A powerful example of a social psych book that combines a want: parents and people who have teenagers in their lives to understand the teens' emotionaA powerful example of a social psych book that combines a want: parents and people who have teenagers in their lives to understand the teens' emotional lives and the need: someone to explain it to them in a practical way that describes, explains, provides examples, and personal understanding. In this case, Damour is a PhD in psychology who has oodles of examples from her own clinical experience working with teens and their adults as well as having two teenagers herself. She only drops in elements of her own life when it fits, providing a balance of understanding and knowing but with the background of her professional experiences.
Damour moves through myth busting like "with their amped-up emotions, teens are psychologically fragile" and real experiences asking questions like "when should teens be shielded from emotional pain?" to the humorous but serious "why your teen hates how you chew" and the practical "keeping technology in its place" and confronting the uncomfortable "owning and repairing parenting mistakes." Everything was there to be useful: the selected case studies, when research was presented, to understanding the unique position of time and place for teenagers such as dealing with the pandemic.
Useful for those in education working with teens, useful for parents. As a parent, I saw myself in the mistakes and opportunities that present themselves and as a school librarian, I reflected on avenues I can take in the future with teens be it in conversation, frustration, or support. ...more
Boaler's stance is that we need to change the way we approach math- from the start. I definitely agree so this was an easy book to "sell" me on becausBoaler's stance is that we need to change the way we approach math- from the start. I definitely agree so this was an easy book to "sell" me on because I am in the camp that she discusses early on that my emotions of not being good at math paint my entire world regarding math that began from not being good at those times table timed tests and continued from there. The silver lining I tell people is that I need the practicality-- percentages to know the discount on clothes that I'm going to by and fractions when I'm baking-- but the open mindedness of conversation, the perspective that there was plenty of ways to solve a problem, that math diversity / math-ish needs to be the approach that overhauls the system. So I'm biased in that I want to get behind what she shares. I'm trying to get my husband- a computer science major with a math minor- to read it too to see what he thinks.
Boaler approaches it with organization and easily understood principles. My only annoyance was that she dropped her connection to Stanford more times than I could count-- got it, you're super smart and taught at Stanford, please move on-- not to discount it but that she included it often. I applaud her work with youcubed to test out these theories and put the research where her mind was going. Plenty of people need to read this book especially those in education!
"One of the most important goals we should hold for our students learning to be citizens of our diverse world is this form of respect for their fellow students, no matter their race, class, gender, achievement level, or any other form of difference.... he demonstrated how educators can encourage thoughtful metacognition in their students. Watching a teacher in the first week of the school year is always incredibly informative, as this is the time when teachers establish what will be the norms of their classrooms for the year ahead."
"Simplify... "For example, when asked to add 19 + 6, some students instead add 20 + 5. This may seem like an obvious strategy, but I have found that many low-achieving students believe that it is somehow "not allowed" to change the problem that is given to them. The approach of changing numbers or shapes helps people become more flexible in their problem-solving."
"Learning to learn; encourage struggle; concepts and connections; multiple representations; diverse practice and feedback."...more
A way to help children (and older kids and even adults) understand that there are emotions at work inside of us that need to be dealt with with a toolA way to help children (and older kids and even adults) understand that there are emotions at work inside of us that need to be dealt with with a toolkit, what unfolds- literally- is a toolkit of items that can help address issues someone might be having whether it's reading a book to blowing bubbles.
It's a perfect SEL title that gives solid examples of what to do to help address emotions. ...more
I'm sure it's a great book overall but sometimes business books are useful reads for non-business folks however this one was so heavily focused on entI'm sure it's a great book overall but sometimes business books are useful reads for non-business folks however this one was so heavily focused on entrepreneurship that I shallowly read it because it had popped into my feed and I thought I could learn from it but this is not helpful professionally or personally to me.
He relies on his own experiences, teaching others, and lessons learned to impart knowledge for readers. Not complicated but not a focus of mine. ...more
I didn't know that the book had a religious foundation when I asked to read it via Netgalley and while it's present and the authors' experiences are bI didn't know that the book had a religious foundation when I asked to read it via Netgalley and while it's present and the authors' experiences are based in religion, all of the sharing is grounded in information and research that many rural and urban educators and people that work with kids already know from ACES to trauma-informed care and education. It's good to have reminders, new ways to think about the same things, and refine our ability to connect and help.
It was a text that is invaluable to remind that it's both the external and the internal that we're working on when working with kids and how we can move the needle for compassion and understanding. ...more
A necessary read for educators who have a focus on reading with teens. This book, published in 2023 after studying 8th - 10th graders over several yeaA necessary read for educators who have a focus on reading with teens. This book, published in 2023 after studying 8th - 10th graders over several years take a lot of their words from interviews during the study to share and analyze how teens grow through reading but recognizing the limitations as they get older to keep them engaged.
Plenty of quotes that I've pulled to revisit and a few that I'm going to be sending to a few admins to change their minds regarding how they're viewing reading. I also know several teachers would would also feel seen in their work with teens and reading.
As a librarian and a professor for YA literature, I wanted to dive into this one for additional insight. ...more
Anxiety made visual this would be nicely paired with the movie Inside Out (the sequel that features anxiety along with other emotions) because Livy haAnxiety made visual this would be nicely paired with the movie Inside Out (the sequel that features anxiety along with other emotions) because Livy has Viola-- Viola is the manifestation of her anxieties from not fitting in or having friends to comparing her parents' jobs to others' to not being good enough for her parents in terms of what she'd like to do when she gets older.
The visual nature of Viola always hovering, moving alongside, and talking to Livy is a powerful statement of what she deals with and for the longest time, by herself. There were noticeable differences that her teachers saw, she retreated into herself, and finally was able to ask her mother for help and went to see someone about this overwhelming anxiety. Again, the book is teachable, as the professional shares why and how anxiety exists and how everyone can learn to control it if it's overwhelming, it takes focus and practice.
The middle grade graphic novel was a refreshing read filled with authentic understanding of family and school dynamics since it is borrowed heavily from Fung's own immigration coming-of-age. ...more
Maybe something pushed this to make the rounds again nearly a decade after it was published (I was surprised to learn as I was adding it to my GoodreaMaybe something pushed this to make the rounds again nearly a decade after it was published (I was surprised to learn as I was adding it to my Goodreads shelf just now) but either way, it's an essential read for women (the earlier the better) but also for men whether it's in segments, chapters, or around a certain topic. I know I've already shared a few tidbits with my spouse.
Either way, the only frustration I had with the book is Nagoski's use of analogy at.every.turn. I get that finding a new way to say the same thing, especially if it's about science or finding a new way for someone to look at a topic, it is necessary to make analogies or comparisons, however the whole flower garden motif both got tiring quickly and also felt... cliche? Again, a narrative critique, not that it discounts all of the amazing things I learned from this woman doing research, being forthright, and sharing out because of her curiosity. I wholeheartedly love that this book exists. And at it's core it is that everything is normal and the minute we begin to appreciate that fact, that easier it might be to relax about all of the hang ups, issues, and nitpicky details that bring us as women down.
Her dalliances into humor whether it's demonstrating a point with a few lines from Fifty Shades of Gray to her self-referencing that her book is often prescribed and referenced lends power and credence to the importance of her work getting out to the people who need it the most. Nonfiction like this exists to build us all up and throw back the covers of secrecy- how else could she lead with that in the Middle Ages, women’s genitals were called “pudendum” from the Latin pudere, meaning “to make ashamed" because (to quote a later student in her class): patriarchy. ...more
The book provides foundational knowledge about algorithms in social media and gives context to how the drive for an aesthetic or differences end up (wThe book provides foundational knowledge about algorithms in social media and gives context to how the drive for an aesthetic or differences end up (with the help of the tweaks of algorithms) make everything the same and people to seek sameness when they think they're being unique.
Using examples such as cafes, Chayka talks about BookTok, travel plans, political ideologies, and so much more. He talks about falling into those same traps which led him to take a social media hiatus and see how that felt for him which is a thought everyone should undertake, myself included.
We need to be competent and aware consumers and instead we're all falling prey to the machinations of filterworld. I enjoyed his example to open the book about the chess bot, that was in fact just a person behind a "bot" and how there is always human action behind all of it.
I was fascinated by the "insta poets" such as Rupi Kaur and the bite sized pieces that social media takes. He uses the similar example to when he took his hiatus and wrote down his "thoughts" as if he were going to tweet them but out of context, it matters and means little.
There was a lot to unravel and ponder. A lot that I will talk about and share with others. While a lot of it, in my profession wasn't new, it is necessary to write about and take a pulse of this technology (always fleeting too, what will be the next obsession?)....more
The author's note that Yamasaki leaves at the end of the book explains how she wanted to write a book after meeting women in a prison in Mexico who weThe author's note that Yamasaki leaves at the end of the book explains how she wanted to write a book after meeting women in a prison in Mexico who were separated from their children and often imprisoned for domestic related offenses. They were separated from their families and got her thinking about the separation of people in general and if they all can connect someplace-- that someplace in the book is a small mural with a heart and a hand that the community walks or drives by, placing their own hand on the hand to make a connection between someone or some place they're missing.
Not quite what I was expecting from the book about the color monster going to school, it didn't read like it had a solid direction or purpose like theNot quite what I was expecting from the book about the color monster going to school, it didn't read like it had a solid direction or purpose like the first one did.
Instead it's about color monster moving through the excitement of the day and the monster's friend being entirely exhausted by the end of it....more
Mentioned somewhere I can't remember regarding SEL texts, this children's book came up and features our friend, the color monster who is a jumble of cMentioned somewhere I can't remember regarding SEL texts, this children's book came up and features our friend, the color monster who is a jumble of colors. And the monster's friend who helps sort monster's colors into the feelings they represent whether it's sadness or contentment.
It's a good reminder that we are usually a mess of multiple colors at the same time however when we're able to name them, we're better able to help ourselves along the way....more
The book is not revelatory nor is it super academic, it's the kind of speed I like from a social psychology book to discuss the differences between haThe book is not revelatory nor is it super academic, it's the kind of speed I like from a social psychology book to discuss the differences between habit and ritual and what rituals mean to an individual and a group.
A few tidbits from the book-- "habit versus ritual- one automates, the other animates". ... "Good habits automate us, helping us get things done. Rituals animate us, enhancing and enchanting our lives with something more."
"Habit is the what. It's something we do: brush our teeth, go to the gym, consume leafy dark green vegetables, face email, pay bills, go to sleep at a sensible hour (or not)... A ritual is not just the action but the particular way we enact it- the how. It matters to us not simply that we complete the action but the specific way we complete it. Rituals are also deeply and inherently emotional."
"Becoming Invested in the Cake You Bake" story and the Swedish ritual of "dostadning"-- which is "death cleaning"- "it's an invitation to reflect on all the things in one's home- do they benefit you and your loved ones now? What about your future self? Will that self use or cherish them? If not, it's probably time to say goodbye to them. In Iran, spring brings Nowruz, a ritual of renewal that metaphorically goes beyond just reflecting on the house, knoneh takooni means "shaking the house.""
:That is the great opportunity of rituals in the twenty-first century. Rituals offer all of us a way to enhance our lives with something more. Go out and experiment. In every one of your days, ordinary actions may transform into the extraordinary. What did you do today to love, appreciate, laugh, mourn, savor, experience, just a little bit more? And what more can you do tomorrow?"...more
This might be a hard sell for a general YA audience because conceptually and emotionally, Nehanda deals out some hard truths pulling on medical racismThis might be a hard sell for a general YA audience because conceptually and emotionally, Nehanda deals out some hard truths pulling on medical racism and past trauma and it's approached in a complex way in its delivery- a mix of free form, verse, documents, etc.
The inconsistency in the delivery of the memoir is what continually disrupted the flow of reading it and what kept me from being entrenched in Nehanda's story the way I did with Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum. Nehanda covers a romantic relationship, her relationship with her parents, interactions with hospital staff, strangers, employers, and herself. But the swirling lines of connection, frustration, treatment, healing left me disoriented and at a loss for what her ultimate goal in writing it was.
The words are powerful individually, but as a whole I wasn't as impressed. ...more
Everything about this book. It's an all-ages, gut punch to the feelings.
I took several screenshots of the digital version I was reading to remember hEverything about this book. It's an all-ages, gut punch to the feelings.
I took several screenshots of the digital version I was reading to remember how those feelings made me feel the first time because Frazee talks about universal experiences, the bigness of the world, and the power of togetherness. I will definitely read the print version to hold in my hands and have that experience with because the phenomenal full page spreads in between the simple sentences are riveting.
And it's a book I'd own and I'd give to others-- a meditation on life. ...more
I haven't read a good social psych book in a while and a book by Duhigg was probably going to hit right. This one is about the connections we make witI haven't read a good social psych book in a while and a book by Duhigg was probably going to hit right. This one is about the connections we make with one another, especially and specifically on tougher topics-- he discusses guns, vaccines, and COVID in the story but a bevy of other examples from an executive at Netflix and an FBI agent.
Ultimately Duhigg's message is that there are rules to follow when it comes to the "secret language" of connecting. They are about paying attention to what the conversation IS that's occurring, figuring out the goals of those you're talking to but also sharing yours as well, sharing feelings and asking about others', and understanding the identities and how/why they're important to the discussion.
Duhigg also included analysis of couples' and the differences between happy and unhappy ones related to how they communicated (and the videos they used of them to analyze).
Either way, plenty of things to unpack around the major elements of connection! I know THREE people who would be interested in reading the book. ...more
I probably need to own this. I interlibrary loaned it upon a recommendation from a PD friend and as a deliverer of PD, this was as informative and useI probably need to own this. I interlibrary loaned it upon a recommendation from a PD friend and as a deliverer of PD, this was as informative and useful as a book can get. Post-its are bursting at the seams. Having just finished it, my next step is the last direction they give. Review the notes then find 10 takeaways, then distill it to 5 things, then finally settle on 3. However there's much to remember but also much to celebrate since there's definitely things that I do (and plenty of improvement to build upon).
Helpful, informative, easy to follow. I appreciate their work in putting this together and sharing it with the world. PD should be like a party. ...more
I fully recognize that I am not the audience for this- I think I borrowed it on the assumption it would be more Neil DeGrasse Tyson philosophizing thaI fully recognize that I am not the audience for this- I think I borrowed it on the assumption it would be more Neil DeGrasse Tyson philosophizing than it would be about a medium talking about her and our internal power to recognize signs that come to us, generally from loved ones who work alongside of us in this thing called life.
Using stories she's heard and experiences she's had with others, it's a collection of these magical moments that help bring awareness to having an open mind and making connections. Sentimental and empathetic I can be, Jackson provided an avenue to think a big broader but it wasn't a moving experience. ...more
Reading this for the possibility of helping with a book group around homelessness, Kozol is a household name for sure. I assumed that this would be anReading this for the possibility of helping with a book group around homelessness, Kozol is a household name for sure. I assumed that this would be an updated edition but in 2024, it is hard to read about everything from the 1980s without the context of what is currently happening in the United States as it relates to homelessness in America particularly around costs, numbers, social support, access, etc.
But taken from the human standpoint that Kozol shares with stories from interviews combined with statistics, the book shares the difficult realities of homelessness especially on children and families related to the relentless search for a home to family togetherness to illnesses and disease and ineffective safety and security.
Worthy of a read, I need an update to the book to grasp the current state of affairs. ...more
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