Memories of Peking: South Side Stories

Memories of Peking: South Side Stories

by Lin Haiyin

Sometimes you find that wonderful book that makes all the ‘not great’ books worth reading.  Thanks to the RA who suggested Memories of Peking – South Side Stories by Lin Haiyin.  The book is a series of short stories that follow the timeline of issues facing the author at age six.  It is a series of childhood memories capturing her early days living in an urban center facing loneliness, distinguishing ‘good’ from ‘bad’, and reflecting on the people who have brief but meaningful impacts in her life.  It is a book that brings me back to my own childhood, recall the few ‘characters’ who I still think about today, and made me appreciate the aspects that make me unique.  Whether it be the local butcher, Ralph (whom I met in 2^nd grade before he moved away), or the substitute teacher who smiled and approved of the work I did, these were the people who provided touch points to my youth.  You will find the stories sad, touching, and they will make you yearn for more.  I can see why this remains a classic in Chinese culture.  A great book to go back in time and appreciate those who helped us get where we are, but also to help us reflect on people who shaped our ‘arc of life’.  It is a very quick read – six short stories, all interconnected, with a very sad ending.

The Innovators

The Innovators 

by Walter Isaacson

Finished a good book that provides the history of the digital revolution, written by the author of the biography on Steve Jobs.  The book, The Innovators, by Walter Isaacson, starts with the history of thinkers who studied systems of math equations that can answer questions on productivity and artificial intelligence.  Isaacson begins the story with Lord Byron’s daughter, Ada Lovelace, who publishes notes on the Analytical Engine that Babbage created in 1847.  At the turn of the twentieth century and through the World Wars, the author presents the pre-history of the computer and all of the people who drew upon the last person’s work.  Isaacson presents the lessons of the digital revolution, the progress that happened because of collaboration, and how each person built upon existing knowledge.  The book chapters include the following: how programming for computers was needed to fulfill what computers could do; the role of the transistor and the microchip; roll-out of video games; the internet; the personal computer; the software war; online communities; and, finally, the world wide web.  Isaacson includes timelines of the inventions and pictures of all of the players in the development of the digital world.  This is a must-read for any computer science or math major.  It is a foundational book that helps explain where we are today.  I liked how Isaacson gives the personal stories of the key players, their families and educational backgrounds.  It is also great to read that NYU had some part in the story, from Richard Courant (math genius) to our own Clay Shirkey (Associate Provost).  I enjoyed gaining this perspective and being reminded that collaboration leads to progress.

Why We Sleep

Why We Sleep

by Matthew Walker, PhD

Thanks to an alum (Beau) for sending me this recommendation.  A good book to read when thinking about what influences productivity in staff.  I plan on using some of what I learned when I meet with the RAs in the coming month.  The book, Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, is a scientific review on the power gained through sleep.  Walker is a PhD heading the sleep study center at UC Berkeley.  The book is broken into four parts: Definition of sleep and its impacts; the benefits of sleep; how we dream and what it means; and the bad effects of sleeping pills, lights at night and what we are learning from data collected from his studies.  Walker ends his book with twelve relatively simple steps to enhance your sleeping:

Stick to a schedule, exercise early in the day, avoid caffeine, avoid alcohol before bed, avoid

large meals before bed, avoid medicines that delay/disrupt sleep, don’t take napes after 3pm,

relax before bed, take a hot bath before bed, have a dark room/cool room/gadget free room,

have the right sunlight exposure and don’t lie awake in bed!

All great suggestions.  Walker also raises criticism (with data to back him up) on medical residents working too much in their role, and also the use of sleeping pills, which could kill you!  Helpful hints, good data, and a quick scientific read.  Good book.

You are a Badass

You are a Badass - How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life

by Jen Sincero

Finished another RA Favorite book, a self-help read called You are a Badass by Jen Sincero.  The author attempts to shock the reader with jolting language early on, suggesting the reader needs to be “a new you!” through gaining a swagger.  I found the book, by this self-described life-coach, to have almost all of the ‘tried-and-true’ ideas utilized by coaches but with flare for the dramatic.  The book is broken into five parts with numerous chapters in each section.  I found the flow disjointed and felt it needed an easier breakdown to get the quick lessons that were being presented.  Her chapters opened with a brief quote from different famous authors.  Many of her philosophies were what I have read by numerous other “get your life together NOW” authors.  While it appeared she was going to present a new approach, I didn’t really find any.  Additionally, her prose was long-winded and the stories were drawn from her own experience with limited features to cement the ideas into the reader’s mind.  You can tell I didn’t find this to be the most helpful of “self-help” books, though her list of resources in the back had many of those I do enjoy.  If you are looking for a more memorable book for helping you move forward, try Barbara Sher’s I Could Do Anything, If I Only Knew How. I’d pass on this one.

Musicophilia

Musicophilia

by Oliver Sacks

I very much enjoy reading books written by NYU professors, and this one was no different.  Oliver Sacks, who gained notoriety as a neurologist, researcher, and educator, produces an important read in his book Musicophilia.  The book is his study on the impact of music on the human brain.  Sacks presents a series of real-life case studies of injuries (person hit by lightning), people with seizures, Alzheimer patients, and others who have experienced significant brain trauma. He investigates what happens when music is introduced into their lives. Some of the people he interviews are inspired to play music, such as the person who was hit by lightning (who becomes a pianist at the age of forty-two), while some of the people he follows have the opposite experience and can’t even hear music anymore.  In the book, he examines many neurological phenomenon, sharing his learning of the various, strange issues society deal with today.  In 2017, Dr. Sacks passed away, leaving significant data for future neurologists to take the impact of music on the brain to the next level.  A really inspiring and thought-provoking read.  Brilliant physician who did such important work.

Grace - a Memoir

Grace - a Memoir

by Grace Coddington

Finished another RA Favorite book, and yes, the 2019-20 RAs really enjoy memoirs!  We find this one in Grace Coddington’s Grace – a Memoir.  At age 17, she submitted pictures into a Vogue competition for young models, and she won!  After a very successful career as a model, at the age of 26, she is in a life-threatening accident in which she loses a child.  She is told by a friend that she should transition into working in the fashion business.  Her first job was at British Vogue, which leads her to New York working for Calvin Klein, and then eventually back to her love, fashion and Vogue New York, where she works for “the devil wears Prada” Anna Wintour.  The story is compelling, and the best part is the pictures that capture the photo shoots that started her modeling career.  Coddington shares her loves, loves lost, family obstacles, and the successes that she has been able to achieve in the fashion business.  Loved the illustrations that captured her moments of life as well.  The visuals, in some respects, not only enhance the book but are the highlight of the book.  Loved the pictures of her shoot with Mike Tyson and all of the connections she had with the monarchy in England and the stars/famous musicians of our era (Mick Jagger, with whom she had a make-out session!).  Worth picking up!  Especially for those who love the fashion industry!

Winesburg, Ohio

Winesburg, Ohio

by Sherwood Anderson

I felt like I was reading a 1900s version of the various community members written about by Chaucer but updated to the day of this author, Sherwood Anderson, in his book Winesburg, Ohio. The central protagonist of the story is George Willard. He shares periods of his life from childhood until his sudden departure from Winesburg in addition to stories of those who lived in his hometown. The book has twenty-two short stories. Each story gives an in-depth look into the various members of the fictional Winesburg community.  Each story shares the characters’ struggles, past and present, including loneliness, poverty, lack of connection, hidden identities, and isolation in such a small community.  There is a richness in each of the characters and it reminds me of how our own communities today have the same cast of characters all around us.  Anderson was ahead of his time, but he received a great deal of negative feedback on his stories based on a perceived sexual overtone of the characters in attempting to find love and connection.

Artemis Fowl

Artemis Fowl

by Eoin Colfer

Enter the world of this futuristic children’s story (yes, a series book), Artemis Fowl (The Eternity Code) by Colfer Eoin.  This is the third book in the series, so I didn’t get to read the lead-in to this one, but it can be read as an independent story.  In this book, Artemis, a 13-year-old whiz-kid, creates a supercomputer called the “C cube”, which was created by ‘fairy technology’. Yes, the fairies are a society that interacts with Earth people, but only when necessary.  Artemis meets with the evil billionaire, Jon Spiro, to steal this new technology, but Spiro has other ideas. He steals the C cube from Artemis, and, in the process, almost kills Artemis’ body guard, Butler.  Artemis thinks fast by freezing Butler before he dies and works with a local company to bring him back to life with the help of the fairies!  The rest of the story involves Artemis and his companions taking back the cube before Spiro uses the technology to ruin the world.  Who will win?  With the help of the fairies and re-born Butler and some double-dealing Spiro workers, it is a match to end all fights.  A fun read.  I can imagine this being a great read for young teens.  Go Artemis!

Outcasts United

Outcasts United: The Story of a Refugee Soccer Team That Changed a Town

by Warren St. John

Another story that falls into the genre of memoirs, this one about refugees coming to the US. Warren St. John, a NY Times investigative journalist, is the author of Outcasts United: The Story of a Refugee Soccer Team That Changed a Town. St. John’s work captures the story of a young woman, Luma al-Mafleh, born into an affluent family in Jordan, leaving to attend Smith College.  After a series of failed business attempts and lack of clarity for her career, she finds joy in volunteering as a coach for youth soccer.  Luma had played Division 1 soccer in college and her skills set her up to be a successful coach.  After college, she relocates to Atlanta and finds a fledging town - Clarkston, Georgia - that is home to a diverse set of refugee families from around the world.  St. John’s book follows the kids, the families and the work of Luma to get the most she can out of the three teams she coaches, but there are many bumps in the road.  This true-life story is uplifting during a time where immigrants to the US are challenged more and more every day.  Luma’s success has provided guidance and support to the single-mothers & children whose first language is not English.  This is a feel-good story and worth a read.  It is a quick, rich story!

Hidden Girl

Hidden Girl

by Shyima Hall

A real life memoir from Shyima Hall in her book Hidden Girl.  Shyima grew up in Egypt into a very impoverished, large family.  Her sister was ‘sold’ by her parents into slavery as a means to give sustenance to the family.  After she was caught stealing, Shyima’s parents bring her to the home of her sister’s ‘masters’ and shockingly is left to replace her sister.  Shyima is eight years old when this happens!  The family lives in Cairo and decides to relocate to the US in Irvine, California in the early 2000s.  She is forced to work 17-hour days cleaning and doing chores to support the children of the rich family.  She lives in the basement and has one meal a day.  Her treatment by the rich family is horrific, but, in 2002, customs agents come to take her from her captor’s home based on a tip from a neighbor.  The remainder of the story is Shyima describing the difficulty of finding a foster parent who will love her as she goes through many families.  She helps the case of the government against her captors and eventually becomes a US citizen.  She also shares the story of becoming a mother herself.  The issue of slavery & human trafficking is real with over 17,000 cases a year in the US.  Horrific that this happens.  Important issue that needs to be shared.  It is a book for young adult as illustrated by the writing style.