A real crime thriller based in Chicago, this page turner situates us at the intersection of narco-traffickers operating from prison, corrupt special ops police, ex-prisoners looking to rehabilitate and just survive, and beat police searching for answers. Good guys, bad guys? No such thing. Everybody is compromised, everybody is complicit. Can there be justice? Surprisingly, yes, in places you might not expect. ‑Linda Craft, Department of Spanish

After a surreal week of watching the RNC, I needed some comic relief. When I'm looking for a good laugh, I turn to Carl Hiaasen. His Basket Case did not disappoint! Death-obsessed obituary writer Jack Tagger investigates the mysterious drowning of a famous singer and encounters some truly flamboyant, wacko characters along the way. Lots of fun! ‑Linda Craft, Department of Spanish

The Warmth of Other Suns, written by Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson, is a compelling book about the Great Migration of African Americans in the United States from the South to the North and West. It chronicles the lives of three people who left Mississippi, Florida, and Louisiana in the 30s, 40s, and 50s, respectively. What particularly spoke to me was reading about what was happening right here in Chicago during the 60s and 70s, and the fact that I lived through so much of this, but was pretty much oblivious to it, growing up as I did on the Northwest side. Wilkerson’s writing style made it flow like a well-written novel. I had trouble putting it down. ‑Karen Mears, Office of the President

Karr and I shared the same spiritual director in Syracuse. We once had a fun discussion on the sin of M&Ms—not that she would remember me or the conversation. I have followed her career these past 20 years by reading her books. She reminds me of the Catholic version of Anne Lamott: serious addiction, single mother of a son, acclaimed writer, eventual journey of recovery that includes a deep commitment to God. Her memoir, Lit, tells her recovery and God story better than any revival meeting testimony could. Now Go Out There is her commencement speech at Syracuse University in 2015 where she finally gets a PhD after 25 years as a professor. This short book is, as we would expect, funny, thoughtful, and deeply spiritual. ‑Ellen Kogstad, Center for Spiritual Direction

This book is not really light beach reading, but it is worth slowly digesting. Van der Kolk explains complex medical practices and studies, particularly those related to the brain, in a way that I could easily follow. Part Three, "The Minds of Children," was particularly interesting and relevant to my other job with homeless young moms and their children. Early trauma effects learning, cognitive function, and social skills so necessary in education. “Trauma,” Van der Kolk writes, “is not just an event that took place sometime in the past; it is also the imprint left by that experience on mind, brain, and body.” I would add soul to this because in spiritual direction we are always looking for God’s presence even when God is hard to recognize. The author adds, “For real change to take place, the body needs to learn that the danger has passed and to live in the reality of the present." It is in the present moment where God does amazing healing. ‑Ellen Kogstad, Center for Spiritual Direction

Lidia Yuknavitch’s The Chronology of Water confirms how a life can be both a story of a body and a series of reinvented selves. It took over a decade for Yuknavitch to own up to publishing this book that began as a short story praised at a Poets and Writers convention about her life as a competitive swimmer, abused daughter, and grieving mother. She writes from the perspective of a self-embraced misfit who eventually claims a home in the tribe of Oregon writers, academics, and artists she still collaborates with today. ‑Melissa Pavlik, English as a Second Language

Erdrich is a master of characterization, and she infuses her multi-generational stories with magical realism. LaRose is a boy who "knows things," and exercises special abilities. There's an initial tragedy and an attempt at penance, forgiveness, and redemption that plays out over years. As always, Erdrich's language and imagery is rich. ‑Nancy McCann Hostetter, Department of Communications

This book reflects on a year the writer took off from motivational speaking to focus on both modern and traditional spiritual practices (from attentiveness to simplicity to gratitude, etc.). He not only gives practical examples of how to adopt one or more spiritual practices into our lives but also shares anecdotes about how these practices affect his daily life. The book almost overwhelms with the range of options it offers for incorporating spiritual practice. What I find inspirational, however, is the frankness with which the author discusses his simultaneous attraction and resistance to various traditions. Focus, albeit intermittent, on some of these spiritual practices has brought blessings into my own life and work, as it did for Yankoski. ‑Nyela Basney, Department of Music

Edna O'Brien's new novel, The Little Red Chairs, concerns the aftermath of the war in Serbia and Croatia. A war criminal goes into hiding and claims to be a healer; traumatized refugees scatter throughout Europe and take up new lives in new places; lives intersect in unpredictable ways; people are not who they seem to be. Mainly we follow Fidelma, a rural Irishwoman whose world shatters when she seeks to complete her family. Ultimately she gets in touch with the world's pain. O'Brien is wonderful at nature description and character depiction. ‑Nancy McCann Hostetter, Department of Communications

As a scientist who is a Christian, I've often felt alone among non-Christian scientists and non-scientist Christians. What a relief to learn from this book that there are many scientists who are also Christians! Dr. Howard-Ecklund (who came to speak on our campus theme, "What is Truth?," this year) is a sociologist who studies religious beliefs in different groups of people. She surveyed and interviewed thousands of scientists and analyzed their religious beliefs into several categories. With lots of approachable personal stories, this book reads easily for the lay reader it's not about science or theology but about people. Given the many North Park students who are majoring in health-related sciences or ministry-related fields, this would be a great non-fiction summer read for our students. ‑Yoojin Choi, Department of Biology

Laden with references to the slain rapper The Notorious B.I.G., this book explores the life of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The authors have wonderfully mixed RBG’s personal life the overt sexism she faced early in her legal career, her lifelong partnership with her husband Marty, her unlikely friendship with the conservative Justice Antonin Scalia with a history of American legal thought and feminist theory in delightful and surprising ways. Reading this book transformed me from a detached reader to a fierce fan of Justice Ginsburg, inspired by her personal and legal triumphs, struck by her balance of idealism and pragmatism, and recommitted to the ideals of feminism in American life. ‑Andy Meyer, Brandel Library

A wonderful novel that explores community, memory, and meaning through a story that is both wildly funny and deeply heartbreaking. The title character, a grumpy man named Ove, holds to a rigid sense of right and wrong and yet experiences a remarkable transformation throughout this book. Ove's personal transformation is part of a broader communal transformation that reaches through time and space and envelopes the reader in a sense of meaning, purpose, and redemption. This book is not perfect some characters seem rather one-dimensional and I sometimes felt the story lacked nuance or complexity but the general arc of the story was powerful and highly enjoyable. ‑Andy Meyer, Brandel Library

This novel is the story of a boy growing up after his mother tragically passes away. The characters are well developed and the language used makes the story hard to put down. The novel is heavily influenced by art and culture as the main character is shaped by his relationship to a small, stolen painting. ‑Katie Bast '16

Set in war-torn Beirut, this amazing novel is about a seemingly reclusive woman who spends her time making translations of great works of literature—but the translations are for her alone. She fills her apartment with boxes and boxes of typed translations of world masterpieces as Beirut crumbles around her. The novel asks questions about why and how literature matters and how it connects us to the world around us. A beautiful book. ‑Nancy Arnesen, Department of English

Ta-Nahesi Coates' June 2014 Atlantic Monthly cover story, "The Case for Reparations," makes a powerful argument about economic and social policies that have systematically disadvantaged African Americans. In his memoir Between The World And Me, winner of the 2015 National Book Award, Coates writes an equally powerful, much more personal interrogation of contemporary African-American experience, this time in the form of a letter to his son. The book is poetic, vivid, stunning. ‑Nancy Arnesen, Department of English