Here at the Center for Public Health Law Research, we love a book that makes us think (and makes us better at what we do). So, we’ve pulled together our favorite titles — some brand new, some timeless, all worth reading — across three categories: Legal Epidemiology, Public Health, and Just For Fun (But Still Smart).
There’s a mix of memoirs, methods, fiction, and fungi. And yes — there are a couple of Temple professors on the list: Liz Moore and Scott Burris.
Legal Epidemiology
Books and articles exploring how law shapes health outcomes, legal mapping, and evaluation methods.
Legal Epidemiology: Theory and Methods
Scott Burris, Alexander Wagenaar, Rosalie Liccardo Pacula, and Cheryl Goodridge (Jossey-Bass, 2023)
This definitive textbook explores the core theories, models, and research methods central to public health law. It emphasizes measuring and studying law as a critical tool to advance population health. Burris, CPHLR’s Director, is editor of this foundational work alongside experts from UCSF and Emory.
Improving the Transparency of Legal Measurement in Health Policy Evaluation
Benjamin A. Barsky, Alina Schnake-Mahl, Cason D. Schmit, and Scott Burris (JAMA Health Forum, 2025)
This paper is a practical guide to scientific legal measurement that promotes greater rigor and clarity in measuring legal variables for health policy research, enhancing the reliability of policy evaluations.
The New Public Health Law: A Transdisciplinary Approach to Practice and Advocacy (2nd Edition)
Scott Burris, Micah L. Berman, Matthew Penn, and Tara Ramanathan Holiday (Jossey-Bass, 2023)
This comprehensive textbook from leaders in public health law equips lawyers and public health professionals with practical frameworks and tools to use law effectively for public health improvement. It breaks down complex legal processes into clear, actionable steps through a transdisciplinary approach.
Not All In: Race, Immigration, and Health Care Exclusion in the Age of Obamacare
Tiffany D. Joseph (Columbia University Press, July 2025)
An insightful examination of how immigration-related exclusions persist in healthcare access, highlighting ongoing legal and policy challenges that contribute to health disparities.
The Advantages of Scientific Legal Mapping
Scott Burris (Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 2025)
A quick read, this article argues for scientific legal mapping as an essential foundation for rigorous public health law research and evaluation.
Public Health
Books offering perspectives on major public health issues — from disease history to misinformation and mental health.
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
Siddhartha Mukherjee (Scribner, 2010)
A Pulitzer Prize-winning history of cancer, blending scientific discovery, biography, and social commentary into a sweeping narrative about the disease’s past and future.
How Doctors Think
Jerome Groopman (Mariner Books, 2008)
An accessible exploration of medical decision-making, offering insights into how doctors think and how patients can better navigate healthcare.
Long Bright River
Liz Moore (Riverhead Books, 2020)
Set in Philadelphia, this gripping novel explores the opioid crisis through a police officer’s search for her missing sister amid a backdrop of addiction and corruption.
Misguided: Where Misinformation Starts, How It Spreads, and What to Do About It
Matthew Facciani (Columbia University Press, 2024)
A timely, research-driven analysis of the origins and spread of health misinformation, with strategies for combating its impact on public understanding.
Lazaretto: How Philadelphia Used an Unpopular Quarantine Based on Disputed Science to Accommodate Immigrants and Prevent Epidemics
David Barnes (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2022)
A fascinating case study of the Philadelphia Lazaretto quarantine station, where law, science, and politics intersected to manage immigrant health during epidemics.
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness
Jonathan Haidt (Penguin Press, 2024)
A provocative analysis of how social media and smartphones have reshaped youth culture, contributing to a mental health crisis among children and adolescents.
Just for Fun
Engaging literary and leisure reads offering sharp insight, creativity, and fresh perspectives.
The Book of Love
Kelly Link (Random House, 2024)
A genre-blending collection of short stories that mix magic, realism, and emotional depth.
The Trees
Percival Everett (Graywolf Press, 2021)
A darkly comedic novel combining crime fiction with racial and social commentary set in the American South.
Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures
Merlin Sheldrake (Random House, 2020)
A best‑selling, vivid exploration of fungal biology and ecology—tracing how fungi shape everything from human cognition to environmental systems
Brown Girls
Daphne Palasi Andreades (Random House, 2022)
A lyrical novel about young women of color coming of age in Queens, New York, capturing the complexities of identity and community.
Rainbow
Yasunari Kawabata (University of California Press, English translation)
A classic work from the Nobel Prize-winning Japanese author, noted for its understated beauty and evocative prose.
Note: Some descriptions are original summaries or based on publicly available information, provided here for informational purposes.