In the first few weeks of school, I heard many students grumble about their summer reading assignments. More than a few could not bring themselves to pick up a book while hanging with friends on the beach or going on a family vacation. I am the complete opposite, which I guess isn’t much of a surprise since I’m a librarian. But even before I had this fancy degree and powerful position, I loved summer reading. It’s my chance to plow through a bunch of books without being interrupted by work, my daughter’s sports schedule or other obligations. I love nothing more than sitting outside on a beautiful day with a book in my lap. Books go with me to the beach, in the car, on my deck . . . Here are a few of the books I read this past summer, all of which I recommend to you.

Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman, by Jon Krakauer: Written by one of my favorite nonfiction authors, who’s also known for Into the Wild and Into Thin Air, this book explores the life of Pat Tillman. Tillman was an NFL superstar when, after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, he gave up a million-dollar career and joined the military. When he was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan, the government hid the truth from the public and even Tillman’s family. I liked this book because it was more than just a story about a soldier (although there was plenty in it for people who like soldier stories). The book really examined what motivated Tillman to leave professional sports to go to war, and revealed how he resisted the government’s efforts to use him as a propaganda tool. It was also interesting to read about the government conspiracy to cover up the truth of Tillman’s death as well as its often misleading reasons for entering the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in the first place. Sure to spark political discussions for those who are interested, this book is also a good read for people interested in sports and the military.

Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital, by Sheri Fink: When Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, hospitals were among the hardest hit, trying to save sick and injured patients without electricity, enough medicine, enough to eat or a way to escape. This book tells what happened at one hospital, where a doctor was accused of intentionally overdosing several patients because she felt they’d be too hard to evacuate or would die in the process. Some people called her and the nurses who worked with her heroes for trying to minimize patients’ pain in a terrible situation. Others, including the government, called them murderers and tried to press criminal charges. The book gives a detailed and disturbing picture of what life was like in flooded New Orleans, and makes you think. What would you do in the same situation? What choices would you make? The second half of the book was a little repetitive, but the first half was incredible.

Go Set a Watchman, by Harper Lee: As a huge fan of To Kill a Mockingbird, I was both excited and nervous about reading this long-lost novel. Critics immediately complained that favorite characters were turned into racists, others were killed off and the writing wasn’t strong. But I found the book to be really interesting, especially in thinking about how bits and pieces of it were revised and developed into the Mockingbird I know and love. Was it great writing? No, Harper Lee needed an editor and this book was released as it was found — no editing at all — so at times she was wordy and made outdated references. But there were flashes of the great writer that Lee could be (again, once she had an editor!). Was Atticus a racist? I don’t think so. Anyone who read the whole book would see that though Scout felt he was being racist, Atticus had reasons for fearing outsiders and trying to protect his African American neighbors in his own way. You may not agree with his reasons, but I think you’ll agree that the cries that he was a racist were exaggerated. Mockingbird explores being true to yourself and trying to understand others’ point of view. Watchman delves into how we forge our own identities, apart from our parents, as we grow from children to adults.

Mountains Beyond Mountains, by Tracy Kidder: Another nonfiction read, this one follows a Harvard-educated doctor who devoted his life to treating the poorest of the poor in rural Haiti. The subject, Dr. Paul Farmer, was a remarkable and unique man. In some ways, he made me think of Pat Tillman and the Memorial Hospital doctors: could I make the sacrifices and face the challenges that they did? Probably not. Did I feel like a selfish person reading about his work? A little. One of the things the book showed me was that treating disease in poor countries requires much more than medicine. It requires a huge shift in social policies: jobs for the poor, roads to improve transportation, water purification systems, a well-organized (and uncorrupted) government, and so on. Anyone interested in international relations, working with charities or medicine would like this book.

I read two more books in September, but this post is probably already longer than most students will read so I’ll save them for another time. All of these books are available in the HHS library. Come by and check them out.

The debut and concept album Badlands has finally been released on iTunes and Spotify, after a long wait for Halsey fans. Singer-songwriter Ashley Frangipane, who goes by the stage name Halsey, (an anagram of her name as well as a street she lived on) is 21 (we share the same birthday, September 29) and originally from New Jersey, majoring in writing in college. Frangipane’s songs are usually based on her own state of mind, telling stories of many of her own life experiences in New York, describing “the Badlands” as a code name for the unhealthy life experiences she once encountered while living there.

Badlands was produced by Astralwerks and Capitol records, and dropped on August 28, 2015. The album starts with a powerful, techno-based track titled “Castle” about the current discography of Halsey and her current role in the media with her fan base (“I’m headed straight for the castle, they wanna make me their queen.”) The song points out that once someone gains recognition, they are going to have to listen to people that respond negatively, and that “there’s no use crying about it.”

The lead single “New Americana” speaks of decisions that American adolescents can commonly make in this generation, and the positives and negatives tied into them. “Colors” is about Ashley’s past relationship with a man told symbolically in different colors (“You were red, and you liked me ‘cause I was blue.”)

One of my favorite songs on the album is “Coming Down,” which describes Frangipane’s many past relationships with different lovers throughout a chunk of time and the various lessons they taught her. The track is very acoustic and laid back, but very colorful with confident flow. The album is overall very well-progressed with most tracks standing out to me, ending with a well put together cover of “I Walk the Line” by Johnny Cash (on the super deluxe edition only). Badlands even comes with an exclusive trailer narrated by Frangipane herself that can be found on Youtube and Vevo, describing the main synopsis of the album as an introduction.

Although a lot of the material is repetitive musically and lyrically with similar themes about feminist power and an overall traditional pop-based sound, Badlands will have people all over the country relating to many of Halsey’s powerful lyrics about what it means to be an everyday human in all situations such as relationships with others. I am very happy for Frangipane, supporting her since her EP, room 93, was released last December. I encourage anyone interested to give Badlands a listen; I guarantee you will have it on repeat!