Harvard Kennedy School brings together a vibrant array of people with a wide range of backgrounds, perspectives, ideologies, passions, and identities. Our community is stronger and more effective because of this pluralism. The Community Voices & Perspectives Collection reflects our School’s commitment to dialogue and understanding, featuring books and films that explore the myriad of experiences, ideas, and histories represented at HKS.
Explore the Collection
Browse the full collection and filter by genre, topic, and region.
Featured Collection Items
May is Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month and Jewish American Heritage Month.
Black, White, and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self
A memoir about the power of race to shape one's personal identity. The daughter of a Jewish father an African-American mother recalls her confusing but rewarding life between two conflicting ethnic identities.
Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning
Asian Americans inhabit a purgatorial status: neither white nor Black, unmentioned in most conversations about racial identity. This book is a portrait of one Asian American psyche, and of a writer's search to uncover the truth.
Jewish Radical Feminism: Voices from the Women's Liberation Movement
Jewish women were instrumental in shaping the women's liberation movement of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. Yet historians and participants have overlooked their contributions. This book fills that gap.
Not Quite Not White: Losing and Finding Race in America
When Sharmila Sen emigrated from India to the US, she was frequently asked to self-report her race but confused at how to do so. This book is a story of discovering that not-whiteness can be the very thing that makes us American.
The Chosen
In 1944, two teenagers are friends but divided by the same thing that unites them: their faith. Danny is an Hasidic Jew, raised by an ultra-orthodox Rabbi. Reuven, on the other hand, was raised by his secular scholar father.
Concepcion: An Immigrant Family's Fortunes
Ambitious, intimate, and incisive, this book explores what it might mean to reckon with the unjust legacy of imperialism, to live with contradiction and hope, and to fight for the unrealized ideals of an inherited homeland.
New Collection Items
Our collection is driven by recommendations by HKS community members, with key partnership from the Office of Belonging, Community, & Connection.
Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story
When the US Attorney who approved Jeffrey Epstein's plea deal, Alexander Acosta, was chosen by President Trump as Labor Secretary, reporter Julie K. Brown began a tenacious journey to bring the stories of Epstein's victims to light.
Malcolm X and Indigenizing Islam in America
This book explores the profound impact of Malcolm X's conversion to Islam on American society, examining how his influence shaped Islam as an integral part of America's diverse landscape, particularly within the African American community.
Pilgrimage, Place, & Pluralism: Essays in Conversation with Diana Eck
A singular scholar who has influenced multiple fields and inspired countless educators around the world, Diana Eck is widely respected for her scholarship and innovative approach to interreligious dialogue and civic engagement.
I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Curious Conversations
Partisan is up, trust is down, and social media confirms our own views. But avoiding one another is hurting our relationships and society. Journalist Monica Guzman argues that the most useful tool we have is our curiosity.
Relentless Pursuit: My Fight for the Victims of Jeffrey Epstein
Victims' rights attorney Bradley J. Edwards spent 10 years devoting himself to bringing Jeffrey Epstein to justice, representing more than 20 of Epstein's victims.
Ficciones
To enter the world of Jorge Luis Borges' stories is to enter a world where lies Heaven, Hell, and everything in between, and to take a journey into the compelling, bizarre, and profoundly resonant.
Featured Resource: Book Displays
HKS Library & Research Services curates monthly book displays on heritage months, history months, and special topics. Many displays are collaborations with HKS community members.