Paperback writer

Three recommendations for your summer reading list

Growing up, summer break meant diving into a stack of books, losing myself in the vivid landscapes of imagination crafted by authors from around the world. I still remember where I was when reading certain books, coming to the final pages, the conclusion to some massive journey I had been on for weeks. There were times that finishing that story was all the mattered.

That love for literary exploration hasn't faded with time; even now, when I travel, my bag is always packed with enough books to make me usually regret how heavy they are and why after the “Kindle years” I went back to bound books.

I read a lot. It's one of the things that I find to be quite relaxing - especially when you combine it with music. There's nothing better than immersing yourself in a story and having a soundtrack in the background. As I have gotten older, I have really learned to appreciate a good book, the time it takes to get into it, what new intellectual doors it opens, and the skill of the writer who brought whatever story it is to life.

This got me thinking, with summer right around the corner, why not do a post on some books that have come across my desk I would recommend? I've read everything below and can tell you that each one is definitely worth picking up. As someone who has written book reviews before, I can tell you the hardest part of today’s post is keeping these recommendations short. I want to say SO MUCH about each of these books!

Rebel Health: Susannah Fox is one of those people whose drive to do something so meaningful and so consequential, always has her on your radar. You want to know what she’s up to as it’s probably field leading, going to make an impact, and inspiring all at the same time. Her book, Rebel Health has all the characteristics of the Susannah that I have seen on stage, out in the field, and in her writing. It’s her challenge for us to do more, be better, and never forget the voice of the people we are trying to help.

In Rebel Health, Susannah has done something pretty brilliant. She has taken the concept of a field guide, and written an entire book around “rebels” for health. These people, often identified as patients, who take their role as innovative, and often disruptive leaders very, very seriously. What I absolutely love about this book, which keeps you engaged from the moment you open it, is that it’s addressing some pretty heavy and complex topics all while giving you real life stories from patients. And these stories? My friends, they will absolutely inspire you.

I don’t want to ruin too much of this book, but do have to say that Susannah’s archetypes for these leaders is brilliant and will have immediate application in your work. In addition, her figures, which are present throughout the book, are, not surprising, worthy of immediate use on your favorite slide deck. Multiple times I found myself saying, “Ah, I get it now,” and, “I can’t wait to use this one!”

The Connection Cure: Just in time for your summer reading list is this gem, which comes out June, 11, 2024. Julia Hotz, a journalist who works at the absolutely phenomenal Solutions Journalism Network, has written a book I wished I had written. She has taken the concept of social prescribing, and given a masterclass tutorial on what it is, how to do it, and why it maters more than we give it credit for.

If you are new to social prescribing, think of it as a non-medical prescription - something that could benefit your health and also further your connections to community. Make no mistake, there’s robust evidence to support this practice, and in fact, a movement is occurring where it’s becoming more of a standard of care. All of this Julia goes into great detail using real life examples of people who have benefitted from social prescribing for things like movement, nature, art, and service.

Not surprising considering her profession, but Julia’s writing is spectacular. Her ability to weave in science with story all with that solutions frame should be the envy of every writer out there. Julia has gone deep on the social prescribing in a way that it will introduce you to people and concepts from our history as well as current times that I am sure you have not heard of. I found myself constantly highlighting sections that I needed to come back to in order to learn more. And having her book laid out in three parts, social prescribing for better health, social prescribing for better health care, and social prescribing for you and me makes this book go from educational to actionable.

An American Sickness: Ok, this is not a new book release like Susannah and Julia, but I did recently reread parts of Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal’s An American Sickness, which only reminded me of how much I love this book. I read this book when it first came out in 2017, and it still haunts me to this day. What Elisabeth has done here is dissect the complexity of health care into bite size chunks, and then utterly eviscerates any and all arguments that health care is anything but a business. In fact, what she does, which I still absolutely love, is provide evidence on how health care plays by different rules than most other market driven enterprises.

For example, more competition in health care doesn’t mean lower prices, and in many cases, prices actually go up. This is quite different from business outside of health care where the opposite usually occurs. In a somewhat provocative, yet entirely accurate exercise, Elisabeth has an “Economic Rules of a Dysfunctional Medical Market,” which she uses throughout the book. Trust me when I say that once you see this, read about it, you won’t be able to unsee it and stop using it in your work. This book has become of my go to for reminding me of how health care is a morass of competing business interests and that changing it is going to require different rules!

If you do read these, and buy them from your local bookshop, please let me know what you think!

As we inch closer to summer, now’s the perfect time find that next book that can enlighten, inspire, and provoke you. The three books I've highlighted—Susannah Fox's Rebel Health, Julia Hotz's The Connection Cure, and Elisabeth Rosenthal's An American Sickness—each offer a unique perspective on health and well-being, challenging us to rethink how we approach our health and the systems that support it. But perhaps most importantly, these three books are robust and profound calls to action, spurring us on to do more for health.

Enjoy your summer, and happy reading!