At the end of every year, I review the books I read and try to pick the ten best. This is harder than it should be, because between hard copy and audio books, I’ve checked out 392 library books so far in 2025 (heavily weighted towards picture books for my kids). Meanwhile, I consistently wonder how people have time for television. Wherever do they find the time?
Don’t worry, I didn’t read every single book—this number reflects the mismatch between my reading aspirations and the reality of my actual life. But I did read a lot of them—and they infused my life with knowledge, ideas, inspiration, humor, and wonder.
If you too are preparing for a 2026 that requires having the energy (or escape) of a book at the ready, consider this your starter pack. My HealthBegins colleagues and I have curated recommendations for you or the health-equity champion in your life. Together, we hope that as we reach the end of this tumultuous year, these titles help you take time to step back, rest, reflect, and recharge. They are gifts in every sense of the word.
(Find our 2022, 2023, and 2024 holiday book lists at the highlighted links. They’re just as good now as they were then.)
Fiction
The Antidote by Karen Russell (2025). Recommended by Kathryn Jantz. This is a Dust Bowl story filled with magical realism and reflections on how to cope with our nation’s history. It took a few chapters for me to feel engaged but once I was, I was hooked. I recommend reading this book on paper, not listening to the audio.
Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson (2021). Recommended by Maddy Moritsch. This novel tells the story of the Gundersen family—logger Rich, his wife Colleen (a midwife), and their young son Chub—in a small Northern California logging town in the late 1970s. Colleen becomes increasingly alarmed by a spate of miscarriages and birth defects she believes are caused by the timber company’s use of toxic herbicides. The novel explores the tension between economic survival and environmental responsibility, highlighting how industrial practices deeply affect public health and the land.
Holdout: A Novel by Jeffrey Kluger (2022). Recommended by Kathryn Jantz. This is the story of an astronaut who refuses to leave the International Space Station after an accident. It’s perfect for when you want to suspend disbelief and immerse yourself in a tale with the most wonderful of heroes. I listened to it and really enjoyed the audio version.
James by Percival Everett (2024). Recommended by Eva Batalla-Mann and Kathryn Jantz. A re-imagining of Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, this novel tells the story from the point of view of James, an enslaved man. With an intimate view into this famous character’s mind, we see the horrors of the Antebellum South from his particular perspective. Biting, compassionate, intelligent, and often surprisingly funny, this story gives new meaning to a seminal work that only tells one half of the story.
L.A. Weather by María Amparo Escandón (2022). Recommended by Tatiana A. Perez. A Mexican-American family in Los Angeles faces upheaval when the parents announce their divorce after decades of marriage, set against the backdrop of devastating wildfires. The novel captures family dynamics with humor and heart, exploring how we navigate change and legacy across generations in ways that feel universally relatable.
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (2024). Recommended by Eva Batalla-Mann. This novel takes a multi-generational journey as it follows Cyrus, a young Iranian-American poet haunted by the death of his mother on an Iranian plane shot down by the United States. Exploring themes of identity, immigration, power, violence, art, and family, this book is easy to get lost in, because of both the story and Akbar’s magical combination of darkness, humor, and hope while exploring heavy universal themes.
Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton (2018). Recommended by Tatiana A. Perez. A dual-timeline story following a Cuban-American woman who travels to Havana and discovers her grandmother’s past during the Cuban Revolution. This beginning leads to a wonderful and intriguing journey transcending generations, weaving family history with contemporary Cuba in a way that feels both personal and sweeping—perfect for anyone who appreciates multi-generational storytelling and complex cultural identity.
The Sellout by Paul Beatty (2016). Recommended by Rishi Manchanda. This sharp satirical novel about a man who attempts to reinstate segregation and slavery is a surprisingly funny and biting social commentary.
Nonfiction
The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions by Jonathan Rosen (2023). Recommended by Eva Batalla-Mann. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this book since I read it. The author uses the story of his relationship with his childhood best friend to demonstrate how our understanding and conceptualization of mental illness and institutionalization has evolved throughout time. This book is fascinating, harrowing, and unrelentingly human.
Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams (2024). Recommended by Glasha Marcon. Wynn-Williams offers an insider account of Facebook’s rise and the corrosive culture that accompanied it—from encounters with global leaders to the political and individual impact of power, secrecy, and institutional denial. It reinforced my decision to delete Facebook and Instagram earlier this year.
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein (2017). Recommended by Maddy Moritsch. The book demonstrates that today’s racial inequities stem from unconstitutional, government-sanctioned segregation, the effects of which continue to shape communities. Rothstein details how practices such as redlining, restrictive covenants, public housing segregation, and discriminatory lending systematically excluded Black Americans from homeownership and wealth-building opportunities. It shaped my perspective on how the built environment affects all aspects of life and fuels my ongoing disdain for HOAs.
The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande (2013). Recommended by Tatiana A. Perez. Grande’s memoir chronicles her childhood separated from her parents, who crossed into the U.S. as undocumented immigrants, and her eventual journey to join them. This is essential reading for understanding the human reality behind immigration stories, written with unflinching honesty and deep compassion.
Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick by Maya Dusenbery (2019). Recommended by Natashia Townsend. This book illustrates how systemic biases in medicine and flaws in best practices, from lack of diversity in clinical research to provider bias, result in widespread harm to women’s health outcomes. The stories told by women of color experiencing delays in diagnosis or mistreatment validated my experience and encouraged me to speak up in healthcare settings.
The Empire of AI by Karen Hao (2025). Recommended by Kathryn Jantz. This book makes the argument that the development of AI follows the classic empire building playbook: relying on exploitation of labor and natural resources, consolidation of power and the use of powerful and misleading narratives. The book is a bit dense and not one to read at the beach, but I cannot stop thinking about it as I encounter AI every single day.
Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green (2025). Recommended by Eva Batalla-Mann, Kathryn Jantz, and Rishi Manchanda. After meeting a young tuberculosis patient in Sierra Leone, Green became dedicated to advocating for increased equitable access to treatment and raising awareness of the social and historical context that perpetuates inequities. We really appreciate the tone and flow of this book as it makes social drivers of health and Upstreamist concepts engaging and accessible for a wide audience.
Gender and Health: The Effects of Constrained Choices and Social Policies by Chloe E. Bird and Patricia P. Rieker (2008). Recommended by Natashia Townsend. This book explains how social structures, policies, and life choices that are limited by societal structures and gender influence people’s health outcomes and well-being. Learning about the constrained choice model helped me reflect on times when I made difficult life decisions. The authors explain how to remove barriers so that women, particularly those caring for children or families, can make healthier choices.
Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro (2020). Recommended by Tatiana A. Perez. Shapiro discovers through a DNA test that her father is not her biological father, unraveling her understanding of identity and family. This memoir is compelling for its honest exploration of how we define ourselves when foundational truths shift, and it’s a quick but thought-provoking read that stayed with me long after finishing.
The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates (2024). Recommended by Eva Batalla-Mann. Coates’s dedication to the transformative power of the written word is the foundation of this powerful collection of essays. With vignettes in Senegal, South Carolina, and Palestine, this book encourages the reader to think about the importance of questioning commonly accepted narratives and the creative pursuit of truth and justice.
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad (2025). Recommended by Rishi Manchanda. Ten million people viewed Akkad’s tweet in response to the bombing of Gaza: “One day, when it’s safe, when there’s no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it’s too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this.” This series essays and personal reflections build on that sentiment in a heartwrenching and devastating call to action.
We Hold These “Truths” by Casey Burgat (2025). Recommended by Grace Rubenstein. What if the things we thought we knew about the problems with American democracy were wrong? Political scientist Casey Burgat recruits a powerful bipartisan team of researchers, politicians, and practitioners to make the compelling case that they are. They argue that our popular complaints about politics amount to dangerous distractions—and point us toward the real reforms needed to protect democracy. (Full disclosure: Grace Rubenstein edited this book.)
Poetry
A Bit Much by Lyndsay Rush (2024). Recommended by Kathryn Jantz. If you are someone who doesn’t like poetry but you like memes, you might enjoy Lyndsay Rush. Her poetry is geared toward women, especially women who have been called “a bit much.” She started posting her wordplay on her instagram, MaryOliversDrunkCousin, and this book builds on that body of work.
Florida Water by aja monet (2025). Recommended by Sadena Thevarajah. A meditation on monet’s migration to South Florida, this vivid set of poems explores and exposes the intimate relationship between the personal and the political, history and present, love and the forces of nature. “aja monet always opens the portal,” Alexis Pauline Gumbs writes. “Her open-hearted, wisdom-thick voice takes us backwards into a soul movement where everything felt possible and forward into the loving future we deserve at the same time.”
Children’s Books
After the Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again) written and illustrated by Dan Santat (2017). Recommended by Kathryn Jantz. This is a beautiful picture book that describes how Humpty Dumpty faces his fears after falling.
The Day the River Caught Fire: How the Cuyahoga River Exploded and Ignited the Earth Day Movement by Barry Wittenstein, illustrated by Jessie Hartland (2023). Recommended by Kathryn Jantz. I love this story of social change. My five-year-old and I read it over and over, and it prompted conversations about science (why can’t water catch fire?) and our family lifestyle (why we choose not to do things like party favors).
Democracy for Dinosaurs: A Guide for Young Citizens by Laurie Krasny Brown, illustrated by Marc Brown (2022). Recommended by Sadena Thevarajah. This book was propped up at our local library and invited my son and me in. It covers complex democratic concepts in an approachable and relatable way, adorned by the familiar artistic stylings of Marc Brown. It was a wonderful touchstone for challenging family conversations around protest, managing differing points of view, and our individual roles in a functioning society.
Oskar and the Eight Blessings by Tanya and Richard Simon, illustrated by Mark Siegel (2015). A young Jewish boy flees Nazi Germany and arrives in New York City alone, with only his aunt’s name and address. Beautiful illustrations trace his walk through 1938 Manhattan, and along the way he receives kindnesses from stranger after stranger, showing the small blessings that we can find even in the hardest times.
Why the Turtle Walks So Slowly by Sandra Martín Denis, illustrated by Arístides Hernández. Recommended by Tatiana A. Perez. A charming children’s book adapted from a Cuban folktale that explains through story why turtles move at their own pace. This beautifully illustrated book is perfect for sharing across generations and offers a gentle lesson about accepting our own rhythms and those of others.
If you read one of these books, tell us about it! Did you hate it or love it? What did it make you think about? We would also love to hear about some of your favorite reads! Please send your tips to info@healthbegins.org or tag us on Bluesky @healthbegins.bsky.social so that we can read along with you and share your recommendations with others.
