The Happiness Files by Arthur C. Brooks

THE HAPPINESS FILES by Arthur C. Brooks offers “Insights on Work and Life” and is based on the popular essays he has written for a weekly column in The Atlantic. Amongst other full-length titles, Brooks wrote From Strength to Strength and he teaches classes on happiness from a scientific perspective (encompassing neuroscience, social psychology, and behavioral economics) at Harvard Business School. Brooks has divided his newest title into sections On Managing Yourself; On Jobs, Money, And Building Your Career; On Communicating and Connecting with Others; On Balancing Work Life and Relationships; and, finally, On How You Define Success. The thirty-three essays are generally five or six pages in length and deal with topics like exhibiting leadership, setting boundaries, promoting value, developing relationships, and establishing purpose and direction. THE HAPPINESS FILES is very well-written, action-oriented, and quite accessible. In completing book reviews, I have been exploring the ideas dealing with well-being and happiness from Brooks and others and writing about them for years. THE HAPPINESS FILES would be a great book to read and discuss as a group, perhaps choosing an essay a week as the focus.

Three Minutes for Mom and Growing Together

It is Mothering Sunday in the UK this weekend and our own Mother’s Day (May 11) is fast approaching so I thought I would comment on a couple of newly published books having to do with parenting. THREE MINUTES FOR MOM by Erin Morrison showcases “365 Days of Empowerment, Encouragement, and Growth for a More Connected Motherhood.” Morrison has a background in psychological counseling and is the creator of The Conscious Mom. In this new text she encourages readers to actively “make three minutes of your day centered in strengthening, loving, and supporting you.” The entry for each numbered day offers a short saying (e.g., It’s Ok to Not Know OR Prepared, Not Perfect), a brief explanation which is a paragraph or two in length, and a quick recap (e.g., “when you run into a parenting moment that feels less than perfect, pause and ask yourself which prepared mother quality will help you best in this situation: open mindedness, compassion, or humility?”). Morrison is correct in that it may only take three minutes a day to read and reflect on an entry, but that regular activity may also help parents to pause and redirect their own energy. Whether it is day five (“add a little magic – if you don’t show your child that life can be magical, who will?”), day six (“the ‘why’ behind whining”) or day one hundred and ninety-three (“love and care for yourself”), Morrison’s writing is very supportive.  She provides an opportunity for quiet reflection and practical results.

GROWING TOGETHER by Carson Meyer contains “Doula Wisdom & Holistic Practices for Pregnancy, Birth & Early Motherhood.”  Meyer is a Los Angeles based childbirth educator and photographer who has created this text in order to share material from her online and virtual classes.  She splits the text into four primary sections, one for each trimester of pregnancy and then one for the first 100 days after birth. Her tone is quite conversational and she offers homeopathic remedies and common sense advice to numerous questions (e.g., How long should each feed be? Do I need to switch breasts each feed? Help! My breasts hurt!). Meyer includes weekly activities such as writing “a love letter to yourself” at week three after birth to help with “treating yourself with the same compassion and patience you would [for] your baby.” While new parents might be too overwhelmed to reach for this text, having read earlier sections might cause them to continue to seek out Meyer’s calm advice (“have a code word with your partner so that you can politely send away any visitor who is overstaying their welcome” or her discussion of elimination communication with their baby). Throughout, she provides charts (e.g., innate knowing vs. modern knowing), introspective questions, and frank discussion (e.g., “those first trimester feels” or “tending to the family nervous system”). GROWING TOGETHER contains recipes, endnotes, and a list of additional resources.

Gentle by Courtney Carver

GENTLE by Courtney Carver is subtitled “Rest More, Stress Less, and Live the Life You Actually Want.” Carver (Soulful Simplicity) stresses self-compassion and self-care as she tries to convey a plan to do just that. She writes about “gentle” as “easing through instead of pushing through,” “creating strength in stillness,” and “putting yourself first.” Her text is divided amongst the three seasons of gentle: Rest (e.g., relaxing, sleep practices, and connecting); Less (e.g., unplug, decluttering, and less regret); and Rise (e.g., cultivating quiet, releasing every worry, and bringing it all together).  Within multiple chapters for each season, Carver offers ideas for tiny steps and one gentle step. That seems doable and Carter’s tone is supportive and non-judgmental. I especially liked her reference to Laura Vanderkam’s comment that “going to bed early is the way grown-ups sleep in.” Carver frequently refers to her own habits and life experience which is also less intimidating. However, I would like to see a print version since some readers could still feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of “to dos.” They will need to remember Carter’s summary: “Be Gentle. Move softly. Go slowly. Celebrate every tiny step. You don't have to push through. Ease through. Be light. Be you.”  

The Disengaged Teen by Anderson and Winthrop

THE DISENGAGED TEEN is a newly released work by Jenny Anderson, an award-winning journalist who reports on the science of learning, and Rebecca Winthrop, the director of the Center for Universal Education at the Brookings Institution and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. Their book is directed to both parents and educators and is subtitled “Helping Kids Learn Better, Feel Better, and Live Better.” We all know that especially since COVID students have had a more difficult time re-acclimating to a school setting and staying motivated and engaged. The authors also observed this situation in their own families and conducted extensive research – both qualitative and quantitative - prior to writing this text. Part I describes the four patterns of behavior they found: Passenger (tending to coast along); Achiever (focusing on grades and other external rewards, perfectionist); Resister (refusing to do participate); and Explorer (following interests and building necessary skills). Anderson and Winthrop caution against applying these labels to individual students, arguing instead that the behaviors are fluid. Part II of the book is an “engagement toolkit” with stories, exercises, and ideas so that adults can help to spark student learning and to make the distance between school and life be seen as less of a “chasm.” The authors point out that “resilient learners are not strong; they are flexible.” Anderson and Winthrop recently contributed a guest essay to The New York Times where they note: “Many recent graduates aren’t able to set targets, take initiative, figure things out and deal with setbacks — because in school and at home they were too rarely afforded any agency.” I also attended a recent one hour Family Action Network session where Charles Duhigg (Supercommunicators) posed some excellent questions while interviewing these authors about THE DISENGAGED TEEN. Due to the emotions involved, this may be a difficult book for parents to digest, but it is likely to be thought-provoking and worthwhile. 

Meet the Dyslexia Club! by Margaret Rooke

MEET THE DYSLEXIA CLUB! by Margaret Rooke (Dyslexia is My SuperPower) features stories from children talking about their feelings and experiences with dyslexia as well as their special talents. Some examples include Jessica who plays football/soccer or Ajay who loves to bake cakes. These stories often touch on relationships at school and learning accommodations; each ends with a thought about how grown-ups can help (e.g., letting us do more of what we like best at school) and what the child does best (e.g., coding and solving puzzles). This would be an inspiring and very comforting book for elementary school students and even their parents and teachers. In addition to the stories, Rooke provides suggestions on where to go for help, and she also has checklists filled with many ideas for ways that grown-ups can help at home or at school. She defines several terms and provides links (many UK-based) to relevant websites (all new readers will enjoy Reading Rockets) and related books, including (for adults) The Dyslexia Advantage. Tim Stringer has provided colorful, cheerful illustrations which add to the charm of this text. MEET THE DYSLEXIA CLUB! Is a small book – only about 80 pages – but it is packed with useful information.

What's Next Is Now by Frederik Pferdt

WHAT'S NEXT IS NOW by Frederik Pferdt, Google’s first Chief Innovation Evangelist, describes “How to Live Future Ready.” Pferdt, who taught at Stanford for a decade, outlines five key points: make your future happen; your mindset is critical; learn to expect the unexpected; pursue better (progress, not perfection); and check in with yourself regularly (i.e, what future do I want to create?).  After briefly introducing about a dozen “future ready” people (mostly colleagues from Google), Pferdt stresses values like optimism, openness, curiosity, experimentation, and empathy and offers exercises to practice and develop those habits. His “work is entirely focused on the future -- how to see potential and solve challenges in situations we haven't yet encountered.” This is an inspirational text and might make more sense to read as a team, reinforcing each other and re-emphasizing the hard work of shifting mindsets so as to adhere to the “belief that change is constructive, not a threat.” What fun, for example, to explore and play together with Google’s Arts and Culture resources. WHAT'S NEXT IS NOW is a 2024 Next Big Idea Club selection.  Pferdt’s emphasis on “future ready” made me think about the ALA program with that title from a few years ago.

Ageless Aging by Maddy Dychtwald

AGELESS AGING by Maddy Dychtwald and Kate Hanley is from the Mayo Clinic and it focuses on being “A Woman’s Guide to Increasing Healthspan, Brainspan, and Lifespan.” Dychtwald has been writing about age/aging with a particular focus on women for over a decade. She has really gathered key points in one place and offers practical advice in a friendly, conversational tone. She writes, “In each chapter, I've included practical tips, techniques, and hacks that I've categorized according to your level of experience…. [even including] an ‘if you do one thing’ tactic so that you'll know the simplest and most impactful step to get you started.” Sounds great, right? Unfortunately, the Kindle version of this preview was so badly formatted that it was impossible to complete her suggested assignments (like checking off current practice of age accelerants or decelerants  or highlighting changes a reader wants to make). Dychtwald begins by noting differences between chronological aging, psychological aging, and physical aging. Her subsequent suggestions are intended to help battle what she calls the intention/action gap and could be quite useful and motivating to readers. Between five and ten percent of the book is devoted to notes and helpful bibliographic references. Dychtwald says, “Let joy lead the way!” and I do think this could make a wonderful gift, but I would like to see a better formatted print version first.  

Another reviewer has suggested Outlive by Peter Attia which is an Economist and Bloomberg Best Book Of The Year. It is also more readily available through public libraries and bookstores so I will be looking into that title, too. Attia has serves on the editorial board of the journal Aging and is host of The Drive, a popular podcast covering the topics of health, medicine, and longevity.

Sunrise Gratitude By Emily Silva

It’s a new year and the perfect opportunity to practice feeling grateful as this guide suggests. SUNRISE GRATITUDE by Emily Silva was originally published during the height of the COVID pandemic and offers a meditation to start each day of the year: “What a gift it is to be alive! To wake up, and take a breath, to hear the lovely sounds of morning … our senses are coming alive as we awaken each morning.” The reflection prompts are roughly a half dozen sentences in length and Silva, a former corporate trainer and coach, accompanies them with beautiful pictures from nature. This inspiring book and her companion volume, Moonlight Gratitude, seem like a wonderful resource to use oneself or to offer as a meaningful gift.