The Situation Room by George Stephanopoulos

THE SITUATION ROOM by George Stephanopoulos is a very interesting look at the crises faced by Presidents since Kennedy and how each utilized the conference and communication area known as the Situation Room. ABC News host and commentator Stephanopoulos served in the Clinton administration as the senior advisor to the president for policy and strategy so he has personally spent time in that arena. He shares at least one story from each administration, beginning with the Cuban Missile Crisis continuing through events like the capture of the S.S. Mayaguez, the secrecy behind the hunt for Osama bin Laden and the “surreal” atmosphere during the events of January 6, 2021. Particularly fascinating themes are (1) the way that technology has changed and the speed with which information is now shared; and (2) the way each President utilized the space and its specialized staff. Stephanopoulos interviewed one hundred people and is therefore able to share new “never been told before” stories and numerous insights. Readers will appreciate the unique perspective on the crises faced by our leaders, further emphasizing the importance of professional staff and reasoned judgment. Subtitled “The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis,” Kirkus describes THE SITUATION ROOM as “An effective blend of political analysis and personal stories, tied together at the epicenter of crisis management.” This text will have strong appeal for history buffs and political junkies. Definitely recommended.

Planta Sapiens by Paco Calvo with Natalie Lawrence

With all of the focus lately on sentient beings, including AI and chatbots (see, for example, Grammarly’s recent announcement), it might not seem so strange to be looking at “The New Science of Plant Intelligence.” That is exactly what two academics, Paco Calvo (professor of philosophy of science at the Universidad de Murcia in Spain) and Natalie Lawrence (writer and illustrator with a PhD in the history of science) do in their new book, PLANTA SAPIENS. They begin by urging caution, saying, “whether you are deeply skeptical of the possibility that plants might have intelligence or are an enthusiastic believer in the supernatural wisdom of other lifeforms, we all need to broaden our minds carefully. … What you read here will be a challenge to anyone’s preconceptions.” Next, they describe the science in support of plant intelligence; they ask their readers to think deeply about plants, contemplating, for example, whether plant behaviors are merely genetically programmed reactions or actual engagement with their environment. Calvo and Lawrence praise thinking creatively and embracing trial and error – arguing repeatedly for open minds and “a new approach of cross-fertilisation between different specialisms [disciplines].” Although a bit long-winded in places, the authors pose numerous intriguing ideas and conclude by saying that studying plants may help humans “to better comprehend the nature of our own minds.” Notes and sources, plus a helpful index, comprise roughly twenty percent of this innovative text. PLANTA SAPIENS received a starred review from Publishers Weekly which described this work as a “mind-blowing debut.”

How We Learn by Stanislas Dehaene

HOW WE LEARN by Stanislas Dehaene is subtitled “Why Brains Learn Better Than Any Machine . . . for Now.”  Dehaene, a professor of experimental cognitive psychology at the Collège de France, has clearly taken steps to make his material approachable and memorable, including providing several colored diagrams and images which illustrate brain and neural development. However, HOW WE LEARN is not a light and easy read. Dehane begins on a more theoretical level with Part One (What is Learning?) and offers seven definitions; continuing to Part Two (How Our Brain Learns) where he devotes an entire chapter to the role of nurturing.

As an educator and librarian, I struggled with finding a target audience for this text amongst my peers, primarily due to its scholarly nature and somewhat limited practical applications. For example, I do think they would be interested in his comments on grades; he says: “Grades alone, when not accompanied by detailed and constructive assessments, are therefore a poor source of error feedback.” Other colleagues would likely disagree with his clear favoritism for explicit teaching over constructivism (or discovery learning) with further comments like, “The most efficient teaching strategies are those that induce students to be actively engaged while providing them with a thoughtful pedagogical progression that is closely channeled by the teacher.”  These ideas are developed in Part Three, the Four Pillars of Learning: Attention, Active Engagement, Error Feedback and Consolidation. Overall, I am pleased to see so many positive reviews and hope that Dehane (and the many other scholars he cites) will next turn attention to how one makes remote learning more effective, especially in these uncertain times. As Dehane notes, “Numerous studies, both in humans and animals, confirm that stress and anxiety can dramatically hinder the ability to learn.” For those seeking more detail, HOW WE LEARN contains over 50 pages of notes and bibliography, plus an index.