Summer Reads: Beat the heat with a cool wave of public health lit

Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection

John Green

Tuberculosis is the world’s deadliest infectious disease. But the millions of deaths it causes each year are preventable. Author and video blogger Green offers a humorous and thought-provoking look at how tuberculosis has shaped human history. The book shares where and why the disease continues to thrive and what it will take to eliminate it for good.

Random House, 2025

Another World Is Possible: Lessons for America from Around the Globe

Natasha Hakimi Zapata, MFA

Journalist Zapata examines pressing issues such as climate change, housing, education and addiction that burden U.S. public health and offers hope for a healthier tomorrow. Drawing on interviews and reporting from Costa Rica to Singapore, Estonia and beyond, Zapata makes the case that the U.S. can confront public health crises by learning from solutions around the world.

The New Press, 2025

They Poisoned the World: Life and Death in the Age of Forever Chemicals

Mariah Blake, MS

Journalist Blake recounts the true story of a New York community poisoned by toxic chemicals in its drinking water. The book exposes the deception of U.S. government and industry officials who knew the dangers but failed to act. Blake also shares how the community fought back, ignited a powerful grassroots movement and spurred change.

Crown, 2025

The Asylum Seekers: A Chronicle of Life, Death and Community at the Border

Cristina Rathbone

As U.S. immigration policies are debated by policymakers, the lived experiences of asylum seekers are often overlooked. From her reporting on the front lines of the U.S.–Mexico border, journalist and Episcopal priest Rathbone reveals the often cruel realities faced by people fleeing violence, prejudice and other hardships.

She sheds light on their daily struggles and hope for a better life.

Broadleaf Books, 2025

Waste Wars: The Wild Afterlife of Your Trash

Alexander Clapp

Journalist Clapp takes readers on a journey through the overflowing dumps and landfills that are taking over the planet. Across two years and five continents, Clapp speaks with people on the front lines of the fight against waste. His engaging research uncovers the hidden afterlife of garbage, revealing where it truly ends up — and how it disproportionately harms low-income nations.

Little, Brown and Company, 2025

How We Heal: A Journey Toward Truth, Racial Healing and Community Transformation from the Inside Out and Our Differences Make Us Stronger: How We Heal Together

La June Montgomery Tabron, MBA

Tabron, who is chief executive officer of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, knows firsthand how racism holds back children and communities. In her new books — including a picture book for children — she explores the power of empathy, storytelling and deep listening. Together, the books offer an introduction to racial healing for readers of all ages.

Distribution Books, 2025

On the Swamp: Fighting for Indigenous Environmental Justice

Ryan Emanuel, PhD

Pollution, unsustainable development and climate change are taking a disastrous toll on the environment. In an eye-opening new book, environmental scientist Emanuel sheds light on how injustices are endangering the land of and health his Lumbee tribe and other Indigenous communities. From threats to wetlands to expanding gas pipelines, he documents the resilience of communities as they fight to protect their sacred spaces.

The University of North Carolina Press, 2025

Seeking Shelter: A Working Mother, Her Children and a Story of Homelessness in America

Jeff Hobbs

Author Hobbs shines a light on homelessness and poverty in America through the true story of one single mother. In the heart-wrenching narrative, Evelyn fights to keep her six children together while working full time as a waitress unable to afford stable housing or qualify for public assistance. The book powerfully illustrates the systemic cycle of poverty and one family’s fight for a better future.

Scribner, 2025

The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet

Jeff Goodell, MFA

The climate crisis isn’t a distant threat. It’s happening now, journalist Goodell warns in a searing new book. Goodell explores how rising temperatures are reshaping our world, from dwindling snowfall to intensified summer heat. His work exposes the deep fault lines in government, politics, the economy and American values that are accelerating the crisis — and makes the case for urgent action.

Little, Brown and Company, 2023

Air-Borne: The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe

Carl Zimmer

Air is everywhere — yet we rarely stop to think about it. In a new book, author Zimmer unpacks the story of the air we breathe and the threats that can make it deadly. Blending science and history, Zimmer takes readers back to the times of Louis Pasteur, Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh to explore the benefits — and potential dangers — of the unseen substance that surrounds us.

Dutton, 2025

Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson

Tourmaline

Tourmaline — a social activist, filmmaker and author — honors the life and legacy of LGBTQ+ icon Marsha P. Johnson in a new biography. From throwing the first brick in the 1969 Stonewall Uprising to captivating audiences with her drag performances, Johnson’s too-short life has had a powerful, enduring impact.

Tiny Reparations Books, 2025