The Holdout by Graham Moore

Frequent readers of this blog know that I love mysteries so here is a new one worth reading:  THE HOLDOUT by Graham Moore who also wrote The Last Days of Night and the screen play for The Imitation Game. In his latest offering, Moore introduces readers to Maya Seale, a defense lawyer defined largely by “the most intense experience of her life:” serving on a jury, having doubts, and convincing the others to vote to acquit a murder suspect. It is now ten years later and a reunion of sorts is arranged, but a fellow juror is murdered and Maya becomes a key suspect. This legal thriller reveals motivations and secrets about many of the original jurors. Fast-paced and full of flashbacks, this mystery deals with themes of justice, racism and inequity. Moore cleverly characterizes their deliberations: “in this way they realized that a jury’s votes were like Tolstoy’s families: All “guilty” votes had to be alike in reasoning.  But all “not guilty” votes could be for different reasons and still reach the same result.”  THE HOLDOUT received starred reviews from both Library Journal and Publishers Weekly.

The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley

THE AUTHENTICITY PROJECT by Clare Pooley is a new, entertaining novel which is the top pick for the LibraryReads list for February 2020. The story revolves around a journal which Julian, an elderly lonely man, leaves at Monica’s London café. Moved by reading about his plight, she arranges for art classes and thereby provides purpose and even some excitement to Julian’s life. Eventually, Monica adds her own thoughts and desires to the journal which, in turn, ultimately travels around the world with entries appended by Hazard, a former trader, Riley, a carefree Australian, and Alice, a weary new mother. References to Emmeline Pankhurst, tai chi, and Instagram frame questions about truthfulness and life’s meaning for the characters. Friendship, adventures, and romance feature in this “feel good,” escapist story.

This Could Be Our Future by Yancey Strickler

THIS COULD BE OUR FUTURE by Yancey Strickler, co-founder and former CEO of Kickstarter, is intended to be “A Manifesto for a More Generous World.”  As such, Strickler discusses how we have come to value financial maximization and how the solution is not to get rid of money, but to expand our concept of value. He argues that “our potential for a more generous, moral, or fair society is limited by the dominance of money as the be-all and end-all.” I know that students (and teachers) would be intrigued by this book, particularly those who are increasingly alarmed by our environmental situation, as well as the corruption and inequality that they perceive to be a result of our self-interest and materialistic lifestyle. As the publisher says, this book “is about how we got here [Part One], and how we change course [Part Two]. That later section is particularly fascinating, beginning with a brief overview of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and moving to an exploration of graphs of self-interest vs. time; a concept that Strickler refers to as Bentoism. He introduces several scenarios and looks at the values associated with quadrants corresponding to Now Me, Future Me, Now Us and Future Us. There is an appendix with suggested reading, a comprehensive set of notes, and a useful index. THIS COULD BE OUR FUTURE seems like a must read book with positive blurbs from thought leaders including Seth Godin, Adam Grant, Simon Sinek, and Daniel Pink.

Stand Up and Shout Out by Joan Steidinger

STAND UP AND SHOUT OUT by Joan Steidinger is set to be released in March and is certain to appeal to many of our students.  Each year, I seem to have an increasing number of girls who are interested in researching and writing about discrimination against women in sports.  This text, written by a licensed clinical and sports psychologist, touches on many key issues.  Examples include equal pay, media coverage, and the role of female leaders/mentors/coaches.  I am excited to add this title to our collection.  It will be a great complement to texts like Sex Segregation in Sports and Getting in the Game about Title IX.