GoPhil staff, Board of Directors and Founder’s Circle members – an amazing group of intelligent, insightful, globally-conscious, earth and humanity lovers – share what they have been reading.

The reading suggestions below make up a wide and interesting scope of books to tuck into this summer and fall!

Elaine Head, Founder’s Circle Member

The Moment of Lift, by Melinda Gates
“Melinda Gates’s book re-enforces many of the basic premises which we follow at GoPhilanthropic. There is no better way to serve appropriately than to ‘Listen and Learn’ at the source of social problems that we want to address, involving local people.”

Lydia Dean, GoPhil Co-Founder

Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance, by Edgar Villanueva

“A difficult, hard look at how philanthropy was born and how a not so pretty history has created a framework for giving and wealth management that, if we don’t change course, will never solve the problems we need to address. It casts a beautiful and bold light on possibilities for an equitable way of managing money that provides the world the medicine it needs to heal and thrive.”

Barbara Burger, Founder’s Circle Member

“I heard Jessica on the Moth Radio Hour (which was part of the year of yes) — she writes a lot about introverts, extroverts, loneliness, meeting new people and trying new things. While I register strong on the extrovert scale, I identified with her experiences, laughed a lot and identified friends in many of her stories.”
“On Range, I really identified with the generalist and viewed this as the antidote to Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers (he recommends the book). It gives great insight for employers, parents, mentors, educators and all those thinking about their career and life – isn’t that all of us?”

Gregory Kadel, Founder’s Circle Member

Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon’s Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart, by James R. Doty, MD

“Lately I have been made aware of positive life changing attitudes in old friends and new ones, through the power of meditation. The book shines a light on how the process of meditation yields a happier and more compassionate life.“

Anne Elgerd, Board of Directors

Educated: A Memoir, by Tara Westover

“It really makes one question who owns the narrative of our individual story/history and how one perceives the world as a result. It is an amazing story of how one young woman chose to own/re-define her power and claim her narrative.”

Robin Craig, Founder’s Circle Member

Hold Still: A Memoir with Photographs, by Sally Mann

“First, my favorite books are memoirs so it fits that category and second, she’s an amazing photographer and third, we have a lot of similar experiences growing up in the same area in Virginia. I would have to use Patti Smith’s quote (another favorite) because she totally summarizes how I feel about this book: ‘Hold Still is a wild ride of a memoir. Visceral and visionary. Fiercely beautiful. My kind of adventure.'”

The Light, A Modern-Day Journey for Peace, by Judith T. Lambert

“A memoir of her spiritual journey seeking to understand a sequence of dreams that has her rising through the darkness until she encounters a bright light. She describes it as what some people have shared as ‘the light’ with a near death experience. I enjoy learning about all cultures and religions and during her journey the reader experiences both as she travels to Egypt, Syria, India, Nepal, and Japan. It was this summary that enticed me to read it…’God does not have a religion. God does not speak a language. God does not have a culture. It is we who require these things.'”

Corinne Yank, GoPhil Communications Manager

Homegoing, by Yaa Gyasi

“Beautiful historical fiction novel that looks at slavery, diaspora and inter-generational trauma. Really eye-opening and I could not put it down!”

Peter Banwell, Board of Directors

“The harrowing true story of one man’s life in — and subsequent escape from — North Korea, one of the world’s most brutal totalitarian regimes. Many Korean families were offered a better life if they returned home from Japan only to be persecuted.”

Travis Day, GoPhil Director of External Communications

Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity, by Katherine Boo

“One of the most incredible pieces of non-fiction to cross my radar, and knowing that Katherine Boo collected over one thousand hours of video, photographs and audio interviews to write this book is truly remarkable. Her ability to transcribe a bewildering age of global change and inequality is made human through the dramatic story of families striving toward a better life.”

Jeanie Mamula, Founder’s Circle Member

Jumping the Picket Fence (2nd Edition), by GoPhil C0-Founder Lydia Dean

“I could hardly wait for the 2nd edition to come out as I had read the first one several years ago. This was so good I ordered 5 more to give my friends. Get it!”