Ensights Magazine

faculty bookshelf

Faculty Bookshelf

Editorial Staff
What did the Ensworth faculty read this summer?

Robert Herring

World Language Chair; Spanish-HS

Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner’s Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause

By Ty Seidule

“As a lifelong Southerner and native Virginian, I was well acquainted with the Lost Cause and the veneration of Robert E. Lee. However, this book drives home how deep-rooted and insidious both were and continue to be to this day. In what at times reads like a searing confessional, the author exposes the Lost Cause and Lee as the racist propaganda and traitor that they respectively were. That the author is a W&L alum, distinguished army officer, and West Point professor makes it all the more compelling.”

Trey House

Latin Teacher - MS

Exhalation: Stories

By Ted Chiang

“This is the second collection from Mr. Chiang, who had one of his previous stories turned into the movie “Arrival” in 2016. These 9 stories are rooted in science fiction, but what sets this collection apart for me is the humanity brought to each tale. Whether using time travel or the possibility of alternate universes as a framing device, Mr. Chiang consistently takes the reader on a journey that allows us to grapple with what it means to be human and the ways we should live our lives. One of the best books I have read in some time.”

Cecilia Wang

Chinese Teacher-HS

Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning

By Peter C. Brown

“I am currently reading a book called Make It Stick. It talks about learning science, and I find it very inspiring as a teacher when I am thinking about how to design my instruction and help students actually “learn” the knowledge and develop the skill of learning.”

Heather Caponi

Head of Lower School

The Premonition: A Pandemic Story

By Michael Lewis

“Highly recommended to me by Sarah Buchanan, The Premonition: A Pandemic Story is Michael Lewis’s dramatic retelling of the multiple failures leading up to the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States. Readers may anticipate a great deal of political finger-pointing, but Lewis weaves a remarkable narrative about a small group of medical scientists who studied and understood the severity of a potential viral outbreak and how they had tried to warn about the dangers of infectious diseases for years. Regardless of your political affiliation or views surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak, this true story will fascinate you as it reads like a modern-day thriller. Lewis leaves you contemplating how deeply dangerous it is that we have allowed almost every aspect of our lives to become so deeply politicized, but more than that, the reader is left with respect and awe for the small group of experts who worked underground as a team to try to save lives.”

Debbie Sandwith

Librarian - MS

The Four Winds

By Kristin Hannah

“I have just finished reading The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. This is an amazing book by the same woman who wrote The Nightingale. The Four Winds is the story of Elsa Martinelli and her two children trying to survive on a farm in west Texas following the Great Depression and in the midst of the Dust Bowl. It is a story of a mother’s love, courage, and the determination she has for her children to live the American dream.”

Jim Miller

English Teacher -HS

The President’s Daughter: A Thriller

By James Patterson and Bill Clinton

“I teach ‘literary’ fiction all year. I love it, but it is often angsty and exhausting because Western culture privileges tragedy over comedy. I don’t really get why. When I get to the summer, I want literary junk food! I’ve gotten to an age where I don’t believe in consuming only the indie cool bands and rejecting the “sellouts.” Let your literary Milli Vanilli love fly proudly and unapologetically.”

Lindsay Parriott

College Counseling and Academic Affairs Office Manager HS Registrar

The Man I Knew: The Amazing Story of George H. W. Bush’s Post-Presidency

By Jean Becker

“I love learning more about our modern presidents. This is a delightful read about 41’s life after the White House, full of stories that are funny and awe-inspiring. I especially liked the chapter about his “Odd Couple” friendship with Bill Clinton.”
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