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August 19
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Terry
gave
 
to:
Relentless Pursuit: A Year in the Trenches with Teach for America (Hardcover)
by Donna Foote
bookshelves:
non-fiction,
teaching
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Terry said:
"I’m so excited that my library finally had this book! Yay! I think what I admire most about this book is that Foote does not seem to have any sort of agenda other than real curiosity about a program—Teach for America—and how its ambitions play ...more
I’m so excited that my library finally had this book! Yay! I think what I admire most about this book is that Foote does not seem to have any sort of agenda other than real curiosity about a program—Teach for America—and how its ambitions play out in “the real world”. Many books about education-in-America-today seem to stem from a simmering rage (rightly so) and/or a desire to present a certain idea in a certain light. The author of “Ms. Moffett’s First Year”—a book I really liked—was accused of being out to “get” the New York Teach Fellows program and it was fairly clear how she felt about the program and even Ms. Moffett (and she wasn’t very happy with either). Foote steers clear of all that, and just presents her research (about TFA) and what actually happened at the school, rather than what SHE felt about what was happening at the school. I have no idea what SHE actually thinks about Locke High School or the charter school takeover, and I think that’s a good thing. When she does want to make someone look like a fool, she lets their own words and actions speak for themselves. My only small quibble is that she does clearly feel affection for the Teach for America “Corps Members” that she follows, and she seems to gloss over their faults or “failings” by merely saying “they fought about it” or “he didn’t agree with the program” where in other parts of the book she presents what someone said, word for word, and they end up looking like the fools they are. Another issue she seems to gloss over is race; while she does talk a lot about the tensions among the students, she mentions just once how the students feel about young, affluent, white people coming to their school, and it’s a conversation Foote stops too soon. The sad thing about this book is that Locke should probably be bulldozed. I think that school is on an Indian burial ground or something; it’s simply cursed. Anything than can go wrong, will; and despite the efforts of some truly well-intentioned people, it is run so appallingly that nothing good can ever happen there. This book also only confirmed the negative feelings about programs like Teach for America that I began to have after reading Dan Brown’s “The Great Expectations School”. At any rate, although the book is about a very specific school in a very specific school district, what is says about the priorities of those in charge of education today is worth reading for anyone....less
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August 10
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Terry
gave
to:
Standardized Childhood: The Political and Cultural Struggle over Early Education (Hardcover)
by Bruce Fuller
bookshelves:
non-fiction,
teaching
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Terry said:
"I'm listing this book as "currently reading" but I'd be surprised if I ever finish it. First of all, this book is written in a really bizarre style--highly academic, yet, with a sort of wry, aren't-these-people-foolish tone that is incredib...more
I'm listing this book as "currently reading" but I'd be surprised if I ever finish it. First of all, this book is written in a really bizarre style--highly academic, yet, with a sort of wry, aren't-these-people-foolish tone that is incredibly off-putting. I don't really get--yet--what the author's argument actually is. But his tone is certainly condescending.
I picked the book in the first place because it seemed to be making the argument that "No Child Left Behind" and its attendant testing frenzy is trickling down even into preschool, so that preschools are doing away with nap time and music time and play time in favor of "academics" and testing, which is of course pretty depressing. But Fuller seems to be veering off into other directions and I'm alarmed by what I've read so far.
One thing that really bothers me is that he seems to conflate "child care" with "preschool" which, to me, are two completely separate worlds, with different reasons for existence and different aims/outcomes. So when he lumps them together it only muddies the issue(s).
Second, within the first 28 pages (including the preface) Fuller starts singling out "feminists". I don't know exactly what "feminists" has to do with preschool, but according to his preface, in the 1970s a bunch of feminists decided to go to work instead of raising their children (and I guess that's how all these problems started!). Erm, oooookaaaayyy. I think he might have kind of a loose grasp on social history and classism and economics, but whatever. Then when discussing Rob Reiner's push for universal preschool, he states: "...advancing a single, high-fidelity model of preschool--ignoring the thousands of caregivers and feminist activists who were already in the trenches in the 1970s, while Reiner was playing Meathead on All in the Family--would likely undercut his good intentions." What All in the Family and "feminist activists of the 1970s" have to do with ANYTHING (in this book) is beyond me. But he does make points in other places about "fathers and grandfathers who suddenly got religion when it comes to the importance of early childhood"--I mean, so men who are interested in funding equal, quality child care and/or preschool, especially for low-income families, are...unqualified? Because they're...men? Therefore, only women (mothers) know what's best...? Then early on in the first chapter he starts talking about "rising maternal employment rates" which... well, I mean, he just seems to be pointing the finger at "feminist activists" who work while they have young children, and what is his point? They're to blame? Or what? I mean, if you're going to bring up the rising employment rates of young mothers, you're going to have to talk about WHY women go to work, and/or young mothers work, and/or what roles the fathers presumably play in all this, not just blather on about feminists and MOTHERS who work.
Lastly, he seems to be ignoring class and economics altogether. I get the feeling his argument is that families who put together "preschools/child care groups" for their kids know best, and let's leave them to it. Well, fine, but I think parents in, say, Rolling Hills Estates are going to have access to sllliiiggghhhttlly different resources than families in, say, Wilmington (for you local GoodReaders).
Why access to a beautifully furnished, safe preschool, with educated (in child development) and caring teachers, for everyone who needs or wants it, is somehow a bad thing to Fuller escapes me.
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August 05
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Terry
gave
to:
The Boy Who Was Raised As a Dog: And Other Stories from a Child Psychiatrist's Notebook: What Traumatized Children Can Teach Us About Loss, Love and Healing (Hardcover)
by Bruce D. Perry
bookshelves:
non-fiction,
teaching
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Terry said:
"WOW. This book is MIND BLOWING! I cannot say enough good things about it. It is utterly fascinating. I heartily recommend it to anyone interested in neuroscience, psychology, and/or child development. He combines short narratives of his experiences w...more
WOW. This book is MIND BLOWING! I cannot say enough good things about it. It is utterly fascinating. I heartily recommend it to anyone interested in neuroscience, psychology, and/or child development. He combines short narratives of his experiences working with various children with very scientific analysis of what he learned about the brain's development; and as the book evolves his theories and knowledge build on what he's learned and observed before. The "science" part of the book is challenging to read at times but so clearly and thoughtfully written that it's worth the challenge. It's also gut-wrenching what some parents/caregivers actually do to their children, so if you have a too-tender heart it might be very upsetting to read. On the other hand he gives a great deal of hope (and scientific proof) that severe trauma and neglect--and their effect on the brain--can be reversed. The book would also be excellent for educators to read, especially people who work in special education. I found the portions of his book on ADD/ADHD diagnoses and misdiagnoses fascinating--he points to the need for a whole re-evaluation of special education. And any administrator who wants to eliminate recess, P.E., dance, music, and art classes, especially at the early childhood level, is just so wrong I can't even put it into words. The only very minor quibble I have about this book is that the chapter on the satan-worshippers seems really out of place. However, the chapter on the surviving children of the Branch Davidian compound disaster is all-too-relevant to the children of the FLDS compounds. Sigh. Anyway--fantastic book and highly recommended!...less
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Terry
gave
to:
Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Meth Addiction (Hardcover)
by David Sheff
bookshelves:
non-fiction
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Terry said:
"I was more interested in reading his son's account of the same events, but now that I've read this, I don't think I'm up for it! Actually I honestly don't know what he (the son) would say--after a point, addiction is kind of repetitive, isn't it?--al...more
I was more interested in reading his son's account of the same events, but now that I've read this, I don't think I'm up for it! Actually I honestly don't know what he (the son) would say--after a point, addiction is kind of repetitive, isn't it?--although I'd like to know if he explores the effect his parents' divorce had on him, since I've recently read another book about how traumatic divorce is for children and they're not as "resilient" and "adaptable" as divorced parents would like to think they are. Anyway, back to THIS book: I don't know quite what to say about this book. My hackles were raised a bit because this family lives such a ridiculously charmed life (homes in Marin County, sending children to expensive private schools, the total wealthy-faux-bohemian-Northern-California lifestyle) and the author seems to sort of take pride in proving how hip he is as a dad and as a man. At one point he compares the drug use of his own youth with that of his son's and it's laughable. A Berkeley undergrad dabbling in pot and coke---oooo, how wild and crazy he was! And there are too many self-conscious references to music and films--arty, moody, outside-the-mainstream [vomit] works we're supposed to admire him for knowing about and admiring; and a lot of surfing. For some reason the image of a supremely wealthy father of three going on and on about surfing just seems annoying to me, not "cool". That's just me, though. My point is that the book is supposed to document a wrenching journey but the author doesn't seem to realize how he comes across to the reader sometimes. It's not until the last several dozen pages that he lets go of a somewhat stiff tone and really lets all his anguish and torment pour out, which was very moving...finally. I was especially moved by the end as he realizes he just has to let his son go completely. His son is a hardcore addict and there's just nothing he can do about it; he has to let the vision he had of his son's future just die. He hopes for the best for his son but he learns he has to literally and emotionally disengage completely because...there's no there, there, anymore. I don't know if I would recommend the book to families who are struggling with an addict (especially a meth addict) because frankly there is very, very, very, very little hope of sobriety for meth addicts, if any, truthfully. It's a topic that should be explored more in the mainstream media, I think. Anyway. A wrenching read and one that has the courage to be kind of a downer--there is no real cure or magic or happy ending. ...less
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Terry
gave
to:
Louder Than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism (Hardcover)
by Jenny McCarthy
bookshelves:
non-fiction
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Terry said:
"Okay. When I saw Jenny McCarthy on Oprah's show (don't judge!) about autism I was enraged by her insistence that autism can be cured. (I was curious that she mentions "healing autism" in the book's subtitle but she really doesn't push the ...more
Okay. When I saw Jenny McCarthy on Oprah's show (don't judge!) about autism I was enraged by her insistence that autism can be cured. (I was curious that she mentions "healing autism" in the book's subtitle but she really doesn't push the whole "I cured my son's autism" that much...well, until the end. I still find that stance unethical at best.) It can't. It can be managed, and the symptoms/effects can be drastically reduced through aggressive, consistent therapies and diet, but it cannot be cured. Period. Anyway. But I hate people who rail against books without actually reading them, so I read the book. And I actually liked it. I would recommend this to a family with a newly diagnosed child because I think it would offer a lot of guidance and comfort. Any family who has had a child with any kind of medical crisis or diagnosis would probably find comfort in her journey to getting her son properly diagnosed. It does point out the problems parents face in getting medical professionals to TAKE THEM SERIOUSLY which is mind-boggling but through her stories and those of other parents, all too common. Actually probably most people find it difficult to get their doctors to take them seriously, but maybe it all depends on your doctor and/or health insurance. Another quibble (in addition to her insistence that autism can be cured or healed) is that she is utterly blind to the role finances play in this situation--hers and others'. It's great that she can work just three days a month and spend the rest of the time working on helping her child without giving money a second thought, but most families simply can't do that.(Don't tell me about refinancing her house--I'm sure refinancing HER house is a little different than refinancing the houses of "ordinary" people.) It's nice that she can afford a full-time nanny even when she's not working, but most families can't do that. It's nice that through her money and her connections she can get an appointment to see "the nation's top neurologist" but most families can't do that. I was upset when she complained about the "depressed" mothers at one of her son's programs who seemed to "feel sorry for themselves". Well, maybe they're depressed because they waited months to get into the program and you sailed in within days! Maybe they're depressed because once this program ends, they can't afford to start another one! Maybe they're depressed because they're living in their car because their child's medical bills have left them homeless! It's nice that she can afford multiple doctors, including one in another state entirely, but most families can barely afford one. She marvels at the expense of the diet and therapy requirements, but it's never really an issue for her, and it angers me she doesn't ever mention that it's an issue for most families. Those annoyances aside, and with a big dose of AUTISM. CANNOT. BE. CURED., the book is still worth consideration....less
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August 03
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Terry
marked as to-read:
The Woman Who Can't Forget: The Extraordinary Story of Living with the Most Remarkable Memory Known to Science--A Memoir (Hardcover)
by Jill Price, Bart Davis
bookshelves:
to-read
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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July 30
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Terry
gave
to:
Madness: A Bipolar Life (Hardcover)
by Marya Hornbacher
bookshelves:
non-fiction
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Terry said:
"I'm a big fan of "Wasted" so I was interested in reading "Madness" because I think she's a great writer. I think this book is valuable because it is a very honest picture of living with a mental illness. Many memoirs, especially o...more
I'm a big fan of "Wasted" so I was interested in reading "Madness" because I think she's a great writer. I think this book is valuable because it is a very honest picture of living with a mental illness. Many memoirs, especially ones that deal with depression and/or eating disorders and/or dysfunctional families, sort of (sometimes accidentally, I'm sure) romanticize mental illness as a component of creativity--you know, that people who are a little unstable are more creative artists or writers, or that artists/writers are a little more sensitive, live a slightly more unhinged life, than "normal" people do, etc. etc. But this book makes it very clear that mental illness is brutal and unrelenting and devastating and many times those with mental illnesses are their own worst enemy. And so forth. This would be a good book to read for any adolescents (real or prolonged!) who are a little too dreamy about the whole tortured-artist thing....less
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July 29
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Terry
gave
to:
The Films of the Fifties (Paperback)
by Douglas Brode
bookshelves:
non-fiction
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Terry said:
"Thinking about "Mad Men" and David Halberstam's The Fifties made me think about this book. It is one of my favorite books! The reason I think it's so special is that it really puts the films in historical/sociological context. It's not just...more
Thinking about "Mad Men" and David Halberstam's The Fifties made me think about this book. It is one of my favorite books! The reason I think it's so special is that it really puts the films in historical/sociological context. It's not just one of those fawning "Ooo, the fifties! Poodle skirts! Elvis!" compilations, or greatest-hits-of-the-fifties, stupid faux-nostalgia books. It is really thoughtful. Each mini-review delves into the real significance behind each film, whether the making-of, the actual film, or its impact on society. Great book for film-lovers or pop-culture lovers. Or, you know, "Mad Men" lovers. Okay, I'll get off the "Mad Men" thing....less
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July 30
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Terry
gave
to:
The Fifties (Paperback)
by David Halberstam
bookshelves:
non-fiction
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in July, 2008
Terry said:
"I just love this book. I've read it before but I have it on my nightstand now, probably as a result of the confluence between "Mad Men" being back on AMC (oh my goodness, WHAT is going on with Betty?!) and my parents' ongoing Great PreDeath...more
I just love this book. I've read it before but I have it on my nightstand now, probably as a result of the confluence between "Mad Men" being back on AMC (oh my goodness, WHAT is going on with Betty?!) and my parents' ongoing Great PreDeath Cleanout of Books. It's a great book for just dipping into and reading; you can easily skip around, and/or just read the chapters that intrigue you. I have to say I find the book rather slapdash in that sense--the chapters usually are stand-alone essays rather than leading from one to the next in any kind of chronological or thematic fashion. But it's just really fascinating! I never knew Levitt's experience as a Seabee that influenced the construction of the houses/suburb. I mean, that's neat! Anyway. If you like "Mad Men" (heh) or reading about American popular culture/popular history, this book is worth owning....less
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July 29
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Terry
gave
to:
Daughter of the Queen of Sheba: A Memoir (Paperback)
by Jacki Lyden
bookshelves:
non-fiction
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Terry said:
"Hmm, what to say about this book? I was working in Borders in Boston at the time it was released and I remember there being a bit of a fuss about it (all those NPR fanatics out there, you know). I think Jackie Lyden's writing style is fascinating--it...more
Hmm, what to say about this book? I was working in Borders in Boston at the time it was released and I remember there being a bit of a fuss about it (all those NPR fanatics out there, you know). I think Jackie Lyden's writing style is fascinating--it's almost surreal at times. I mean that in the sense it's sort of poetic and feverish at the same time, and thus, somewhat fragmented, or fragmentary. So I enjoyed/admired that aspect of the book. Her story is probably not terribly new to anyone who reads any books about "dysfunctional families" or mad relatives. By mad I mean mentally ill. Anyway. I wanted to really love this book but I think that her writing style, as admirable as it is, sort of kept me at a distance. I admired the book but did not fall into it the way I wanted to....less
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