Summer Reading List

by Dr. Jodie Guest 92PH

For many of us, one of the joys summer brings is relaxing by a pool, on a beach, at a park, or on a deck with a cold drink and a good book. So to help you prepare for the summer days of reading ahead, we’ve compiled a list of public-health-related book recommendations for you to enjoy this summer. From talking about science, to a dive into the theory of our connectedness of One Health to view of how education changes our lives, we hope you’ll find one that piques your interest.

Don't Be Such a Scientist: Talking Substance in an Age of Style
by Dr. Randy Olson

When Randy Olson first described his life-changing encounter with an acting teacher in Don’t Be Such a Scientist, it seemed like the world of science was on the cusp of gaining new respect in the public eye. Through his writing, speaking, and films, Olson challenged scientists to toss out jargon in favor of a more human approach, bringing Hollywood lessons to the scientific community. Yet today, in everything from government funding cuts to climate change denial, science is under attack. And while communicating science is more crucial than ever, the scientific community still struggles to connect with everyday people.

Educated: A Memoir
by Tara Westover

Tara Westover wasn’t your garden variety college student. When the Holocaust was mentioned in a history class, she didn’t know what it was (no, really). That’s because she didn’t see the inside of a classroom until the age of seventeen. Public education was one of the many things her religious fanatic father was dubious of, believing it a means for the government to brainwash its gullible citizens, and her mother wasn’t diligent on the homeschooling front. If it wasn’t for a brother who managed to extricate himself from their isolated—and often dangerous--world, Westover might still be in rural Idaho, trying to survive her survivalist upbringing. It’s a miraculous story she tells in her memoir Educated. For those of us who took our educations for granted, who occasionally fell asleep in large lecture halls (and inconveniently small ones), it’s hard to grasp the level of grit—not to mention intellect—required to pull off what Westover did. But eventually earning a PhD from Cambridge University may have been the easy part, at least compared to what she had to sacrifice to attain it. The courage it took to make that sacrifice was the truest indicator of how far she’d come, and how much she’d learned. Educated is an inspiring reminder that knowledge is, indeed, power. --Erin Kodicek, Amazon Book Review

Beyond One Health: From Recognition to Results
by John A. Herrmann and Yvette J. Johnson-Walker

Tackling One Health from a multi-disciplinary perspective, this book offers in-depth insight into how our health and the health of every living creature and our ecosystem are all inextricably connected. This collection of critical population health topics, written by an international group of experts, addresses the technical aspects of the subjects and also offers potential policy solutions to help mitigate current threats and prevent additional threats from occurring. This book begins with a chapter describing epidemiology as the scientific basis for the One Health concept, with subsequent chapters covering emerging, infectious, and chronic diseases, environmental toxicant exposures, and food and water safety and security. It also covers One Health impacts in a changing climate; biodiversity and health; wildlife and companion animals and health; zoological institutions; the social cost of carbon; One Health education and public policy; and more. Each chapter proposes policy solutions, many of which are summarized in the concluding chapter, to move One Health thinking forward from recognition to results. Anyone with an interest in the health of humans, animals, or the planet, from students and practitioners in architecture to urban planning, and many disciplines in between, will find this book a must-read text.

Alumni Books

Also, be sure to check out some recent books written by our own Rollins alumni:

Facing Overweight and Obesity: A Complete Guide for Children and Adults
by Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford 00C 01PH, Jonathan Stevens, et al.

Facing Overweight and Obesity combines top-tier medical information and compassionate counsel on being overweight, with a caring approach to the emotional aspects of living with weight-related conditions. This book provides easily readable and trustworthy information; it is divided into chapters that ask and answer pertinent questions about being overweight and its medical, surgical, and psychiatric care.

Lead Well: Seven Dimensions of Wellness for Women in Leadership
by Dr. Paula Walker King 16PH

Women are natural nurturers, caring so much for others that health and wellness are often neglected or even non-existent. But for a woman to be her most effective self, one who both nurtures and leads, she must learn to nurture herself first. In Lead Well: Seven Dimensions of Wellness for Women in Leadership, Dr. Paula Walker King explains to readers how each dimension of wellness contributes to a healthy lifestyle that helps to prevent disease and promotes overall emotional, physical, and spiritual wellness.

Z is for Zambia: A-Z Alphabet Book
by Change Kwesele 14PH and Zanji Sinkala

This book is a tribute to the amazing people, languages, sights, sounds, tastes, and fun found in Zambia. In this book you will find beautiful photography and words from A to Z in three languages: English, Nyanja, and Bemba. The aim of this book is to help children learn their ABCs and explore the beauty of Zambia.