Our Story by Rachel Seidman

OUR STORY by Rachel Seidman is subtitled “A Guide to Recording and Sharing Your Family History.” Seidman, a curator at the Smithsonian’s American Women’s History Museum and previously director of the Southern Oral History Program at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, places the focus squarely on establishing an oral history, devoting the majority of the book to three parts that deal with Before the Interviews, The Interviews themselves, and After the Interviews. As a professional historian herself, she advocates for significant preparation (e.g., background research) prior to beginning interviews. In addition, she offers some practical advice (e.g., what (if any) recording devices to use) although I wish there were simpler prompts (e.g., instead of asking about gender roles in your family) for questions and topics to explore. Her suggestions for follow-up questions are constructive and informative. There are many books available about collecting family stories and Seidman’s attention to options for organizing, publishing and saving the research makes this one a bit unique. Overall, OUR STORY was a useful resource, but its emphasis on producing a quasi-professional product may be intimidating to many potential readers. Still, she makes it inspiring: “In a world where we can easily feel disconnected from one another, where we hear more sound bites than stories, where we post quick, selectively shiny updates about ourselves online, it is deeply rewarding to slow down, dig deeper, and draw closer to one another by listening more carefully and sharing memories.”

Open To Work by Ryan Roslansky and Aneesh Raman

OPEN TO WORK by Ryan Roslansky (LinkedIn CEO) and Aneesh Raman (Chief Economic Opportunity Officer at LinkedIn) is heartfelt advice about “How to Get Ahead in the Age of AI.” The authors point to how in the industrial age “standardization was the point. When AI handles the standard, though, things start to flip. Suddenly your differences aren't limitations. They're your competitive advantage.” They relate stories of Nilofer Merchant (consultant who coined the term “onlyness”); John Henry (founded a dry-cleaning service at 19 and sold it two years later for a million dollars); and Leena Nair (CEO of Chanel) to illustrate how important it can be to build on one’s unique strengths and experiences. They stress “distinctly human capabilities which AI cannot replicate” and the interaction amongst these 5Cs: curiosity, courage, creativity, compassion, and communication. They say, “As you get going, remember that it's OK to pause, restart, or change direction. The key is just to keep moving.” OPEN TO WORK will encourage readers to experiment with AI due to its conversational tone, thoughtful prompts, and helpful exercises (e.g., listing twelve top tasks sorting them into one of three buckets: (1) routine tasks that AI can do alone; (2) tasks to do together with AI tools and (3) uniquely human tasks, generally involving emotional intelligence). In fact, the final chapter includes a detailed, practical 30-60-90-day plan for getting started with AI, complete with examples and coaching. Over twenty percent of OPEN TO WORK is devoted to Notes and an Index.  Additional interviews with Ryan Roslansky are available on the podcast The Path.

How to Start by Jodi Kantor

HOW TO START by Jodi Kantor is subtitled “Discovering Your Life's Work” and is a slender (112 pages) text intended to offer informative reading for the 18- to 25-year-olds in your life. Kantor, a Pulitzer Prize winning investigative reporter for The New York Times, was asked to give the commencement speech at Columbia and that, in turn, inspired this text. She writes about developing craft (an often-slow accumulation of skill), identifying need, and the interplay between the two: “The craft she is learning will change and refine her assessment of that need. To meet that evolving vision, she will pursue higher forms of craft -- more skilled, new tools. Fresh needs will emerge, of the richness and strength of her craft will help her address the unexpected.” That may be a bit abstract for many 20-somethings, but they will likely benefit from Kantor’s acknowledgement of how universal their generation’s struggle is. HOW TO START is recommended by authors like Reid Hoffman (Superagency), Shonda Rimes (Year of Yes), and Gretchen Rubin (The Happiness Project) and this title also made me think of Tina Seelig’s What I Wish I Knew When I was 20 (she has a new book, What I Wish I Knew about Luck, forthcoming in June).

Jodi Kantor recently paired with Jennifer Breheny Wallace (Mattering) at a FAN session to discuss HOW TO START and the goals of financial stability, satisfaction (being connected to what one does), and contribution (how your career helps others). The recording will be available on the FAN (Family Action Network) website soon.

Children of a Troubled Time by Margaret A. Hagerman

CHILDREN OF A TROUBLED TIME by Margaret A. Hagerman is about “Growing Up with Racism in Trump's America.” Hagerman, an Associate Professor of Sociology at Mississippi State University, set out to interview students aged 10 to 13 “across race and class groups and geographically split between Mississippi and Massachusetts. She explores the attitudes and statements of these young people after the 2016 Trump election and the “regular anti-Black words and actions of the Trump White House.” Her research centered around key questions she identifies as: (1) How did children make sense of racism in the Trump era? What can we learn about whether and how dominant racial ideology shifts? (2) How do the political times in which kids experience their childhoods shape how they develop ideas about race and racism? And (3) Looking at the emotional component, what role do racialized, group-level emotions play in a racial learning process? Hagerman is clearly a scholar – she has won awards for previous writing (White Kids) and this latest text is full of footnotes with roughly a fourth of the text devoted to appendices, notes, bibliography, and index. However, she is not neutral, saying “As soon as Donald Trump took office, experts predicted that his presidency would negatively impact kids in the United States. They were right.” Her analysis is sometimes difficult to read because of the painful quotes she incorporates from students of all races, but it is worthwhile to do so, particularly since she was able to speak with students and include their reactions to the events of January 6th. As Hagerman says, “Listening to kids express dehumanizing racist ideas and think they’re normal really concerns me.” For more background, please see this review and interview posted by NYU (publishing press) or the article “Did kids become more racist under Trump?” published recently in New York magazine.  

How Do You Fight a Horse-Sized Duck?

The uniquely named HOW DO YOU FIGHT A HORSE-SIZED DUCK? by William Poundstone describes itself as “Secrets to Succeeding at Interview Mind Games and Getting the Job You Want.” Poundstone, a journalist who has written several other books (Head in the Cloud), divides this one into three parts: A Short History of Assessment; Mind Games; and Puzzles and Problem-Solving. As in his earlier work on interviewing, Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google?, Poundstone writes in an engaging, conversational manner and offers numerous hints, strategies, and rules.  For example, he encourages readers to remember that “problems posed in interviews are often easier than they appear; think several moves ahead [and] when all else fails, draw a picture.” I am excited to share this recent text and its many brainteasers with students – if only to further urge them to look at situations differently, to actively brainstorm, and to “think out of the box.”  Too often, they place an emphasis on finding a “right” answer when, particularly in early research stages, open minds and multiple perspectives are valuable. Poundstone echoes our work with students on critical thinking, building empathy, and creative problem-solving when he argues that “the most provocative and misunderstood [interview] questions are those that test 21st-century skills.”  Business or psychology students will also likely be interested in the afterword which touches upon confirmation bias and the role of failure in relation to innovation.

Organization and Motivation ... part 2

These two texts are designed for high school students and older, offering suggestions about career choice, networking and juggling school and work projects. 

WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE 2021 by Richard N. Bolles and Katharine Brooks is “fully revised and expanded for 2021,” the fiftieth anniversary edition (we reviewed earlier versions in 2015 and 2018). Subtitled “Your Guide to a Lifetime of Meaningful Work and Career Success,” this text explains that the process begins with you – not with the job market. Here, too, the authors point out the value of building confidence, taking actions, setting goals, and getting help when needed (a significant skill our students need to practice more often). In addition, Bolles and Brooks provide a self-inventory (Flower Exercise) and offer tips on creating resumes (transforming skills to action verbs) and conversing at job interviews. A valuable resource for any age, WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE 2021 may be of particular interest to the many students who are contemplating a gap year after high school. (Ten Speed Press)  4 stars

HOW TO DO IT NOW BECAUSE IT'S NOT GOING AWAY by Leslie Josel is described as “An Expert Guide to Getting Stuff Done.” School Library Journal referred to this text as a “solid purchase.” I would be curious to see student reactions, but I do like the discussion of technology and frequent practical suggestions (turn off autoplay; close unnecessary windows; limit notifications) for its use.  There is a chapter on each of these topics: Time Management; Homework; Study Skills; Planning; Routines & Ritual; Organizing; Distraction; and Motivation. Josel, a human resources professional and entrepreneurial life coach, employs a conversational, inspiring tone ("to get the most out of this book, go through it at your own pace, on your own time and in your own way"). She acknowledges that students procrastinate for different reasons than adults. I thought Josel's suggestions for building habits and routines were very helpful, especially the ten questions she includes near the end (e.g., What are my priorities today? What could get in my way today? What is the smallest thing I am willing to do? How am I going to remember to remember?) And, like many Lerner publications, this one makes liberal use of diagrams, charts and images, further engaging students. Josel also offers several time management tips for students in this blog post and I was especially surprised to learn that her company’s award winning Academic Planner: A Tool for Time Management is completely sold out. Our school chose not to offer planners for sale this year and I am not sure why as they do seem to be a helpful tool for many.  (Lerner (Zest))  4 stars