PIHers' Picks: What to Read, Watch and Listen To
PIH staff recommend books, a TV series, a podcast, and a documentary they want to share with members of our community to enjoy
Posted on May 13, 2026
As the weather warms up in the Northern Hemisphere, school breaks begin, and vacations are on the horizon, there usually come more opportunities for reading by the water, listening to podcasts on a walk, and cozying up with a show after a long day. To help build your To Be Read list, Partners In Health (PIH) staff members share books, a TV series, a podcast, and a documentary they are loving right now.
The Feather Detective: Mystery, Mayhem, and the Magnificent Life of Roxie Laybourne by Chris Sweeney
Recommended by Ellen Ball, Senior Informatics Engineer
"A page-turner biography about the exceptional Roxie, who became the first forensic ornithologist and expert in bird-related air disasters. She is one of many dedicated government scientists whose commitment goes above and beyond. The behind-the-scenes look at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History is fascinating. The author, Chris Sweeney, is a former PIHer who spent 2 years writing about our global work."
Beartown by Fredrick Backman
Recommended by Cassidy Chang, Nursing Program Associate
"As fans of Frederick Backman know, he has a unique way of telling stories, and Beartown is no exception to this. One of my favorite Backman novels to date, he tells the story of a community (the good and the bad) and what they care about, through his signature use of some of the most beautiful character developments I have ever read. And the best part is, there’s more after the first book if you want more (I know I did!)."
Editor’s note: This book mentions sexual violence and assault.
A Man on the Inside
Recommended by Alicia Krewer, Financial Analyst
"I’ve been watching A Man on the Inside on Netflix recently. It’s made by the same people who made The Good Place (it even features many of the same actors), and it just does a beautiful job empathetically touching on some of the realities of growing old while placing you in an absurd enough plot that it never feels heavy. It also doesn’t feel like it goes for a cheap laugh. It’s heartwarming and kind, and we need more of that these days."
Always Another Country by Sisonke Msimang
Recommended by Carrie Maggio, Community Giving Coordinator
"In the story Sisonke Msimang shares, the reader is brought with her, growing up in exile. As the daughter of parents dedicated to the South African liberation movement, she moved between Zambia, Kenya, and North America before finally returning to South Africa after the end of apartheid.
Msimang writes about the search for home and the reality of life after everything has changed. I read this book while serving in the Peace Corps in Lesotho, grappling with what it meant to be living in and adapting to a country far away from home. Its focus on identity and belonging in Southern Africa resonated and gave me new perspectives on the daily livelihoods of the local people I was working with. As she writes in the book’s opening, she tells her story because she is searching for something, and she hopes that as we read, we "will search with her." I recommend it for anyone who enjoys memoirs and is learning or searching for home in an ever-changing world."
Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich
Recommended by Anna Kraffmiller, Gift Administration Coordinator
"This is a speculative novel set in the near-ish future, in an America beset by climate change, where pregnancy and reproductive rights become matters of state intrusion. Following a pregnant Ojibwe woman, raised by white adoptive parents, as she travels to reconnect with her Indigenous birth family and to escape capture, the novel teases out knotty questions about family and home and our Earth, wrapped in Erdrich's vivid, beautiful prose. It was published in 2017, but feels only more immediate."
Won't You Be My Neighbor
Recommended by Hailey Morey, External Relations Manager
"To me, Fred Rogers’ ethos of kindness, patience, and listening is remarkably similar to PIH’s value of accompaniment. The idea of ‘to be a good neighbor is to be in solidarity’ is exemplified in this documentary and is an uplifting and apt reminder that doing good in the world can be a creative and joyful endeavor."
Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe
Recommended by Rachel Isaacs, Cross-Site Mental Health Officer
"Empire of Pain is a 2021 book by Patrick Radden Keefe. It examines the history, politics, and influence of the Sackler family, including their influence in the inception of modern-day pharmaceuticals, the founding of Purdue Pharma, and the family's insidious role in the opioid epidemic. For anyone interested in the social, historical, and economic forces that shape injustice, as well as the mighty attempts to fight it, this book is for you."
The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
Recommended by Christina Ondrik, Senior Analyst for Prospect Development
"This is a completely gorgeous graphic novel—a coming-of-age story following Tien as he navigates immigrating and his sexuality. It is told through fairy tales, which give the whole book a whimsical, otherworldly quality, and the illustrations are exquisite."
Strangers Drowning: Grappling with Impossible Idealism, Drastic Choices, and the Overpowering Urge to Help by Larissa MacFarquhar
Recommended by Julie Price, Associate Director for Fundraising Campaigns & Special Initiatives
"What do we owe one another as human beings? And how do we decide whether we've done enough? This book tells the stories of extraordinary people who have gone above and beyond—and then further still—to help, from adopting dozens of children, to donating a kidney to a perfect stranger, to risking their own safety to provide health care to others."
Our Ancestors Were Messy hosted by Nichole Hill
Recommended by Alice Pak Truscott, Development Officer
"The podcast Our Ancestors Were Messy digs into the gossip, scandals, and pop culture that filled historic Black newspapers. Hosted by the easy-to-listen-to Nichole Hill, the show looks at real people, both well-known figures and regular individuals, in pre-Civil Rights America. But the twist is that it doesn’t treat history so formally. Instead, it gets into the real-life messiness of humanity—romantic entanglements, public scandals, ambitions, betrayals, and social drama that were actually documented at the time.
To me, this blends the spiciness of a reality drama with the intelligence of your favorite historical biography. And because it’s history and a podcast, it’s automatically smart (I don’t make the rules), so you can listen with zero guilt. A true win-win! If you don’t know which episode to start with, This American Life recently released a mini-series based on the podcast."
Paul's Promise
As we mourn the passing of our beloved Dr. Paul Farmer, we also honor his life and legacy.
Bending the Arc
More than 30 years ago, a movement began that would change global health forever. Bending the Arc is the story of Partners In Health's origins.