Good Reads, Summertime Edition

Seattle University’s faculty is filled with academic leaders and scholars who have interesting and timely expertise to impart. Our list of faculty authors for the summer edition of Good Reads is another great example. Although the following books may not necessarily be traditional “beach reads,” do consider adding each to your summer reading lists as the authors are tackling a range of topics from therapy and mental health to architecture, leadership and women in sports. 

Cultivating Systemic Resilience in Therapy edited by Christie Eppler, PhD

Professor Christie Eppler, who is the director of the Couples and Family Therapy program within SU’s College of Arts and Sciences, is the editor of a new book that details how therapists can use systemic resilience concepts to promote growth, healing and transformation.

“As a therapist and therapist educator, I wanted to provide guidance on what systemic resilience is and how therapists can use related concept to enhance their clients’ lives and relationships,” Eppler says. “[With this book] I wanted to amplify voices that discuss how to foster resilience in clinical treatment with individuals, relationships, supervisees and in therapists’ own lives.”

Chapters authored by clinicians who work in a variety of settings discuss how to use resilience-based concepts to conceptualize cases, formulate treatment goals and establish supportive therapeutic relationships.

Adds Eppler, “It was important that the text be approachable and empowering, so this book offers therapists case studies, clinical activities, intervention and reflective questions.”

Leading With Humility by Jen Marrone, PhD, CPA and co-authors

Jen Marrone, a Professor of Management in the Albers School of Business and Economics, wrote Leading with Humility to help readers understand what humility is and what the concept looks like in a leadership context. Humble leaders are willing to become more aware of their strengths and weaknesses and demonstrate deep appreciation and concern for others, holding a perspective that enables them to consider themselves in relation to a greater whole.

“Many business executives espouse the importance of humility as a leadership quality, but it is rarely discussed in detail,” explains Marrone. “We wanted to help make humility’s key concepts clearer. We also outlined a framework, provided case studies and included exercises in the book to help readers enhance their own leadership abilities.”

In summation, the book helps leaders develop and practice humility, enhancing their capacities to advance the common good and exercise influence for the benefit of all.

Minoru Yamasaki and the Fragility of Architecture by Paul Kidder, PhD

In this book, Seattle University Professor Emeritus Paul Kidder writes about Seattle-born architect Minoru Yamasaki, a relatively unknown architect even though he designed the Twin Towers of the original World Trade Center in New York City. 

Kidder’s book examines both the sources of Yamasaki’s artistic vision and the intersection of his work with important events in 20th century history. The loss of some of his buildings illustrates how architecture, which seems so strong and permanent, can reveal itself to be surprisingly fragile. Yet, in fragility Yamasaki also saw a quality enhancing the beauty of architecture, a kind of beauty that inspired him to produce designs that were delicate, serene and often delightful for the public.

“I taught philosophy of architecture and ethics in urban affairs for a number of years when the attacks of September 11 occurred,” explains Kidder. “As the name of Yamasaki became prominent in the media during the months that followed, I realized that I had lived among buildings that he had designed in several cities, including the Pacific Science Center in Seattle. I began to realize that a scholarly attempt to understand his architecture could draw on a broad range of important questions that I had studied and taught, including questions of symbolism in architecture, ethics in urban design, racial prejudice in cities and the justification of architectural preservation.”

Yamasaki’s story branches out into all these areas and helps reveal their connections to one another, Kidder notes.

Women in Sports: A Reference Handbook by Maylon Hanold

Albers Teaching Professor Maylon Hanold’s new book provides insights into the challenges, controversies and history of women in sports. From learning stories about athletes who paved the way for women’s participation to leaders who championed women sports, the book aims to provide a solid foundation for understanding the efforts that led to the current state of women’s sports and provide some direction for the future.

“I was inspired to tell stories and share some histories about how we got here, but to do so in a way that explored perspectives at the intersections of gender, race, social class, sexuality, embodiment, age, outdoor sports, coaching, technology, advocacy and leadership,” says Hanold. “It’s important to understand that there is a long and tumultuous history to what seems like an overnight shift in the popularity of women’s sports.

"There is always the tendency for us to seek out and find the simple inflection point, but that is never the case. Social change happens because of so many inflection points, so many courageous people, so many coordinated and uncoordinated efforts. And that if there’s anything we’ve learned from history it’s that any given moment is an inflection point in the unfolding of social change.”

The book provides some key insights about past efforts and also hope about ongoing challenges that still need to be addressed. Ultimately, its aim is to inspire people into action, to keep moving in the direction of making sport the inclusive space it’s always been celebrated to be.