We asked Minnesota Law faculty and staff to share the titles that captured their attention this season—from thought-provoking nonfiction and timely legal scholarship to unforgettable novels and hidden gems. And they delivered! Whether you're looking for inspiration, insight, or the perfect beach read, we hope you'll discover your next favorite book on Minnesota Law’s summer reading list.
Recommended by Professor Amna Akbar
Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed
by Ben Tarnoff & Quinn Slobodian
I read this book over the summer with some graduating students who were in my reading seminar this past fall. Riffing off the idea that “Fordism” was the form of industrial capitalism of the mid-20th century, through telling the life story of Elon Musk, the book argues we may be entering a distinct period within capitalist political economy, epitomized by Musk and a belief that technology in some fundamental sense is superior to human reason, individually and collectively as a mode of governance. A must-read as we face our dystopic present, whether that be the state of our democracy, the debates over AI, or Operation Metro Surge!
Mother Mary Comes to Me
by Arundhati Roy
It's been a long time since I've read such an engaging, inspiring, and thought-provoking memoir. This is Arundhati Roy's life story, as told through her relationship with her beguiling mother. Roy is the Indian author who made headlines first by winning the Booker Prize with her first novel, The God of Small Things (1997), and then as someone who has continued to stay in the news with her courageous criticism of the Indian government and much more.
Cloudspitter
by Russell Bank
A fictionalized account of John Brown, the abolitionist, through the lens of his son's account of him and their family life in the 1800s. An epic tale about the United States, the struggle to end slavery, and the countless people who played many conflicting roles in a much earlier phase of our history, with many lessons for today — a good entry way or extension into the study of the period through a novel about one of its important figures.
Recommended by Professor Matt Bodie
Mutiny: The Rise and Revolt of the College-Educated Working Class
by Noam Scheiber
The book draws on Scheiber's N.Y. Times reporting about the growth of the labor movement in the retail sector. In particular, he focuses on those younger college-educated workers who have been disillusioned with their workplaces, especially in the wake of the pandemic, and have decided to pursue the traditional legal pathways for collective representation. It's an accessible and insightful book, while describing a very frustrating and demoralizing story about the current state of U.S. labor law.
Recommended by Professor Emerita Carol Chomsky
The Frozen River
by Ariel Lawhon
A historical novel set in Maine in 1789, centered on the life of midwife Martha Ballard, based on her diaries. It's both a richly layered look at the economic, political, and legal history of the time and a fully engaging story of family and the impact of a woman of perseverance, wisdom, and strength, battling against the forces that undermined the status of women.
Whistler
by Ann Patchett
The story centers around Daphne Fuller and her connections to, and reconnections with, her three fathers -- her birth father and two stepfathers. Ann Patchett is a master at creating believable characters and dialogue, and of engaging the heart through her storytelling. This book is no exception.
Recommended by Jennifer Claybourne, Project Specialist
The Change
by Kirsten Miller
From an age when many women feel they have disappeared comes a story of 3 women who find strength, empowerment, and magic in their post-menopausal years. This book is a refreshing alternative to all those with a young, naive female protagonist bungling her way through life and newly discovered talents. Not that there's anything wrong with those stories, but this is a wonderful acknowledgement of women who have lived life and aren't done yet! This book is full of warmth, charm, humor, connection, and mystery.
Recommended by Professor Thomas Cotter
Marseille 1940: The Flight of Literature
by Uwe Wittstock (Daniel Bowles tr.)
I watched a series on Netflix called Transatlantic, which is a fictionalized, sentimental, yet stylish and engaging account of the work of Varian Fry, Mary Jayne Gold, and others in 1940 who helped persecuted artists and writers escape from Vichy France to the United States and other countries. I wanted to know the real story and was happy to discover the recent publication of this fast-paced, nearly day-by-day account of these harrowing events. The book includes an amazing cast of characters, including not only Fry and Gold but also Albert Hirschmann (later famous for his work in antitrust economics, of all things), Andre Breton, Peggy Guggenheim, Hannah Arendt, and many others.
Recommended by Professor Prentiss Cox ’90
Brawler
by Lauren Groff
Her language is spare yet beautiful. The stories are from different places, as is the author, but each setting is rendered with specificity and authenticity. Her characters range in class, and she has a particular ear for poor southerners.
Recommended by Amanda Furst, Assistant Dean and Chief of Staff
American War
by Omar El Akkad
Written by Egyptian-Canadian journalist Omar El Akkad. Set in a dystopian, late 21st-century U.S. ravaged by climate change, it explores a brutal Second Civil War. The conflict is triggered by a federal ban on fossil fuels and leads to the secession of several Southern states.
How High We Go in the Dark
by Sequoia Nagamatsu
Literary science fiction novel about the effects of an environmental catastrophe and the release of a novel virus on Earth. The story starts in 2031 and ends in 7037. The novel uses interlinked, generational short stories.
Recommended by Wendy Griak, Associate Director of Counseling Initiatives
We Live Here Now
by Sarah Pinborough
I am always on the search for a haunted house story that has enough supernatural elements to keep me intrigued without getting too gory. I also thought this one had a great twist. We Live Here Now follows a couple who move to a historic mansion in the English countryside for a fresh start. Isolated from friends and family, Emily begins questioning whether the strange things she is experiencing in the house are real as she uncovers the history of the house and its former occupants.
Recommended by Professor Jill Hasday
Rodham
by Curtis Sittenfeld
What if Hillary Rodham had never married Bill Clinton? Would Bill still have become president? Would Hillary have become president instead? You may not agree with this novel's answers, but the book is a page-turner.
Recommended by Professor Claire Hill
The Incredible Afterlives of Dr. Stevenson: One Scientist’s Epic Quest for Evidence of Reincarnation, Apparitions, Poltergeists, and Other Matters of the Soul
by Jesse Bering
As described on the book’s web page: This is the untold story of an iconoclastic scientist: a psychiatrist who dedicated his career to documenting consciousness after death.
Recommended by Hannah Logan, Assistant Director of International and Graduate Programs
The House in the Pines
by Ana Reyes
My book club just finished The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes, and I loved it. "A woman who long ago witnessed her friend’s sudden, mysterious death, and has since spent her life trying to forget, sets out to track down answers when she comes across a recent YouTube video in which a young woman suddenly keels over and dies in a diner while sitting across from none other than the person she feels is responsible for the death of her childhood friend. What she uncovers, deep in the woods, is hardly to be believed."
Recommended by Julie Longo, Senior Manager of Visual Design & Social Media
Bread of Angels: A Memoir
by Patti Smith
I had the pleasure of seeing Smith’s performance this past March at St. Kates where she sang and read excerpts from her book. She was very touched by what we in the Twin Cities had just gone through with the ICE occupation. When she sang, "People Have the Power", the whole auditorium joined in. It was a powerful and moving moment. I am fascinated by her history and her relevance so many years after her hit album, Horses. She has worked with many musicians, poets, and authors who are key to how music has evolved. After all, she's seen as the Godmother of Punk, and yet, she is still so humble, having experienced so many profound losses and having to rebuild her career late in life. Bread of Angels is poetic, inspiring, and an easy read for anyone who is interested in Smith's story and the history of music and art from the early 1970s in New York City.
Recommended by Dean William McGeveran
Slow Horses
by Mick Herron
A smart spy novel about washed-up secret agents exiled to a bureaucratic Siberia who, of course, are the true heroes. A summer page-turner with enough careful plot and beautifully crafted sentences to be guilt-free. I have moved on to the next book in the series, and maybe I will watch the Apple TV adaptation too.
Recommended by Muriel McLaughlin, Executive Assistant to the Dean
Disappoint Me
by Nicola Dinan
Disappoint Me follows the life of Max, a 30-something trans woman navigating the struggles of growing up and the modern-day dating culture. Nicola Dinan creates a charming and witty story by bouncing between the past and present, keeping the pages turning almost effortlessly. Readers are forced to consider the question: can we accept the flaws of ourselves and those we love, or will we shy away at the risk of being disappointed?
Recommended by Marisa Ontko, Development Officer
Atmosphere
by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I am recommending Atmosphere because it is about adventure and exploration and features strong female characters. This is a love story about space, and an LGBT+ coming-of-age story. I cried no fewer than three times while reading, and it completely captivated me.
Unfollow
by Megan Phelps-Roper
This book floored me, so I am recommending it. This is a memoir written by the granddaughter of the founder of the Westboro Baptist Church. Phelps-Roper examines her upbringing, the theology she was raised on, and her departure from Westboro Baptist.
The Friend Zone (+ others)
by Abby Jimenez
And because romance is having a moment, I am recommending anything by local author Abby Jimenez. She has two book series, but each of her books can be a standalone. Her novels are fun, beachy reads that you can polish off in a weekend. Jimenez also leaves character easter eggs, which is so delightful. If you like serial reading of authors as I do, or starting at the beginning, The Friend Zone is the first book.
Recommended by Kristina Randelzhofer, Collections Space Manager
Finding My Way: A Memoir
by Malala Yousafzai
This memoir is a follow-up to Malala Yousafzai's first popular memoir, I Am Malala, which documented her time as a young girl advocating for girls' education in Pakistan. This memoir picks up in her young adult years after she has been shot by the Taliban. It depicts her trying to navigate life as a young 20-something, now going to college at Oxford and continuing her advocacy for girls' education. I really appreciated how Malala paints an honest human portrayal of recovering from her trauma while also trying to navigate the educational and social challenges of being a college student. It was an inspiring, yet relatable read! I listened to the audiobook and appreciated hearing Malala tell her story.
Recommended by Kiri Somermeyer, Executive Director of the Corporate Institute
Last Night in Brooklyn
by Xochitl Gonzalez
This is a modern-day Great-Gatsby-inspired story about wealth, fame, and the American Dream, set in Brooklyn in 2007, on the brink of a big presidential election and looming financial crisis. 26-year-old Alicia becomes infatuated with her famous, self-made fashion designer neighbor and gets drawn into a complex web of drama and challenging relationships. This book has the qualities of a classic page-turner summer read, but also explores complex themes about becoming an adult, upward mobility, gentrification, and the experiences of non-white Americans in predominantly white spaces.
Recommended by Professor Emeritus Robert Stein ’61
Life, Law & Liberty
by Justice Anthony M. Kennedy
Justice Kennedy describes the book as a Memoir covering his life before and after his time on the Court. This recently published book includes fascinating discussions of the background of several cases in which Justice Kennedy authored the Court's opinion, such as Citizens United, Lawrence v. Texas, and Obergefell v. Hodges.
An Unfinished Love Story
by Doris Kearns Goodwin
The book describes several events of the 1960s in the context of Doris Kearns Goodwin's marriage to Richard "Dick" Goodwin. A subtitle to the book is A Personal History of the 1960s.
Recommended by Professor Amy Sweasy
Strangers
by Belle Burden
Several students were reading this book during the spring semester and recommended it to me. I read it as soon as classes ended! It is a page turner and a memoir of the end of a marriage between two lawyers, which begins with the COVID-19 pandemic in New York. I enjoyed the book because the author wrote with honesty and examined relatable themes of shock and betrayal while acknowledging her own lapses in judgment. The book also opens a window into a less relatable but very interesting world of money, privilege, and high society — and the roles they played in the end of her marriage. My students were right — it is a great read!
Recommended by Visiting Clinical Professor Veronica Thronson
Impossible Subjects: Illegal Aliens and the Making of Modern America
by Mae Ngai
This book traces the historical origins of the concept of the "illegal alien" in U.S. law and society.
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures
by Ann Fadiman
This book explores the cross-cultural difficulties that a Hmong refugee family and medical care providers in California face in trying to help an epileptic girl.
What is the What
by Dave Eggers
This is the epic novel based on the life of Valentino Achak Deng, who is one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, who, at the age of seven, was forced to flee his village in Sudan, crossing the deserts of three countries to find freedom. He later resettled in the United States.
Thanhha Lai, Inside Out and Back Again
by Thanhhà Lai
Told from the perspective of a young girl from Vietnam resettled in Alabama, this short work vividly explores the challenges facing the unaccompanied and refugee youth whom we represent.
Recommended by Professor Paul Vaaler
The Brothers Karamazov
by Fyodor Dostoevsky
I just finished (again) The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Sweeping doesn't begin to describe the scope of this tale of family, faith, foul play, and judicial forums in late 19th-century Tsarist Russia. Everyone's got a favorite brother among Dmitri, Ivan, Alexi (Alyosha), and (maybe) Pavel. I'd trade pages about any of them for more on Father Zosima, a local spiritual advisor and mentor for Alyosha. Zosima has a clever answer for pretty much any question the brothers or their wreck-of–a-father, Fyodor, can pose. If you need to justify a read for professional development, then you're in luck since the sweeping novel ends in a courtroom where one of the brothers is on trial for murder.
We should get CLE credit for reading Brothers K.
Recommended by Professor Jack Whiteley
An Artist of the Floating World
by Kazuo Ishiguro
A grandfather in post-war Japan looks back on his life. The book has many interesting themes, including individual responsibility in history. Maybe my favorite of this author’s books.
Children of Time
by Adrian Tchaikovsky
A creative science fiction story set in the far future about the cycles of civilization. And, it’s written by a former lawyer!
Recommended by Diana Witt, Experiential Education Program Coordinator
The God of the Woods
By Liz Moore
A mystery about the disappearance of a 13-year-old girl at summer camp
Murder at Minnesota Point
by Jeffrey Sauve
In 1894, the murder of an unidentified woman washed up on the shores of Minnesota Point in Duluth, Minnesota, and was known as the "crime of the century."
The Covenant of Water
by Abraham Verghese
This novel traces three generations of a family in India - every generation, at least one member dies by drowning.
Recommended by Monica Wittstock, Chief Communications Officer
Persepolis
by Marjane Satrapi
When French-Iranian author and filmmaker Marjane Satrapi passed away earlier this summer, I pulled her book off my shelf for a re-read and was reminded all over again what an absolute masterpiece this book is. Persepolis (a graphic novel in two volumes) had a profound impact on me as a reader and citizen of the world — for its creativity, nuance, and singular voice. Written and illustrated by Satrapi and later adapted to an Oscar-nominated film of the same name, Persepolis explores what the publisher calls “an unforgettable portrait of daily life in Iran and of the bewildering contradictions between home life and public life. Marjane’s child’s eye view of dethroned emperors, state-sanctioned whippings, and heroes of the revolution allows us to learn as she does the history of this fascinating country and of her own extraordinary family. Intensely personal, profoundly political, and wholly original, Persepolis is at once a story of growing up and a reminder of the human cost of war and political repression. It shows how we carry on, with laughter and tears, in the face of absurdity. And, finally, it introduces us to an irresistible little girl with whom we cannot help but fall in love.”
Recommended by Professor Ilan Wurman
The Constitution of 1789: A New Introduction
by Ilan Wurman
The Constitution of 1789 is a new introduction to the Constitution written on the semi-quincentennial of American Independence, packed with novel and surprising insights about the Constitution's original meaning. The book takes the reader on an in-depth tour of the Constitution's structure and separation of powers, starting with the nature of written constitutions and the compound nature of the American Union. The book also explores the enumeration of legislative powers and its relation to the historic royal prerogatives, the meaning of executive power, and the distribution of foreign affairs and war powers between Congress and the President. It investigates the nature of judicial power and the Constitution's complex relationship with slavery, before addressing federalism and the scope of national powers. The Constitution of 1789 dismantles several common misconceptions and conventional wisdoms and is suitable for all readers interested in the law, politics, and history of the American Republic.