Fia is always being teased by other children, and Hampus is always getting into trouble. When the two meet, Hampus grabs Fia's prize treasure, a whiteFia is always being teased by other children, and Hampus is always getting into trouble. When the two meet, Hampus grabs Fia's prize treasure, a white stone. To get the stone back, Hampus orders Fia to take on a daring task. Fia accomplishes the task, and the stone is returned to her, but that's not the end---the challenges go on and on. The townspeople, including the families and friends of Fia and Hampus, are left confused as to just what is going on.
David Brooks takes a close look at some of the world's most highly respected people, including a war leader, a champions of the poor, a Civil Rights lDavid Brooks takes a close look at some of the world's most highly respected people, including a war leader, a champions of the poor, a Civil Rights leader, a writer, and more. He shows how the difficulties each person faced helped develop the person's character. Brooks makes a distinction between the two Adams in the book of Genesis in the Christian Bible. One Adam, Adam 1, becomes great by developing ambition and other worldly values. The other Adam, Adam 2, becomes great by becoming a person who respects others and develops inner values. All of the people Brooks looks at develop into people of great character, like Adam 2....more
Booksellers and librarians are people who have discovered the life-altering powers of books, and they want to share these with others. James PattersonBooksellers and librarians are people who have discovered the life-altering powers of books, and they want to share these with others. James Patterson and Matt Eversmann tell us about the lives of some of these people, many of whom are currently fighting the hardest battles of their lives against forces that want to limit the books that others have access to....more
Patricia C. McKissack describes what it was like for her as a young black girl to travel around the city of Nashville during the 1950s in which Jim CrPatricia C. McKissack describes what it was like for her as a young black girl to travel around the city of Nashville during the 1950s in which Jim Crow laws mandated separate schools and bathrooms and restaurants and even benches for black people. Happily, young 'Tricia Ann is on her way to "someplace special," a place where these laws are not in place---the public library.
How do we change the world? How do we realize our dreams?
People of the past had these questions, too. This little picture book offers tiny windows intHow do we change the world? How do we realize our dreams?
People of the past had these questions, too. This little picture book offers tiny windows into obstacles faced and overcome by people of the past, inspiration for all of us who hope to change the world and realize our dreams....more
A new girl, Maya, comes to school. It's obvious even to the children that she is poor, and the other children turn away from Maya and reject her. And A new girl, Maya, comes to school. It's obvious even to the children that she is poor, and the other children turn away from Maya and reject her. And one day Maya is gone.
The children's teacher shares a powerful demonstration of what kindness is. The children feel a sadness in their hearts for what could have been.
Each Kindness is a book I want to share with every person I come across. Kindness. It's one of the secrets of life.
A mother and father bring their child to a new land to give the child all the opportunities they desire for him. The parents sacrifice themselves to gA mother and father bring their child to a new land to give the child all the opportunities they desire for him. The parents sacrifice themselves to give to the child, and the parents steadily grow small. But in adulthood, the child sacrifices for the parents who gave so much to him.
I like to be right. And if I can't be right, then I can at least be loud. And long-winded.
This can be toxic in our world today. Many people who disagrI like to be right. And if I can't be right, then I can at least be loud. And long-winded.
This can be toxic in our world today. Many people who disagree with my views carry guns.
I need this book. I learned tons of things from this book. I need to write down notes from this book and try them out. (Perhaps on Saturday when my family gathers for lunch? I don't think anyone in my family would draw a gun on me.) I might even read this book again.
Notes:
*David Smith, in his lecture, "Civil Conversation in an Angry Age," suggests we ask two questions that allow us to look at our opinions a second time. One is, "Are you willing to believe that you could be wrong about something?" The other one is, "Which do you value more, the truth or your own beliefs?"
*People can't know what they have never experienced.
*Elizabeth G. Saunders says that when you feel like you win online, you have rarely changed anyone's mind. "Instead," she says, "you stand as the triumphant king of a lonely land smoldering with the ashes of people you have decimated with your words, who are less likely than ever to listen to your side again."
*To question our conclusions across perspectives, we have to get curious. We direct our curiosity at the mystery of who we are, the gaps between what we know and what we wish we knew, keeping people at the center of our conversations, rather than their opinions or our assumptions. Once we are there, we look for paths people walked to get to their perspectives, the different conclusions they draw about the world."
*Here's another great statement to make: "Let me think out loud for a bit."
*The experience of being listened to is extremely rare in life. The key is to stay with one crucial question: "What do you mean?"
*It's important to acknowledge and be honest about the attachments that influence you.
*A simple invitation to speak for someone who is holding back: "Any thoughts on this one?"
*"Are you stuck with someone who is talking too much? At the next pause...ask if you can offer your experience with the topic."
*"Every tough issue that divides us...puts some fundamentally good values into tension with one another."
*"What good solutions might we find if current constraints weren't an issue?"
*How do you approach opinions flexibly enough to boost your creativity? Share current thinking on an issue. Change the question. Listen longer. Acknowledge agreement. Untie thought knots. Hit reset. Acknowledge good points. Offer, "I don't know."
*Three moments of positivity for every moment of negativity.
*"How did you come to believe X?"
*Explain yourself with story.
*Instead of commenting on someone else's opinion, pose a question.
*Great question: "What's your most generous interpretation of why they disagree with you?"
*In the middle of a discussion, switch from the dance floor to the balcony....more
Kayla is too big for her small bike with training wheels, so her dad gets her a new bike.
But it's a wild bike, and it doesn't take long for the bike tKayla is too big for her small bike with training wheels, so her dad gets her a new bike.
But it's a wild bike, and it doesn't take long for the bike to throw Kayla off.
Will Kayla be able to tame this wild bike?
Dashka Slater uses the fresh imagery of breaking in a wild horse to share the experience of learning to ride a big kid bike. The illustrations are engaging and the text is lovely. When Kayla finally breaks in her new bike and gives the bike a ride, I wanted to cheer for her....more
Bonnie wishes she could buy new clothes for her first day of school. But her family can't afford for her to do that, and she has to get her clothes atBonnie wishes she could buy new clothes for her first day of school. But her family can't afford for her to do that, and she has to get her clothes at a thrift shop. Bonnie's sister shares an idea: how about if she adapts the clothes to make them more beautiful? And so Bonnie uses a variety of easy, inexpensive methods to make her clothes something she would enjoy wearing.
I heard Simran Jeet Singh speak at the Texas Book Festival. I was impressed with the things he said and the way he listened intently as others spoke. I heard Simran Jeet Singh speak at the Texas Book Festival. I was impressed with the things he said and the way he listened intently as others spoke. I was delighted to find and read his book.
The Light We Give is a memoir of Singh's experiences growing up, especially in the ways he had to face racism. The Light We Give is also a book about the Sikh faith, sharing its central tenets focusing on loving others, defining our values, and putting our values into practice.
A little house becomes a home for a family who has just immigrated from Cuba. And then others arrive and everyone makes room for those who have just aA little house becomes a home for a family who has just immigrated from Cuba. And then others arrive and everyone makes room for those who have just arrived to stay in the little house, too. And even though there is not a lot of room, the little house provides a safe space for the people who live there to have time to do the things they need to do and to learn the things they need to learn to get good jobs and to help each other and to work to make a better life for them all.
A bright story of esperanza, of hope for new immigrants....more
Owl desperately wants to be a knight, but he's not sure he is up for the job. But then knights start disappearing and, he dares to apply. Off he goes Owl desperately wants to be a knight, but he's not sure he is up for the job. But then knights start disappearing and, he dares to apply. Off he goes to knight school, and, happily, he successfully becomes a knight and is assigned to be on Knight Night Watch. And it is here he faces his biggest challenge of all.
Such a gentle story, and yet such a powerful story, of courage and cleverness and overcoming obstacles, all told in a way that allows children to figure things out for themselves. You can't help but love Knight Owl....more
The Great War has ended and France is worn and weary. The return of the Tour de France is proposed, and many get on board with the idea. It's a true TThe Great War has ended and France is worn and weary. The return of the Tour de France is proposed, and many get on board with the idea. It's a true Tour de France; the route takes bicyclists all around the border of France. Many roads and even complete towns have been destroyed in the war, and the bicyclists are not well prepared for the long race, but the 1919 Tour de France provides an opportunity for the French people to rally around their favorite riders and to celebrate France. ...more
"Some Americans want to visit France. Some want to live in France. I want to be French."
William Alexander, in his late 50s, decides to become fluent i"Some Americans want to visit France. Some want to live in France. I want to be French."
William Alexander, in his late 50s, decides to become fluent in French. He tries every strategy he's seen or heard about, and he researches new strategies and tries them, too.
In the end, he learns some French, but he's far from fluent. Still, he has progressed and he has hope that he will continue to progress.
And all is told in delightful ways that made this old French learner smile.
A bit of my takeaway from the book:
"When I want to say something in French, I think of what I want to say in English and then convert that into French. But such translation, I’d previously been told by David Birdsong, is self-limiting. You must remove the mental middleman of translation, for your brain cannot translate back and forth fast enough to keep up with a conversation. To achieve fluency, you need to speak—and think—like a bilingual, to switch languages, not translate between them."
"(N)ot only does the ability to acquire a second language become greatly diminished after adolescence, but the degradation continues linearly. That is, with each year, each decade, that I didn’t get around to learning French, the goalposts have moved further away."
And my favorite:
'Where do I go from here? Even if I want to continue pursuing French—and I’m not at all sure that I do—I don’t know how much more time and money I’m willing to devote to this Sisyphean task. I figure that I’ve spent 900 hours—nearly double the 480 hours that the Foreign Service Institute estimates is required to achieve basic conversational ability—studying French. And that’s not counting the hundreds of hours spent watching French movies and television and listening to French radio, not casually, but actively, trying to decipher what I was hearing. What else could I have done with those hours? Well, in just the first forty I could’ve built that garden shed I’ve needed for years. Then I could’ve finally gotten around to reading Proust. Tutored a struggling local student. I could have learned golf! There is a golf course right across the street from me. That’s what older guys do, not French. Why didn’t I use the time to learn golf instead? As proof that God has a sense of humor (as well as a peerless sense of timing), I’d returned from France to find the current issue of the New Yorker opened to an essay by Larry David, of Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm fame. Reflecting on his failure to achieve even mediocrity in golf despite half a lifetime of trying, he writes that he has finally come to accept that “I was never going to be good. Never. Think what I could’ve done with all that time. Learned French.”'...more
Trust me: if you have read enough about this book to be pretty sure you want to read this book, you probably should just go ahead and start reading itTrust me: if you have read enough about this book to be pretty sure you want to read this book, you probably should just go ahead and start reading it, without reading any more reviews or commentary....more
Azar Nafisi writes letters to her father, with whom she often discussed literature when he was alive, about the power of controversial reading and itsAzar Nafisi writes letters to her father, with whom she often discussed literature when he was alive, about the power of controversial reading and its benefits for the individual and society. Nafisi writes during a time of great turbulence in her adopted country, America, and draws upon her struggles during a time of great turbulence in her home country, Iran....more
Elizabeth Kolbert looks at the five big extinctions and the small extinctions of individual species of Earth's past as well as the extinction we are cElizabeth Kolbert looks at the five big extinctions and the small extinctions of individual species of Earth's past as well as the extinction we are currently undergoing, the first extinction caused by a single species on Earth, mankind.
A must-read.
A few quotes from the book:
“Zalasiewicz is convinced that even a moderately competent stratigrapher will, at the distance of a hundred million years or so, be able to tell that something extraordinary happened at the moment in time that counts for us as today. This is the case even though a hundred million years from now, all that we consider to be the great works of man—the sculptures and the libraries, the monuments and the museums, the cities and the factories—will be compressed into a layer of sediment not much thicker than a cigarette paper.”
"With the capacity to represent the world in signs and symbols comes the capacity to change it, which, as it happens, is also the capacity to destroy it.”
“One of the defining features of the Anthropocene is that the world is changing in ways that compel species to move, and another is that it’s changing in ways that create barriers—roads, clear-cuts, cities—that prevent them from doing so.”
“By burning through coal and oil deposits, humans are putting carbon back into the air that has been sequestered for tens—in most cases hundreds—of millions of years. In the process, we are running geologic history not only in reverse but at warp speed.”
“Obviously, the fate of our own species concerns us disproportionately. But at the risk of sounding anti-human—some of my best friends are humans!—I will say that it is not, in the end, what’s most worth attending to. Right now, in the amazing moment that to us counts as the present, we are deciding, without quite meaning to, which evolutionary pathways will remain open and which will forever be closed. No other creature has ever managed this, and it will, unfortunately, be our most enduring legacy. The Sixth Extinction will continue to determine the course of life long after everything people have written and painted and built has been ground into dust and giant rats have—or have not—inherited the earth.”
"A sign in the Hall of Biodiversity offers a quote from the Stanford ecologist Paul Ehrlich: IN PUSHING OTHER SPECIES TO EXTINCTION, HUMANITY IS BUSY SAWING OFF THE LIMB ON WHICH IT PERCHES.”...more
A brother and a sister are bored, and their grandmother encourages them to work their way out of their boredrom, saying, "Use those beautiful and brilA brother and a sister are bored, and their grandmother encourages them to work their way out of their boredrom, saying, "Use those beautiful and brilliant minds of yours. Lift your arms, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and believe in a thing."
A wonderful story by the fabulous team of Jacqueline Woodson and Rafael López ....more
A. J. Jacobs looks at puzzles of all sorts in his latest Challenge Yourself book. After aiming for bodily perfection (Drop Dead Healthy), attempting tA. J. Jacobs looks at puzzles of all sorts in his latest Challenge Yourself book. After aiming for bodily perfection (Drop Dead Healthy), attempting to follow the Bible as literally as possible (The Year of Living Biblically), trying to become to smartest person in the world (The Know-It-All), and pursuing a goal of improving himself (My Life as an Experiment), Jacobs focuses on trying to solve the most baffling puzzles ever. He forms a team (with his family!) and represents America in the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship. He tries to do a Rubik's Cube that's so difficult no one has solved it. He goes to the National Puzzler's League convention and tries to do anagrams with the big boys. He is embarrassingly slow at making his way through a huge maze in rural Vermont. Crossword puzzles. Sudoku. Chess. And more. Jacobs tries them all.
Deb (Readerbuzz)
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