Automatic Noodle by Annalee Newitz

AUTOMATIC NOODLE by Annalee Newitz (Four Lost Cities, The Terraformers) is a thoughtful science fiction work which received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly (“Newitz packs this tale with simmering action, endearing characters, and political savvy, topping it all off with generous dollops of humor and imagination. It’s delicious.”). Newitz (whose work has won numerous awards including being a Nebula award finalist) meets a high standard with this tale set near San Francisco in the late twenty-first century, post-war between America and California. The main characters are robots named Staybehind, Sweetie, Cayenne, and Hands who each have their own personality and specialty (security; organization; taste; cooking) and they decide to revive a restaurant with the help of a recently homeless human. Robots have some civil rights in the newly independent California and it’s exciting to see them grapple with the start-up issues as well as fake reviews and prejudice against machines. AUTOMATIC NOODLE is the Top Pick for LibraryReads selection for August. At only 176 pages, this is a quick, cozy read and highly recommended, especially for sci-fi fans of books like Becky Chambers’ Monk and Robot or Travis Baldree’s Bookshops & Bonedust or Julie Leong’s The Teller of Small Fortunes.

Hello, Cruel World! by Melinda Wenner Moyer

HELLO, CRUEL WORLD! by Melinda Wenner Moyer offers “Science-Based Strategies for Raising Terrific Kids in Terrifying Times.” In ten chapters Wenner Moyer, a contributing editor at Scientific American and a regular contributor to The New York Times, looks at Coping, Connecting, and Cultivating, all presented in a conversational, non-judgmental and helpful way. Adam Grant writes, “[Moyer’s] book is packed with evidence-based, nonobvious practical advice for nurturing resilience, kindness, critical thinking, and well-being.” I certainly saw the critical thinking aspect in the entire chapter devoted to Information Literacy which is full of ideas (including discussion prompts), plus some organizations (Thinking is Power, Reboot Foundation, etc.) that I did not know as well as skills (e.g., lateral reading) school librarians have been talking about for years. Other chapters cover self-compassion, resilience, self-control, relaxing, empathy, friendships, curiosity/inclusion, plus financial and information literacy and managing social media. HELLO, CRUEL WORLD! is a text which parents – and educators – should consult and discuss. At the end of each chapter there is a summary of key points, and the author also includes 300+ citations in a separate section. As Wenner Moyer says, much of her writing is about “being intentional about our choices and the kinds of conversations we have with our kids. … I implore you to take the advice that feels like it will be a good fit and leave the rest.”  

West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge

Described as “witty, charming, and heartwarming” by Booklist, West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge is a work of historical fiction based on true events. The setting is 1938 and the title characters are quarantined in New York, having survived a hurricane at sea. Their destination is the San Diego Zoo and Rutledge imagines that journey (avoiding overpasses less than 12’ 8”) along the Southern route (called the Lee Highway) in the company of Old Man, Woodrow Wilson Nickel (“Woody”), and Augusta Red (she’s a young, adventurous photographer, hoping for a break with Life magazine). West with Giraffes is a coming-of-age story, a romance, and a travelogue. As they drive across the US (sometimes at a top speed of ten miles an hour due to the winding, hilly roads), Rutledge chronicles numerous encounters and those provide ample opportunity for reflection and commentary on honesty, good vs. evil, families, feminism, race relations, and poverty vs. privilege. This novel is highly recommended, although there are some very sad parts as all of the main human characters are hiding secrets. Interested readers should explore this absolutely wonderful Libguide with more background on the giraffes, the book, and the author. Enjoy!

A favorite passage:
In the years ahead, through the War and beyond, it was this quiet day moving through the unmoving land with Boy and Girl and the Old Man and Red that I returned to when I needed it most. Like the jolting joy of giraffes amid the traveling bird wave, its peace passed any understanding, any attempt at words. You only get a few of those in your whole life if you're lucky, and some only get one. If that be true, this was my one. When I remember it, I'm not eighteen in the memory. I am whatever age its comfort came to me, be it 33 or 103, and I am driving us all, through the timeless red desert, headed nowhere in particular, just someplace good. Together.

Going Zero by Anthony McCarten

GOING ZERO by Anthony McCarten, an Oscar-nominated screenwriter, is definitely a suspenseful, action-packed story that could be translated to the big screen. Ten “zeroes” have been recruited with the goal of winning a large monetary prize if they stay hidden for a month from the CIA and the private industry counterparts at WorldShare/FUSION. Some of these “zeroes” are professionals in the surveillance field and others are more “regular” folk, including a librarian named Kaitlyn Day. This is an exciting and fun read, one where I became involved emotionally and wanted to root for the underdog and where some of the technology seemed scary, disturbing, and, of course, intrusive. Will Kaitlyn win three million dollars in prize money by evading capture?  Will Cy Baxter and his company gain bragging rights and millions more in government contracts? Will privacy activists manage to upend the entire experiment? Fair warning: I personally found the ending to be a bit flat, but GOING ZERO is an intriguing read overall. Booklist gave it a starred review: “the reader is never quite sure where the story will go next. … An outstanding thriller.” I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Marin Ireland, which was very well done, reinforcing why GOING ZERO was an Amazon Best Book of April 2023 and a recommended “pulse-pounding read” from The New York Times.  

As an aside, Marin Ireland has also narrated: Remarkably Bright Creatures, The Mighty Red by Erdrich (review coming soon), The Lincoln Highway, Beartown, and several more.

Beyond the Big Lie by Bill Adair

BEYOND THE BIG LIE is a new book by Bill Adair, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, creator of PolitiFact, and professor at Duke University. He subtitles the text: “The Epidemic of Political Lying, Why Republicans Do It More, and How It Could Burn Down Our Democracy.” Although Publishers Weekly referred to some content as “overly partisan,” Adair clearly believes in the importance of being truthful with the electorate and outlines numerous examples of being less than truthful in a dozen chapters. The text is very accessible, and he frequently refers to input from his college students. One example is in the chapter called “Lying Hall of Fame” where students nominated candidates like Big Tobacco, Exxon, Rupert Murdoch, Roger Ailes, and numerous politicians from both parties as part of a research project. Adair points out that political lying “crippled our discourse and made it impossible for us to have a serious discussion on the vital issues of our day -- the climate crisis, public health, or the future of Social Security and Medicare.” Adair also chronicles the evolution of Mike Pence, a personal friend and neighbor of his when Pence first served in Congress. In that chapter, Adair notes that “attitudes have changed” and also quotes from an interview with Anthony Fauci: “there is no shame in lying now. There is no shame in developing your own alternative facts -- untruth, conspiracy, lies have become normalized.” A final chapter explores “How Can We Stop the Lying?” and Adair argues “research suggests there is fertile ground for a citizen movement to hold politicians accountable for lying, …. I believe politicians will respond if enough people speak up.” Sigh, people need models – AARP has published candidate responses to their questions with no fact-checking at all (“We allowed the candidates to present their views and positions without commenting on the accuracy of their claims.”) BEYOND THE BIG LIE is an intriguing, if disturbing, read. Roughly twenty percent is devoted to Notes, a list of Sources (from over four years of interviews), a Selected Bibliography, and an Index.  

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.

More business books: Board Talk and Techlash

BOARD TALK is written by Kathryn Bishop and Gillian Camm who believe that “conversation is at the heart of board governance across the world.” They first offer six conversational techniques (like observing, listening, and questioning) with a reflection on each.  The heart of the book is the eighteen crucial conversations centered around topics like joining a board, talking about vision/values, and turning central ideas into action. They use models, checklists, and case studies to help readers tap into ideas about how boards operate. According to Bishop (a teacher at Oxford’s Saïd Business School) and Camm (an executive coach) they have an overall goal to “help you reflect on the nature of your board and your role in it, and to develop better conversations which will help you to perform your role well.” Obviously, the authors speak directly to the readers whom they assume are members of public, private, or voluntary boards around the world. Their expertise in education and training is reflected in the text’s use of bold font and bullet points, making it relatively easy for readers to extract and reflect on key points. Published by Alison Jones’ Practical Inspiration Publishing, below is an interview she conducted with the two authors of BOARD TALK where they explore concepts of psychology, mindset, and group governance:

BOARD TALK contains a list of useful information sources, notes, a bibliography, and a thorough index, including a reference to Reclaiming Conversation by Sherry Turkle.

TECHLASH by Tom Wheeler poses the question: “Who Makes the Rules in the Digital Gilded Age?” Wheeler, a businessman and former (2013-2017) Chairman of the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), highlights parallels between the late 19th century’s industrial Gilded Age the digital Gilded Age of the 21st century: increasing disparities in wealth and innovators making their own (self-interested) rules. Saying “a shiny patina hides the darker realities,” Wheeler offers a call to action. Consumer privacy certainly merits greater protection and a major proposed task is rewriting rules and regulations although it is admittedly difficult to picture current politicians having the will or means to do so. Wheeler observes that “solutions that were developed in the past – antitrust law and regulatory oversight– were unprecedented” at that time. He is extremely knowledgeable and devotes an entire section of his new text to “Reasserting the Public Interest” where he outlines proposals for establishing behavioral expectations for digital platform companies with separate chapters dealing with privacy, competition and “truth and trust.”  Although the average reader may find TECHLASH a bit too complex, roughly fifteen percent of the text is devoted to notes and an index which increases its usefulness for researchers and policymakers. They may also be interested in this recent McKinsey think piece on generative AI and government.