Ben - The United States (54 books)

Ben rated a book 3 of 5 stars

The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less
by Barry Schwartz

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Ben rated a book 2 of 5 stars

Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10
by Marcus Luttrell

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Ben rated a book 4 of 5 stars

How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character
by Paul Tough (Goodreads Author)

read in March, 2013

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The subtitle of the book is a bit misleading. (I should even say the title was misleading as it deals more with adolescents than with children.) I had (foolishly) hoped for a book that more clearly catalogued true traits the girder success and how th...more The subtitle of the book is a bit misleading. (I should even say the title was misleading as it deals more with adolescents than with children.) I had (foolishly) hoped for a book that more clearly catalogued true traits the girder success and how they can be instilled in children. While it does spend much of its time looking at the "character" traits that help children succeed, it is broader focused than just character development, with many portions dwelling on evaluation of a variety of education focuses and reforms, both past and present, and many detailed ancillary stories. And, more importantly, Tough comes as the bearer of the truth that even if there is some distinguishable set of traits that brings success, there is no certainty on how these traits can be endowed or taught fully, or even partially. The book also focuses heavily on the education issues for those teaching disadvantaged students. In this way, it is more a book about policy and education engineering than one for parents looking for cues in raising their already advantaged kids. To be fair though, there were some small portions probing the problems that over-advantaged students can face, such as lack of experience dealing with adversity and a failure-avoidance mentality.

While the book is well written and an easy page turner, I did grow a bit weary of it as I made my way through it. In the end though Tough redeemed the book with a final chapter that did a real good job of tying all the loose chapters and anecdotes together. This was a refreshing relief from the typical obligatory final chapter that simply summarizes what has already be said. It's this chapter that most truly reveals the books as a treatise on the state of the intertwined war against poverty and disadvantages in education in America. I don't know that Tough has answered any questions whatsoever with this book, but he has taken a great snapshot of what we know and where we are (hopefully) headed on the path to meaningful educational reform.(less)

Ben rated a book 2 of 5 stars

One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are
by Ann Voskamp

read in February, 2013

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If Jack Kerouac and Ayn Rand had converted to Christianity and wrote a book together it might have looked something like this. And that's not meant to be a slight, necessarily. I liked it a lot at first but with each page the wordiness, commas, and i...more

Ben rated a book 2 of 5 stars

7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess
by Jen Hatmaker

read in February, 2013

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I can understand others giving this book a high rating, but for me personally I struggled through it. I think most of this was due to the style and tone of the writer which I just didn't like on a simple personality basis, which may be my fault as mu...more

Ben rated a book 3 of 5 stars

Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative
by Austin Kleon (Goodreads Author)

read in January, 2013

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Pros: It made me want to be, and take steps to be, more creative in life.

Cons: Short, simple, bordering dangerously close to trite.

All in all though, in light of the pro listed above, a desirable read because, honestly, what more could you want out o...more

Ben rated a book 4 of 5 stars

Dinner with a Perfect Stranger by David Gregory

Dinner with a Perfect Stranger: An Invitation Worth Considering
by David Gregory

read in January, 2013

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I was very pleasantly surprised by this read as its purported purpose and its small gift-like size made me hesitant to even open it. While indeed silly on some levels (how could it not be), it ultimately managed to be charming, witty, and smartly wri...more

Ben rated a book 3 of 5 stars

The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable
by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

read in January, 2013

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I can't say I enjoyed reading this book (hence the 3 stars), but I do enjoy having read it (hence the temptation I had to give it four stars.) The ideas, though really more just a single idea discussed ad nauseum, of this book are quite powerful and...more

Ben rated a book 3 of 5 stars

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
by Malcolm Gladwell

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Ben rated a book 1 of 5 stars

Holy Discontent: Fueling the Fire That Ignites Personal Vision
by Bill Hybels

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Ben rated a book 3 of 5 stars The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less by Barry Schwartz	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 21, 2013 08:21pm
Ben rated a book 2 of 5 stars Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 by Marcus Luttrell	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 21, 2013 08:21pm
Ben rated a book 4 of 5 stars How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character by Paul Tough (Goodreads Author) read in March, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The subtitle of the book is a bit misleading. (I should even say the title was misleading as it deals more with adolescents than with children.) I had (foolishly) hoped for a book that more clearly catalogued true traits the girder success and how th...more
Mar 13, 2013 08:35pm · see review
Ben rated a book 2 of 5 stars One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp read in February, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
If Jack Kerouac and Ayn Rand had converted to Christianity and wrote a book together it might have looked something like this. And that's not meant to be a slight, necessarily. I liked it a lot at first but with each page the wordiness, commas, and i...more
Feb 25, 2013 08:36pm · see review
Ben rated a book 2 of 5 stars 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker read in February, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I can understand others giving this book a high rating, but for me personally I struggled through it. I think most of this was due to the style and tone of the writer which I just didn't like on a simple personality basis, which may be my fault as mu...more
Feb 24, 2013 06:37pm · see review
Ben rated a book 3 of 5 stars Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon (Goodreads Author) read in January, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Pros: It made me want to be, and take steps to be, more creative in life. Cons: Short, simple, bordering dangerously close to trite. All in all though, in light of the pro listed above, a desirable read because, honestly, what more could you want out o...more
Jan 06, 2013 08:46pm · see review
Ben rated a book 4 of 5 stars Dinner with a Perfect Stranger: An Invitation Worth Considering by David Gregory read in January, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I was very pleasantly surprised by this read as its purported purpose and its small gift-like size made me hesitant to even open it. While indeed silly on some levels (how could it not be), it ultimately managed to be charming, witty, and smartly wri...more
Jan 06, 2013 08:41pm · see review
Ben rated a book 3 of 5 stars The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb read in January, 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I can't say I enjoyed reading this book (hence the 3 stars), but I do enjoy having read it (hence the temptation I had to give it four stars.) The ideas, though really more just a single idea discussed ad nauseum, of this book are quite powerful and...more
Jan 02, 2013 08:01pm · see review
Ben rated a book 3 of 5 stars The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 14, 2012 12:47pm
Ben rated a book 1 of 5 stars Holy Discontent: Fueling the Fire That Ignites Personal Vision by Bill Hybels	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 14, 2012 07:12am

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