07/08/2026
What books are inspiring our Trinity Lutheran Seminary faculty and staff this summer? Throughout the season, we'll be sharing recommendations that encourage thoughtful reflection, faithful living, and lifelong learning.
Dr. Suzanne Schier, Graduate Admissions Counselor for Seminary Discernment, is reading two things this summer.
🌳 The Hidden Life of Trees, by Peter Wohlleben, is the first of three in a series called “Mysteries of Nature.” From the publisher: Are trees social beings? In The Hidden Life of Trees forester and author Peter Wohlleben convincingly makes the case that, yes, the forest is a social network. He draws on groundbreaking scientific discoveries to describe how trees are like human families: tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick or struggling, and even warn each other of impending dangers. Wohlleben also shares his deep love of woods and forests, explaining the amazing processes of life, death, and regeneration that he has observed in his woodland.
🥾 Hiking with Nietzche: On Becoming Who You Are, by John Kaag, is a tale of two philosophical journeys—one made by John Kaag as an introspective young man of nineteen, the other seventeen years later, in radically different circumstances: he is now a husband and father, and his wife and small child are in tow. Kaag sets off for the Swiss peaks above Sils Maria where Nietzsche wrote his landmark work Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Both of Kaag’s journeys are made in search of the wisdom at the core of Nietzsche’s philosophy, yet they deliver him to radically different interpretations and, more crucially, revelations about the human condition.
Dr. Rachel Wrenn, Interim Dean of the Seminary and Associate Professor of Biblical Studies, is reading Brené Brown’s Strong Ground: The Lessons of Daring Leadership, the Tenacity of Paradox, and the Wisdom of the Human Spirit.
Brown writes, “Individuals and organizations are building new muscles. Finding our strong ground—that athletic stance—is the only thing that can provide both unwavering stability in a maelstrom of uncertainty and a platform for the fast, explosive change that the world is demanding.”
