I would concur with not reading Marley and Me at work - in the early chapters you might guffaw into the mike, and then have to explain things! It's not sad until far later in the book ... but it's a great book!

I'm currently reading a book called "Souled American: How Black Music Transformed White Culture ..." and so far, it's really about how inextricably linked both "sides" of the issue are. It's quite interesting.