More … From My Bookshelf

More … from my bookshelf

With a brief note about what I found compelling in each.

                                       – Equity –

New Kid

by Jerry Craft 2019

My first graphic novel!  Pictures ARE worth a thousand words.  Award winner for middle schoolers.  And a great PD tool for educators: seeing life from a student of color perspective.

Mobituaries

by Mo Rocca  2019

Title is pun on the author’s name and tells “the rest of the story” for many long forgotten.  Includes many obituaries from Black governors and senators from the Reconstruction South.

Culturally Responsive School Leadership (Race and Education)

by Muhammad Khalifa , H. Richard Milner IV, et al. 2018

This was a hard read but packed full with wise ideas for connecting with the students and communities we serve.  Lots of tools for listening to students and community elders and taking action to reduce marginalization, isolation and racial bias.

                                   – Leadership –

The Outward Mindset: Seeing Beyond Ourselves

by The Arbinger Institute  2019

Third in a series by Arbinger.  About “seeing” the people and the situations we face.  Seeing people not as objects to be manipulated but as real people with issues, interests, and dreams. Outward mindset organizations are four times more likely to implement projects successfully.

Overcoming Five Dysfunctions of a Team

by Patrick Lencioni 2005

Novel format business book with great summary at the end.  Build trust. Address conflict. Make commitments. Embrace accountability. Pay attention to results.

Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World

by Cal Newport, Jeff Bottoms, et al. 2016

A personal growth book based on the author’s success.  Remove distractions.  Schedule blocks of time.  Learn to do “deliberate practice,” intentional work at getting better.  Some good time management hacks.

Getting Naked: A Business Fable About Shedding the Three Fears That Sabotage Client Loyalty

by Patrick Lencioni, Dan Woren, et al. 2010

Tell the kind truth.  Enter the danger. Celebrate mistakes.  Do the dirty work.  Admit weaknesses.  Put others first.  Ask dumb questions.  Earn trust.  Short story form followed by concise ideas for growth.

                          – Behind the Headlines –

The Alice Behind Wonderland

by Simon Winchester 2011

Winchester writes spellbinding history.  This short book tells the story of the man who wrote Alice in Wonderland.  A brilliant mathematician, a pioneer photographer.  Immortalized by the story he wrote at the request of his boss’ daughter.

A Long Petal of the Sea: A Novel

by Isabel Allende , Nick Caistor, et al 2020

Allende writes captivating prose.  This novel tells the tale of the Spanish Civil War and the difficult transitions of the emigrants to Chile.

American Dirt: A Novel

by Jeanine Cummins 2020

Controversial best seller.  Tells the story of Mexican and Honduran nationals seeking refuge in the U.S. Traumatizing tale of the violence that prompts emigration and the terror of the journey.

                             – Signs of Our Times –

Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope

by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn 2020

Sobering look at the disappearing middle class.  NYT columnist looks at his hometown, Yamhill, OR, and how classmates have suffered through our unraveling safety net.  Adds lots of facts and figures about how we abandoned our middle class, our youth and what we can do to fix it.

Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth

by Rachel Maddow  2019

The past, present and future of big oil. How big oil continues to shape our economy, our politics and our future, worldwide and in the U.S.

                         – Coping with Our Times –

The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever

by Michael Bungay Stanier, Daniel Maté, et al. 2016

An awesome book for our times.  Basic coaching questions to ask ourselves and those around us:   “What’s the real challenge here?”  “What do we want?” Asking, “What else?” multiple times.  Follow this cycle several times and you will be ready to address the crisis of the moment.

Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life

by Richard Rohr  2011

Ties together Greek mythology, Catholic tradition and modern sociology.  Says life’s first half is about the climb to achieve success.  Then life happens, we experience a fall, personally or professionally.  And by falling we find redemption and greater confidence for life’s second half.

Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World

by Max Lucado 2017

Biblical perspectives on hope and confidence. Finding CALM in scripture: Confidence in God; Asking for peace; Leaving burdens behind; Meditating on truth.