The First Book of the Year: 2014

 

This year I have decided to join Book Journey in the tradition of picking the book(s) that I will be reading into the new year.  According to Book Journey the book can be any of the following:

It can be a coveted book that you have been waiting to read, a guilty pleasure book, a re-read of a favorite that you want to explore once again… whatever you want.

I have decided that my pick(s) are in the nonfiction genre, which is odd for me because I see myself as more of a fiction reader.  However, in the past few years, I have been gravitating more and more to nonfiction.  The older I get the more I want to know, and that often means learning that something through nonfiction.   



 

The Real Purpose of Parenting:  The Book You Wish Your Parents Read by Dr. Philip B. Dembo

 

Summary:

 

THE REAL PURPOSE OF PARENTING is a series of stories and life lessons from the world of a therapist, known as The Parent Coach. Very well-intentioned, well meaning parents are at the point of crisis with their kids because their own best parenting efforts are NOT producing the children they want them to be. And there, according to Dr. Phil Dembo, lies the problem. In THE REAL PURPOSE OF PARENTING, even the best parents are capable of smothering the growth of their kid's life. This can happen because the truth of who the child is, and what the child truly needs is often overlooked or ignored in the agenda that many parents lay out for their kids. Thus...often landing the family in a colossal melt down.  Dr. Dembo shows simple family "turn around" strategies that reframe the real purpose of parenting and gives each family, and child their own salvation.-Goodreads
 

WHY:

 

I am on a quest to be a better parent.  I came to parenting late, and in the past five years of marriage, I am now the parent of four children (twins, a singleton, and one-on-the-way-March 2014).  A few things have quickly become self-evident, first, until you have children you shouldn't  sit in judgment of parents and their parenting style (I have always rated high on the judging scale).  Second, each child is different, and needs different things from each of his/her parents.  Third, because each child is so different, you can't allow yourself  to think that what you do for one child means that you love that child more or less, it just means that that child needs what you are providing and the others don't.  Finally, my children are not going to be the children that I envisioned in my imagination, and that is perfectly okay, they are real individuals, and I have to go with who they are, not what I imagined they would be.  These are all hard learned lessons, and this book will hopefully cement these truths in my brain and help me be the parent I want to be.

 

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

 

 Summary:

 

Why do some children succeed while others fail?

The story we usually tell about childhood and success is the one about intelligence: Success comes to those who score highest on tests, from preschool admissions to SATs.

But in "How Children Succeed," Paul Tough argues for a very different understanding of what makes a successful child. Drawing on groundbreaking research in neuroscience, economics, and psychology, Tough shows that the qualities that matter most have less to do with IQ and more to do with character: skills like grit, curiosity, conscientiousness, and optimism.

"How Children Succeed" introduces us to a new generation of scientists and educators who are radically changing our understanding of how children develop character, how they learn to think, and how they overcome adversity. It tells the personal stories of young people struggling to say on the right side of the line between success and failure. And it argues for a new way of thinking about how best to steer an individual child – or a whole generation of children – toward a successful future.

This provocative and profoundly hopeful book will not only inspire and engage readers; it will also change our understanding of childhood itself. -Goodreads

 

WHY:

This book also fits into my quest to not only be a better parent, but to also be a better teacher.  I had this one on my radar for awhile, but when one of my favorite sites to visit out there on the Internet, Brain Pickings, had it on their best of list for 2013, it moved up to the top of the pile.

 

I am always in awe at how much information just one person is able to decipher, and then publish in a meaningful publication in one weeks time, but Maria Popova of Brain Pickings does it week after week. If you have never visited Brain Pickings, I can't recommend this site highly enough. After a visit to Brain Pickings I always learn something, which is a good thing! 

 

As I said, a few weeks ago, one of the books featured in an article entitled "The 13 Best Psychology and Philosophy Books of 2013" was one that I have been interested in reading, How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character. I am always mystified, as both a teacher and parent, at what makes one child successful and another not. I hope to gain some clarity on the issue after reading this one.  Below is an excerpt from the article. Read on...and if this is something that makes you go Humm...then click on over to read Brain Pickings full article or better yet pick up the book from your local bookstore or library.

"In How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character (public library) – a necessary addition to these fantastic reads on education – Paul Tough, whose writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Slate, Esquire, The New York Times, sets out to investigate the essential building blocks of character through the findings and practical insight of exceptional educators and bleeding-edge researchers. One of his core arguments is based on the work of pioneering psychologist and 2013 MacArthur "genius" grantee Angela Duckworth, who studied under positive psychology godfather Martin Seligman at my alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, and has done more than anyone for advancing our understanding of how self-control and grit – the relentless work ethic of sustaining your commitments toward a long-term goal – impact success."-BRAIN PICKINGS

 

These are the two books that I will be reading into 2014.  I'll report back on how they went, and what I learned some time in the first few months of the new year!

 

 

Happy New Year to all!

 

Of all sound of all bells... most solemn and touching is the peal which rings out the Old Year.-Charles Lamb

 

 Happy Reading☮

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