Today is National Book Lovers Day, a day to honor the joy, wisdom, inspiration, and new skills we can gain from our favorite books and stories. To celebrate, we asked a few of our experts to recommend titles they’ve found especially insightful and inspiring.
With topics that range from leadership and change management to philosophy, investigative journalism, and autobiography, we’re proud to say our team is a well-read bunch!
Keep reading for a glimpse at the titles living on their bookshelves, e-readers, and in their Audible libraries, and from all of us here at Gaudenzia, happy National Book Lovers Day!
Dr. Dale Klatzker, Gaudenzia President and CEO
The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker is a classic. Concise and insightful, Drucker details strategies for effective decision-making and how to make the greatest impact as an executive leader. I would also recommend Leadership in Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Goodwin provides invaluable insights into effective leadership styles and strategies, gleaned from historic leaders like Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt.
Dr. Patricia McKernan, Chief of Staff
I ❤ books! I love fiction, historical fiction, and mysteries, but I also continuously read about change management, habits, and leadership. There are so many favorites that it’s tough to choose just one. I would say The Confidence Code by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman is a book I strongly recommend for all women. For me, it reinforced the imperative of believing in my own abilities.
Brandi Ernst, Chief Impact Officer
I’ve always come at behavioral health from a mental health perspective. Being in the pharmaceutical industry taught me there are medications that really do work. The Day the Voices Stopped by Ken Steele is about his experience with schizophrenia and how a medication changed his life. This book helped me understand some of the discrimination, shame, and misunderstanding there is, and continues to be, regarding behavioral health in the United States.
Jessica Cantermen, Director of Special Projects
I really appreciated Gabor Maté, M.D.’s book, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction. While I think it’s important to note I do not agree with all of Dr. Maté’s theories, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts is probably the most humanizing and compassionate work I’ve read on substance use disorder. Given the pervasive stigma impacting those we serve, I consider it a “must-read” for that reason!
If you were a fan of the Hulu series, Dopesick, Beth Macy’s book with the same title is also a must-read. The Hulu series was a fictionalized account of Macy’s book, which explores the roots of today’s opioid epidemic, and the role drug companies like Purdue Pharma had in contributing to it.
Bill Wilson, Chief Program Officer
Making Good by Shadd Maruna was incredibly inspiring when I worked mostly with the justice-informed population. His presentation of how and why people get better was so honest, thoughtful, and personal, without falling into all the traps of the “business” of change.
Amanda Jernigan, Outpatient Director
I recommend Breaking Night by Liz Murray. She was at our Women and Children’s Conference last fall and her book was so inspiring! I also really enjoyed A Piece of Cake, written by a woman named Cupcake Brown. Brené Brown is another of my favorite authors and my favorite book from her is The Gifts of Imperfection.
Andrew Schmitt, Outpatient Director
Two books come to mind for me. One is The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, which is a short book that offers a myriad of very poignant and powerful thoughts on life and all the decisions and experiences that make up our journey.
The other one is Leadership and Self Deception: Getting Out of the Box from the Arbinger Institute. This book is an entertaining story everyone can relate to about a man facing challenges at work and at home to expose the fascinating ways we blind ourselves to our true motivations and unwittingly sabotage the effectiveness of our own efforts to achieve and increase happiness. We trap ourselves in a “box” of endless self-justification.
National Book Lovers Day at Gaudenzia
We hope you’ve found a few inspiring/enlightening titles to round out your summer/fall reading list! Thank you to our team members for taking the time to recommend these titles, and from all of us here at Gaudenzia, happy National Book Lovers Day!
If you or someone you love needs treatment for substance use and co-occurring disorders, please call our 24-hour Treatment and Referral HelpLine at 833-976-HELP (4357).
