THE NEXT JOURNALISM by Tom Rosenstiel is
subtitled “How the Press Must Change to Serve Democracy.” Obviously, that is a difficult
and controversial question. Being the co-author of The Elements of
Journalism, Rosenstiel offers a unique perspective and in this latest
publication he is intent on describing future actions for journalists. The book
itself is divided into ten chapters, each of which outlines a “fundamental way”
(e.g., applying behavioral psychology or thinking of news
as collaborative intelligence) that journalism must change. Probably the most
interesting chapter is the one where he offers suggestions on a new interview
structure building on open-minded inquiry. Throughout the book, Rosenstiel stresses
the importance of considering how a story would serve the public and working with
the community. Much to consider here,
particularly for practicing journalists.
MOM NEEDS A
MOMENT by Cassidy Freitas explores “How to Stop
Your Reaction Before It Starts... and Become a Calmer, Happier, More Connected
Parent.” Dr. Freitas is a licensed family and marriage counselor and host of
the weekly Holding Space podcast. In chapters titled Traumas and
Triggers, All the Feelings, Being in the Moment, etc., she writes here about
emotions related to being a parent, especially a Mom. Freitas is excellent at
describing the range of reactions: “A hypervigilant part trying to anticipate
every need before it exploded into chaos; A perfectionist part desperate to
keep it all together; A wounded part still aching from past moments when asking
for help led to disappointment or shame. ... All I knew was that I felt broken.
And alone.” Admitting her own concerns and needs regarding motherhood, she
writes about magic in the margins: “These are the spaces where your body can
exhale and you can come back to yourself, where you can remember that you don't
have to live in constant reaction mode, that you have choices. … They allow me
to slow down, to notice, to be present.” In a calm and helpful way, she offers
insights regarding the difficulty of changing patterns based on generational
cycles that show up in everyday parenting. Understanding her audience, she
provides notes at the end of each chapter, with “major themes, tools, and
actionable next steps described.” Reading MOM
NEEDS A MOMENT will benefit Moms,
caregivers, and grandparents alike.
WHAT I WISH I
KNEW ABOUT LUCK by Tina Seelig (What
I Wish I Knew When I Was 20) has three main parts: Construct Your Ship; Recruit
Your Crew; And Hoist Your Sail, reflecting Seelig’s propensity to give
direction and guidance to young readers especially. She draws on her teaching
experience of more than twenty-five years at Stanford and encourages readers to
begin by changing their mindsets and behavior to more actively take calculated
risks. Her main argument is that rather than being apparently brought in by
chance, luck is the result of deliberate actions. She writes, “Luck is like the
wind, often unpredictable, and always in motion.” One’s prepared mind (core
values, skills, risk profile, goals) is essential along with the support of
mentors, friends, family, collaborators and a willingness to do the hard
work (the afore-mentioned risk taking, plus stretching beyond your comfort
zone, showing up, and recovering from inevitable failures). Seelig’s tone is conversational
but buoyed by both research and personal stories. WHAT
I WISH I KNEW ABOUT LUCK is a practical, action
oriented guide. Each chapter has a saying at the beginning to help readers
reflect as they read and “A few questions that are designed to help you assess
how you can now - or could in the future - increase your luck by applying the
ideas in that chapter.” Notes and Index
comprise about ten percent of the book.
For more on Seelig’s perspective, here
is her TEDTalkfrom a few years ago:
INSIDE THE BOX by David Epstein (Range) presents his
arguments on “How Constraints Make Us Better.” Epstein uses multiple stories
and anecdotes to illustrate his point that too much choice can actually impede
creativity. He discusses the benefits of ruthlessly prioritizing, “stop starting
and start finishing,” and one page press releases (based on advice from Tony Fadell).
In a recent New
York Times piece, Epstein references Nobel Laureate Herbert Simon and contrasts Maximizers
with Satisficers, claiming “that the path to the best outcome runs directly
through the willingness to stop searching long before you’ve exhausted the
options” (think about trying to choose a streaming service and video to watch).
INSIDE THE BOX received a starred review from Publishers Weekly (“Through
captivating case studies, Epstein reveals the transformative power of
obstacles. It’s a game changer.”) and positive “blurbs” from Angela Duckworth, Seth
Godin, Adam Grant, and Daniel Pink. Notes and references comprise roughly twenty-five percent of the text. A favorite story for me was referenced in The
Wall Street Journal review: “Mr. Epstein used to make long lists that compelled multitasking
and induced anxiety. Now, he writes, ‘at the top of each list is one single
thing that, if accomplished, will mean it was a good day.’ This forced
prioritizing means that he chooses something worth doing, does it and moves
forward.”
THE INVINCIBLE
BRAIN by Majid Fotuhi offers “The Clinically
Proven Plan to Age-Proof Your Brain and Stay Sharp for Life.” Booklist describes
this text as “informative, practical, and inspiring.” The conversational tone,
clear outline, and customization certainly contribute to that perception. A
widely published and interviewed researcher, Fotuhi is an adjunct professor of
Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins’s Mind/Brain Institute, an adjunct professor of
Psychological and Brain Sciences at George Washington University, and the
medical director of NeuroGrow Brain Fitness Center. He writes repeatedly and
clearly about the five pillars of brain health (Fitness, Sleep, Diet, Mindset,
and Training) and how to measure and increase them in a systematic way,
encouraging his readers to focus on the area(s) where they want or need the
most improvement. In order to get a benchmark assessment of brain function,
Fotuhi provides direction on creating a brain portfolio and lists forty
questions dealing with physical conditions, health habits, and socializing that
“will bring to your attention things you may not have thought about, or help
you realize there are things you have been tolerating that you could do
something about.” He then suggests resources and weekly interventions which can
change over the course of his twelve-week program. THE
INVINCIBLE BRAIN has also been praised
by fellow doctors/writers likeSanjay Gupta, David
Perlmutter, and John Ratey
(Spark). Have a look.
A LITTLE MORE SOCIAL is a new book by Nicholas
Epley (Mindwise) where he explains “How Small Choices Create Unexpected
Happiness, Health, and Connection.” Epley is the John
Templeton Keller Professor of Behavioral Science and faculty director of the
Roman Family Center for Decision Research at the University of Chicago Booth
School of Business. He argues that we should not allow fear and myths to keep
us from reaching out more to others, pointing out that if we work on changing
our often overly pessimistic expectations, introverts and extroverts alike can benefit.
Instead, Epley encourages readers to treat beliefs as “bets” or “guesses”
rather than certainty and he discusses the rejection theory videos of Jia Jiang who invited rejection with outlandish
requests in an attempt to overcome his own fear. Several other chapters of A
LITTLE MORE SOCIALdeal with choosing Thankfulness, Kindness,
and Honesty. Overall, Epley cites numerous experiments and research in an
effort to convince people to be a little more open and he tries to offer specifics,
but changing a mindset is difficult and it would help to have more recognition
that not everyone has his capacity to reach out. Notes, related commentary, and an Index comprise
roughly thirty percent of the text. The video below is Epley’s Ted Talk: “The
Simple Habit for a Happier Social Life” and conveys many of the ideas in his
new book:
David Brooks interviewed Nicholas Epley at a Family Action
Network session on May 21 and that video will be posted shortly on their website. A
favorite quote? They referred to the idea that “everyone you ever meet knows
something you don’t.” A motivator like that may encourage readers to modify
their own routines.
GOOD JOY, BAD JOY by Mikki Brammer (The Collected Regrets of Clover) introduces
readers to Joy Bridport, someone who at first
seems truly too good to be true. Joy invariably looks on the bright side, gives
others the benefit of the doubt, and sacrifices her own needs to help others.
Her life, however, gets turned upside down (look at that cover!) when she learns
that her best friend of eighty years, Hazel, has terminal cancer. Brammer shares
Joy’s innermost thoughts about her parents’ values, her troubled relationship
with her own daughter (Elizabeth) and grandson Finn, as well as a new
friendship with Rowan, a neighbor recently released from jail. Joy starts to
take some risks, and the lack of consequences will have readers nodding in
agreement about how older women often are invisible. GOOD JOY, BAD JOY is a rather sad story
and while Joy grows, it can be a difficult read emotionally. Like “good” Joy, Booklist
describes this novel more positively as “a heartwarming, poignant story of
self-discovery and hope.” Book groups will find much to discuss.
CONFIDENT BY CHOICEby Juan Bendaña is a very energizing text. Bendaña writes
with verve and enthusiasm. His main message centers around the idea that
confidence can be built. He starts out by noting four confidence myths
regarding being an extrovert; absence of insecurity; having the “right”
genetics; and needing competence first. I particularly liked his point that “1.
You're going to fail. 2. But that's OK because failure is the path to success.”
At the end of each chapter, Bendaña suggests an action item, a micro-step, often
designed to help his readers further clarify their goals. Many of his ideas (“change
your posture, skip around, do a little dance”) are small actions which can
really have a big impact as they help improve attitude and overcome fears. CONFIDENT
BY CHOICE, published in August 2025, made me think of earlier titles like Be
Fearless by Jean Case or Resilientby Rick Hanson.
THE OTHER SIDE OF CHANGE by Maya Shankar
is about “Who We Become When Life Makes Other Plans.” Shankar is a cognitive
scientist and neuroscience expert who describes the life altering changes faced
by guests on her podcast. She notes that the book is “part narrative, and part
practical guide, rooted in the latest scientific research.” Her first example (“Locked
In”) involves Olivia Lewis who becomes paralyzed; it is reminiscent (as Shankar
also notes) of events which impacted Jean-Dominique Bauby, author of Diving
Bell and the Butterfly, as well as of Allison Pataki’s Beauty in the Broken Places about her husband’s unexpected health scare. Shankar
notes how these individuals must confront what they have lost and then “experience
an internal transformation that allows them to imagine new and freeing
possibilities for themselves.” She also “shows how that sense of possibility
can ripple outward” and includes an Appendix titled “Getting to the other side
of Change: Your Change Survival Kit” where she summarizes key concepts (e.g., self-identity)
from each chapter. Her bibliographic notes and references comprise an
additional ten percent or so of the text. Shankar does an excellent job of
weaving examples and research, but this is based on numerous conversations,
sometimes covering years. I wonder how well a person in the midst of
devastating change would be able to comprehend, digest, and implement (without professional guidance) the ideas from this book. THE OTHER SIDE OF CHANGE received a
starred review from Booklist.
On a related note, I recently attended a conversation between Kelly Corrigan and Jennifer Breheny Wallace about Wallace's new book titled MATTERING. The event was sponsored by Family Action Network and a recording is available:
According to the publisher: Wallace argues that mattering—the feeling that we are valued and have the chance to add value—is a core human need, as essential to our well-being as food and water. ... MATTERING shows how lives are transformed when we are reminded, in small but intentional ways, that we are seen, valued, and needed. Wallace identifies the essential components of what she calls a “mattering core”: recognizing your impact, being relied on (but not too much), feeling prioritized, and being truly known and invested in. ... Wallace shows how to strengthen our own sense of mattering—and how to build cultures of mattering in our homes, workplaces, and communities—at a moment when it has never been more urgent.
TWICE by Mitch Albom
(Tuesdays with Morrie and The Stranger in the Lifeboat) is his latest take on the choices we make. This
story asks, “what if you got to do everything in your life – again?” The main
character, Alfie Logan, has the inherited ability to transport himself
back in time and therefore change most future events. It is a tempting
proposition and one which takes time and development of some self-restraint to
use wisely. Overall, the story opened quite slowly as readers are introduced to
the concept and learn more about its nuances. These happenings are contrasted
with a police investigation of a possible casino swindle which is not resolved
until the final pages. Despite his unique abilities, Alfie is not a particularly
likeable character and he has many regrets, especially regarding the woman he
loves. He says, “The truth is, you never do as much good as you could.” She
says, “I figure every little thing that happens is part of life or fate or God
or whatever leading me to where I'm supposed to be.” Albom will once again have
readers examining their own life decisions. TWICEreceived a starred review from Booklist who recommended
it for “fans of Matt Haig
and Nikki Erlick.”
THE FLIPSIDE by Michelle
"MACE" Curran explains “How to Invert Your Perspective and Turn Fear into Your Superpower.” As the publisher says, this former Air Force fighter pilot
“channels her unique perspective into relatable storytelling to empower
others to make bold choices and find their inner courage.” Curran describes her
decision to become a pilot and discusses silencing one’s inner critic, noting
that she “eventually saw that avoiding discomfort came at a higher cost than
facing it head-on because it forces us back into our comfort zones, which
stunts our growth and keeps us emotionally, spiritually, and personally small.”
Another section looks at the differences between reacting and responding and
her stories about relying on her training to land safely are memorable.
Overall, Curran combines her personal experiences with research and the varied
perspectives of others; slightly less than ten percent of the book is devoted
to endnotes. While readers may not agree with all of her suggestions (e.g., the
timeframes seem too short in one minute to pause, one hour to analyze; and one
month to transform), THE FLIPSIDE will encourage
readers to reflect on their habits and mindsets. This made me think of other
related texts like Be Fearless by Case or Resilientby Hanson.
10 RULES FOR RAISING KIDS IN
A HIGH-TECH WORLDis the latest by professor of psychology at San Diego State
University, Jean M. Twenge (iGen).
Here, she writes about “How Parents Can Stop Smartphones, Social Media, and
Gaming from Taking Over Their Children's Lives.” Building on her own research
and that conducted with Jonathan Haidt (Anxious Generation). Twenge offers statistics and graphs to support her arguments,
and she also pulls in real life examples from her own family’s experiences. While
some of her rules seem reasonable and doable (e.g., no electronic devices in
the bedroom overnight), others seem rather harsh and unrealistic (no social
media until sixteen – or later). Still, she has a very important message to
convey (covered recently in both The New York Times and The Washington Post) and does so in an accessible way. As more parents
listen to this and encourage more schools to limit cellphone use, we will
hopefully see some changes in behavior, with increased face-to-face interaction
and improved mental health for adolescents. The Post’s book reviewer, Ron
Charles, says his favorite part of 10 RULES FOR RAISING KIDS IN A HIGH-TECH
WORLD is that “each chapter includes your kids’ best arguments — e.g. ‘If
I don’t have social media, I won’t know what my friends are talking about’ —
and how you should respond.” He also recommends “the cool, understanding friend
of Twenge’s book…. designed specifically for kids and teens:” Do Not Disturb:
How to Say No to Your Phone by Brad Marshall and Lindsay Hassock. School
Library Journal recommends that short (96 page) text for grades five and up
and Kirkus says, “Put down your phone and pick up this valuable
and accessible read for everyone navigating the digital age.” Have a look at these and spark some
conversations in your family and school community.
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 FILESis 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 FILESwould be a great book to read and
discuss as a group, perhaps choosing an essay a week as the focus.
MAYBE
YOU SHOULD TALK TO SOMEONE by Lori Gottlieb is a work of non-friction
which was recommended by my cousin and which received a starred review from Kirkus
who called it “A vivacious portrait of a therapist from both sides of the
couch.” The author is a mid-40s single mother who also writes a column for The
Atlantic called “Dear Therapist.” She shares anonymous stories from some of
her patients as well as her own struggles with a breakup when The Boyfriend
decides he does not want to live with her young son. There are many poignant
moments as she counsels others (like Julie, the young woman who recieves a
devastating cancer diagnosis) and narrates her internal thoughts during her own
sessions with a therapist. Did you ever see Shrinking (on Apple TV) with
Harrison Ford? This is not as hilarious, but it also takes you into the real
lives of a therapist with her own issues and wry sense of humor. MAYBE
YOU SHOULD TALK TO SOMEONE deals with feelings,
parenting, and other relationships, as Kirkus (again) says: “Saturated
with self-awareness and compassion, this is an irresistibly addictive tour of
the human condition.” One of my favorite sections mentions “Welcome to Holland”
and notes that “Julie started to see that we're all in Holland, because most
people don't have lives that go exactly as planned. Even if you're lucky enough
to be traveling to Italy, you might experience canceled flights and horrible
weather.”
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO
CHILDREN'S SLEEPby Andrea C.
Roth, Shelby F. Harris, and Allison Shale is published by The American
Psychological Association and promises “A Tired Caregiver's Workbook for Every
Age and Stage.” I especially liked the calm, matter-of-fact tone and the
provision of strategies relevant for different ages. These authors are
authorities, based on their educational and professional experience (cognitive–behavioral
therapists and a clinical psychologist/sleep specialist) and personal
experience as parents; they readily acknowledge “the reality of how difficult
childhood sleep issues can be.” After beginning with a review of general
principles and guidelines, they structure the book so as to “discuss the
importance of caregiver teamwork (Chapter 2), provide guidance for age groups
from infancy through adolescence (Chapters 3-7), and offer troubleshooting tips
(Chapter 8).” Promising to “present our recommendations along with data to support them,”
these authors offer general suggestions and helpful commentary, such
as “[at 4 to 6 months] they are also possibly waking a bit more often in the
night as they cycle in and out of sleep. Again, all of these changes are
to be expected.” The workbook format provides useful questions and an opportunity for
reflection and planning.THE
ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO CHILDREN'S SLEEP is aptly titled
and will be a valuable resource for parents across several years.
REVENGE OF THE TIPPING POINT by Malcolm
Gladwell discusses “Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social
Engineering” twenty-five years after The Tipping Point was published.
Gladwell writes that he re-immersed himself in “the world of social epidemics”
and discovered a “new set of theories, stories, and arguments about the strange
pathways that ideas and behavior follow through our world.” In terms of newer
content, he focuses in part on "overstories" – the idea, like the
upper portion or canopy in a forest, of a big picture perspective to better
discern patterns and behavior changes. He also makes numerous references to the
COVID pandemic and the notion of superspreaders. Throughout, he shares a
variety of stories and circumstances from South Florida (where he says Miami is
“ground zero for this extraordinary epidemic of [Medicare] criminality”) to the
Harvard women’s rugby team (when he argues about how colleges use sports to manipulate
group proportions) to frequent references to the opioid epidemic and the
Sackler family. Gladwell incorporates charts, graphs and data as well as devoting
more than ten percent of the book to endnotes and an index. REVENGE
OF THE TIPPING POINT received a starred review from Kirkus.
Interested readers may also want to turn to titles by the Heath brothers like Switch,
Decisive, 2017’s The Power of Moments or 2022’s Making Numbers Count.
It has been a week for news, right? Feels as though we would
all welcome the more positive perspective that is explored in a couple of new
non-fiction texts.
THE BRIGHT SIDE by Sumit
Paul-Choudhury is subtitled “How Optimists Change the World, and How You Can Be
One.” Paul-Choudhury is a former Editor-in-Chief of New Scientist, with
training as an astrophysicist and work experience as a financial journalist. The Guardian described this book as “An engaging, if slightly
disjointed romp through the science and psychology of optimism.” As I read, I
found myself thinking of Ted Lasso and his BELIEVE sign. Paul-Choudhury breaks
the book into three sections, plus a somewhat theoretical Epilogue, a Bibliography,
and an Index. He begins with talking about his wife’s untimely death and emphasizes
that “Optimism, far from leading us to passively await our fates, can help us
to actively explore our limitations -- and transcend them.” Indeed, there is a
definite bias towards action; The
Wall Street Journal review features this
quote: “If we want the world to be better tomorrow than it is today,” Mr.
Paul-Choudhury writes, “we first have to expect that it will be. Then we
have to imagine the ways in which it could be. And then we have to ensure
that it will be.”
Readers might try
pairing this book with Hope for Cynics; by Jamil Zaki who argues thathopeful skepticism is a valuable and
precise way of understanding others and that it can rebalance our view of human
nature, thereby helping us build the world we truly want. An interview with the
author, aprofessor of
psychology at Stanford University and the director of the Stanford Social
Neuroscience Lab, is available here on PBS NewsHour:
GOOD REASONABLE PEOPLE is the title of
a recent text by Keith Payne, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He looks specifically at “The
Psychology Behind America's Dangerous Divide,” something which many of us are
all trying desperately to understand. In fact, Payne writes that “other people
we thought we knew don't just disagree with us; They see the world in a deeply
different way than we do.” In attempting to answer why that it so, he explores
ideas around how people think about politics, what influences political
worldviews, and how hard it is to communicate about all of this. He writes
movingly that “my research suggests that our political tribes are primarily the
result not of our inner essences, but of our circumstances” and that his text
is about “understanding our own minds, our own circumstances, and our own blind
spots as much as understanding those of other people.” Kirkus describes GOOD
REASONABLE PEOPLE as “Compelling, eye-opening research that humanizes
political discord and encourages understanding and compassion.” It has a
hopeful, though somewhat academic, tone and notes comprise slightly less than fifteen
percent of this thought-provoking book.
MEDITATIONS FOR MORTALS by Oliver
Burkeman (Four Thousand Weeks) is subtitled “Four Weeks to Embrace Your
Limitations and Make Time for What Counts.” The publisher describes this title
as “a guiding philosophy of life Oliver Burkeman calls imperfectionism.” What
stood out for me was the question: “How do we shed the illusion that life will
really begin as soon as we can get on top of everything?” Ironically, I truly
need to carve out some time to spend reflecting on this text, but I did attend –
and thoroughly enjoyed – the discussion between Burkeman and Daniel Pink recently which was hosted by Family Action Network.
Their far-ranging conversation covered many of Burkeman’s suggestions like crafting a done list or try not to
picture a “bucket” that needs to be emptied, but instead a river of choices. There was a great
emphasis on not overanalyzing and “just doing it” or finishing a task to fully
benefit from the resulting endorphins. Burkeman, a British author and journalist,
wrote “This Column Will Change Your Life” for The Guardian until 2020. More
recently, The Wall Street Journal published a short excerpt about freedom from MEDITATIONS
FOR MORTALS which notes “Once you begin to approach life as a matter of trade-offs
and consequences, it’s easier to say no to things you might not previously have
dared to turn down.” And Burkeman writes further for Fast Company,
extolling the virtues of “why ‘daily-ish’ habits can be better than everyday routines.” Much to ponder.
