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A stack of books on an old wooden table next to a straw hat of a canoe and a bouquet of wild flowers.

The 2020 Summer Reading List

Though time spent reading by the beach may be limited this summer, lounging outdoors with the smell of a book and the feeling of the sun beating down remains a seasonal staple. Mercifully, a joy that even a pandemic can’t ruin. 

Below, find book recommendations from Penn faculty and staff, ranging from works that touch on racial justice to ones that explore stories of the “scientist hero.”

Brian Peterson, director of Makuu Black Cultural Center

The Book: “The Warmth of Other Suns,” by Isabel Wilkerson

Why I Picked It: Now a decade old, this is a timeless classic providing a wonderful mix of narrative and history, describing some of the ways that the Great Migration transformed America. For people who are questioning what’s happening in the U.S. now, this book is a reminder that it’s not just about George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, and the much-too-long contemporary list of lives tragically cut short by law enforcement. It’s also very much about the terror that was daily life for Blacks in the South, only to find, after fleeing, a new kind of struggle and discrimination in the North and Midwest. Wilkerson constructs the story in a way that holds your full attention, makes you feel, and helps you see America with new eyes. 

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration
Read more at Penn Today

University of Pennsylvania grad follows in ancestor’s footsteps 142 years later

May 19, 2025

As Faruq Adger sits at the dining room table with his father, they look at photos that span not just generations, but more than a century.

“Pictures are very valuable in our family,” said the 22-year-old while holding several photos.

Photos help the Adger family tell their story, which has deep roots in Philadelphia.

“We just had this rich family history,” said Khaleel Adger, Faruq’s father.

There’s one photo, passed down in the family, that lives in both the past and the present.

“You can almost feel a presence in a way. It could be a tingle on the back of your neck, could be a smile,” said Faruq of the ancestor pictured in the photo.

He felt that presence as he prepared to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania because more than a century ago, his ancestor, William Adger, was in the same place.

25 years of UMOJA at Penn

April 3, 2024

Penn’s organization for Black student life on campus has provided outreach, collaboration, and unity since 1998. UMOJA, an umbrella organization for Black student life on