BRC Book Club: February Edition

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.” – George R.R. Martin

Here’s what the team was reading in February, in their own words…

Why We Can’t Wait
Written by Martin Luther King, Jr.

This month, a few of us decided to read Why We Can’t Wait, Dr. King’s book that tells the story of African American activism in 1963.

Incisive and beautifully written, the book details the Birmingham campaign, what Dr. King calls, “the Negro revolution,” why nonviolent direct action is the perfect weapon for the war against injustice: “It is a weapon unique in history, which cuts without wounding […] It is a sword that heals.”

I also found this book to be incredibly thought provoking in its relevance to today’s many civil rights movements. Dr. King reminds the reader that “human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; […] We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right.”

— Maya Guice, Marketing Director

The Brand Gap
Written by Marty Neumeie

I am currently reading The Brand Gap,which has a lot of what I call ‘open doors’ and some great insights about the gap between a good brand strategy and creativity. It leaves you with plenty of food for thought and reads quickly and easily. The brand glossary at the end of the book is also excellent.

— Christopher Buttigieg, Media Manager

These Truths: A History of the United States
Written by Jill LePore

These Truths is on of the best single volume histories of the United States out there. It’s the first ‘mainstream academic’ American history book that puts the 1619 issue in its proper perspective, and it delves into the role of advertising/public relations/media in influencing the politics of the 20th and 21st centuries.

— Rich Procter, Senior Writer

Animal, Vegetable, Junk: A History of Food, from Sustainable to Suicidal
Written by Mark Bittman

I started reading Animal, Vegetable, Junk for our World Food Center project, but I am now totally engrossed in this book about our food systems, why they’ve gone so wrong, and how to fix them.

— Brad Shelton, Creative Director

— Bernard Semerdijan, Art Director & Experience Designer

The Historian
Written by Elizabeth Kostova

For any Dracula fans (and I mean ACTUAL vampire literature, not paranormal romance), I highly recommend “The Historian” by Elizabeth Kostova, a combination Gothic-adventure-detective novel. Kostova weaves together the tale of an American academic and his daughter’s quest to find the historical Count Dracula’s tomb, the history and folklore of Vlad Țepeș “The Impaler”, and the mysterious past of the academic’s and his wife’s unexpected romance, followed by her sudden disappearance. Beautifully researched and written – and a little spine-tingly if you sit up late at night with it!

— Kat Reinbold, Creative Producer