Books That Challenge How We See the World, Teaching, and Ourselves: Think-Aloud Podcast Shares Summer Book List
June 29, 2026
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In the latest episode of The Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast, hosts Anna and Shé return with their second annual summer reading list for English language teachers—a curated selection of memoirs, nonfiction, and fiction that have shaped how they think about identity, belonging, error, and what it means to be human. From grief and cultural inheritance to hidden empires and conditional citizenship, this year's picks reflect a shared desire to understand the systems and stories that shape both educators and learners.
Anna and Shé discuss how each book has shifted their worldview and their teaching, and offer practical ideas for bringing these texts—even as excerpts—into classrooms, book clubs, and professional development. Whether it's using memoir for personal narrative writing, exploring the politics of belonging through nonfiction, or opening up honest conversations about perfectionism and self-doubt, this episode is a roadmap for reading widely and teaching more humanly.
"Every book on this list reminds us that it's hard being human. We're shaped by the empires we inherit, the grief we carry, the inner critics we can't shut up, the languages we're told are broken. And if that's true for us, it's true for every student who walks into our classroom, for every colleague that we work alongside."
— Shélynn Riel
Ultimately, this conversation is an invitation to read with purpose, stay humble about what we don't know, and let great books leave us just a little bit changed—because the best stories do.
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Comments (1)
Lara Henerson(Ellii Staff)
July 2, 2026 at 1:15 pm