As summer begins, so does graduation season. Graduation is a pivotal moment marking a season of new beginnings and possibilities, and finding the perfect gift for the graduate in your life can be a daunting task. This year, pick out a gift that offers inspiration, entertainment, and knowledge for years to come. Scroll to discover books that will empower new grads to drive positive change in their communities and beyond.
Stop Searching for Purpose and Start Being Present
"Pursue your calling." "Become the best version of yourself." "Make your life count." These messages inundate us everywhere. But so many of us are worn out from constantly pursuing more and always feeling like we fall short. In You Don't Need a Calling, former minister Damon Garcia turns our standard ways of thinking about purpose upside down. Purpose isn't something we find—it's something that finds us when we learn to be present to the world in front of us. For anyone disillusioned by the idea of "God's plan" for their life or exhausted by the achievement treadmill, this book will dislodge your narrow thinking and reframe the way you view your life, desires, gifts, work, success, and relationship to the world.
Affirm the Gifts of Sensitive Soul Activists
Social Justice for the Sensitive Soul
Social justice work, we often assume, is raised voices and raised fists. But what does social justice work look like for those of us who don't feel comfortable battling in the trenches? Alongside inspiring, real-life examples of highly sensitive world-changers, Social Justice for the Sensitive Soul expands the possibilities of how to have a positive social impact, affirming the particular gifts and talents that sensitive souls offer to a hurting world.
Read an interview with the author here.
Explore Langston Hughes's Writings in a New Way
Best known as the leader of the Harlem Renaissance, the celebrated poet and writer Langston Hughes believed in the power of art as resistance. What can we learn from his works today? Langston Hughes is one of the few American writers who consistently wrote about democracy from a joyous perspective, and My America explores how his works speak to the political anxieties and crises we face today.
Make Beauty in a Broken World
Why should we make art while injustice and suffering wreak havoc? How can we justify making beautiful things? From award-winning author Mitali Perkins comes an essential companion for writers, artists, and other creatives who long for a more just world. We must keep making art infused with truth, beauty, and goodness, not to ignore a world in distress but for the sake of loving it. With vivid stories, practical ideas, and reflection and discussion questions, Just Making will inspire you to keep making beauty in a broken world.
Discover New Hobbies and Passions
In today's grind culture, hobbies become side hustles. Work creeps into leisure time. Perfectionism reigns. We look up to experts, and we look down on amateurs. But what if being a total amateur is actually a good thing? From Karen Walrond, author of The Lightmaker's Manifesto and Radiant Rebellion, comes In Defense of Dabbling: a delightful jaunt into how to resist grind culture and do the things you love, even if you're not any good at them.
Advocate for Change without Losing Your Joy
Many of us want to advocate for causes we care about—but which ones? We want to work for change—but will the emotional toll lead to burnout? In The Lightmaker's Manifesto, activist Karen Walrond shares strategies to help you define the actions that bring you joy, identify the values and causes about which you are passionate, and put them together to create change.
Celebrate the Struggles and Victories of Activism Work
In a series of tender narrative essays written to his daughter, activist and author Brian C. Johnson shares what he's learned from his struggles, victories, and defeats over twenty-five years of advocacy work. The Work Is the Work is an inspiring collection of field notes that is perfect for new or seasoned activists who want to lead well in the work for transformational change.
Learn about Justice, Activism, and Community Organizing
People would like for you to believe protest is an ineffective tool for change, but history tells us that student activism has been a formidable force leading to substantive change throughout history. But how should students organize? With My People answers this fundamental and crucial question by bringing together ethnography and notes on community-building, taking readers on a yearlong journey from the front lines of Ferguson to undergraduate campus life at Saint Louis University.
To view all of our books and resources, visit broadleafbooks.com.
