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.

  

The Healing of America

The Healing of America

by T. R. Reid

I often wonder how students select their favorite book, and this one is no different.  While the book is very educational and helpful in understanding the state of health care in our society today, I don’t think I would take it with me to a deserted island or give it to a best friend for a present.  Nonetheless, it provides perspective on how different countries approach health care.  The book, The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper and Fairer Health Care by T. R. Reid, details the author’s journey to get his shoulder ‘fixed’ from an old injury sustained while in the military. During the process, he decides to find how other country’s health care would address his needs as a patient.  Reid actually visited physicians and had the same injury evaluated and was also able to get costs for the corrective work.  Needless to say, the US system was one of the worst!  (Note this was done prior to the health care reform bill passed during President Obama’s term in office).  As Reid argues, providing health care to all citizens is a moral and ethical issue, so why doesn’t the US do it just as the rest of the world?  Reid goes to France (rated #1 by the World Health Organization), Germany, Japan, UK, Canada and Asia to see physicians.  He provides in-depth data that helps to illustrate how far behind we really are in relation to other countries (with the exception of our research and facilities/equipment).  In the end, we should provide equal access to all.  Again, helpful read for all, but especially those studying global public health or related fields.  Will become dated in a few years as it was written in 2009.  

Parenting Out of Control (Extra Book)

Parenting Out of Control

by Margaret K. Nelson

Thanks to Kristin Balicki for sharing this book as part of the preparation for Pre-College students at NYU.  She used the books to prepare staff who will interact with parents and their high school students coming to NYU this summer.  The book is called Parenting Out of Control: Anxious Parents in Uncertain Times by Margaret Nelson, a sociologist at Middlebury College specializing in parenting.  The book is the result of a study of 97 parents across socio-economic backgrounds and various regions of the United States to better understand how they “manage” the relationship between them and their children.  Her question focused on the motivation of parents who were adamant about knowing their child’s every move and would buy into any technology that secured that knowledge.  She then wondered if these were the same parents who were engaged in hyper vigilant practices – so controlling of their children and unwilling to launch them into adulthood. Nelson clearly did her homework given the hundreds of citations throughout the book.  My critique of the book is that it is rather redundant.  After she answers the questions early in chapter two, the rest of the book continues to answer the same question.  The final conclusion? Middle class parents who work in professions considered to be “white-collar” seem to be more hands off than lower socio-economic class parents who have more to worry about their children because they aren’t there to watch them.  OK.…  97 parents being interviewed made for a pretty generalizable study?  I’ll leave that for the reader to decide.  I was hoping for a bit more information on the parenting piece.  The info on the latest technology parents could use was quite robust.  In many ways, I felt like it was a book more about the technology and what was working/not working for parents.  Ho-hum…. Read the conclusion, probably all you need to read.

The Art of Community (Extra Book)

The Art of Community 

by Charles H. Vogl

When I did a call to Facebook friends for books on “community” for the class I am teaching in the fall, I didn’t expect to find such a great book in The Art of Community by Charles Vogl. He learned about community through the process of forming one as a PhD student at Yale.  Vogl draws upon the rich history of the various religious heritages to illustrate his seven principles of community. The book is easy to read and can help any community organizer, religious leader, or even a student affairs professional.  Vogl, who never felt he experienced true community before, learns how to do it, and then goes on to write about it.  So accessible and a real treat for anyone who needs to train RAs in the coming month for building community.  Thanks to Elizabeth Cox for sending the recommendation!  I’ll be using the book for class in the fall.

Sing, Unburied, Sing (Extra Book)

Sing, Unburied, Sing

by Jesmyn Ward

And yes, the rain continues…so I finished yet another book, this one a gift from the President’s Office at NYU for assisting in the selection process for the Presidential Fellows initiative. Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward is an award-winning book set in rural, “deep south” Mississippi.  This is a beautiful story that brought tears to my eyes.  Written in the voices of three characters, a grandson (JoJo), a mother (Leonie), and a man who died at a young age (Richie, who served in jail with JoJo’s grandfather decades ago), come together to explore their fears and what got them to today.  Family dynamics are a very complicated thing, but add race, hate, and the evils that become of them into the lives of one black family in the depths of Mississippi and it’s a whole different story.  Pop, JoJo’s grandfather, serves as his father when Jojo’s real father, Michael, a white man, is imprisoned.  Pop and Mam, his grandmother who suffers from terminal cancer, have raised him and his younger sister, Kayla, while his mother, Leonie, works (or does drugs, whichever she has the time or money to do).  It is usually the evils in the past that cloud the present, and, for this family it is the tragic death (murder) of their son (Leonie’s brother, Given) and the death of Pop’s friend from decades before that has this family where they are today.  Ward interweaves the spirits of the past into this haunting reality.   I highly recommend this book to all.  The truth of how our pasts never leave us is front and foremost in this book.

Piecing Me Together (Extra Book)

Piecing Me Together

by Renee Watson

I have no idea how this book got on my desk, but I read it as the rain continued to come down during this vacation…oh well.  Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson is another young-adult book but could be read by anyone looking to better understand the power of prejudice and the significance of skin color in the world today.  Jade, a poor black teen growing up in Portland, Oregon, receives a scholarship to a predominantly white private high school and is forced to leave behind some of her best friends, who are also black.  Her mother reminds her that her education will help her escape the socio-economic challenges that her family faces.  Jade’s journey includes joining a young women’s empowerment program though her school, which ultimately leaves her with a scholarship to college.  Her assigned mentor, an alum of the school and a black woman with financial means, faces significant challenges as a result of her disparate life experience.  The book provides a terrific learning opportunity for readers on: difference within race; paying attention to the subtext of messages; and the complexities of race/socio-economic differences.  Watson hits the mark in this easy-to-read tale aimed at young adults, but it is a valuable read for all who care about changing the narrative of this generation.