the Candler School of Theology, where he and the AAE team lead Candler’s development efforts and keep alumni connected and involved with the school long past graduation. This kind of work involves a lot of travel, so let’s see how Bill is staying entertained on his journeys.

“I’m gonna start with The Creative Act: A Way of Being, by Rick Rubin.  Like most folks, I learned of Rick through his music production that started in the early days of hip hop (LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, Run-DMC).  The book is authentic to his way of producing that is really about creating a space for an artist to find their voice.  It is the opposite of an instruction manual – more about providing prompts for personal reflection.  As Rick says, ‘Some ideas may resonate, others may not. A few may awaken an inner knowing you forgot you had. Use what’s helpful. Let go of the rest.'”

The Creative Act is available at the Science Commons at Emory and the Dekalb County Public Library.

“For Father’s Day, I got The Nineties: A Book, by Chuck Klosterman and haven’t put it down since.  I am a proud member of Gen X who wore lots of flannel and black t-shirts with my Doc Marten’s.  The way my high school and college days are represented here is truly remarkable.  It is fun and cleverly written but also provides context to that period of history that somehow seems like yesterday and a million years ago at the same time.”

The Nineties is available at the Science Commons at Emory and the Dekalb County Public Library.

“I also have to throw in a recommendation for the podcast Plain English with Derek Thompson.  With so much noise in the system these days it is easy to lose track of what is really going on and why it matters.  These episodes usually tackle something in the news with an expert that provides a clear narrative and distinct takeaways.”

Plain English is streaming on Spotify and your other favorite podcast streaming platforms.

“Finally, I spent the summer traveling over 2,000 miles meeting with Candler alumni and friends across the southeast.  My traveling companion was Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit’s new album, Weathervanes.  It’s an amazing album that goes great with driving across long stretches of southern Georgia and Alabama.”

Weathervanes is streaming, in stores, and on YouTube.

We hope you are enjoying these recommendations. Stay tuned for more summer reading recommendations from the staff and faculty of Pitts and Candler!

Summer Reading No. 6: Brett Opalinski

You may know Dr. Brett Opalinski as the Assistant Dean of Methodist Studies and Assistant Professor in the Practice of Spiritual Formation and Church Leadership at Candler. This week, we’re excited to have Dr. Opalinski offer our summer reading recommendations and give us a glimpse into how he’s entertaining himself this summer.

First on Dr. Opalinski’s list is The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder by David Grann.

In this work of narrative nonfiction, David Grann tells the harrowing story of shipwreck survivors of His Majesty’s Ship the Wager, who washed ashore in South America in 1742. As survivors continued to arrive on land, the story of the wreck quickly turned from a tale of heroism to one of violence, mutiny, and murder, leaving lives on trial in a military court. Full of twists and turns, The Wager is sure to keep readers captivated with this nonfiction tale (which is quite honestly unbelievable).

The Wager is available at the Woodruff Library and the Dekalb County Public Library.

Next is King: A Life by Jonathan Eig.

Renowned biographer Jonathan Eig delivers once again with a thorough, compelling, and updated volume on the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. Using recently declassified FBI documents, Eig recounts MLK’s inner turmoil, complex family dynamics, and persecution by the US government. Even if you are familiar with the story of MLK, this timely biography will fill in gaps and complicate the narrative we often hear about one of our nation’s greatest minds and martyrs, offering a more complete picture of King as a man, and not just a public figure.

King: A Life is available via request from the Oxford College Library and from the Dekalb County Public Library.

Finally, Dr. Opalinski recommends a brand new streaming show, Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss.

In this documentary series, Rainn Wilson travels the world, exploring sites known for being the happiest and least happy places on earth, seeking the secrets to a happy society. The show is based on an earlier book by Eric Weiner, called The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World. Both the book and show navigate the science of happiness with humor, curiosity, and seriousness, and viewers are sure to learn something about the world and themselves.

The Geography of Bliss is streaming on Peacock.

Like what you see? Stay tuned for more summer reading recommendations from the faculty and staff at Pitts and Candler!