Reading has numerous benefits. It creates an opportunity for people to see different perspectives and allows them to enjoy multiple stories. Books are also great for passing time, as well as learning new things. If you ever find yourself looking to end your boredom, try reading some of these book recommendations below!
Some of the teachers at Blake have recommended some fantastic reads from all genres. Chris Robinson, Math Chair, recommends
a book titled “The End of Average” by Tom Ross. If you are looking for a different style of read, Beth Calderone, Social Studies
Chair, recommends “The Great Influenza” by John M. Barry, and “Minneapolis: An Urban Biography” by MPR reporter Tom Weber. Calderone says, “It’s easy to read, but emotionally challenging for us to look at our past in 2020 and think about the future
we want for this city.”
For more of an auto-bigraphy look, Maggie Bowman, social studies teacher, recommends “Homo Deus” by Yuval Noah Harari and the autobiography “Fredrick Douglas” by David Bright, which was also recommended by David Graham, social studies teacher. Kjirsten Walt Anderson, science teacher, recommends “Becoming” by Michelle Obama, which is a memoir about her life leading up to being a First Lady.
For more of an exiting read, Lizz Buchanan, Library and Media Chair, recommends the “Binti Trilogy” and the “Akata” series, both of which are written by the author Nnedi Okorafor. She also suggests “American Royals” by Katharine McGee. Additionally, there were a lot of different fiction books recommended as well. Bowman says, “If students haven’t, they really should just dive into the “Harry Potter” series…what better time than quarantine to start?”.For a more intense read, Anderson recommends
“Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens and The Island Beneath The Sea by Isabel Allende. Ashley Olson has several recommendations as well, including “All Systems Red” by Martha Wells, “You Should See Me in a Crown” by Leah Johnson, “Red, White, and Royal Blue” by Casey McQuiston, “Truly Devious” by Maureen Johnson, and “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel. Olson says “You probably think you don’t want to read [“Station Eleven”] about the world after a deadly pandemic. But once you start this book you will realize that yes, yes you absolutely do.”
Although books are a great source of entertainment, they are not only option! Calderone also recommends listening to podcasts such as: “The Last Archive”, “Revisionist History”, “You’re Wrong About”, “Serial”, and “Invisibilia”.
