With the summer solstice mere hours away, I have
accumulated my stack of summer reading in anticipation of a fall internship
season that is looking as exciting as ever.
My wife is under the impression that I am particularly ambitious in my
choices due to both reading volume and variety.
I, on the other hand, feel a certain excitement in blending humor,
politics, social psychology, and educational innovation into something that
both inspires and anchors my thinking for the next little while.
Here is the list of titles stacked up beside
me. If any of these selections has a
particularly impactful message, I’ll be sure to post a comment in the coming
months.
The Know-It-All by A.J. Jacobs (2004)
I started this one a few days ago and am up to the
letter “F”. Very good sense of humor so
far, although I’m not sure that the ‘lets try this just to say we did it’
approach isn’t a little dated now. I can
remember 30 years ago when, as students in university residence are sometimes
apt to do, there would be a suggestion of spontaneity, and a road trip to the
border would soon follow, all in the name of being able to get some Coors
(getting American beer was seen as a treat) and also to be able to tell stories of cross-border accomplishment. Of course the
participants in these adventures didn’t write a book about their date with
destiny in Shelby, Montana. Come to
think of it, I haven’t seen the corollary story written from the American
convenience store operator’s point of view either. I guess in hindsight these kinds of efforts
are better left to legend.
Self-Efficacy In Changing Societies by
Albert Bandura (1997)
Two different people have told me that there are
more up-to-date authors that I could be looking at. I’m sure this is true, but this one is in
honor of a researcher whom I have the utmost respect for. If the author’s papers I’ve reviewed are any
indication, this one should be a definite keeper.
The Presidents Club by
Gibbs and Duffy (2012)
I admit it; I am an unapologetic follower of
American politics. For some reason, I
find the whole spectacle of how Americans select a leader quite
fascinating. Maybe it’s the way that people
just say stuff like they own the facts that is so compelling. I know that compared to Canada, you can be
sure that every little detail is going to be revealed (our oligarchs are better
hiders than their oligarchs). I’ve never
aspired to be a ‘frat boy’, so this insider’s look at the ultimate club should
have me stoked as much as learning how to surf this summer.
The Righteous Mind – Why Good People Are Divided By
Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt (2012)
I saw this author on Bill Moyers and had to get the
book. I haven’t opened it yet (I can
only read one book at once) but I can hardly wait to get into it. I even gave a copy to my father for Father’s
Day. I’m not sure what the degree of
enlightenment will be in the end, but I am sure that I’ll have a much better
understanding of sanctification when I’m done.
Creating Innovators by
Tony Wagner (2012)
If you’ve been one to look back at where this whole
blog thing started, Dr. Wagner’s work was an early topic. When this book arrived, I immediately read the
first chapter and smiled. Then I read
the ‘advanced praise’ on the back cover and saw the potential for politicians
to climb aboard this work and went, oh-oh.
This will be the last book I get to (sometime in August), as I want to
cleanse my mind before I start down the path of argumentation once again
(whether I’m still on board with Dr. Wagner’s ways will be a good test of whether
the seasonal beers and island life have dulled my edginess too much).
So there it is…a collage of the things I am
currently trying to get my mind around.
It wasn’t so long ago as a practicing educator that the thought of
summer school was quite repulsive. Now
that I am self-selecting (in both work and thought), the idea of horizon
expansion is actually quite appealing.
If anyone reading this post has additional selections that they feel
would fit into this menagerie let me know.
I’m always keen to hear if there is something written that is attention
worthy.
