The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki

THE MAGNIFICENT LIVES OF MARJORIE POST by best-selling author Allison Pataki begins in the late 1800s and spans roughly three-fourths of the twentieth century. Along the way, Pataki alludes to or describes much American history, including the founding and growth of the company that became General Foods. She portrays the lives of wealthy elites and their philanthropic gestures during two world wars in a story which centers on Marjorie Merriweather Post, a businesswoman and socialite. The beginning of this novel felt a bit slow, but it established young Marjorie’s strong affinity with her father which seemed to influence her relationship with the other men in her life. Post was married four times – including to the financier founder of E. F. Hutton and later, to the US Ambassador to Russia in the 1930s. Thus, Post’s “lives,” her homes (she built Mar-a-Lago and other estates), and her legacy in promoting easy to make foods mirror some of the social changes that were underway. Book clubs will enjoy reading and discussing THE MAGNIFICENT LIVES OF MARJORIE POST. I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Pataki several years ago just after her own story, Beauty in the Broken Places, was published. I highly recommend both titles.

52 Ways to Walk by Annabel Streets

 52 WAYS TO WALK by Annabel Streets is subtitled “The Surprising Science of Walking for Wellness and Joy, One Week at a Time” and that is exactly what she provides. Streets has loosely grouped her suggested in parallel to the seasons and begins with Walk in the Cold where she shares reasons for embracing the cold walk, including scientific studies that suggest we think more clearly in cold weather. From there, it is on the “Improve your Gait;” “Walk, Smile, Greet, Repeat;” “Walk with Your Ears (week 14);” and much, much more. In each case, she cites relevant research (e.g., Alfred Watkins’ discovery of ley lines connecting significant points and the value of curiosity as noted by researchers at Cardiff University) and offers tips for implementing the week’s walk. So, whether you are interested in an Amble amid Trees (week 19) or Walking for Better Sleep (week 50), check out Streets’ text: 52 WAYS TO WALK is a fascinating read that extols the value of regular walking (a 12 minute walk alters 522 metabolites in our blood) in an entertaining, engaging fashion.

Desperate by Kris Maher

DESPERATE by Kris Maher is a real-life legal thriller about “An Epic Battle for Clean Water and Justice in Appalachia.” Maher is a Wall Street Journal reporter who has written about the Flint water crisis, PFAS drinking water contamination, and Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch Mine disaster. In DESPERATE he chronicles the story (beginning in 2004) of environmental lawyer Kevin Thompson and the community who fought with him for justice. The people of the “Forgotten Communities” had been living with bad water for decades and many had gallbladder or kidney problems, skin rashes and even miscarriages that they attributed to the poor water and the inadequate safety procedures. Thompson set out to prove that Massey was responsible and had been negligent. DESPERATE is a story of depositions, arguments, stonewalling, and dangers – corporate greed resulting in poison coming out of water spigots. Many of the facts (e.g., Massey CEO Blankenship could have fixed the water issues by spending roughly the same amount of money that he used to help a judge get elected to the State Supreme Court) are hard to believe. Publishers Weekly says, “Readers will be appalled at how hard these communities had to fight for a modicum of justice.” Our students interested in environmental causes and working to make a difference will find much to contemplate in this text.

Taking the Heat and 1,001 Voices on Climate Change

I recently was approached by students interested in researching “eco-anxiety” and I am going to hand a brand new book, TAKING THE HEAT by Bonnie Schneider, to them. Schneider is a meteorologist and award-winning journalist who has chosen to write about “How Climate Change Is Affecting Your Mind, Body, and Spirit and What You Can Do about It.”   She devotes her entire first chapter to eco-anxiety, “feelings of depression and anxiety that have been linked to climate change concerns.” Subsequent sections look at issues like the impact of rising temperatures on health, especially in cities, or at the new allergy season mold, pollen, wildfire smoke, etc.) or at relationships between heat, sleep, and memory. Throughout, Schneider advocates practices like meditation, mindfulness, and gratitude. She explains and quotes scientific research from psychiatrists, pediatricians, and other doctors in regards to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and in addition refers to the work of plant physiologists and climate scientists when she explores food choices and carbon footprints. In fact, over twenty percent of the book is devoted to notes and will provide a great springboard to deeper research on any of these subtopics. This text will have wide appeal, including science, kinetic wellness (health), and psychology classes. Publishers Weekly summarizes TAKING THE HEAT as follows: “For those interested in staying well while the planet changes, this is a must-read.” Take a look.  

1,001 VOICES ON CLIMATE CHANGE by Devi Lockwood is subtitled “Everyday Stories of Flood, Fire, Drought, and Displacement from Around the World” and in an interview with Yale Climate Connections Lockwood said, “It feels nearly impossible to pull out just a few critical voices, but here is my best attempt: Tanea Tangaroa, who is restoring a wetland in Whanganui, New Zealand; Marie Airut, a hunter and elder in Igloolik, Nunavut, Canada, who notes changes in walrus migration patterns; Gertrude Kabusimbi Kenyangi, a Ugandan forestry activist who traveled to COP22 in Morocco to advocate for gender equality in climate solutions; Aidai Turdakunova, a 16-year old student in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, who dreams of becoming an environmental engineer.”  That everchanging list gives us a sense of the varied voices and communities with whom Lockwood, a journalist, interacted on a multi-year trip spanning six continents. By its very nature, this text is a series of vignettes.  Although Lockwood does include notes and explains new (to me, at least) terms like solastalgia (a feeling of loss and distress caused by environmental change), there is less reliance on or ties to science (unlike texts by Mary Roach) than I had expected. Climate change and its ramifications are of huge interest to our students and it would be an interesting assignment for them to use Lockwood’s work as inspiration to each find and craft a climate change story. Perhaps that is something we can facilitate around Earth Day in the spring?

Fixed by Amy E. Herman

FIXED is a stimulating new book by Amy E. Herman, a self-described “leadership consultant who has crisscrossed the globe for eighteen years teaching professional development courses to everyone from Silicon Valley executives to Navy Seals.” She decided to explore creativity and the work of artists “from conceptualization to actualization, while facing obstacles from deadlines to a death of resources including money, materials, and motivation” in order to craft a text outlining the problem-solving process. Herman’s book is divided into three sections (Prep, Draft and Exhibit) which encourages the use of open eyes, open minds, and the universal language of art. In just the first few pages, she uses portraits of three US Presidents to memorably illustrate the meaning of bias. Next, she discusses the importance of self-awareness, noting studies from the Hay Group (only 4% of executives were considered truly self-aware) and the University of Kansas (that our desire for similarity and selective truth-seeking is a hardwired psychological default). Herman’s emphasis on visual intelligence will be of interest across disciplines.  I am looking forward to spending more time with her text and the many exercises she advocates.

The Authority Gap by Mary Ann Sieghart

THE AUTHORITY GAP by Mary Ann Sieghart explains “Why Women Are Still Taken Less Seriously Than Men, and What We Can Do About It.” Sieghart, who spent 20 years as Assistant Editor and columnist at The Times [of London], talked to roughly one hundred women, “half of them extremely notable, the other help from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences.” Although, her examples (and the book is filled with anecdotes) do tend to be European-centric, she does include comments from current and former US officials such as Elaine Chao.  Sieghart explains that she wants the book “to examine our biases in detail and map out the measures we can take, as individuals and as a society, to spot them, counteract them and see them for what they are: an irrational and anachronistic product of social conditioning and outdated stereotypes.” The concluding section offers numerous potential actions in separate lists that respond to questions about what we can do as individuals, as partners, as parents, as colleagues, as employers, as teachers in places of learning, as members of the media, and as government representatives. I know that student researchers will have interest in this text and will eagerly build upon some of her assertions (e.g., “having more women in positions of decision-making power, with people listening to them, would help to reduce global warming”).

Sieghart defines authority with two definitions: “the first is the influence people have as a result of their knowledge and expertise – in other words, being considered authoritative on the subject.  The second is the exertion of power and leadership – in other words, having authority as a result of being in charge.”  Her work is highly relevant and timely -- it was fascinating to read about the experiences and career impacts of two transgender professors who were transitioning at the same time. Another one of the Sieghart’s references is to work done by Kim Parker for Pew Research Center; here is an updated report that a student just shared with me that highlights how “Americans say society places a higher premium on masculinity than on femininity.” Sieghart includes a long bibliography, extensive notes, and a helpful index. THE AUTHORITY GAP received a starred review from Library Journal.

Kingdom Of Characters by Jing Tsu

Have you been watching the opening ceremonies at the Olympic Games? If so, you likely saw and heard Jing Tsu who was providing cultural commentary and insight. She is the author of a new book, titled KINGDOM OF CHARACTERS. This rather scholarly text takes a chronological approach to covering “The Language Revolution That Made China Modern.”  Beginning roughly a century ago when literacy was reserved primarily for the elite, Jing Tsu discusses technological advances in typewriters and telegraphs through, of course, computers and the digital age.  Along the way, she introduces readers to key individuals, some of whom pushed for the use of Mandarin as the national language and others who were instrumental in devising means for encoding the many symbols and characters of the Chinese language. As Jing Tsu notes, “The ability for China to export its language for universal use was seen as an important condition for changing the narrative, giving it a platform to tell its own story. To use language as a soft power, it was essential to take charge of one’s own communications technology.” Yes, it is fascinating to reflect on how “more than a century’s effort at learning how to standardize and transform its language into a modern technology has landed China here, at the beginning – not the end – of becoming a standard setter.” KINGDOM OF CHARACTERS received a starred review from Kirkus.