Controlling Women ... and reproductive freedom

CONTROLLING WOMEN by Kathryn Kolbert and Julie F. Kay is subtitled “What We Must Do Now to Save Reproductive Freedom.” It will certainly be of interest to our students, several of whom have researched and written about court cases like Roe v. Wade, about the Turnaway Study, and about policy reviews from places like Guttmacher Institute. The authors are both lawyers: Kolbert argued Planned Parenthood v. Casey before the Supreme Court and has long been a champion of women’s rights; Kay, too, has argued for women and for religious rights, both in the US and abroad. In crafting this book, they have relied on their “own recollections and contemporaneous accounts and analysis by others;” the notes section comprises roughly twenty percent of the text. 

Some of the statistics they cite may be quite surprising – did you know that nearly 1 in 4 women has an abortion by age 45? Yet partisan controversy (see editorial cartoon created by The Washington Post’s Ann Telnaes, for example) and drama (e.g., incarceration of a mother who ordered abortion medication for her daughter; new laws further restricting access and allowing for more litigation) are rampant. Kolbert and Kay discuss much of the history as well as the new composition of the Supreme Court before outlining their thoughts on “new tactics, new triumphs” involving a range of activities including state initiatives and even new locations (like international waters) for reproductive health clinics. CONTROLLING WOMEN received starred reviews from Kirkus and Library Journal.

The Brain on Youth Sports by Julie M. Stamm

THE BRAIN ON YOUTH SPORTS by Julie M. Stamm is a great factual resource for athletes and student researchers concerned about the impact of concussions. Stamm is a clinical assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). An avid fan, athlete, and athletic trainer, she clearly understands and appreciates the value and culture of youth sports. That attitude makes her arguments about possible youth brain injuries even more compelling. As she notes, “Families need accurate, unbiased information so they can make informed decisions. Health care providers need to understand the research so they can have appropriate answers for parents. Coaches need to know what they can do to keep their athletes safe. This book will break down the science, explain what we actually know and what we have yet to learn about repetitive brain trauma in sports, and provide guidance for families and others involved in youth sports.” Stamm does an excellent job of meeting those objectives with sections on sub-topics like why we should care, why the youth brain is vulnerable, why CTE is more than an NFL problem, and the future of youth contact sports. Noting statistics from football, hockey, soccer, lacrosse, and rugby, she writes in a clear, concise manner -- look for a copy on our shelves soon.

Critical thinking, misinformation and science denial

THE LIFE-CHANGING SCIENCE OF DETECTING BULLSHIT by John V. Petrocelli will capture attention due to its provocative title and its key message: “to recognize that it is that it is to your distinct advantage to seek evidence and truth, … [to] ask yourself and others important, critical thinking questions.” Petrocelli, a Professor of Psychology at Wake Forest University, studies “the causes of bullshit, its potential benefits to individuals, its consequences to society, and how people can better detect and dispose of its unwanted effects.” In each chapter, he relates stories (e.g., making a major purchase like a diamond ring or buying real estate), and discusses how the surrounding BS (diamonds have great resale value) can have a negative impact, arguing that “failed bullshit detection is usually about things people don’t do and the questions they don’t ask.” He reviews the scientific method and offers a list encapsulating the basic habits (e.g., listening, curiosity, perserverance, awareness of bias, and so on) of critical thinking. Petrocelli also includes a Glossary about problems of thinking which will be of interest, especially to our Psychology students. And, he appends numerous notes (at least twenty percent of the book) with bibliographic information and additional comments. For a brief overview of his work, see the March 2019 Ted Talk he gave on “Why BS is more dangerous than a lie.”

Forthcoming from MIT Press, HOW TO TALK TO A SCIENCE DENIER by Lee McIntyre is subtitled “Conversations with Flat Earthers, Climate Deniers, and Others Who Defy Reason.” McIntyre, a Research Fellow at Boston University, refers to recent studies like “Effective Strategies for Rebutting Science Denialism in Public Discussions” by Schmid and Betsch and the 2017 essay by Shermer on “How to Convince Someone when Facts Fail” and many, many more. Giving generous credit, McIntyre skillfully weaves copious research into his text, exploring in detail five common factors across science deniers: cherrypicking evidence; belief in conspiracy theories; reliance on fake experts; logic errors; and impossible expectations for what science can achieve. Echoing comments from Galef’s The Scout Mindset, he points out, for example, that “scientists do not merely look for support for what they hope to be true; they design tests that can show whether their hypothesis might be false.” He devotes an entire chapter to the Coronavirus which seems particularly relevant, given the amount of vaccine hesitancy which is currently being exhibited. McIntyre is so very passionate about this topic that he can sound preach-y at times, but he offers constructive advice. We all need to keep in mind his point that “one of the greatest weapons we have to fight back against science denial is to embrace uncertainty as a strength rather than a weakness of science. … We need to teach people not just the facts of science but also its values, and how those values inform the processes by which science makes its discoveries.”

Being American ...

The House select committee investigating the deadly Capitol riot is holding its first high-profile hearing today, July 27. The powerful and courageous testimony should hopefully inspire all of us to think about what it means to be an American. Here are a couple of new books which also deal with that question: 

AFTER THE FALL by Ben Rhodes is subtitled “Being American in the World We've Made.” Rhodes, former Deputy National Security Advisor and co-host of Pod Save the World, writes “to be American in 2020 was to live in a country diminished in the world, unwilling to control the spread of disease or face up to our racism, and looking over the precipice of abandoning the very democracy that was supposed to be the solid core of our national identity. Understanding how that happened is the starting point to figuring out how to move forward.” He then writes hopefully about being “joined together to do big things.” The text itself is divided into four parts: The Authoritarian Playbook; the Counterrevolution; the Chinese Dream; and Who We Are: Being American. To write this book, Rhodes travelled the world and he describes multiple conversations and observations, particularly in regards to growing nationalist appeals and leadership in Hungary, Russia, and China. Rhodes seems to see the 2008 financial crisis as an inflection point where the average person felt left behind by the elites. In some ways, it explains the views of US voters who struggled to decide between Bernie and Trump, but Rhodes goes farther, pointing out a “more disturbing reality that the world was basically a reflection of America’s post-Cold War identity, our prioritization of money, post-9/11 militarism, and technology.” This book is certainly partisan and disturbing at times; AFTER THE FALL raises issues and will make readers think. 

A different look at being American is offered “For the Immigrant and the Curious,” in Roya Hakakian’s A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO AMERICA. Hakakian, a Guggenheim Fellow and teacher at Yale University’s THREAD program, is herself an immigrant, arriving in 1985 from Iran. In her latest book, self-described as “part memoir, part reportage, and part a work of imagination,” she offers suggestions for immigrants and refugees who often struggle with the practical experiences of learning English, taking public transportation, going grocery shopping, and separating from family. However, Hakakian also provides the opportunity for native-born Americans to reflect upon the many privileges we take for granted and the importance of civic responsibility and service. In a recent NPR interview she explains wanting to “somehow show the America that most native-born Americans can't see, the small signs of democracy that may be invisible to those who have never lived elsewhere.” A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO AMERICA, called “highly recommended for all” by Library Journal is a thoughtful, compelling read.

For additional perspective, see Pew Research Center which offers some fascinating data about changes in attitudes towards the US. Or maybe look at some of Ken Light’s photographic images recently discussed in a Washington Post Article: “An American Decade. Through a Photographer’s Searching Lens.”