Women of Good Fortune by Sophie Wan

WOMEN OF GOOD FORTUNE by Sophie Wan is a fun, entertaining escapist read. Set in Shanghai, Wan’s debut novel features three good friends who are dissatisfied with their life circumstances. Lulu feels beholden to her economically struggling parents and trapped in an engagement to a wealthy young man. Jane, herself in a marriage of convenience, wants to change her appearance to be more conventionally attractive and Rina is a hard-working career woman who cannot seem to get the respect and promotions she deserves. A truly improbable quest to steal the red envelopes (cash gifts) from Lulu’s future wedding suddenly becomes their focus. A large part of the humorous novel is about their efforts to circumvent the security system and arrange for a get away driver, etc. However, there are also many serious underlying themes, particularly the uncomfortable mother-daughter clashes. Over several months prior to the wedding, each of the women also experiences growth in her relationship with a significant other (fiancé Harv, husband Zihao, and quasi-boyfriend bad-boy Vic). Readers may need to suspend belief regarding some of the heist twists (and way over the top wedding expenses) but will come to root for the three friends’ abilities to value each other and to ultimately make wise choices. WOMEN OF GOOD FORTUNE received a starred review from Booklist. Discussion questions are included for interested book groups.

Look Again by Tali Sharot and Cass R. Sunstein

LOOK AGAIN by Tali Sharot (The Optimism Bias) and Cass R. Sunstein (Nudge, Noise) is the stimulating result of the joint effort between professors of cognitive neuroscience (at University College London and MIT) and of law (at Harvard), respectively.  Extolling “The Power of Noticing What Was Always There,” they advocate for consciously making changes (vacations, a walk, a new book) to enhance life experiences. Even though we may not always fully appreciate it, breaking habits can be rejuvenating. Sharot and Sunstein give other examples like how the number of accidents dropped when Sweden switched the side of the road for driving or “how satisfaction with material goods falls sharply over time, [while] satisfaction with experience does not decline.” A particularly pertinent section deals with why we tend to believe lies if we hear them often enough. Sharot and Sunstein write, “this is partly because when a statement is repeated again and again, your brain processes it less and less as is no longer surprising or new.” It is not a big leap to think about that statement (called the illusory truth effect) and then look at polling results regarding the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election. Another section deals with metacognitive myopia … the likelihood of giving less weight to a statement debunking a falsehood, especially if it involves repeating the lie. As they point out, even size and color of text can influence our perception of truth. LOOK AGAIN received a starred review from Publishers Weekly (“a revelatory investigation of a phenomenon that’s as complex as it is common”).

– PLEASE NOTE: Cass R. Sunstein will be speaking about this new book with Ayelet Fishbach on Tuesday, February 27, 2024 at 7:00 PM CT on ZOOM in a program sponsored by Family Action Network. Registration is required and the presentation will be recorded and available on FAN’s website.  

Why We Remember by Charan Ranganath

I requested a preview copy of WHY WE REMEMBER by Charan Ranganath after reading his guest essay which explains the difference between little “f” forgetting (fairly common retrieval failure) and capital “F” Forgetting (lost or completely gone memories) in The New York Times. Ranganath has spent decades studying memory mechanisms and is currently a Professor at the Center for Neuroscience and Department of Psychology and director of the Dynamic Memory Lab at the University of California at Davis. His new book is subtitled “Unlocking Memory's Power to Hold on to What Matters” and he writes in detail about how the brain works and the various experiments in his research. The content is fascinating (e.g., how false memories are built), but complex at times. Ranganath emphasizes that “your remembering self is constantly - and profoundly - shaping your future by influencing just about every decision you make.” He includes extensive notes (roughly fifteen percent of the text) and bibliographic references (another twenty percent) in support of his arguments. This text also made me think about a much older book from Joshua Foer called Moonwalking with Einstein which first introduced me to the method of loci or creating a “memory palace.” Although sometimes academic in tone, WHY WE REMEMBER received a starred review from Publishers Weekly (“Approachable and enlightening, this is worth seeking out.”).

One Creative Writing Prompt a Day by Lita Kurth

ONE CREATIVE WRITING PROMPT A DAY by Lita Kurth is self-described as “A Journal to Build Your Craft and Unlock Your Inner Storyteller.” Although there are plenty of choices for this type of book, this one seems quite strong and I would like to see a print version. Kurth has taught at De Anza College and believes “it's amazing what you can write in 15 minutes, given low stakes and a free spirit.” She tempts readers with a variety of tasks; one quick random example is “Write about two Parisians fighting over an umbrella. Include the color turquoise and a gust of wind.” Another time she instructs budding writers to “Describe an apartment using as many words that begin with F as possible. Notice the effect of these sounds on your prose.” As I browsed Kurth’s prompts, I felt myself wishing I had time to imagine life from the perspective of an abandoned pick-up truck or a robot in the year 2100. Kurth’s text could be strengthened (or supplemented) with more guidance on developing specific writing skills. Also, some may argue that her clever prompts may require the writer to do too much research, but I thought that she was very imaginative and would be successful in sparking some writing activity. It might be fun to have students try several in Chat-GPT and then work at improving those draft essays, too. Frankly, writing practice from varied perspectives seems critical in helping all of us to build empathy and to better appreciate the “other” in our lives. The New York Times just published a thoughtful guest essay by Rachel Kadish on teaching writing exercises.  

The Lantern's Dance by Laurie R. King

THE LANTERN’S DANCE by Laurie R. King is the latest in the suspense series featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes and this is one of King’s best. She separates the protagonists (Russell has hurt her foot and stays behind) which cleverly allows each to narrate portions of this tale. Always curious, Russell discovers an old, coded journal and sets about deciphering its contents which, in turn, relay the life story of an adventuresome woman. Holmes, meanwhile, is off to try to protect the lives of his son (Damian Adler) and his family. There had been a break-in at Damian’s home and Holmes focuses on figuring out motive and assessing the potential danger. Readers will likely suspect an overlap in these two situations as they loop between past and present in an entertaining and surprising manner. Employing a clever puzzle and artful description, King skillfully provides additional backstory for her main characters. Can’t wait for the next one!

It's amazing to realize that 2024 marks the thirtieth anniversary of publication of The Beekeeper's Apprentice, first in this remarkable series.

Troubled by Rob Henderson

Subtitled “A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class,” TROUBLED by Rob Henderson describes his experiences in foster care, the military, Yale and Cambridge. In some ways, this text is reminiscent of 2016’s Hillbilly Elegy as both chronicle childhood instability (life with drug addicts and abandonment by parents) followed by military stints and time at Yale (in fact, Vance “blurbed” this new book). Henderson is quietly reflective and focuses a great deal on what he labels as “luxury beliefs.” He writes at length about differences in experiences and perspectives, noting, for example, “in one of my classes at Yale, I learned that eighteen out of the twenty students were raised by both of their birth parents. That stunned me, because none of the kids I knew growing up was raised by both of their parents.” Later, he comments, “I grew to understand that there were aspects of social class that can't be quantified or put on a resume” and “part of integrating into this community meant having a cursory knowledge of the latest op-eds and fashionable news items.” Henderson himself has written an essay with excerpts (“Only the affluent can afford to learn strange vocabulary. Ordinary people have real problems to worry about”) from TROUBLED for The Wall Street Journal. Given Henderson’s frustration, anger, and bitterness at “elites” and hypocrisy, it would be interesting to compare and contrast his conclusions with the analysis and commentary on White Rural Rage recently published in The New York Times.

The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard

THE OTHER VALLEY by Scott Alexander Howard is a well-written, but sad and melancholy book. It has been very positively reviewed, receiving starred reviews from Booklist (“A thought-provoking exploration”), Kirkus (“perfect for fans of Ishiguro and McEwan”), and Library Journal (“wonderful book club discussions”). In addition, this speculative fiction work is a March 2024 Indie Next Pick and featured in an author interview here. Goodreads labeled it as one of the Most Anticipated Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Horror Books of 2024. The main character, Odile, is a young girl who struggles … and struggles again … with life choices. Due to an important time travel element, readers will come to know this character in middle age and as an older woman, also. There are numerous questions of ethics, identity, parent-child relationships, and societal expectations. Apt descriptors, though, are eerie, ominous, secretive, and complex. I initially mentioned all of those accolades because although this book was too dark for me personally, it will have definite appeal for certain readers. 

Supercommunicators by Charles Duhigg

SUPERCOMMUNICATORS by Charles Duhigg (The Power of Habit and Smarter, Faster, Better); describes “How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection.” Duhigg, a Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative journalist and author, writes that this book “is an attempt to explain why communication goes awry and what we can do to make it better. At its core are a handful of key ideas.” He continues by describing three kinds of conversations (practical or decision-making; emotional; and social) which he says primarily addresses one of three broad questions: What’s this really about? How do we feel? Who are we? Duhigg stresses that we need be more skilled at determining which type of conversation is occurring and then also in applying the different skills needed for each. I found myself thinking about this recently when talking to a friend and was able to ask a version of “Do you want me to help you solve this problem, or just listen?” After several years of studying the topic, Duhigg believes that anyone can become a super communicator and can have more meaningful discussions or “learning conversations.” First step: ask yourself “Why am I opening my mouth?” He acknowledges that this is very difficult and employs real-life examples to illustrate several rules in a well-organized series of guides. To gain a better overview, see an essay by Duhigg  that outlines his thinking, particularly about listening, sharing, and connecting (recently published in The Wall Street Journal). SUPERCOMMUNICATORS received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Much advice worthy of reflection, perhaps in conjunction with David Brooks’ How to Know a Person.