A Great Country by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

A GREAT COUNTRY by Shilpi Somaya Gowda is a novel which uses suspense and family dynamics to explore attitudes towards race, immigration, class, and privilege. Early on, Gowda writes about how “a country whose global advantage was its diversity born of immigration was turning its back on what had made it great.” She describes the lives of two hard-working immigrants, husband and wife Ashok and Priya Shah, who recently moved from Irvine to the wealthier enclave of Pacific Hills. Running their own business, they “keep their heads down” and seem to be fulfilling the American Dream. All of that is disrupted when their 12-year-old son, Ajay, is arrested by an over-zealous cop who fails to account for Ajay’s age and communication difficulties likely attributable to autism. There are two older sisters, Deepa – a rebel at heart who prefers their old neighbors and tries to open her parents’ eyes to “the challenges of being a visible minority and an obvious foreigner” – and Maya, a young high school student desperately trying to fit in and loosing her own identity in the process. A timely and well-crafted look into American society and a family in crisis, A GREAT COUNTRY received a starred review from Publishers Weekly who wrote “Readers won’t want to put this down.” I concur – I read this novel in two days – definitely recommended. Teachers, students, and book groups will find much to discuss; as Gowda prompts in her author’s note when referring to the South Asian American post-pandemic experience: “the minority group often deemed to be 'model' in the US was being forced to reconsider its role and comfort level in this country. Should we be seeking common cause with other communities of color? Or protecting ourselves in dangerous times? What did it mean to be an American in this new context, hyphenated or otherwise?”

Mystery and Historical fiction ...

Switching between time periods seems to be a favorite vehicle of several recent mysteries, including:

HOW TO SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER by Kristen Perrin is the top pick on the LibraryReads list for March and author Perrin’s adult fiction debut offers a diverting mystery set in an English country village. The events toggle between two time periods: mid 1960s and present day. In the past, teenager Francis and friends Emily and Rose receive a disturbing fortune about a death – it takes 60 years for the prophecy to be realized and Frances’ great niece, Annie Adams, sets out to solve the puzzle and inherit the estate. Both story lines are suspenseful with multiple complex characters and troubling occurrences. Despite the many suspects, though, there were abundant clues and the murderer was telegraphed fairly early. HOW TO SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER also received a starred review from Booklist and indications are that cozy mystery fans will have more of Annie’s adventures to look forward to in the future.

THE SICILIAN INHERITANCE by Jo Piazza contrasts events in the 1920s and today in the Sicilian countryside. Serafina Marsala is an independently minded woman who learns to be a healer after her husband heads to America in the early part of the last century. On her own, Serafina was treated with suspicion and ultimately seen as a brutalized murder victim; her descendant and namesake, Sara Marsala, arrives to claim a property inheritance and to try to set her own troubled life back on track. There is much Sara does not understand about local customs and her innkeeper, Giusy, is often an unreliable source. Readers will empathize with Serafina’s long ago efforts to use her medical skills and to help the villagers despite many prejudices. A much weaker character who yearns to be more of a role model for her young daughter, Sara, too, faces grave physical danger. Filled with vivid descriptions of Sicilian life and culture, THE SICILIAN INHERITANCE received a starred review from Booklist. 

On the Move by Abrahm Lustgarten

ON THE MOVE by Abrahm Lustgarten is subtitled “The Overheating Earth and the Uprooting of America.” Lustgarten, an investigative journalist for ProPublica, points to several main factors that have already begun to impact movement in the USA: wildfires; flooding (especially in coastal regions); extreme heat or humidity; and droughts. He vividly cites research such as: “Scientists estimate that as many as one in three people on the planet will find the places they live unmanageably hot or dry by 2070.” In the USA alone, he notes that five million climate migrants “could translate to a shift of fifty million additional people by the end of the century.” His perspective – that our lack of preparation for climate change will intensify differences between rich and poor – is supported by his extensive and disturbing research. For example, he notes that “a study published in 2021 in the journal Cities examining the resilience policies of the 101 largest U.S. cities found that 31 of them had no policies whatsoever, and that only 33 had conducted any sort of evaluation of their climate vulnerability.” Lustgarten argues that even when change is attempted (as described in Atlanta or New Orleans), it often results in waves of gentrification, further separating communities. He goes so far as to say that “Climate change, however, is about to make the differences between winners and losers so extreme that they will threaten the underpinnings of the American economy and security.” Is it any wonder that we see declines in the happiness scale, especially for younger Americans? Lustgarten attempts to balance this by including a more uplifting section involving a discussion with an urban planner in Detroit who “recognizes that people are often prejudiced against refugees…. [and asks] what's a narrative that might galvanize people to see opportunity in welcoming outsiders?” Much to consider and to investigate further; ON THE MOVE contains multiple pages of notes and bibliographic references, plus an index. Other recent texts on this high interest topic of climate migration include Jack Bittle’s The Great Displacement and Nomad Century by Gaia Vince.

Third Millennium Thinking

THIRD MILLENNIUM THINKING by Saul Perlmutter, John Campbell, and Robert MacCoun is based on a successful multidisciplinary course at UC Berkeley taught by a physicist, a philosopher, and a psychologist, respectively. The authors’ goal is “Creating Sense in a World of Nonsense” by teaching and writing about using science and thinking tools to make better decisions. They begin by exploring how to build trust in a shared understanding of reality. Subsequent sections deal with applying probabilistic thinking and a “radical can-do stance.” The final areas they delve into include mental traps (the ways our personal thinking tends to go wrong) and then how we can better solve problems with others. Throughout, these professors offer multiple “hands on” examples which greatly increase the ability of readers to understand and relate to their key points. They also suggest exercises (e.g., accompany every statement of fact with an indication of degree of confidence) to further help readers in attempt to offer “a good translation -- a clear and concise explanation that expresses the scientific approach in an accessible way, and that illuminates its practical uses in everyday life.” I sincerely hope that this text has a wide readership, but I fear it will be mostly read by people who are already very concerned about our ability to find common understandings and who agree with the authors that “we need to learn to accept the possibility of errors in our own thinking, and our need for opposing views that help us see where we are going wrong.”

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

THE ANXIOUS GENERATION by Jonathan Haidt, Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University’s Stern School of Business, explains “How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness.” I have referenced Haidt’s writings multiple times over the past few years, including his work with Jean Twenge and articles in diverse publications like The Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic. In his newest book, he focuses on Gen Z (those born after 1995) and argues that the decline in play-based childhood and its being supplanted by device-based activities have had an extremely detrimental impact on this cohort. His own summary states: “my central claim in this book is that these two trends -- overprotection in the real world and under protection in the virtual world -- are the major reasons why children born after 1995 became ‘the anxious generation’.” THE ANXIOUS GENERATION has four main parts; one looks at facts about teen mental health since 2010; another explores the changes in parenting style as it became increasingly overprotective and fearful; next, Haidt describes the ways phone-based childhood disrupts development (sleep and social deprivation, lowering attention spans; and addiction).

The final section provides research-based ideas on steps to take, especially his four “foundational” reforms: more unsupervised play; no smartphones before high school; no social media before age 16; and phone free schools. That sounds unrealistic, doesn’t it? Haidt draws on his social psychology background to explain collective action problems like the case where a few students have phones and/or social media accounts and then put pressure on their peers, who in turn pressure their parents. He cites examples of voluntary coordination like the group Wait Until 8th and advocates for technological solutions (e.g., lockable pouches, better basic phones) and increased regulation. Several chapters deal with what government, tech companies, schools, parents, and young people can do. He condenses his recommendations to Speak Up and Link Up, ironically providing many resources via an online portal: AnxiousGeneration.com.  Deeply researched and fascinating – THE ANXIOUS GENERATION will be on our shelves soon.

The Breakthrough Years by Ellen Galinsky

THE BREAKTHROUGH YEARS is the latest parenting text from Ellen Galinsky, a well-respected researcher and prolific author who is currently President of Families and Work Institute. In this lengthy (560 pages) book, she presents “A New Scientific Framework for Raising Thriving Teens.” As she begins to outline the structure of her book, she highlights pleas from teens to address questions like: Why don’t adults understand us? and Why do adults have such negative views of teenagers? This echoes the sentiments expressed in the recently published Underestimated, although that text takes a decidedly less scientific tone. Galinsky notes five main messages which teens want to share: (1) Understand our development; (2) Listen and talk with us, not at us; (3) Don’t stereotype us; (4) We are trying to understand ourselves and our needs; and (5) We want to learn life and learning skills. Galinsky describes relevant research, including copious quotes from adolescents (ages nine to nineteen, per her definition). For example, she discusses emotional regulation, how adolescents learn to manage emotions, even the benefit of strong emotions, and then continues with a look at “the vital connection between rewards, motivation, and learning.” Perhaps the most helpful, though, are Galinsky’s thoughtful suggestions like those she offers for rethinking adolescence and seven reasons (e.g., protective instinct, fear, etc.) for why we experience difficulty in reframing negative attitudes towards teens. 

For each of the five key messages listed above, she repeats a pattern of quotes from teens; reflection on the message (with comments from adults and parents); and then a detailed and segmented overview of relevant science and summary lists (e.g., four components of foundational executive function skills) and proposed actions. The text’s layout with multiple subheadings, italics and bold typeface aids the reader’s comprehension. Frankly, there is SO much here to digest and apply that Galinsky’s text could easily provide a valuable yearlong one book-one school read. Roughly twenty percent is devoted to notes and bibliographic citations; she also provides an amazing list of the dozens of researchers and thought leaders interviewed. THE BREAKTHROUGH YEARS received a starred review from Publishers Weekly (“Overflowing with insight backed by scientific rigor, this is an essential companion for parents of adolescents.”) and very positive comments from experts like Lisa Damour, Angela Duckworth, Kenneth Ginsburg, Adam Grant, and Daniel J. Siegel. PLEASE NOTE: Family Action Network is hosting a Zoom session with Ellen Galinsky on Tuesday, April 16th at 7:00 pm. Watch their website for details on how to register. 

Added: Recording of the program (about an hour) is now available.