UC BerkeleyThe Berkeley Lens: Community
What holds a community together? Dive into this reading list, handpicked by the brilliant minds at UC Berkeley to explore that very question. Centered on the theme "Illuminating Communities," these stories are your ticket to discovering the threads that connect us all. Find your next unforgettable read right here!
1. Illuminating Connection
How love, resilience, and imagination renew the bonds that hold communities together.
All About Love
From Caroline M. Williams, Associate Professor in Department of Integrative Biology
Exit West
From Zayd Ali, Mechanical Engineering Major, Class of 2025
Year of Wonders
From Ann Glusker, Librarian of Sociology, Demography, & Quantitative Research
Braiding Sweetgrass
From Nazune Menka, Berkeley Law Lecturer
Your Inner Fish
From Caroline Cole, College Writing Programs Lecturer
2. Illuminating Justice
How policies, leadership, and governance shape safer, fairer communities.
When Brute Force Fails
From Michael O’Hare, Professor of the Graduate School of Public Policy
Turn the Ship Around!
From Arturo Perez-Reyes, Haas School of Business Faculty
Wagnerism
From Michael O’Hare, Professor of the Graduate School of Public Policy
3. Illuminating Memory
How memory, history, and identity preserve voices and confront injustice.
Voices from the Warsaw Ghetto
Recommended by Michael Sholinbeck, Public Health Librarian
Minor Feelings
Recommended by Kaya Oakes, College Writing Programs Lecturer
The Nutmeg’s Curse
From David Presti, Teaching Professor of Neurobiology and Psychology