The Ghost Map follows one of the first outbreaks of cholera in London in the 1850s, and turns into something of a detective story as a physician and a clergyman try to identify its source. It reads like a Sherlock Holmes mystery and had me absorbed the whole time!

-Charlotte Rocker

Roz Chast, staff cartoonist for the New Yorker, wrote and illustrated Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?, an incredible book about her experience as a caregiver for her aging parents in their last years. The down-to-earth and personal account depicts an honest portrait of the comedies and hardships of caregiving. I would highly recommend this relatable book to anyone who has cared for a loved one with health issues or anyone in the support network of a caregiver. 

-Katie Forsberg, Research Partnerships Assistant

I first read Good to Great and the Social Sectors: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great in 2008 after I heard Jim Collins speak at a Robin Hood Foundation event. His framework for thinking of actions for companies who travel from Good to Great is a welcome model for the non-profit sector (where the straight application of “business principles” can’t really be a viable panacea). I find that I generally get back to this short but mighty piece pretty much every year.

-Debi Brooks, Co-Founder

In the first essay of The Empathy Exams, the author works as an actor for students in medical school, performing symptoms for the students to diagnosis. She has to rate the doctors based on the level of empathy they show, and as she embodies each of these characters, she considers the extent of her own empathy. In another essay, the author meets a group of people who all claim to have a disease that the medical community say doesn’t exist. Each essay explores the idea of empathy as a muscle that can be built up, rather than an inherent trait. I think that idea is very relevant for our daily work, especially for those of us who don’t have a connection to Parkinson’s disease.

-Nancy Ryerson, Marketing & Digital Strategies Assistant

This year we launched an initiative with Intel to apply big data techniques to Parkinson’s research, and Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work and Think helped me understand the tactics and possibilities of this approach. As the authors write, “Big data refers to things one can do at a large scale that cannot be done on a smaller one, to extract new insights or create new forms of value.” Traditional Parkinson’s research is often subjective, with clinical exams of small groups of subjects. Big data holds potential to show us trends in disease and point to new areas of study.

-Maggie McGuire, Associate Director, Research Communications

While published in 2008, Beyond Sputnik: U.S. Science Policy in the 21st Century remains timely and relevant, and is a great resource for a wide audience. This book provides detailed case studies on topics ranging from stem cell research to science education and offers cogent insight into the realm of policymaking and the extent to which public policy shapes how scientific research is conducted. I recommend this book for anyone interested in advocating for scientific research, whether at the grassroots or national level.

-Terina N. Martinez, PhD, Associate Director, Research Programs

Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain -- it's Dr. Sacks’ exploration into the place music occupies in the brain and how it affects the human condition.

-Kathleen Vestuto, Coordinator, Research Programs

With wit, class and lots of flair, Bill and Willie Geist invite us into their wonderfully quirky and close-knit father-son relationship in their book Good Talk, Dad. As they banter back and forth on fatherhood, music, sports and Parkinson’s disease, the Geists manage to share valuable life lessons, tell hilarious stories and honor their heartwarming bond.

-Kim Castleberry, Associate Director, Development Communications