This I Believe

This I Believe

by Jay Allison & Dan Gediman

A great motivational read in This I Believe by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman.  The authors found a copy of a book written in the 1950s with the same name, and, after investigating, they learned it was a weekly radio segment in which well-known citizens were interviewed (politicians, celebrities, authors, scientists, etc.) about what they believed.  Some ‘regular citizens’ were upset that they were not included and asked if they could submit their own beliefs – and they were allowed to do so.  The show went off the air a few years later.  This 2006 re-make of the original captures stories from the 1950s show AND those submitted by regular citizens through a website (which is still live), which asks “What is it you believe in?” Take a look: https://thisibelieve.org/. Pretty remarkable things that people believe in and commit to doing.  A good pick-me-up in this era of the ‘haters’…. Lots of good 2-3 page stories.

Cinderella Ate My Daughter

Cinderella Ate My Daughter

by Peggy Orenstein

This will be my last book for a while I think as the class of 2022 checks in tomorrow to NYU residence halls.  Finished a read about the perplexing problem of how to raise a female in the 21^st century.  Author/sociologist Peggy Orenstein makes her case (based on research) that young girls are missing the role models they need in this day and age. They grow up with immense pressure to be physically attractive, faced with the constant threat of being called “fat” “ugly” or a “slut”. The behavior of female teens, based on this messaging from society, is leading them to fall prey to low self-esteem, drugs, suicide, and engaging in early-age, pre-marital sex.  Orenstein’s book was published in 2011, right in the middle of the Miley Cyrus craze and the Disney movies featuring princesses that succumb to the desires of princes.  Orenstein uses data focused on young and teenage girls to strengthen her points.  She holds no punches in an explosive attack on this generation’s sense of morals.  She speaks with a Disney executive who validates that money is the impetus for all decisions, even if it may be hurting young girls’ self-esteem.  Orenstein goes back to the era of FDR as one of the pivotal moments where gender was linked to color (blue = boys, girls = pink) and describes how societal expectations have gotten worse since then.  Feminists, sociologists, and supportive males will feel more than validated by this analysis of young girls and the pressures they face in our society.  Not much new for me on this front, even having raised two boys, but appreciate the reminder to be aware of how our actions can stereotype a gender.

You Can Win

You Can Win

by Shiv Kera

There are some really good ‘how to enhance your journey of life’ books from the RAs.  This book, You Can Win, is no different.  Shiv Khera, a popular public speaker for those who want to change the course of their life and meet their life-long goals, is the author of this one.  His book contains helpful reminders of the little things, such as “keeping your eyes on the prize”, as well as more complex lessons, such as identifying what is holding us back from reaching greatness in our life.  Khera interweaves stories and parables that are well known as well as those that I had not heard before.  He draws upon stories of people who have reached success: Lincoln, Michael Jordan, Henry Ford, political leaders and millionaires.  There were many reminders from the Dale Carnegie philosophy to Steven Covey’s 7 Habits work.  The main topics include: how to improve your attitude (and why it’s important), reaching your destination through a positive attitude, the attributes of a successful person, what is motivation (best chapter), the importance of self-esteem in your success, what interpersonal skills are needed for successful teams, how one’s personality enhances their chances of success, how our subconscious (once trained) makes us better, goal setting, and, of course, connecting to our value set to guide our decisions.  This is a strong reminder of how important our personal approach and characteristics are for a successful career.  I highly encourage anyone who is rethinking themselves to add this book to the top of your reading list.

Man Repeller

Man Repeller

by Leandra Medine

An interesting read on how women “repel” men in a book called Man Repeller by Leandra Medine.  The book is Medine’s attempt to tell her life (to date) and how she learned to drive men away (without actually trying to do so).  Medine is overweight from an early age, but she never sees it as a serious problem that needs to be addressed until her older brother tells her she is too heavy.  Being her ‘hero’, Medine took it to heart at age sixteen and changed from heavy-set teen to svelte eighteen-year-old, good-looking woman.  Medine, a graduate of the New School (a few blocks away from NYU), born and raised in Manhattan as a Jewish American Princess (her words, not mine), goes on to work at a high-end fashion store doing their social media and other marketing assignments.  It is then that she claims that she is a ‘man repeller’ and tells her stories of lost loves, never getting kissed until her late teens, and even ending her “drought” (her words not mine) as a virgin.  The book is a series of short stories and some comical pictures of her.  I laughed out loud a few times; otherwise, I sat back and learned how one Jewish American Princess (self-proclaimed) is preoccupied with looks, money and fame.  And yes, she did have to lose the term ‘man repeller’ as she entered marriage to the man she lost her virginity to a few years later. The book gives a pretty good bird’s eye view into the NYC high income teen/young adult world and all that goes with it.

Death by Black Hole and Other Cosmic Quandaries

Death by Black Hole and Other Cosmic Quandaries

by Neil DeGrasse Tyson

Back from vacation and RA Training has begun, so may not be reading as much now that we are in the zone for welcoming the class of 2022.  Finished Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s book, Death by Black Hole and Other Cosmic Quandaries. The book is a series of previously printed essays that are placed together to create this interesting read on the science of quantum physics, the ways of nature, how to understand nature, how the earth was created, the future of the universe, and the question of whether or not God exists.  The forty-two essays are short reads, some more interesting than others.  Science geeks and astronomy lovers will really enjoy the book.  Love the reference to the sci-fi movies and the author’s thoughts on God, discussion of humans vs. chimpanzees, and examples of how science never stops evolving (what is being questioned today should be answered in some future generation).  He did a great job of providing perspectives from the past and showing where these “truths” were later challenged and eventually disproven. Scientists will always uncover more of what is out there: the stars, the galaxy, and beyond. 

Big Little Lies

Big Little Lies

by Liane Moriarty

As vacation comes to an end, I finished another RA Favorite book: Big Little Lies by Liane Morairty.  Set in Australia, the book brings together the stories of a group of mothers whose children are entering kindergarten in a local public school.  Each of the three main characters are connecting through their children and their own journeys in life: neglect, refusal, and rape/domestic violence at the hands of men.  At the same time, a side story is presented through the children, one of whom is wrongly accused of bullying another child in the classroom.  In the end, the characters and stories all tie in when a tragedy occurs involving the death of one of the women's husbands.  In many ways, the book reminds me of a Jodi Piccoult book, where the story is okay but the message is the ‘main thing’ that makes it worth reading.  I have heard that the book turned into a movie/TV series, which was pretty popular.  Unsure how different the book is from the movie.  I did listen to this one on tape, so the dramatic effect was much akin to a movie.  It is a microcosm of much of what happens in our society today: ‘urban legend’ fiction becoming fact and the inevitable bonding over shared misery.  A bit of what was termed many years ago as the “chick flick” genre.  Real life at its best.  It does have some good “oh wow, I didn’t expect that” moments.  Probably a good beach read. 

I'm Still Here (Extra Book)

I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness

by Austin Channing Brown

Thanks to Tyler Miller for suggesting I read I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown. The book was suggested as an additional reading for my class on campus communities, which I think fits very nicely.  The author shares her real life experience as a black woman in a white world.  She begins by sharing how she is a ‘minority’, one of only a few black children in her school, and the experience of hearing the “n” word used by a classmate. She also details the tiring role of being an educator when a well-meaning white person shows both their privilege and their ignorance through words/actions.  What I appreciate in the book is the author’s honesty and transparency, not hiding the exhaustion resulting from her daily work as a racial justice educator.  Brown’s book differs from others by bringing in the Christian perspective, which speaks to me.  She packs a great deal of lessons in this very short 180+ page read.  For being such a young woman, Brown provides valuable life lessons, and I would add this as a must-read for all white people who really want to understand the daily challenges of living in the skin of a black person.  Ignorance doesn’t cut it, so read books like Brown’s or Renee Watson’s book (from the perspective of a high school student) or Ta-Nehisi Coates’ (a contemporary black author) who also shares his life experiences, raw and personal.  White America still needs to hear the lessons that MLK, James Baldwin, and Malcom X shared fifty years ago, many of which seem to have gone unheard.  It is more than time to be uncomfortable and hear first-hand how we are stuck as a society in the US, still bound in the chains that don’t let people of color be truly free from the verbal and non-verbal, conscious or unconscious, attacks that occur each and every day.  Important read for all.