Office of DEI Library
The Office of DEI has gathered a collection of new and second-hand books that provide insight into diversity, equity, & inclusion, including its connection to and implementation in academia. We invite faculty, staff, and students to borrow these books as they become available - steps to borrow can be found on this page. You can view our full list of books below:
Broken Places & Outer Spaces: Finding Creativity in the Unexpected (TED Books) Nnedi Okorafor (qt. 1)
In Broken Places & Outer Spaces, Nnedi takes the reader on a journey from her hospital bed deep into her memories, from her painful first experiences with racism as a child in Chicago to her powerful visits to her parents’ hometown in Nigeria.
The text defines, illustrates, and teaches helping skills and provides manageable models for understanding them. It also looks at the underlying process and its associated set of core skills. Part of the EMPOWERMENT SERIES, this edition integrates the core competencies and practice behaviors outlined in the current Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) set by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).
Case Studies in Social Work Practice (3rd Edition) Craig W. LeCroy (qt. 1)
In this updated edition of the classic social work text, students and instructors have access to real-world demonstrations of how social work theories and concepts can be applied in practice.
Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on Health in America Linda Villarosa (qt. 2)
In Under the Skin, Linda Villarosa lays bare the forces in the American health-care system and in American society that cause Black people to “live sicker and die quicker” compared to their white counterparts.
The Complete Poetry Maya Angelou (qt. 1)
Throughout her illustrious career in letters, Maya Angelou gifted, healed, and inspired the world with her words. Now the beauty and spirit of those words live on in this new and complete collection of poetry that reflects and honors the writer’s remarkable life.
Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto Tricia Hersey (qt. 1)
This book is rooted in spiritual energy and centered in Black liberation, womanism, somatics, and Afrofuturism. With captivating storytelling and practical advice, all delivered in Hersey’s lyrical voice and informed by her deep experience in theology, activism, and performance art, Rest Is Resistance is a call to action and manifesto for those who are sleep deprived, searching for justice, and longing to be liberated from the oppressive grip of Grind Culture.
Toxic Ivory Towers seeks to document the professional work experiences of underrepresented minority (URM) faculty in U.S. higher education, and simultaneously address the social and economic inequalities in their life course trajectory.
In The Little Book of Race and Restorative Justice, Davis highlights real restorative justice initiatives that function from a racial justice perspective; these programs are utilized in schools, justice systems, and communities, intentionally seeking to ameliorate racial disparities and systemic inequities. Furthermore, she looks at initiatives that strive to address the historical harms against African Americans throughout the nation.
Trauma-Informed Pedagogy in Higher Education Ernest Stromberg (qt. 1)
This volume explores the current state of student mental health and trauma while offering theories and practice of trauma-informed teaching and learning. The interdisciplinary authors gathered in this collection discuss the roles, practices, and structures in higher education that can support the wellness and academic success of students who suffer from the effects of traumatic experiences.
A Leadership Guide for Women in Higher Education Marjorie Hass (qt. 1)
Women face unique challenges as they move into senior leadership roles at colleges and universities. This guide provides them with the frank, supportive advice they need to advance their careers and lead with excellence.
Equity and Inclusion in Higher Education: Strategies for Teaching Rita Kumar, Brenda Refaei (qt. 1)
Equity and Inclusion for Higher Education Strategies for Teaching, edited by Rita Kumar and Brenda Refaei, details the necessity for an inclusive curriculum with examples of discipline-specific activities and modules.
From Equity Talk to Equity Walk: Expanding Practitioner Knowledge for Racial Justice in Higher Education Tia Brown McNair, Estela Mara Bensimon, and Lindsey Malcom-Piqueux (qt. 1)
Drawing from campus-based research projects sponsored by the AAC&U and the Center for Urban Education at the University of Southern California, From Equity Talk to Equity Walk provides practical guidance on the design and application of campus change strategies for achieving equitable outcomes.
How to Be an Antiracist Ibram X. Kendi (qt. 1)
In his memoir, Kendi weaves together an electrifying combination of ethics, history, law, and science--including the story of his own awakening to antiracism--bringing it all together in a cogent, accessible form.
A Little Bit of Mindfulness: An Introduction to Being Present Amy Leigh Mercree (qt. 1)
In the “Little Bit of” series: a fresh, accessible introduction to the increasingly popular spiritual practice of mindfulness: being present and peaceful in the moment.
With wit and authority, authors Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas Kostigen provide hundreds of solutions for all areas of your life, pinpointing the smallest changes that have the biggest impact on the health of our precious planet.
A Little Bit of Meditation Amy Leigh Mercree (qt. 1)
A great place to start on your meditation journey, this book explores the history of meditation and its origins as well as its practical applications. In addition to outlining how meditation can improve the quality of our experience on earth, Amy Leigh Mercree covers different forms of the practice, from mantra meditations to moving meditations.
Here’s a call to colleges and universities to consider implementing restorative practices on their campuses, ensuring fair treatment of students and staff while minimizing institutional liability, protecting the campus community, and boosting morale, from an associate dean of student affairs who has put these models to work on his campus.
The Little Book of Restorative Justice Howard Zehr (qt. 1)
Howard Zehr, known worldwide for his pioneering work in transforming our understandings of justice, here proposes workable principles and practices for making restorative justice both possible and useful. First he explores how restorative justice is different from criminal justice. Then, before letting those appealing observations drift out of reach, into theoretical space, Zehr presents Restorative Justice Practices.
Improving Learning and Mental Health in the College Classroom provides practical tips that reduce unnecessary discouragement. It demonstrates how small improvements in teaching can have great impacts in the lives of students with mental health challenges, while simultaneously boosting learning for all students.
Radical Hope: A Teaching Manifesto Kevin M. Gannon (qt. 1)
Kevin Gannon asks that the contemporary university’s manifold problems be approached as opportunities for critical engagement, arguing that, when done effectively, teaching is by definition emancipatory and hopeful. Throughout, Gannon translates ideals into tangible strategies and practices (including key takeaways at the conclusion of each chapter), with the goal of reclaiming teachers’ essential role in the discourse of higher education.
Field Study Chet’la Sebree (qt. 2)
“The flawed and ordinary self refracted through the complex prisms of race, gender, and culture—Chet’la Sebree’s Field Study is a lyric reckoning of extraordinary candor. Often startlingly intimate, Field Study discloses and calls out, laughs and glares, and inhabits urbane knowing and tender uncertainty by turns. In tandem with its thematic breadth, the book’s formal amplitude encompasses an exuberant intersectionality of genres—the epistolary mode, the lyric essay, the commonplace book, the confession, the literary collage, the tweet-like salvo. The result is a book-long poem that wholly invigorates poetry as a category. Field Study is unlike anything its readers will have encountered before—a work of fierce intensity and engulfment.” —Rick Barot, Award Judge
Are Prisons Obsolete? Angela Davis (qt. 1)
With her characteristic brilliance, grace and radical audacity, Angela Y. Davis makes the case for the latest abolition movement in American life: the abolition of prisons.
Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone is aimed at faculty members, faculty-service staff, disability support providers, student-service staff, campus leaders, and graduate students who want to strengthen the engagement, interaction, and performance of all college students.
In Creating Inclusive Learning Opportunities in Higher Education, Sheryl Burgstahler provides a practical, step-by-step guide for putting the principles of universal design into action. The book offers multiple ways to access, engage with, and transform the higher education environment: making physical spaces welcoming to students of all abilities
Universal Design in Higher Education: From Principles to Practice (2nd Edition) Sheryl Burgstahler (qt. 2)
As larger numbers of people with disabilities attend postsecondary educational institutions, there have been comparable greater efforts to make the full array of classes, services, and programs accessible to all students. This revised edition provides both a full survey of those measures and practical guidance for schools as they work to turn the goal of universal accessibility into a reality.
How to borrow a book through the Office of DEI Library:
- Use this form to let the office know that you are interested in borrowing a book(s). You may borrow only up to two books at a time. Please allow 2-5 business days for a response from our office.
- Once we receive your completed form, our office will reach out to confirm a date and time for you to pick up your book(s). Please bring your campus ID.
- Upon coming to the office, you will receive your book and a date in which to return it (two week loan period).
- If you would like to extend your loan, please call our office at (845) 569-3298 or email us at DEI@msmc.edu.
Please bring your campus ID when picking up a book.