Students aren’t the only ones who have enjoyed summer break — getting a moment to relax and refresh before tackling a new school year. We know teachers have appreciated spending time with families, taking vacations, and reading books that are not school or teaching related. We asked a few of our local educators what they’ve been reading over the summer, and here are their recommendations.
Mrs. Wiggins by Mary Monroe
Maggie Franklin, a woman with disreputable parents, realizes she must marry someone upstanding and churchgoing to get away from her past. Despite crafting the “perfect” family, the obstacles she faces threaten the life and respect she wants, and she must decide how high a cost she’s willing to pay to preserve them.
“I chose to read this book because I wanted to escape and read something engaging and different. Not to analyze literary devices or teachable moments, but for pure enjoyment.” — Laneta Spivey, elementary instructional coach at Sunrise-McMillan Elementary School
Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre
Nausea is the first existential novel written by philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre and details the story of a French writer who is horrified by his own existence. “The Nausea is not inside me: I feel it out there in the wall, in the suspenders, everywhere around me. It makes itself one with the cafe; I am the one who is within it.”
“Jean-Paul Sartre’s philosophical novel gripped me to my core. Nausea wasn’t just enjoyable to read; it spurred me into action and made me realize I could live my life like a work of art.” —Jerrett Lyday, humanities teacher at I.M. Terrell Academy
Marrying the Ketchups by Jennifer Close
Marrying the Ketchups is a laugh-out-loud comedy about three generations of a Chicago family who are tied together by their family restaurant, JP Sullivan’s. As the family members grapple with relationships, strange times, and love affairs, how can any of them be expected to make the right decisions when the world feels sideways — and the bartender at JP Sullivan’s makes such strong cocktails?
“This book made me feel like I was managing a restaurant instead of a classroom. It was full of complicated family relationships and big meals. This book is the baby that Anthony Bourdain and Ann Patchett should have had.” —Dr. Michelle Hurst, secondary science coordinator at Mansfield ISD
