June’s here! With longer days, big ideas, and a chance to discover something new. This month’s list brings together fresh, thought-provoking media picks across nine identity areas. Whether you’re in the mood for a good film, a meaningful book, or a documentary that shifts your view, there’s something here to help you reflect, connect, and grow. Let’s jump in.

Race

• Film: American Promise directed by Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson
• Summary: A powerful documentary that follows two Black boys over 13 years as they attend a prestigious private school, navigating race, identity, and education
• Key Insights: Offers a raw look into systemic inequalities and the emotional toll of navigating predominantly white spaces, especially for Black youth

Culture

• Book: Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
• Summary: This memoir explores Zauner’s Korean-American identity, the loss of her mother, and how food and culture became anchors for grief and belonging
• Key Insights: A touching reminder of how deeply culture is tied to memory, connection, and self-understanding

Gender

• Documentary: Miss Representation directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom
• Summary: Explores how mainstream media contributes to the underrepresentation of women in power by promoting limiting and often harmful portrayals
• Key Insights: Highlights how media shapes gender norms, and how representation (or the lack of it) affects societal expectations and leadership roles

Religion

• Book: Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul by John Philip Newell
• Summary: This book traces Celtic Christian spirituality and its emphasis on the sacredness of nature and all life
• Key Insights: Encourages readers to see spirituality as something rooted in compassion, interconnectedness, and care for the planet

LGBTQ+

• Documentary: A Secret Love directed by Chris Bolan
• Summary: A moving film about two women who kept their 65-year relationship hidden from family and the world, and what happens when they finally come out late in life
• Key Insights: A tender reminder that it’s never too late to live your truth, and that love and courage can look different for every generation

Disability

• Book: Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law by Haben Girma
• Summary: A memoir by the first deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School, who shares her story of resilience, innovation, and breaking barriers
• Key Insights: Reframes disability as an opportunity for creative problem-solving and advocacy, and centers inclusion as a shared responsibility

Age

• Film: Young@Heart directed by Stephen Walker
• Summary: Follows a senior citizens’ chorus as they rehearse and perform contemporary rock music, challenging age stereotypes with humor and heart
• Key Insights: Celebrates vitality, purpose, and the unexpected joys of aging—proving it’s never too late to learn, laugh, and rock out

Neurodiversity

• Podcast: ADHD Experts Podcast by ADDitude
• Summary: Offers interviews with professionals and people with lived experience on a wide range of ADHD-related topics, from productivity to relationships.
• Key Insights: Practical, informative, and inclusive, this series helps listeners better understand ADHD and how to work with, not against, neurodiverse minds

Mental Health

• Book: Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb
• Summary: A therapist shares stories of her clients, and her own experience in therapy, offering a relatable look at how healing happens.
• Key Insights: Shows how vulnerability and reflection are at the heart of emotional growth, both in and out of the therapist’s office

Enjoy the journey, and stay curious!