Books 46-51
46. The News About the News, by Leonard Downie Jr. and Robert G. Kaiser. Really enjoyed this history lesson on both newspapers and television news. It's a bit dated (AOL is described as an internet upstart),but that is to be expected on a book like this, which is essentially a snapshot of the news industry in the early 2000s (September 11 is mentioned frequently, both for the coverage and for its potential as a turning point for the industry. Alas...). I really appreciated the insights on the news industry for television, a topic I'm not familiar with. It'swell-researched, with many interviews from a variety of news professionals. The authors clearly outline what went wrong and how, from a news standpoint, the industry could get back on track. The solution is only a partial one- again, this was written before the Internet became as ubiquitous as it is. Essentially, it calls for going back to journalistic standards of reporting what is news, not necessarily what will generate the most clicks. The pitfalls of the later are well outlined (for example, the perception that violent crime is rampant). Despite it's dated nature, I'd recommend this to anyone in the industry, or anyone curious about the news industry.
47. Likable Social Media, by Dave Kerpen. Probably the best book I've read on the power of social media. What I like is the information geared both for non-profits as well as for-profits. Generally, books of this nature tend to be aimed at businesses. Sometimes it reads like an ad for Facebook, but given that this social media juggernaut has nearly a fifth of the planet's population using it, I guess that is to be expected. Kerpen's book is a quick, easy read, with a step-by-step processes in each chapter. There are plenty of anecdotes for situations handled well, and a few where things were handled poorly, and he explains the whys in both cases. This is a good read for anyone wanting to utilize social media to his or her utmost advantage.
48. Losing Our Minds, by Deborah L. Ruf. I knew something about the process of testing a child for giftedness (a friend from college has a daughter who was tested), but I had no idea how much was involved in identifying giftedness, and the levels of giftedness. I found this book insightful for my job in covering education. Ruf interviews several families of gifted children at each level, as well as points out the challenges families could face (not to mention schools- how do you educate a first-grader who is already capable of doing middle school and high school-level academics, for example?) On possible solution is offered: since there are generally 3-4 classrooms per grade level already, sort students by ability within each classroom. I can see the pros and cons with this. Ruf also mentioned something that leads to more questions: the seeming connection between finding gifted students and family wealth. Generally, more students are found in more affluent schools than poorer ones. Is it because wealth has an impact on IQ? Is it because giftedness is going undetected in less wealthy, affluent areas? I suspect the answer is a combination of the two.
49. The Hamilton Papers. YES! I have been reading this one off and on since the beginning of the year, so I consider this a big accomplishment. I'm glad I bought it, and glad I read it. It includes many of the documents mentioned in the Tony-award winning musical "Hamilton." It includes The Hurricane Letter, Farmer Refuted, The Federalist Papers, the letters between Burr and Hamilton that lead to the duel, and Hamilton's last letter to his wife Eliza. Yes, I cried reading that last one. The Federalist Papers took some time to get through. I'm really glad I read them; I think studying them should be a class in high school. I'm glad I read Chernow's biography on Hamilton last year, though, because a lot of what was then current-day references would have gone over my head (Hamilton gets more than a few digs on then New York Gov. George Clinton; the two men detested each other). But this was tough reading; you are talking about three of the greatest minds of the era. A pity Madison and Hamilton had such a falling out, for they complimented each other well: Hamilton's fiery prose, and Madison's more measured, point by point arguments. They would have been unstoppable on a debate team. What amazes me is the detail covered in these essays. If there were any stones left unturned, any argument left untouched, I couldn't find it. I'd love to see a class on this, perhaps with an annotated version to explain some of the historical references (and allusions to myths) contained within. It's tough reading, but worthwhile.
50. Women in Science, by Rachel Ignotofsky. Mixed feelings on this one. I did like the individual stories, and the variety of different sciences represented. The illustrations are cute, too. However, I've never been a huge fan of the scattered text style, and that, plus the small font size, made this a bit challenging to read. The illustrations and brevity of the stories would suggest a book aimed at earlier grade school (2-4 grade), but the font size and the stories themselves suggest older grade school. Still, this is a good source book if you can get past the irritating format, and a good springboard for students looking for someone different to do a report on.
51. Grace Anna Sings, by Angela Ray Rodgers. This book was recently published, written by a mother with a little girl (the eponymous Grace Anna) with the same medical condition that I have: Conradi Hunermann Syndrome. I knew about three-quarters of the stories already since I follow this family on social media, but I'm glad I purchased the book. I read it in one day. It's well-written and honest, but with an upbeat, positive tone. I had two thoughts reading this: wow, am I lucky my Conradi's isn't nearly as severe (I've had one semi-major surgical procedure; I've always considered my asthma more limiting than my short stature, my nemesis Top Shelf notwithstanding). But there were a lot of moments where I was thinking "yes, this is me as well!" (hatred for loud noises, a love for singing, singing at a young age, hearing difficulties at times, a stubborn streak- just ask my mother!). The book doesn't just focus on Grace Anna- it includes the whole family. It's an honest look, as I said, about a family's struggles and triumphs with a child with serious medical needs, but also goes into other tragedies and obstacles the family faced and overcame. I know it's cliche, but yes, I laughed, I cried and ultimately glad I bought this (Merry Christmas to me!) I'm probably a bit biased, since I already knew the family (online) and share a rare medical condition with Grace Anna, but ah well. I enjoyed it.
Currently Reading: Persuasion, by Jane Austen, and Don't Think of an Elephant, by George Lakoff.
47. Likable Social Media, by Dave Kerpen. Probably the best book I've read on the power of social media. What I like is the information geared both for non-profits as well as for-profits. Generally, books of this nature tend to be aimed at businesses. Sometimes it reads like an ad for Facebook, but given that this social media juggernaut has nearly a fifth of the planet's population using it, I guess that is to be expected. Kerpen's book is a quick, easy read, with a step-by-step processes in each chapter. There are plenty of anecdotes for situations handled well, and a few where things were handled poorly, and he explains the whys in both cases. This is a good read for anyone wanting to utilize social media to his or her utmost advantage.
48. Losing Our Minds, by Deborah L. Ruf. I knew something about the process of testing a child for giftedness (a friend from college has a daughter who was tested), but I had no idea how much was involved in identifying giftedness, and the levels of giftedness. I found this book insightful for my job in covering education. Ruf interviews several families of gifted children at each level, as well as points out the challenges families could face (not to mention schools- how do you educate a first-grader who is already capable of doing middle school and high school-level academics, for example?) On possible solution is offered: since there are generally 3-4 classrooms per grade level already, sort students by ability within each classroom. I can see the pros and cons with this. Ruf also mentioned something that leads to more questions: the seeming connection between finding gifted students and family wealth. Generally, more students are found in more affluent schools than poorer ones. Is it because wealth has an impact on IQ? Is it because giftedness is going undetected in less wealthy, affluent areas? I suspect the answer is a combination of the two.
49. The Hamilton Papers. YES! I have been reading this one off and on since the beginning of the year, so I consider this a big accomplishment. I'm glad I bought it, and glad I read it. It includes many of the documents mentioned in the Tony-award winning musical "Hamilton." It includes The Hurricane Letter, Farmer Refuted, The Federalist Papers, the letters between Burr and Hamilton that lead to the duel, and Hamilton's last letter to his wife Eliza. Yes, I cried reading that last one. The Federalist Papers took some time to get through. I'm really glad I read them; I think studying them should be a class in high school. I'm glad I read Chernow's biography on Hamilton last year, though, because a lot of what was then current-day references would have gone over my head (Hamilton gets more than a few digs on then New York Gov. George Clinton; the two men detested each other). But this was tough reading; you are talking about three of the greatest minds of the era. A pity Madison and Hamilton had such a falling out, for they complimented each other well: Hamilton's fiery prose, and Madison's more measured, point by point arguments. They would have been unstoppable on a debate team. What amazes me is the detail covered in these essays. If there were any stones left unturned, any argument left untouched, I couldn't find it. I'd love to see a class on this, perhaps with an annotated version to explain some of the historical references (and allusions to myths) contained within. It's tough reading, but worthwhile.
50. Women in Science, by Rachel Ignotofsky. Mixed feelings on this one. I did like the individual stories, and the variety of different sciences represented. The illustrations are cute, too. However, I've never been a huge fan of the scattered text style, and that, plus the small font size, made this a bit challenging to read. The illustrations and brevity of the stories would suggest a book aimed at earlier grade school (2-4 grade), but the font size and the stories themselves suggest older grade school. Still, this is a good source book if you can get past the irritating format, and a good springboard for students looking for someone different to do a report on.
51. Grace Anna Sings, by Angela Ray Rodgers. This book was recently published, written by a mother with a little girl (the eponymous Grace Anna) with the same medical condition that I have: Conradi Hunermann Syndrome. I knew about three-quarters of the stories already since I follow this family on social media, but I'm glad I purchased the book. I read it in one day. It's well-written and honest, but with an upbeat, positive tone. I had two thoughts reading this: wow, am I lucky my Conradi's isn't nearly as severe (I've had one semi-major surgical procedure; I've always considered my asthma more limiting than my short stature, my nemesis Top Shelf notwithstanding). But there were a lot of moments where I was thinking "yes, this is me as well!" (hatred for loud noises, a love for singing, singing at a young age, hearing difficulties at times, a stubborn streak- just ask my mother!). The book doesn't just focus on Grace Anna- it includes the whole family. It's an honest look, as I said, about a family's struggles and triumphs with a child with serious medical needs, but also goes into other tragedies and obstacles the family faced and overcame. I know it's cliche, but yes, I laughed, I cried and ultimately glad I bought this (Merry Christmas to me!) I'm probably a bit biased, since I already knew the family (online) and share a rare medical condition with Grace Anna, but ah well. I enjoyed it.
Currently Reading: Persuasion, by Jane Austen, and Don't Think of an Elephant, by George Lakoff.