And then, take it to work.

Each of these books is a good winter companion to a cup of hot chocolate. Each can also provoke good thought about the meaning of diversity at work.

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa (2003, translated 2009)

The housekeeper is a single mother who supports her only child by taking care of an aging professor. The professor is a brilliant mathematician whose memory lasts only 80 minutes due to a car accident. None of the characters in this novel are named, though the professor nicknames the housekeeper’s son for a mathematical function. With these devices, mathematical theorems and baseball, Ogawa tells an intriguing tale that asks questions about social class, education and the nature of family.  This book was first published in Japanese and won the Yomiuri Prize in 2004.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett (2009)

Especially for those with ties to the place and times, Stockett’s detailed portrayal of life in the South in the 1960s rings painfully true.  This debut novel about the intimate, conflicted relationships between black housekeepers and the white families they “helped” has been on practically every book list since its publication and has won many awards.  While it may take a moment to get past the dialect used only for black characters, it will be just a moment: the story is engrossing and its characters come quickly to rich and courageous life.   This book is set against a transformational period in U.S. history. If you haven’t read it, don’t miss out.

China Boy by Gus Lee (1991)

Gus Lee is an established author, corporate leadership/ethics consultant and Chair of Character Development at West Point.  His first book, however, was a work of fiction that drew heavily on his own experience growing up in the streets of San Francisco.  China Boy is the story of young, U.S. born Kai Ting, whose family fled China after Mao’s revolution.  Kai must grow up in many worlds while fitting into none.  He finds his way across language, cultural and familial barriers through relationships built on positive human regard.  Fifteen years after its original publication, China Boy became the first “One City-One Book” selection in San Francisco and then a best-seller for the second time.

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell (1996)

Mary Doria Russell was a highly successful scientist and biological anthropologist who published widely in scholarly journals until quitting academia to write fiction.

Russell was inspired to write The Sparrow following large demonstrations in the U.S. against the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ arrival in the “new world”.  She wanted to tell a story that addressed the unimaginable cultural differences between the European explorers and the indigenous people of the American continents.  Ultimately, the only way she could convey the complexity of such first contact was as science fiction.  The Sparrow is the story of a Jesuit mission to a newly discovered planet.

The book is skillfully written; the characters are fully developed and quite believable.  Reader be warned:  this novel explores questions of faith as well as culture, sometimes with shocking brutality.

The sequel, Children of God, wraps up the story, and Russell recently completed a screenplay adaptation of The Sparrow.  Read the book first!

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