Read with Us!
In December, we’ll read Our Better Angels: Seven Simple Virtues That Will Change Your Life and the World by Jonathan Reckford, as we anticipate our Apostles Build home dedication Dec. 14. Reckford, the CEO of Habitat for Humanity International, discusses seven virtues that are important to him as a Christian and that also transcend religious divisions.
Join us on Thursday, Dec. 12, to discuss the book!
11 a.m.-noon in person, ReStore Northeast, 6250 Tutt Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80923. We’ll meet in the conference room (go to the cabinet area in the northwest corner of the showroom and look for the door!). Snacks will be provided, and you are welcome to bring lunch.
7-8 p.m. on Zoom
Meeting ID 833 7985 6858
Passcode 037639
Other Upcoming Dates and Titles
Thursday, Jan. 9: Stay tuned!
Thursday, Feb. 13: Stay tuned!
Thursday, March 13: Stay tuned!
Thursday, April 10: A Bigger Picture: My Fight to Bring a New African Voice to the Climate Crisis by Vanessa Nakate
In recognition of Earth Day, we're reading this memoir by Nakate, a climate activist from Uganda -- one of Pikes Peak Habitat's tithe partner countries.
Thursday, May 8: Stay tuned!
We choose a selection of titles that relate to our work -- some connected to a specific event or initiative, and some that address broader issues around affordable homeownership. We invite you to join us in reading any books that interest you!
Viewpoints expressed in these works, and in the related discussions, are those of the individual authors and participants and do not necessarily reflect views of Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity's board, leadership, staff, homeowners, and/or volunteers; or of Habitat for Humanity International's board, leadership, staff, homeowners, and/or volunteers.
These works serve as a starting point for discussions. If you disagree with or even are offended by something you read or hear, we encourage you to listen and try to understand why the author's or speaker's perspective is different than yours. What in their experience has led them to these conclusions? What might you learn from them? What could they learn from you? How can you respectfully express your perspective?
This Month's Book
November 2024
In honor of Veterans Day and our 5th Veterans Build home dedication Nov. 9, we’re reading The Women by Kristin Hannah. This New York Times bestselling author’s novel follows a woman who serves as a nurse in Vietnam, then returns home to a divided country, where her service is often both unacknowledged and unappreciated.
Previous Books
October 2024
Our first title for our Zoom discussions is Learning to Disagree: The Surprising Path to Navigating Differences with Empathy and Respect by John Inazu.
Inazu graduated from Air Academy High School here in El Paso County! He is also a U.S. Air Force veteran who was working in the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. He now serves as a professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis, a Trustee of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, and a Senior Fellow with Interfaith America.
His book presents various scenarios in which disagreements often occur, as well as suggestions and reflection questions for how we can continue to respect and engage with each other despite our differences.
September 2024
In honor of World Habitat Day, our September read is My Bangladesh Kitchen: Recipes and Food Memories from a Family Table by Saira Hamilton. Bangladesh is one of Pikes Peak Habitat’s tithe partner countries.
Hamilton, a chef and food writer, was a finalist on MasterChef UK, and My Bangladesh Kitchen was named Best Asian Book in the UK at the Gourmand International Cookbook Awards in 2020.
A cookbook might seem like an odd choice for our book club — but we think Hamilton’s anecdotes and recipes provide a delightful introduction to Bangladesh, and we hope you agree!
August 2024
Over the past few weeks here in El Paso County, we’ve seen air-quality issues and smoke from wildfires raging in Colorado and throughout the American West. So this month’s read is especially timely for us: A Fire Story by Brian Fies.
In this graphic memoir, Fies chronicles his own experiences, as well as the stories of several neighbors and acquaintances, as they evacuate their Northern California homes due to a wildfire and face challenges related to housing, rebuilding, insurance, and further fires in the aftermath.
Please note that the book includes strong language that may be offensive to some readers, and those who have experienced a natural disaster may find the content disturbing.
July 2024
This month, we read Safe and Sound: A Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair by Mercury Stardust, the Trans Handy Ma’am. Stardust, a certified repair technician, collaborated with Habitat for Humanity International to promote our Home Is the Key fundraising campaign.
Homeownership is at the core of Habitat's mission, but we realize that for a variety of reasons, not everyone is able to purchase a home. Stardust’s book offers wraparound advice for renters, including tips on choosing the best place to rent, as well as troubleshooting and minimizing damage for the highest return of the security deposit. Our hope is that this book empowers and supports renters in knowing their rights, maintaining their spaces, and feeling secure in their homes!
June 2024
In honor of Juneteenth, we read On Juneteenth by Harvard professor and Texas native Annette Gordon-Reed. While her research and publications cover an impressive range of topics, she has won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family.
Gordon-Reed discusses the importance of Juneteenth, the place of Texas in American history, Texas’ often larger-than-life origin stories, and the ways that studying history can complicate and challenge the myths people tell about the past.
May 2024
This month, we read Arbitrary Lines: How Zoning Broke the American City and How to Fix It by M. Nolan Gray.
Gray holds B.A. degrees in philosophy and political science from the University of Kentucky and a Master of City and Regional Planning degree from Rutgers University. After working in the city planning department in New York City, he is now a Ph.D. student in urban planning at the University of California, Los Angeles, and served as a Research Fellow in the Urbanity Project at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.
April 2024
In honor of Earth Day, our April read is Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World by Katharine Hayhoe. An evangelical Christian, Hayhoe serves as chief scientist for The Nature Conservancy and the Endowed Professor in Public Policy and Public Law and Paul W. Horn Distinguished Professor at Texas Tech University. She has been named a United Nations Champion of the Earth, the World Evangelical Alliance’s climate ambassador, and one of TIME‘s 100 Most Influential People.
March 2024
To celebrate the launch of our Apostles Build, we read The Cotton Patch Evidence: The Story of Clarence Jordan and the Koinonia Farm Experiment (1942-1970) by Dallas Lee.
Koinonia Farm, a community near Americus, Georgia, was founded by biblical scholar and farmer Jordan, who envisioned a place where people could live and work together regardless of racial differences. In the 1970s, Jordan and Millard and Linda Fuller developed the concept of “partnership housing” that eventually grew into Habitat for Humanity.
February 2024
In honor of U.N. World Interfaith Harmony Week and our interfaith dialogue, we read Out of Many Faiths: Religious Diversity and the American Promise by Eboo Patel, founder of Interfaith America, which is one of our partner organizations in the Team Up initiative and an ongoing supporter of Pikes Peak Habitat’s work. Patel writes as an American Muslim, seeking to define a national identity that embraces and benefits from religious diversity. He presents his ideas, then the book concludes with three essays in response by other thinkers.
January 2024
To honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday and as part of our Building the Beloved Community initiative, we’re reading the Pulitzer Prize finalist and National Book Award Longlist title Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor.
Building the Beloved Community 2023
Richard Rothstein's book The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America looks at how U.S. government policies and programs enforced and even imposed racial segregation. As part of our 2023 Building the Beloved Community initiative, Pikes Peak Habitat for Humanity encouraged thoughtful reading and discussion of this work.