The Human Scale by Lawrence Wright

THE HUMAN SCALE by Lawrence Wright is a suspenseful thriller set in the Middle East. It is a tough read emotionally because of the violence involved and its relationship to real current events. It is also difficult to follow all of the characters, although Wright provides a list. This novel received starred reviews from both Booklist (“profoundly insightful thriller, creating involving, conflicted, and thoughtful characters trapped in horrific predicaments”) and Publishers Weekly (“an uncomfortable and unforgettable plunge into the heart of a devastating conflict.”). For some additional background on Wright’s thinking, see the interviews in which Wright participated at Live from the LBJ Library: Part I and Part II. Overall, THE HUMAN SCALE made me think of how informative it was to read (at another teacher’s suggestion) Fast Times in Palestine by Pamela Olson; written over a decade ago, a new paperback has been released recently. As Wright points out, we need to let go of what he calls “durable stereotypes” and work towards peace.

Off Ramp by Spencer Cox

OFF RAMP by Spencer Cox, the Governor of Utah, offers his take on “How to Be a Peacemaker in an Age of Contempt.” Cox came to national attention after his rather level-headed and heartfelt response to the 2025 assassination of political activist, Charlie Kirk. In his new book, Cox references that time and argues, “The problem is that we aren't just disagreeing with each other; we're despising each other…. Disagreement says, ‘you are wrong.’ Contempt says, ‘you are beneath me.’ In OFF RAMP Cox combines elements of a memoir, referencing interactions with both the Trump and Biden administrations, with pleas for action by the average American. He notes that “the change we desperately need in our country will never come solely from the Oval Office or the halls of Congress." He advocates for actions with a list of almost a dozen principles that center on building community and forgiveness, including “Lead with Curiosity not Contempt,” “Resist the Urge to Tell People They’re Wrong,” and “Belonging Before Persuasion.” Too bad that our leaders do not show this grace more regularly. Whether actions by the average person will have an impact is certainly debatable, too, although there is widespread concern across party lines. Here are links to a 2020 Pew Research Center study and a more recent one related to the increase in perceived political violence. Cox, ever hopeful, writes, “… you are not alone. Millions of other strong and good citizens are holding the line in churches, schools, and communities across America.” Roughly fifteen percent of Cox’s text is devoted to notes and there is a helpful index.

We Chase Shadows by Richard Osman

WE CHASE SHADOWS by Richard Osman is another We Solve Murders mystery featuring a writer, Rosie D’Antonio, her friend and retired cop, Steve Wheeler, and his daughter-in-law, Amy, who is also a bodyguard.  They are hired by Vern Blackwood, a businessman involved with selling fake vitamins, to find out who killed one of his bodyguards, leaving a note signed by his longtime rival, Jakob Eriksson. Together, they supply plenty of cheerful banter – one interaction between Amy and her husband, Adam, is particularly amusing and surprising – although more and more corpses appear. The mystery (described as both “overly convoluted and too easy to solve” by Publishers Weekly) is not Osman’s best, but the character interaction redeems this tale as loyal fans await yet another of Osman’s Thursday Murder Club selections.

Leadership Intelligence by Caroline Webb

LEADERSHIP INTELLIGENCE by Caroline Webb (How to Have a Good Day) offers “Science-Backed Strategies for Mastering 21 Everyday Management Challenges.”  Webb, Senior Advisor on leadership to McKinsey & Company, was recently interviewed in a Family Action Network webinar by Jonathan Haidt (The Anxious Generation).  They discussed her ideas regarding three main themes: Deliberate Wisdom (widen and lighten); Intrinsic Inspiration (competence and connection); and Reasoned Resilience (manageable and meaningful). Her new book covers specific situations (e.g., how to make time for your top priorities or how to handle disagreement well) and offers practical solutions to real-world issues. Managers will find her coaching to be very valuable; here is a link to some suggested reading paths. I want to spend more time with LEADERSHIP INTELLIGENCE and am recommending this text.  

Receipts from the Bookshop by Katie Clapham

RECEIPTS FROM THE BOOKSHOP by Katie Clapham is a very clever account of “A Bookseller's Year in an English Seaside Town.” The author, Katie Clapham, and her mother (known as Business Mum or BM in the text) run a bookshop in a small town and Clapham takes great joy in entertaining her readers with accounts of her days. Each chapter covers roughly a month and there are always interesting customers, hunts for titles, and sales (or lack thereof), plus a truly amusing set of anecdotes about the passers-by and their comments on the bookshop. At first, the pace may seem overly slow, but this tale of titles and patrons quickly turns charming. Clapham writes with emotion about book buying: “A book is a beautiful present for almost any person in your life because it is a promise of an experience. It says: I want you to have this thing. I want you to have the time to enjoy it. I want you to be happy.” Or about children’s books: “Books always make great gifts, but I think there's something deeply special about gifting someone a few moments to be young again.” My favorite turn of phrase though, has to do with the English weather: “I guess the rain is due soon because someone is definitely playing with the dimmer switch in the sky.” Avid readers will enjoy RECEIPTS FROM THE BOOKSHOP and will likely find titles to add to their own to-be-read lists. To get a sense of Katie Clapham’s writing style and the ebb and flow of her days, visit her Substack and then be sure to visit your own local book store, too.

Coding Kids by Natasha Singer

CODING KIDS by Natasha Singer (New York Times reporter focusing on technology in schools) describes “Big Tech's Battle to Remake Public Schools.” Described as the “best possible introduction” (Sherry Turkle), a “must read” (danah boyd), and a “necessary book” (Diane Ravitch), CODING KIDS has the potential to be a great “one book one school” choice for adults as it probes questions about the influence of tech companies as well as the purpose of education. Booklist summarizes Singer’s solution as “Stop preparing kids to be cutting-edge tech savvy. Reassert public education's main mission: to teach kids to become independent thinkers.” Isn’t that refreshing? Preparing students for their whole lives, not just for a job. Singer divides the book into three main sections (The New Power; The Big Tech Education Playbook; and AI Literacy for All). For example, she looks back in time at Microsoft’s efforts to mainstream computer science classes in high school and a famous video (What Most Schools Don’t Teach) that prompted wider interest in coding. Singer also describes the evolution and impact of programs like Learning to Code with Google and Apple’s influence on Advanced Placement Computer Science classes. She brings in teacher and student voices by chronicling classroom discussions such as one on surveillance, tackling the question: “would you rather be under video surveillance or audio surveillance every day, all day?” CODING KIDS is based on years of research, and the Notes section comprises roughly ten to fifteen percent of the text. The Kapor Center, a non-profit that Singer references just recently released an updated version of its “Responsible AI and Tech Justice for K12 Education” with six core components. Interested readers may also want to explore the edsurge (iste/ascd) article on “Protecting Student Cognition in the Age of AI” or The Digital Delusion by Horvath.

Ash and Honor by Jeffrey Robinson

ASH AND HONOR by Jeffrey Robinson details “The Untold 368 Minutes of 9/11.” Robinson, a prolific non-fiction writer, offers over sixty eyewitness accounts, all while describing the confusion and uncertainty of that eventful day. Because of all of the acronyms and bureaucracy involved this text is difficult to follow at times, but it is well-researched and brings up aspects of which few may be aware. The description of getting all of those planes out of the air and subsequently finding box cutters on some after they landed gave me goosebumps. Publishers Weekly calls ASH AND HONOR “a valuable record of bureaucracies and chains of command operating under extreme pressure” and that does seem to be Robinson’s main focus. Look also for other books related to 9/11 if your interests differ. 

I am grateful that we collected so many contemporary works (such as Understanding September 11 by Mitch Frank and the Poynter Institute for Media Studies’ Collection of Front Pages) so that they could be available for future student research. We also have numerous works of young adult fiction related to 9/11. And the public library offers several relevant documentary videos through the Kanopy platform. Two items on my own to-be-read list are The Only Plane in the Sky by Graff and The Day the World Came to Town by Defede (also commemorated in the musical Come From Away currently playing in Austin). Despite the sad subject, the passing of twenty-five years deserves a respectful remembrance.