Read Up On It

Just One Thing by Dr. Rick Hanson

2011-11-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

Book title: Just One Thing
Author: Rick Hanson
Publication Date: October 1, 2011
Publisher: New Harbinger Publications, Oakland, CA
ISBN-10: 1608820319
ISBN-13: 978-1608820313

It's not every day I read a book that makes such a difference in my life as this one did. I agreed to this book review, and honestly, thought it would be a rehash of other self help books that encourage positive thinking. I was pleasantly surprised, to find it's a very different type of book.

Dr. Rick Hanson backs up all of his suggested practices with science in neuropsychology, neuroplasiticity, and epigenetics. It's okay if you don't know what those things are; Hanson explains them all in such easy to understand terms, even a child could read this book and benefit from it. I liked the book so much that I signed up for the weekly newsletter from his website and bookmarked his YouTube page. As a rule, I don't sign up for newsletters, so that's saying quite a bit.

It reminded me of the gentle Tips for Writers I publish at TeacherWriter each week, and of the Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.

You can read the full review of Just One Thing, with links to all Rick Hanson's sites, on my Suite101 page. I've included examples from the book of the practices he suggests. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Book for Kids to Read

2011-10-30T15:43:00.000-07:00

This year, I'm challenging my students to read forty books during the school year. When I first told them this, some of them lost all color in their faces and looked as if they might vomit. But now, ten weeks into the school year, they all look forward to our reading time from 9:30 to 10:00 each day.

The class is excited about doing book commercials and some of the students have found new books to read they might never have heard of otherwise. It's a time of day we all enjoy.

Lest you think I've been slacking, I want to tell you I've been reading plenty and doing some book reviews on Suite101. Yes, I've been falling behind on writing reviews because I've been pumping up the 5th grade kids about new books, such as The Hop, by Sharelle Byars Moranville, Secrets, Lies, and Algebra, by Wendy Lichtman, Also Known as Rowan Pohi, by Ralph Fletcher, Elliot and the Goblin War, by Jennifer Nielsen, which my granddaughter read in one day.

For older students I recommend A Dog Named Slugger, by Leigh Brill and The Poisoned House, by Michael Ford. Another terrific book to read for older teens is Off Leash, by Renee Pace. I interviewed the author and our conversation will be on the TeacherWriter blog on November 5, 2011.

On an adult level I've read Hollywood Scandals, by Gemma Halliday, The New Health Age, by David Houle and Jonathan Fleece, and When Parents Text by Lauren Kaelin and Sophia Fraioli. The last book had me laughing from start to finish.

Right now I'm reading two YA books. One is The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa and the other is Between, by Cyndi Tefft a story about a girl who dies and is stuck between worlds.

To read any of these reviews, just click on the title. I recommend any of these books to those looking for a good read.

Happy reading!

Books NOT to Read: The Biology of Belief

2011-08-04T04:23:00.000-07:00

Image copyright Hay House, Inc.

Book title: The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter as Miracles
Author: Bruce H. Lipton, Ph.D.
Copyright Date: 2005, 2008
Publisher: Hay House, Inc.
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4019-2311-2
Tradepaper ISBN: 978-1-4019-2312-9

From the raving reviews in the first pages of this book, one would think Bruce Lipton had revealed the Secret of All Time to his readers. Don't be misled.

Contrary to what the title suggests, this book is not about changing our belief systems to change our lives. Rather, this book is a layman's introduction to epigenetics, the study of how environment affects genes.

I began suspecting the book was ghostwritten after the first chapter. The voice doesn't match that of a respected research scientist. In addition, the use of the word lots, as in "linked lots of genes to lots of different diseases," (page 21) instead of specifics was a giveaway. The many anecdotes used as evidence struck me as odd for a scientist. Isn't that what snake oil salesmen do? But my main worry is why did the author approve this sort of language and evidence when he approved the ghostwriter's copy?

Halfway through the book, I realized the author was never going to get to the point hinted at in the title, which is helping people develop their power of consciousness. This book is more about self adulation for the author. He describes his own midlife crisis, his discoveries in cellular biology, his teaching prowess, and anoints himself as a genius more brilliant than other scientists.

The worst part of the book came at the end. Bruce Lipton uses his book to upsell the reader to a questionable practice called Psych-K. Falling closely if not directly into the target zone of quackery, Psych-K is promoted as a method to change one's life by changing subconscious beliefs. But there's nothing subconscious about lightening one's pocketbook of several hundred dollars for the privilege of attending a seminar. Once the first seminar is complete, the attendees have the unlucky honor, if they so choose, of unloading several hundred more dollars to attend higher level seminars.

I find it appalling that Mr. Lipton thinks his readers are so gullible as to fall for his obvious upsell. It's insulting to readers to be charged for a book used only as a sales tool for a questionable practice.

Don't waste your money or your time reading this book. If you're interested in epigenetics, find a good site on the Internet or a medical research tome in the library that includes hard facts and research notes.

Book Review of Populazzi by Elise Allen

2011-07-30T03:47:00.000-07:00

Book Title: Populazzi
Author: Elise Allen
Publication Date: August 1, 2011
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 9780547481531

In this funny coming-of-age story, Cara finds out that becoming one of the most popular girls in school isn’t all she expected it to be.

When she begins attending a new high school, it’s her chance to change her status in the social hierarchy. No one knows her past history. No one knows about the unfortunate incident in kindergarten that sealed her friendship with Claudia but also doomed her to be on the bottom rung of the Ladder.

The Ladder is the way to rise through each tier of the Popularity Tower. If Cara uses the Ladder according to the plan Claudia devises, she can become anyone she wants to be. She can move from her current position as a Happy Hopeless, into the Cubby Crew, pass through the Danger Zone, move to Penultimate Populazzi, and finally become the Supreme Populazzi.

But somewhere along the way, the plan goes awry. Cara finds out that perhaps her true happiness is not in becoming the Supreme Populazzi, but in something else. Will she ever be able to work her way out of the mess she made?

Although this book is full of juvenile, groan-worthy humor appropriate for the middle school crowd, it also has some physicality that makes it best for high school aged readers. Teenagers will appreciate the reality of Elise Allen’s descriptions of the high school caste systems, and the struggles of those in the lower echelons.

Little Rock Girl 1957

2011-07-08T04:30:00.000-07:00

Book title: Little Rock Girl 1957: How a Photograph Changed the Fight for Integration
Author: Shelley Tougas
Publication Date: August 1, 2011
Publisher: Capstone Compass Point Books
ISBN: 9780756544409

This book is small in pages but powerful in impact. Using narrative and pictures, it chronicles the events surrounding the nine African American students, known as the Little Rock Nine, who bravely faced angry crowds to attend the all white Little Rock Central High School in 1957.

In stunning photography, taken by reporters covering the events, readers can see the anger and hatred on the part of the white students as the African-American students approach the school. One of the most notable photos is of Hazel Bryan shouting at Elizabeth Eckford, taken by Will Counts. Years later, the two women reconciled their differences, and the photo of that occasion also appears in the book.

The courage and perseverance of these nine African-American men and women is recorded as one of the most important events in the history of the Civil Rights Movement. They faced verbal and physical abuse, threats, and constant harassment as they went to school each day.

This photographic historical volume is a powerful way to raise awareness of this chapter in American history. Teachers and librarians would do well to add this book to their collections.

Death by the Glass Book Review

2011-07-01T04:43:00.000-07:00

Book title: Death by the Glass: A Sunny McCoskey Napa Valley Mystery
Author: Nadia Gordon
Publication Date: June 2003
Publisher: Chronicle Books

ISBN: 9780811836784

In this lighthearted mystery, Sonia “Sunny” McCoskey, a chef and restaurateur becomes enmeshed in solving the mystery of another restaurateur. With no evidence to support foul play, Sunny turns up her intuition full blast to discover what really happened.

When Nathan Osborne turns up dead, everyone assumes it’s a heart attack. He was a hard partying, alcohol loving, successful 58 year-old businessman who offered his hospitality to everyone. He’s found on his couch with a wine glass nearby. There are no signs of a struggle. But where did the bottle of wine he was drinking from go? This is the question that sets Sunny off on a chase from Napa to Fresno and back, meeting with a wild variety of characters along the way.

Set in the beautiful Napa Valley, and replete with descriptions of delicious food and delectable wines, this book will delight foodies everywhere. Mystery lovers will enjoy the dangerous twist at the end.

Even though the story takes place in the winter, this book makes a delightful summer read.

Spellbound by Cara Lynn Schultz

2011-06-26T06:09:00.000-07:00

Image by HarlequinTeen

Book title: Spellbound
Author: Cara Lynn Shultz
Publication Date: June 28, 2011
Publisher: HarlequinnTeen
ISBN-13: 978-0-373-21030-5

Emma Connor is starting a new high school three weeks after the first day of the term. She’s moved from a public school in New Jersey to an elite prep school called Vincent Academy in New York City. But she doesn’t feel lucky. Instead, she feels more like the ugly stepchild in a bad fairy tale.

At Vincent Academy, she meets her soul mate. Literally. They are two souls who have been trying to find happiness together for centuries. But an evil spell cast on the original lovers is keeping them apart. Every time they find happiness together, one of them must die.

Emma’s new friend Angelique helps her deal with her weird dreams and the strange happenings that go along with the curse. Angelique’s mother is a professor of Medieval Studies, and using her books, they find the true story behind the bad luck that always befalls the lovers. Unfortunately, the pages that tell them how to end the cycle have been torn out of the book.

Emma and her boyfriend are determined to find a way to beat the curse. Their love is too strong to let an ancient legend get in the way. But is it strong enough to fight the evil people in New York that would rather Emma never came to Vincent Academy? Is it strong enough to resist the forces in her dreams warning her to stay away from him or she'll die?

In a fight for their very lives, Emma and her boyfriend battle against the odds, testing their love to the very limits of human courage.

This thriller for teens will have readers captured under it's spell from the first page to the last. The characters are likable and believable, and the author makes you care what happens to them every step of the way. This is a true can’t put down book and its message of hope and fighting to beat the odds will ring true for teens. If you must read one book this summer, this is the one.

Cara Lynn Schult

Cain by Jose Saramango

2011-06-24T03:42:00.000-07:00

Book title: Cain
Author: José Saramango
Publication Date: English translation: October 6, 2011
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 9780547419893

This highly irreverent look at the history of Cain, son of Adam and Eve, is definitely a new twist on a very old tale. Nobel laureate José Saramango turns the traditional bible story on end and leads the reader through a convoluted path of alternate history.

When Cain, after striking down his brother Abel, is condemned to wander in the wilderness, he doesn’t have to go far before running into other inhabitants. He becomes enmeshed in a romantic liaison and thereby earns a reputation that elevates him far above the Cain we learned about in Sunday School. Over the course of the book he travels to the far reaches of the Earth as well as through time until he befriends Noah before the Great Flood.

Throughout this work, Saramango brings into question the benevolence of God. He tears down the traditional tenets of faith and allows Cain to question God’s motives. Powerfully written, it’s a can’t put down book for readers who appreciate his writing.

Saramango died in 2010 so this memorable work will sadly be his last.

See Me After Class : Advice for Teachers by Teachers

2011-06-20T15:10:00.000-07:00

Book title: See Me After Class: Advice for Teachers by Teachers
Author: Roxanna Elden
Publication Date: 2009 in hardcover, 2011 in paperback
Publisher: Kaplan Publishing, New York
ISBN-13: 978-1607148623

First of all, you should know what this book is not.

This is not a book about how to organize your teaching life. If you’re one of those organized teachers, with everything in its place and reports always done on time, you don’t need to read this book.

If you are a teacher who ends up frustrated or worn out at the end of many days, read See Me After Class.

You’ll be introduced to teachers who live in the real world of teaching. These are not the Jaime Escalantes, the Rafe Esquiths, or the Ron Clarks of the world. No, these are the teachers like you and me, who struggle and strive to bring out the best in their students, sometimes with unexpected results.

These stories reflect the visions of the idealistic new teachers and the wisdom of the veterans of the profession. All levels of education are represented, from elementary through college. The chapters are arranged to give new teachers advice on all aspects of classroom management and teaching, as well as offering them hope they will survive until June.

Beginning with the initial shock of the first days of school, progressing through the piles of papers to grade, the report cards to write, the conferences to hold, and then on to state mandated testing, Roxanna Elden helps teachers find a way to survive. Best of all, she does it in a humorous and light hearted manner, something we all need after we’ve had to deal with stained and torn homework papers, bloody noses, scraped knees, and the mean girls who are picking on one of the boys. And that’s before lunch.

The premise of this book is that teachers face almost insurmountable obstacles every day. By reading the stories of the mistakes other teachers have made, we can all learn from them. We can also feel better, because in the end you can say, “At least that never happened to me!”

After reading See Me After Class, I’m convinced it should be required reading for every first year teacher. Just so they know they’re not alone.

Roxanna Eldon, author of See Me After Class

Spinning the Law by Kendall Coffey Book Review

2011-05-29T22:11:00.000-07:00

Image by Prometheus Books

Book title: Spinning the Law: Trying cases in the Court of Public Opinion
Author: Kendall Coffey
Publisher: Prometheus Books, New York, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-61614-210-0

Why do lawyers of high profile consultants need to hire public relations consultants? Why would attorneys need to know the finer points of media spin? This book, written by the famed attorney who was involved in the Elian Gonzalez case and the presidential election recount, reveals the finer points of media manipulation and how the biggest legal cases are won and lost.

Since the trial of Socrates, public opinion has held sway in the results of a court case. As Mr. Coffey reveals, the public trials take place in what the media shares with the people, often before the trial even begins in the courtroom. For this reason, legal teams must be savvy about managing the court of public opinion in addition to managing their legal strategy within the courtroom.

It's common in today's media saturated environment for people to sell their stories to the public, such as Faye Resnick did in the trial of O.J. Simpson. Her book, Nicole Brown Simpson: The Private Diary o a Life Interrupted, which was released before the trial, disqualified her as a witness for the prosecution. It also delayed jury selection, due to concerns about a fair trial. These reactions helped to skyrocket the book to the New York Times bestseller list.

Kendall Coffey provides hundreds of pages of examples of how the media has infiltrated and affected the results of modern day trials. He includes sidebars throughout the book with one or two sentence of “Spinning Lessons” such as “While witnesses' psychological issues have little traction inside the courtroom, they have plenty of reaction outside.” Much of what is inadmissible in court is acceptable and even sought after outside the courtroom. The public craves the outside stories, and unfortunately, some of the jurors may access this information during a trial.

The problem of this e-taint is real. Although jurors are bound by oath to avoid any discussion of the case outside of the deliberation room, and to avoid media coverage, this is difficult, if not impossible to enforce. Judges should also be circumspect about how they interpret news coverage of cases they preside over. However, our justice system is not perfect, and public opinion can easily be swayed by the spin masters covering the cases.

Kendall Coffey closes his discourse with a chapter about how to effectively use the media to promote a case and which practices to avoid. He advises when it's wise to stay quiet on an issue and when it's beneficial to speak out. He advises about the benefits and dangers of press leaks and press conferences. He also advises using the media strategy of hooking the readers/listeners/viewers with something that will grab their emotions.

Thoroughly researched, and providing an objective look at how public opinion can be manipulated, Kendall Coffey provides an eye opening documentary on the interconnectedness of our American media and justice systems. With examples from the early days of history to modern times, he reveals how the right words can turn a case one way or the other.

This book is a compelling, fast read for anyone interested in the workings of justice in our country.

Lost Voices, First Book in a Mermaid Trilogy

2011-05-29T15:34:00.000-07:00

Image by HMH Books

Book title: Lost Voices
Author: Sarah Porter
Publication Date: July 4, 2011
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-547-48250-7 (Hardcover)

In Lost Voices, the first book in a trilogy, readers are introduced to the magical and mysterious world of mermaids.

When Luce is left abandoned on a sea cliff near her home in Alaska, she slips and falls into the waves to certain death. Yet, instead of dying, she finds herself in a new world with powers she never imagined she could possess. She is transformed into a beautiful mermaid. She joins a tribe of mermaids led by a moody and unpredictable queen named Caterina. All of the mermaids were girls who were once abused or mistreated by adults who were supposed to care for them.

In her transformation, Luce is blessed with one of the most powerful and beautiful singing voices of all the mermaids. She is still learning how to control it, when she realizes that the mermaids use their enchanting voices to sink ships. They hunt down any survivors and drown them. Luce wonders if they are any better than the humans who used to abuse them. She even questions the purpose in living almost forever if one doesn't use that life for good things. Her uncertainty causes suspicion with the other mermaids and Luce begins spending more time alone, practicing her singing skills. Soon enough, she can even enchant the waves and command them to do her will.

Just when she thinks she can share her skills with the other mermaids and teach them to use their singing powers to create goodwill in the world, a new mermaid joins the tribe. The evil of this mermaid creates rifts between the members of the tribe and threatens to destroy them all with her dark power. Luce must act to save her friends or watch them all die. But working against her is the fact that everyone has their own free will and ability to make their own choices.

As much as she wants to be close to her friends and happy in her new family, she can't overlook the evil things they do. She has hard choices to make. The book leaves the reader wondering, “What would I do?” This story of longing for friendship, acceptance, and love reminds us that everything in life comes with a price.

Better by Mistake, The Unexpected Benefits of Being Wrong

2011-05-29T13:40:00.000-07:00

Image: Riverhead Books

Book title: Better by Mistake: The Unexpected Benefits of Being Wrong
Author: Alina Tugend
Publisher: Riverhead Books, New York, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59448-785-9

Alina Tugend, the author of the consumer column “Shortcuts” in the New York Times, once wrote an article about how we treat mistakes. Reader response was phenomenal; it became one of the most emailed articles, indicating this is a topic people want to discuss.

In Better by Mistake, The Unexpected Benefits of Being Wrong, Tugend presents research about how we discuss our mistakes, what we teach our children, and what we actually do. The premise of this book is by recognizing our mistakes and acting on them in positive ways, we can improve ourselves, our families, and our lives.

In American culture, we're taught early on that we learn from our mistakes. Yet the reality of our actions show we haven't internalized the platitude. When things go wrong, it's more common for people to race to assign blame or to try to sweep the mistake under the carpet. Sometimes people who honestly face up to mistakes are penalized, giving us all the message that it's better to cover up than fess up.

Tugend goes on to find cultural differences and similarities in how mistakes are treated. She compares American, Japanese, and Italian classroom practices. In America, many teachers try to help students find the correct answers in math problems so no one will be embarrassed by a wrong answer, thus preserving self esteem. In Japan, teachers spend a great deal of time having students examine their mistakes so they gain underlying knowledge of why a problem works or doesn't work, and they use mistakes as motivation. In Italy, the teachers are more likely to correct mistakes in a stern manner, giving students the message they must study hard and get it right. None of these are presented as right or wrong, they simply serve to illuminate the differences in how we react to mistakes.

The perception and handling of mistakes also differs in business and industry, based on the social hierarchies and entrenched methods of operation. She gives real world examples of Enron and Wall Street, aviation and medicine, as well as education. In one chapter, the example of how the Tylenol poisoning incident of 1982 was handled is contrasted with how Toyota handled it's recent “unintended acceleration” mistake. There is something to learn from both examples.

Her anecdotes from the worlds of medicine and aviation show how simple communication problems that may cause mistakes can be alleviated by the use of checklists for complicated procedures. In one anecdote, a certain type of ICU infection was brought down to almost zero by the introduction of checklists for procedures.

This book is not a finger pointing book. Instead, it allows us to take an honest look at our own values, ethics, and views on mistakes in a sensitive and thoughtful discourse. Better by Mistake shows us the value of owning up to a mistake, both for ourselves and for those who we might have hurt. It ends with thoughts of how true apologies and acceptance of mistakes can lead to greater trust and understanding. We all make our share of mistakes, and Tugend has set out to help us learn from those mistakes and strengthen our bonds with one another in the process.

It's an excellent book for anyone involved in business, industry, education or parenting who has ever made a mistake; in essence, each and every one of us.

Tony Hawk's 900 Revolution Series

2011-05-28T17:23:00.000-07:00

Book title: Impulse, Volume 2
Author: M. Zachary Sherman
Publication Date: August 2011
Publisher: Capstone Books
ISBN: 978-1-4342-3452-0 (paperback)

Dylan Crow, nicknamed Slider, is a teenage foster kid who has two incredible talents. One is he knows how to get out of school and trouble, and the other is skateboarding.

Through his years in foster care, he's made one true friend, Mikey. He and Mikey call each other brother. Mikey gives Dylan a key and tells him it will change his life. He warns him not to lose it and to trust no one. When Mikey turns up missing and presumed murdered, Slider finds himself the target of an unknown rival Emo skatecrew.

Slider is determined to find out what the key opens. He discovers it leads to a mysterious object, one the Emo skatecrew wants for themselves. To protect himself and the powerful object, he must skate for his life, staying one ollie ahead of his pursuers.

This book combines graphic novel elements with text to create a fast paced, exciting read. From the first spitball on page one to the Black Hawk helicopter at the end, this short book is full of twists and turns.

Books in the new series coming this fall in Tony Hawk's 900 Revolution: