Understand how stories connect us—to ourselves, to others, and to the world around us. Understand how storytelling helps us build meaning, bridge divides, and find humanity in every experience.

• On Writing (King) – Stephen King’s memoir and guide to the craft of writing.
• Station Eleven (St. John Mandel) – A post-apocalyptic novel about art, memory, and survival.
• A Christmas Carol (Dickens) – A miser’s redemption through ghostly visits at Christmas.
• Their Eyes Were Watching God (Hurston) – A Black woman’s journey to find love and independence.

Explore questions of split allegiances and try to do what is right despite feeling split. Focus on broader moral and political issues including racial inequality and war.

• My Brother Sam is Dead (Collier) – A boy’s struggle with loyalty and loss during the American Revolution.
• Killer Angels (Shaara) – A gripping novel about the Battle of Gettysburg in the Civil War.
• To Kill A Mockingbird (Lee) – A Southern girl confronts racism and injustice in her small town.
• Animal Farm (Orwell) – A farmyard rebellion becomes a chilling political allegory.

Find strength in adversity and developing relationships necessary for survival.

• The Marrow Thieves (Dimaline) – Survival and found-family relationships in a dystopian future.
• The Naturals (Barnes) – A group of gifted teens navigating friendship and mentorship in an FBI program.
• No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference (Thunberg) – How one person’s relationship with society sparks global change.
• Woods Runner (Paulsen) – Family separation, resilience, and human connection.

Explore important themes and life lessons that relate to growing up, facing challenges and understanding others.

• The Wednesday Wars (Schmidt) – A boy’s evolving relationship with his teacher, family, and himself.
• Walk Two Moons (Creech) – Family bonds, grief, and personal growth.
• The Knife of Never Letting Go (Ness) – Trust, communication, and friendships in a dystopian world.

Explore how human connection—across time, distance, and hardship—shapes our identity and gives life meaning; our deepest need is to be seen, understood, and remembered.

• The Wednesday Wars (Schmidt) – Humor, mentorship, and coming-of-age.
• El Deafo (Bell) – Communication, friendship, and overcoming struggle.

Exploring Connection in Education

Read ONE of the following:

• UDL Now (Novak) – How educators build relationships through inclusive teaching.
• Anxious Generation (Haidt) – How modern technology affects relationships and identity.
• Find Your Why (Sinek) – Mentorship, purpose, and how relationships shape personal and professional growth.

Faculty sign up – so we know which ones to buy before the end of the year.