My Life in France

Summary (from the publisher): In her own words, here is the captivating story of Julia Child’s years in France, where she fell in love with French food and found ‘her true calling.’

From the moment the ship docked in Le Havre in the fall of 1948 and Julia watched the well-muscled stevedores unloading the cargo to the first perfectly soigné meal that she and her husband, Paul, savored in Rouen en route to Paris, where he was to work for the USIS, Julia had an awakening that changed her life. Soon this tall, outspoken gal from Pasadena, California, who didn’t speak a word of French and knew nothing about the country, was steeped in the language, chatting with purveyors in the local markets, and enrolled in the Cordon Bleu.

After managing to get her degree despite the machinations of the disagreeable directrice of the school, Julia started teaching cooking classes herself, then teamed up with two fellow gourmettes, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, to help them with a book they were trying to write on French cooking for Americans. Throwing herself heart and soul into making it a unique and thorough teaching book, only to suffer several rounds of painful rejection, is part of the behind-the-scenes drama that Julia reveals with her inimitable gusto and disarming honesty.

Filled with the beautiful black-and-white photographs that Paul loved to take when he was not battling bureaucrats, as well as family snapshots, this memoir is laced with wonderful stories about the French character, particularly in the world of food, and the way of life that Julia embraced so wholeheartedly. Above all, she reveals the kind of spirit and determination, the sheer love of cooking, and the drive to share that with her fellow Americans that made her the extraordinary success she became.

Le voici. Et bon appétit!

Review: This book was truly a delight to read. My Life in France, as evidenced by the self-explanatory title, details Julia's life abroad when she fell in love with cooking and ultimately gained national acclaim. 

Although I am not a particularly advanced cook (by any means) and the topic of food could begin to drag for me, Julia's voice was so engaging, I found this book quite enjoyable. Although told in Julia's own voice, this book was written in partnership with Alex Prud'homme, who just so happened to be Julia's beloved husband's Paul's grand-nephew. Julia always told Alex that he looked like her husband Paul, which possibly helped her to be more at ease with him while telling her story. Julia's idiosyncrasies are captured in the writing. Her little cries dismay of with a "Ouf!" and her frequent French injections such as "Et voila!" are included throughout, which I really enjoyed and appreciated. It felt as if I was having a long conversation with Julia, because her voice and personality shines through so strongly.   

I was surprised to see how surprisingly unsentimental Julia is, particularly with her father. On writing about his death in 1962, Julia says "I was fond of Pop, in a way. He had been terribly generous financially, but we did not connect spiritually and had become quite detached" (238). Similarly, although she seems quite inseparable from her husband Paul, she seems to relay the story of his declining health, time in a nursing home, and death in a very detached and matter of fact way. Of course, I'm sure it was difficult to discuss, and her own age at the time of writing (ninety-one) probably contributed to this tone of voice.

I was impressed by Julia's determination and work ethic concerning her career in cooking. Julia worked tirelessly to master her skills, and would spend months perfecting a single recipe to include in her cook books. For example, in pursuit of the perfect recipe for a French baguette, Julia eventually spent "two years and something like 284 pounds of flour to try out all the home-style recipes for French bread we could find" (254). You truly have to be passionate and devoted to spend years in pursuit of perfection, which is exactly what Julia did. Julia is candid about her triumphs, but also her irritation with her French counterpart, Simone Fischbacher, or Simca, who proved increasingly difficult to partner with over time. Julia also discusses complications I hadn't considered, such as differing conversions from French to American recipes and the inability to easily translate French ingredients to American counterparts. 

Julia seems to have had an adventurous and fearless spirit. Throughout her life, she was constantly tackling new unknowns and challenging the status quo. From her height of 6'2" to her attempts to master a traditionally male profession in a foreign country to tackling television in its early days, Julia was innovative and devoted in her efforts to introduce quality French cooking for American cooks.

Stars: 4

 

The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age

Summary (from the publisher): Clinical psychologist Catherine Steiner-Adair takes an in-depth look at how the Internet and the digital revolution are profoundly changing childhood and family dynamics, and offers solutions parents can use to successfully shepherd their children through the technological wilderness.

Families today are embracing technology at the expense of face-to-face engagement.

From cradle to college, our children are learning more from entertainment than education. Easy access to the Internet and social media has erased the boundaries that protect childhood from the unsavory aspects of adult life. Parents, too, are immersed in the digital world far more deeply than they realize. Whether they are incessantly chatting or texting on their smartphones, or working in front of their computer screens, they are increasingly missing in action from their children's lives. Meanwhile, kids long for more meaningful relationships not only with each other but with the grown-ups in their lives.

The benefits of having infinite information at our fingertips are extraordinary, and we are connected more than ever, but as the focus of family has turned to the glow of the screen and quick-twitch communications, parents often feel they are losing control of family life, and worse, the means for meaningful connection with the children they love.

As clinical psychologist Catherine Steiner-Adair shows, these chronic distractions can have deep and lasting effects. Children don't need adults constantly, but they do need parents to provide what tech cannot: close, meaningful interactions with family and friends. Drawing on real-life stories from her clinical and consulting work, Steiner-Adair offers insight and advice that can help parents achieve greater understanding, authority, and confidence as they come up against the tech revolution unfolding in their living rooms.

With fresh eyes, an open mind, and the will to act on what we see and learn, Steiner-Adair argues, we have the opportunity now to nourish our families and protect and prepare our children for meaningful life in a digital age that is here to stay.

Review: I received an Advance Reader Copy from HarperCollins. 

The Big Disconnect looks at the impact of technology on children and family relationships. This book exposes the lasting effects this ongoing distraction and lack of engagement can do to relationships between parents and children at all ages. 

I will admit, I thought this book looked like something that would be informative and it would be a good idea for me to read it for my own edification, but I was not excited to start it. However, I found it much more interesting and engaging than I expected. I attribute this to the author's informative yet entertaining writing style. The author includes an overwhelming number of examples, quotes, and personal stories that more than prove and illustrate her points. In fact, the author acknowledges that she "interviewed more than 1,000 children ages four to eighteen, more than 500 parents, and more than 500 teachers" in preparation for this text (298). The thouroughness of her research shows. 

This book includes a chapter covering each age group of children from birth through teenage years. The coverage of teenage years was not surprising and was a lot of the same information I had already heard reported in the news, such as the risk of sexual predators, inappropriate sexual content, cyber bullying, etc. However, I was particularly struck by the chapter on babies and how disengaging from your baby to work on interact with your smartphone or ipad can and does impact your infant! "Babies are often distressed when they look to their parent for a reassuring connection and discover the parent is distressed or uninterested. Studies show that they are especially distressed by a mother's 'flat' or emotionless expression, something we might once have associated with a depressive caregiver, but which now is eerily similar to the expressionless face we adopt when we stare down to text, stare away as we talk on our phones, or stare into a screen as we go online.  More recent studies using brain imaging scans on infants show that brain centers critical for higher order learning and language development 'light up' when a mother is present and fully engaged as she speaks to her baby" (71). Steiner-Adair also goes on to describe how a mother's early interaction with her baby establishes her baby's identity and shows the child that they can have an impact or influence others, but this lesson can be disrupted by distracted and disengaged technology-using parents. So, development from birth is heavily influenced by our new technology-enriched reality. 

I think this book is a crucial read for today's parents of children at any age. It's easy to justify use of your smartphone or tablet in your child's presence, and obviously unavoidable to a certain extent. But reading this book will illustrate the wisdom in trying to limit time spent on technology by both parents and children, and the importance of fostering face-to-face, engaged relationships. The book does conclude with qualities of a sustainable family, and values parents should try to emphasize to limit the impact of technology. However, I was frustrated by the fact that, especially as children age, parents continue to lose ability to shield their children from the threats of the internet. I don't think Steiner-Adair offers a clear solution to how to prevent your child from suffering because of seeing inappropriate videos online or receiving bullying emails from classmates, for example. However, at least after knowing this is a threat, parents could take precautionary steps and know to be vigilant in protecting their children. 

Stars: 4

Reframing Academic Leadership

Summary (from the publisher): "Colleges and universities constitute a special type of organization; and their complex mission, dynamics, personnel structures, and values require a distinct set of understandings and skills to lead and manage them well." --From the preface in Reframing Academic Leadership,  Lee G. Bolman and Joan V. Gallos offer higher education leaders a provocative and pragmatic guide for: crafting dynamic institutions where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, creating campus environments that facilitate creativity and commitment, forging alliances and partnerships in service of the mission, building shared vision and campus cultures that unite and inspire, and serving the larger goals of the academy and society.

Throughout the book, the authors integrate powerful conceptual frameworks with rich and compelling real-world cases to support academic leaders searching for the best in themselves and in their institutions. The book tackles thorny issues such as building institutional clarity and capacity, managing conflict, coping with difficult people, partnering with the boss, and developing leadership resilience.

Following in the tradition of Bolman and Deal's classic Reframing Organizations,  Bolman and Gallos emphasize a pragmatic approach. They tease out the unique challenges and opportunities in academic leadership and provide ideas, tools, and encouragement to help higher education leaders see more clearly, feel more confident, and become more skilled and versatile in handling the vicissitudes of daily life. Reframing Academic Leadership is the resource for those seeking to understand, develop, and manage colleges and universities.

Review: I read this book as part of a class on educational leadership for my Master of Education program. Overall, the book does a great job discussing issues relating to higher education leadership, and strategies for improving leadership style. This book is organized around the principle of "reframing" or "a deliberate process of shifting perspective to see the same situation in multiple ways and through different lenses" (13).  The last section of the book was particularly helpful since it addressed topics that most educational leaders will address including: managing conflict, leading from the middle, leading difficult people, managing your boss, sustaining health and vitality, and feeding the soul.

My favorite part of this book was the way each chapter opened with a detailed example of a higher education leader faced with an opportunity or challenge and how they approached it. The text then uses this to start the conversation about a particular issue related to higher education, and will occasionally reference back to the example. Both positive and negative leadership examples were included to illustrate the book's points. For example, the book uses the example of President Quixote, who had a vision for his college, but tried to implement it in a heavy handed and overbearing way, leading to fear, discord, and division at his college. For me, these concrete examples of real individuals facing challenges was the most beneficial aspect of the book because it provided a frame of reference, and grounded the text in specific examples that made the concepts easier to grasp. 

While this is mostly a resource book for those employed in higher education, I think its a highly readable and largely enjoyable text that deals with concrete issues. 

Stars: 3 

Very Recent History: An Entirely Factual Account of a Year (c. AD 2009) in a Large City

Summary (from the publisher): From the longtime editor of Gawker and cofounder of The Awl comes an idiosyncratic and elegant true story, set in New York City in the aftermath of the 2008 Wall Street crash, that follows a handful of young men as they navigate through the ruins of money and power in search of love and connection.

Choire Sicha's brilliant, enigmatic first book is a nonfiction account that reads like a novel. A voice from the future is piecing together a record of life in a "massive" city on the eastern coast of this country and follows John, a sexually profligate reporter with a weekly newspaper, and his circle of friends, as they navigate the expensive, dark world around them. It is a fable of money, sex, and politics, featuring an imperious Mayor (the richest man in town) who is campaigning for an unprecedented third term; a Blind Governor, elevated to office in the wake of a prostitution scandal, who is trying to overcome scandals of his own; and Beyonce.

Told in Choire Sicha's distinctive style, Very Recent History is a work of detailed reportage and an Internet-era historical pastiche that seamlessly weaves together first-person interviews and current events, presenting a surreal and sublime portrait of New York City circa 2009: an island of isolation, ambition, sublimation, and attraction.

Review: I received an Advance Reader Copy from HarperCollins.

Very Recent History is a non-fiction account that follows the lives and adventures of John, a recent college graduate living in New York City in the economic downturn of 2008, and his large group of male friends. I found the book jacket summary of this book very misleading. It does not adequately describe the unusual writing style, nor does it reveal that John and all of the men mentioned are gay. There's a lot of gay sex and reference to gay relationships in this book, which is fine, but was unexpected. I thought the book would be looking at a broader and more diverse segment of individuals from New York; instead the vast majority of people referenced are white, gay males, making it difficult for me to distinguish between individuals.

The writing style of this book is truly unique, as it is written like an anthropological study of New York Life, as if from a distant observer to be read by individuals from a foreign culture. The city is not named, nor is the mayor, although its clear what the author is referring to.  In addition, Sicha goes out of his way to define terms and concepts that are generally accepted as known by most readers; "This was called credit, and in modern times, what these men invented was called a charge card. The card was a signifier that one held money; the holder of the car would pay the issuer of the card at the end of the month; the issuer of the card would pay the stores at which the person had received goods or services" (74).

While this unique style of writing and distance from the subject matter forces the reader to look at New York culture in a new light, however what Sicha illuminates is a sad tale. John and his companions are all miserable. They work in cubicles at unsatisfying and underpaying jobs, are constantly broke, are deeply in debt thanks to college loans, and the culture of casual sex and infidelity is prevalent.  Simcha is strictly reporting their movements and actions though, so no conclusions or allusions to their fates following the end of this book are hinted at. It is up to the reader to analyze John and his peers, and, in turn, take a more objective look at the choices made in our modern world.

I was really disappointed in this book. I found its contents depressing, and its writing style ultimately very grating. Although I think there is some merit in writing in an anthropological style, I did not find this an enjoyable or particularly valuable read.

Stars: 2 

Sea Creatures

Summary (from the publisher): A mother must make the unthinkable choice between her husband and her son in this riveting domestic drama, the follow up to the author's "exquisite debut" (Publishers Weekly), Stiltsville.

When Georgia returns to her hometown of Miami, her toddler son and husband in tow, she is hoping for a fresh start. They have left Illinois trailing scandal and disappointment in their wake: Graham's sleep disorder has cost him his tenure at Northwestern; Georgia's college advising business has gone belly up; and three-year old Frankie is no longer speaking. Miami feels emptier without Georgia's mother, who died five years earlier, but her father and stepmother offer a warm welcome - as well as a slip for the dilapidated houseboat Georgia and Graham have chosen to call home. And a position studying extreme weather patterns at a prestigious marine research facility offers Graham a professional second chance.

When Georgia takes a job as an errand runner for an artist who lives alone in the middle of Biscayne Bay, she's surprised to find her life changes dramatically. Time spent with the intense hermit at his isolated home might help Frankie gain the courage to speak, it seems. And it might help Georgia reconcile the woman she was with the woman she has become.

But when Graham leaves to work on a ship in Hurricane Alley and the truth behind Frankie's mutism is uncovered, the family's challenges return, more complicated than before. Late that summer, as a hurricane bears down on South Florida, Georgia must face the fact that her choices have put her only child in grave danger.

Sea Creatures is a mesmerizing exploration of the high stakes of marriage and parenthood, the story of a woman coming into her own as a mother, forced to choose between her marriage, her child, and the possibility of new love.

Review: I received an Advance Reader Copy from HarperCollins. 

This book pulled me in from the beginning, with phrases like "the steeped-tea sunlight of early evening" catching my eye as early as page nine. In Sea Creatures, Georgia tells her story about her disrupted life after her husband Graham, who suffers from parasomnia, has an incident that costs him tenure and leads to them leaving Chicago in disgrace. To make matters worse, their son, three year old Frankie, has stopped speaking. 

Most of the character details in this book are fairly eccentric. Georgia's father is a lifelong musician, wandering from band to band, Georgia herself chooses to work for Charlie, an artist but also a hermit, and Georgia and her husband met because they both suffer from insomnia and encountered one another at a sleep clinic. Yet Georgia draws attention to and reflects on how others view her and her idiosyncrasies, saying "we were referred to as 'eccentric neighbors,' which I never understood. Surely, to be labeled as such, there must have been something other than Graham's parasomnia. Did it have to do with the fact that I hadn't grown up in the area? Was it Graham's prematurely white hair, his all-season bicycling and refusal to drive a car? Was there something about us I didn't recognize, some odd mannerism or behavior? It was more likely sloppy reporting than anything else, but still, I was humiliated" (138). I like how introspective and vulnerable Georgia seems. She does not seem to take anything about herself from her mother's opinion of her to what kind of mother she herself is for granted.

The character that remained the biggest enigma for me was Graham. I never understood what he felt for Georgia, why Georgia was interested in him, or even what Graham was studying in terms of weather patterns. In addition to his odd behavior brought on by his sleep disorder, Graham is reckless and seems to care little for his son. It seems as if a critical juncture in their marriage is reached when Graham and Georgia make different decision while kayaking in the Keys. Graham wants to press on, even in the face of an oncoming storm, while Georgia decides to go back. Motherhood has made her more cautious as she she says "the stakes, [...] they're higher now" (130). Georgia reflects on how they have diverged and how their marriage has changed, "For years, I'd trusted him nearly blindly. Life with Graham had always been filled with small excitements, like walking the frozen lake behind the cottage as the ice groaned and cracked under our feet" (130). Although Georgia claims to reserve judgment about her marriage until later, it seems as if her choice that day spells out her later actions. 

However, this book lost steam for me after the first half. The central conflict - what caused Frankie's mutism and what Georgia is going to do about it - seems like not a conflict at all. In a few pages, Georgia shuts the book on that story line, and abruptly decides her course of action, with seemingly little reflection, which seems out of character for her - "What happened next, I'll tell quickly, because it's difficult for me to do any other way" (223). Georgia abruptly decides that her sin was marrying a reckless man, and choosing to have a child in a reckless home.    

I liked the title's relevance to the setting and plot of the novel, and it centered in until the end, with the force of Hurricane Andrew that sweeps through the landscape. Harry, the recluse Georgia works for, is an artist who draws different sea creatures, Harry gives Frankie plastic sea animals to play with throughout the book, the novel is set largely on the ocean or on a houseboat, and hidden demons are confronted. Yet the ocean's involvement in the conclusion of Graham's tale was perplexing to me. It seemed not only slightly improbably but Georgia seems largely unaffected by it. 

While the writing style and characters of this book drew me in, the lack of coherence of the plot prevented me from awarding this read more stars. 

Stars: 3

12 Brain/Mind Learning Principles in Action: Developing Executive Functions of the Human Brain

Summary (from the publisher): Practical, brain-based techniques to enhance classroom teaching and learning! Ideal for teachers and school leaders, this indispensable volume provides an accessible framework based on how the brain learns, and shows how to use that knowledge to help both teachers and students reach higher performance levels.

Linked to national teaching standards, this guidebook builds the bridge from brain research to classroom practice. The authors help readers understand the three essential elements for learning - relaxed alertness, immersion in complex experience, and active processing - and provides examples, teacher reflections, student vignettes, and commonsense strategies for creating an optimum emotional climate for learning.

Review: This book is written in textbook style, and I read it as part of a Contemporary Learning Theory class I am taking for my Master of Education degree. While in typical textbook fashion, it is not the most thrilling read ever, it does serve as a great resource for teachers or those interested in working within the educational field. One of my favorite details were real-life examples from actual teachers that illustrated a concept or idea the textbook was introducing.

This book introduces concepts about how our brains and memories work and what that means for students and teachers. It helps give a basis for understanding why certain learning strategies are important, and how teachers can alter their strategies or introduce new ones that students receive the most effective teaching. For example, the book talks a lot about the importance of relaxed alertness. This is a supportive yet challenging and empowering social environment that elicts learners' interests, purposes, and meanings. Without relaxed alertness, students may focus on their discomfort and not be engaged or able to learn. The book gives ideas for how teachers can help create relaxed alertness in their classroom so that learning can commence.

If I could change this book in any way it would be to add more examples. Although the ones included are great, they are limited in number. Also, I felt like there was some redundancy in content. For exmaple, relaxed alertness is explained and referred to numerous times, as is the concept of perseveration or "short-term survival response that occurs when a personal belief (what one believes to be true of others or of the world generally) or belief about oneself (what one believes about one's own activities or reasoning) is challenged" (94). On the other hand, this redundancy allows readers to jump in at any chapter and not feel out of their depth, which may be beneficial for some class use of this text.

Stars: 3

Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery

Summary (from the publisher): Shannan wanted acceptance. Maureen wanted a solution. Megan wanted love. Melissa wanted adventure. Amber wanted to be saved. Over the course of three years, each of these women vanished without a trace: Maureen in 2007, Melissa and Megan in 2009, and Amber and Shannan in 2010. All but one of their bodies were discovered on Gilgo Beach, Long Island, an unsettled, overgrown seven-mile stretch of shoreline on the string of barrier islands along South Oyster Bay.

Sharing the same profile - all were in their twenties, all but one were under five feet tall, all were prostitutes who advertised on Craigslist - the women were thought by the police to be victims of one murderer, the Long Island serial killer, the most skillful and accomplished psychopath in New York since the "Son of Sam." But as the writer Robert Kolker discovered, the truth about these women goes far deeper than common assumptions. The victims weren't outcasts; they weren't kidnapped or enslaved. All entered prostitution willingly. And all came from a slice of America ignored by politicians and the media: parts of the country hit hard by a poor economy, where limited opportunities force people to make hard choices - choices that lead them to places like Gilgo Beach.

Working closely with the victim's families, Lost Girls brings into focus the stories of these young women, their deaths, and their lives, offering a searing portrait of crime and circumstance that goes to the heart of modern American itself. 

Review: I received an Advance Reader Copy from HarperCollins.

Lost Girls tells the story of five girls who were all found murdered on the beach in Long Island. All five girls were prostitutes who advertised on Craigslist and all were similar in appearance - all in their twenties and very petite. The opening sections of the book are chapters describing each of the girl's childhoods. All five come from troubled homes with broken families, living paycheck to paycheck, and troubled relationships with their parents. All willingly entered prostitution after scraping by on menial wage jobs. All were reported missing, and their cases were largely ignored by police until their bodies were found.

Because of the similarity between the girl's stories, I had a difficult time as a reader keeping the five girls separate in my mind. Also, they all went by aliases while working as prostitutes, so that further complicated matters. It was difficult to remember their family members' names that were constantly referenced. To simplify for the reader, it would have helped somewhat to tell each girl's story individually and fully, rather than moving chronologically and jumping around somewhat.

So much of this story is puzzling and alarming. Why did Shannan, the girl that tipped off the police and families that something on Long Island was wrong, run screaming that night? Why did Dr. Hackett, a long time resident of Oak Beach, call Shannan's mother claiming to have treated her daughter, and later deny it? Why was Shannan found in the marsh, and not in burlap bags like the other girls? Who are the unidentified, older remains including an Asian man and a toddler found nearby to the identified girls?

The most frustrating aspect of this book was that the killer remains unidentified. There can be no conclusion, no closure. There are no answers to the many questions surrounding this case. Because of this, the author spends a vast portion of the book relaying what family members speculate happen. "To one degree or another, all of the women had taken on the role of amateur homicide investigator. 'It's like a little detective crew,' Kim said. So little was known about the nights the other girls disappeared that the women tended to focus on the night Shannan went missing, replaying the details of what happened again and again, searching for clues to who the killer might be" (244). I don't find that productive or helpful to the investigation, and certainly not interesting or helpful to read. Especially considering that all the women were largely removed from their families when they disappeared, meaning their families really know very little.

Despite the lack of concrete details, this book does a decent job of covering the murders. This is an unsolved and open investigation, so there's no way many police details could be included. The fact that this murderer(s) is still loose is alarming to me. I was particularly weirded out by Amanda, sister to the murdered Melissa's story of seeing her sister's number pop up in her caller id days after she disappeared. Yet when she answered, "instead of her sister's voice she heard another: controlled, comfortable, soft-spoken. Male. 'Oh, this isn't Melissa.' (109). This is a troubling and alarming story, and a present day one, meaning the killer is likely still alive and well.

Stars: 3