Donna Jackson Nakazawa does it again with her upcoming book, Girls on the Brink: Helping Our Originally published on my book blog, TheBibliophage.com.
Donna Jackson Nakazawa does it again with her upcoming book, Girls on the Brink: Helping Our Daughters Thrive in an Era of Increased Anxiety, Depression, and Social Media. She blends real-life situations with scientific knowledge and analysis. And concluding the book with strong antidotes goes a long way to helping parents and mentors counter the toxicity of girls’ everyday lives.
Jackson Nakazawa breaks the content into three distinct sections: explaining the situation, exploring the science, and offering fifteen achievable antidotes. Through it all, she uses the lives of three young women to illustrate her points and balance science with reality.
This is a must-read for every parent, teacher, and health care professional. Jackson Nakazawa has already published several books about science, medicine, and brain health using women’s experiences and perspectives. Now she turns her eyes to the next generation. Considering the prominence of cyberbullying, among other concerns, the choice makes perfect sense.
Adverse versus Positive Childhood Experiences Jackson Nakazawa previously wrote about the science behind adverse childhood experiences (ACES) in Childhood Disrupted. Significant ACES affect our lifelong health. But, here she revisits that information as it happens rather than decades down the line. By describing the lives of those three young women, the author illustrates the short-term impact of absentee parents, poverty, childhood sexual abuse, as well as other situations.
Conversely, Jackson Nakazawa also discusses the impact of positive mentors and community, such as teachers and nurturing social situations. Hopefully, seeing girls’ lives from this perspective will inspire more adults to truly listen to and support the young women in their lives.
Puberty and Hormones Girls’ early teen years are made more complicated by the hormonal changes they experience. And girls experience puberty even earlier now. This means that the time between childhood and the teen years accelerates. Coping with the change is a struggle for girls and their families. Jackson Nakazawa shines the light of information and antidotes into this space.
It’s also worth noting that social media and popular culture over-sexualize girls and teens. The back-to-school styles are more provocative than ever. Girls judge themselves against adult influencers on TikTok and every other platform. Jackson Nakazawa explains why this is concerning and offers better ways to approach it with our girls.
My Conclusions This book is full to the brim with information and ideas. Attempting to summarize every point would only do it a disservice. But as I worked my way through it, Jackson Nakazawa offered invaluable insights. Most importantly, she reminds us to listen to girls and provide them a safe space to talk out their challenges.
Jackson Nakazawa’s other books tell her own story, which also illustrates an important point. She repeatedly encourages parents, especially mothers, to deal with their ACES and trauma. Not only does it model positive behavior for girls, but it also helps keep the temperature down when girls’ teenage issues heat up.
It’s also worth saying that the author’s perspective is a feminist one. She reminds us that girls’ rights are human rights. And we as adults made this world, which challenges kids today, especially girls. That attitude resonates with my own and enhances Girls on the Brink.
Jackson Nakazawa is a mom as well as an author, so she’s got skin in the game. That adds to her nuanced understanding of 21st-century girls and teen life. This book is essential reading for moms, dads, grandparents, favorite aunts, and anyone who influences a girl’s life. Pick up a few extra to give as holiday gifts—I know I am.
Acknowledgments Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and the author for a digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for this honest review. The expected publication date for this book is September 13, 2022....more
Levi Vonk is a young anthropology student investigating migrant caravans in Mexico. Early in Originally published on my book blog, TheBibliophage.com.
Levi Vonk is a young anthropology student investigating migrant caravans in Mexico. Early in his process Levi meets Axel Kirschner, whose story includes time in the US, Guatemala, and travel through Mexico. Their experiences form the core of their book, Border Hacker: A Tale of Treachery, Trafficking, and Two Friends on the Run.
Axel is Afro-Latino and tells Levi he’s Guatemalan by birth but also spent many years living as an undocumented child and teen in metro New York City. With a wife and two kids living in the US, Axel was making his way in the world of technology. But a minor traffic stop leads to his deportation to Guatemala. When Levi meets him, Axel is making his way north and hopefully back to his family.
The more time the two men spend together, the more connected they become. Levi has tenuous connections to aid organizations and tries to help a variety of folks. But it’s Axel that he risks the most for. Together they dodge the cartels, border agents, police, and other unsavory characters.
Border Hacker gripped me from the very first chapter, although it often seemed too outlandish to be true. On the other hand, Levi is grounded in his approach, despite the sometimes frantic nature of his efforts to help Axel and others. These two men are on a voyage together that gets worse before it gets better, and ultimately isn’t tied up in a neat Hollywood-style package.
My conclusions The complexity of the whole migrant experience is completely believable. Levi and Axel encounter real-life characters throughout Mexico, many of whom live in the grey world between providing aid to migrants and making money by helping the cartels. Nothing is black and white in Border Hacker except the ink on the page.
Most of the story is told by Levi, and his tone is mostly measured with the underlying calm that comes from his white privilege. He often mentions the advantage of having a US passport. And yet, he’s not afraid to put his life and future on the line for the migrants, especially Axel.
Interspersed between Levi’s sections are Axel’s contributions, developed from multitudes of far-ranging conversations between the two men. Axel speaks with his own unique patois, a rhythm they include rather than whitewash. He’s a ballsy guy caught in an untenable situation, often with no choice but to use his hacking skills for illegal activity.
Axel and Levi are likable characters, which makes rooting for them easy. This is a cultural anthropology story that’s well-told and eminently readable.
I recommend Border Hacker if you want an unvarnished, true story of migrant caravans and undocumented life in Mexico.
Shortly after reading American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins, I found Border Hacker. The two are perfect fiction/nonfiction book pairing on the same topic. Volk and Kirschner do a better job of letting the migrant tell their own story. But I’ll let you decide which book feels more realistic. My suggestion for a nonfiction pair is Jacob Soboroff’s Separated: Inside an American Tragedy.
Acknowledgments Many thanks to NetGalley, Perseus Books, PublicAffairs, Bold Type Books, and the authors for a digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for this honest review. Border Hacker debuts on April 26, 2022....more
Sasha Geffen writes a captivating musical and social history in Glitter UOriginally published on my book blog, TheBibliophage.com.
4.5 stars rounded up
Sasha Geffen writes a captivating musical and social history in Glitter Up the Dark: How Pop Music Broke the Binary. Not only do they* capture the magic of music through the decades, they also explain how a plethora of performers broke through the limitations of strictly binary gender presentation. I am in awe of the courage each performer exhibits in their own time period. Plus, Geffen’s writing style is lyrical in its own right.
They start with 1930s female blues singers who were both queer and Black like Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Gladys Bentley. Moving forward through time, Geffen discusses both the sounds musicians explore and the way they present themselves to the world. The list they cover is long and varied including The Beatles to Patti Smith, Prince, Kurt Cobain, Frank Ocean, and Sophie.
A musician with a wide vocal range chooses to use certain parts of that range. When combined with their stage or video presence, that person can nudge the binary boundaries. It’s the musicians who nudge the most that Geffen focuses on here. And as they say, “The gender binary cannot really be broken, because the gender binary has never been whole.” (p. 1) If that is the book’s thesis, then Geffen proves it fully in just over 200 pages. Bravo!
My conclusions This book made me play nostalgic music, as well as some songs and groups new to me. It often made me shake my head and say, “I never thought of it that way … but makes absolute sense.” We cannot assume that binary simplicity ever had its moment in history, musical or otherwise. People chose nonbinary options in many locations and times. But we focus on our own narrow time, sometimes forgetting that a few decades earlier wildly successful artists broke supposedly unbreakable barriers.
Geffen is incredibly granular about their scope. They focus on the artists breaking binary boundaries. But at the same time, this is a wide-ranging, multi-decade history that spans countless musical genres. Sometimes a particular artist dominates almost an entire chapter, while another might warrant only a small mention. Still, when combined, this is comprehensive and sometimes mind-blowing.
But Glitter Up isn’t all sweetness and sparkles. The stories of inner strength against all odds inspired me. It also makes me mad that people have to fight so damn hard to outwardly reflect who they are in their soul. That they transcend the very real potential societal ridicule gives me hope. But not everyone transcends. Some people never escape the anger and lack of acceptance around them. After we shed a tear, Geffen encourages us to open our eyes and support the artists being true to themselves.
“There’s magic in making yourself, and so often that magic leaks out in the form of music.” (p. 220)
I recommend Glitter Up the Dark to anyone who loves music, especially if you also appreciate the complexities of LGBTQIA+ issues or would like to learn more. It’s a stellar exploration of the intersection of both topics.
Tom Nichols is a credentialed expert discussing The Death of Expertise: TOriginally published on my book blog, TheBibliophage.com.
3.5 stars rounded up
Tom Nichols is a credentialed expert discussing The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why it Matters in his 2017 book. No irony here. This is a serious subject that relates directly to today’s world. If you’ve spent any time discussing current events lately you know this already. Civil discourse devolved into yelling matches at least eight to ten years ago.
Nichols covers a lot of ground explaining why this happened. He addresses social media, which is a prominent location of said yelling matches. But he also covers changes to university admission policies, as well as classroom and grading practices. Journalism is another topic, especially how expertise among those reporting news changed in the last 20 years.
Of course, with today’s pandemic world, Nichols’s coverage of the anti-vaccine movement and general medical and scientific expertise pushback is spot on. Nichols does address politics and foreign affairs, which are his own area of expertise. But this isn’t a book entirely about either. They are just one piece of the puzzle.
There are plenty of meaty ideas to absorb here. But wading around the opinionated curmudgeon is also required. Nichols strikes me as a tweed-wearing guy who hangs out in ivy-covered buildings. But perhaps that’s just his writing voice. After all, he’s an expert and we should trust him. Right?
Quotes to ponder I enjoy the way Nichols uses language. For example, the idea of “restless questioning” really gets at the heart of people’s constant mistrust of authority. Especially if they are American.
“This kind of restless questioning of orthodoxy is celebrated and protected in a democratic culture.” p. 16
And Nichols doesn’t mince words when discussing people who don’t understand scientific methods of research. Heck, my granddaughter studied these ideas last year in fourth grade.
“Laypeople cannot expect experts never to be wrong; if they were capable of such accuracy, they wouldn’t need to do research and run experiments in the first place.” p. 176
This next quote hit home since I live in a district where our elected Representative to the U.S. Congress refuses to hold in-person, public town halls.
“This is a worst of all worlds, in which both democracy and expertise are corrupted because neither democratic leaders nor their expert advisors want to tangle with an ignorant electorate.” p. 225
And just because you Googled something for a couple of hours (or days) doesn’t mean you’ve got expertise equal to the person with tens of thousands of hours invested in a career and three advanced degrees.
“When resentful laypeople demand that all marks of achievement, including expertise, be leveled and equalized in the name of ‘democracy’ and ‘fairness,’ there is no hope for either democracy or fairness.” p. 233
My conclusions This isn’t a long book, but its content is dense. I needed to bite off small chunks, then step back and absorb them. So, the book generally reads a little slow.
But Nichols lays out his case methodically and clearly. Despite lacking expertise in any of the topics his discusses, I gained insights galore. He is professorial and sometimes adds a touch of judgment. Honestly, I couldn’t disagree with that. Arrogant ignorance is a frustrating part of life these days. On the other hand, Nichols has a dry sense of humor, which he uses sparingly. But thankfully it lightens the mood a bit.
I recommend this book if you’ve ever encountered a troll on social media. Or if your next-door neighbor’s ideas baffle you. Everyone knows that someone, and Nichols puts their behavior in a broader context.
Pair with The Age of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff, which also discusses social media in detail. Or try Quackery by Lydia Kang, MD, and Nate Pedersen, for methods employing absolutely no scientific scrutiny....more
Shoshana Zuboff is a professor emeritus at Harvard Business School, among other academic qualOriginally published on my book blog, TheBibliophage.com.
Shoshana Zuboff is a professor emeritus at Harvard Business School, among other academic qualifications. And that informs everything about her book The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power. It’s more academic than narrative nonfiction. And it’s a chunkster, weighing in at about 700 pages. Or 24 hours of audiobook listening, in my case. On the upside, its primary theory relates to everyday digital life now and in the future.
I first heard about this book while watching The Social Dilemma on Netflix earlier this year. Zuboff joins many experts in expressing concern about our online lives. Whether we know it or not, the companies that control our online time invade and ‘steal’ every post and comment. They turn our online actions into behavioral data, which they use to predict, manipulate, and profit from our future online moves.
But this isn’t a journalistic exposé. It’s a combination of philosophy, history, politics, and business theory. Zuboff covers so much ground that reading or listening once is nowhere near enough to absorb everything she theorizes and then proves.
The quote I’ll never forget Zuboff discusses the danger of giving our personal information to surveillance capitalism companies, like Google, Amazon, and Facebook. And there’s one series of questions she references over and over. Here it is in its original context.
“The threats we face are even more fundamental as surveillance capitalists take command of the essential questions that define knowledge, authority, and power in our time: Who knows? Who decides? Who decides who decides?” (pg. 175, Kindle edition)
She focuses on how surveillance capitalism creates division in learning, information, and then in things only achieved with those two elements. If knowledge and facts only exist within capitalist companies, what kind of control will they have over all of us?
My conclusions I think this is a must read, if you’re interested in digital privacy and limiting the power of all data-driven companies. Zuboff certainly knows her topic and integrates extensive detail within the main questions.
Since I recently read books about tyranny and authoritarian regimes, I find her term ‘instrumentarian’ especially relevant. Back to that quote: “Who knows? Who decides? Who decides who decides?” We give so much of our life’s information over willingly. And, all the while, we never think about the long-term consequences.
Zuboff also talks about the impact of an entirely digital life on the younger generations. My 10-year-old granddaughter’s life has always included social media. When she and her BFF signed up for Instagram, they didn’t just reach out to say ‘hi!’ to me. They wanted to be sure I liked their posts. Every time. We are just beginning to understand how this impacts kids’ sense of self, their mental health and well-being. This time last year, I read The Angel and the Assassin: The Tiny Brain Cell That Changed the Course of Medicine by Donna Jackson Nakazawa. She also talks about the effect of social media on children’s developing brains, and I couldn’t help but think about it while I read Zuboff’s book.
I absolutely recommend The Age of Surveillance Capitalism. It’s a tome on a topic that will affect the rest of our lives, and generations to come. Please invest the time to read and understand, and possibly resist the temptations of social media and digital instrumentarian life....more
This emotional nonfiction piece is based in Juarez, Mexico, where thousands of women face the prospect of murder. Gomez asks a friend to introduce himThis emotional nonfiction piece is based in Juarez, Mexico, where thousands of women face the prospect of murder. Gomez asks a friend to introduce him to various families of these missing, presumed murdered women. And in this short audio, we meet them too.
The mothers, sisters, and best friends grieving their loss. They explain circumstances and tell us about their loved ones. A city with violence at epidemic levels produces raw and heart wrenching content. This may be brief, but be prepared for intensity as you listen to this....more
In Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century Jessica Bruder explores the subcOriginally published on my book blog, TheBibliophage.com.
In Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century Jessica Bruder explores the subculture of houseless individuals. She primarily addresses the decisions that people make in their 50s and 60s and greater. Lacking pensions or savings, they need to take extreme economic steps to survive on tiny Social Security payments. So they sell homes and possessions and move into motor homes or vans.
These are not people who choose to be nomadic. They become houseless by necessity, lacking other viable options. It’s as if the American Dream has gone on the road. In reality, though, this is evidence that the dream is now a myth.
Bruder tells the story of several folks. From the situation that forced them out of their homes (rental or owned) to the jobs they take to survive, she literally follows them. At one point Bruder even buys a van, equips it, and then lives in it for some time. She does this in order to attend events and try workcamping, their word for temporary jobs. Her van life also allows her to dive more deeply into her companions’ lives.
Listening to Nomadland, I learned all the details of living a simpler life. People search for the right vehicle—not too decrepit, but not too expensive. They may change their official state of residence to avoid state income tax. And they always slim down their belongings to a bare minimum. Then they head out in search of workcamping opportunities at places like national parks.
Many of them also work at Amazon warehouses, in a program by the company called CamperForce. Bruner goes into some detail about her subjects’ experiences with Amazon. She also works for them during one season. It’s grueling, repetitive work. And yet workcampers are often in their 60s or greater. Injuries are not uncommon, and neither is serious exhaustion. But the money is decent, so they keep signing up.
My conclusions While reporting the story, Bruder also analyzes aspects of the U.S economic system. She discusses the failure of health care, including noting that the houseless often travel to Mexico for medical and dental care. Of course, each of the people she follows has a different retirement planning story. Some had to split or drain their funds in a divorce. Some never built any savings at all, due to various circumstances. Most were living on nothing more than Social Security, which can be woefully inadequate.
On the other hand, I was inspired by the individuals she covers. Despite experiencing potentially soul-crushing setbacks, they don’t let it defeat them. Instead, they pick up, pack up, and take to the road. Workcamping and living in a vehicle, large or small, is a way to maintain independence. And in most cases they don’t have family able to support them. In one story, the family actually follows suit and embarks on a houseless life also.
I see some parallels when I think back to some of my recent reads. If Stakes is High is a young man’s perspective on the mythical American Dream, then this is the elder’s perspective on the same failure in a different life stage. They both give me pause.
And another thought keep nudging me as I listened to Nomadland. How many more people are going to be forced into this houseless existence during or after the pandemic? The U.S. just stinks at creating and maintaining effective social safety nets. And right now those programs are busting at the seams. Then the pandemic happens. Reading this book made me more aware of this possibility. I plan to assess ways to help—soon!
I recommend if you’re curious about alternate lifestyles, whether chosen or unavoidable. This is thoughtfully told and fascinating overall.
Mark Nepo is the only author with a spiritual bent that I consistently read. And his May 2020Originally published on my book blog, TheBibliophage.com.
Mark Nepo is the only author with a spiritual bent that I consistently read. And his May 2020 book, The Book of Soul: 52 Paths to Living What Matters is no exception. It’s a peaceful, warm, and caring respite from a world on fire.
Nepo talks about topics such as how we show up in the world, how wide our circle is, and our true inheritance. Importantly, another section is focused on how we keep each other awake. As with some of his other books, the chapters are divided into short bursts. They’re suitable for a daily reading. But rest assured, they’re meaty. I found myself reading sentences multiple times, just to let the meaning sink in more deeply.
And Nepo also gives journal writing and conversation prompts with each chapter. This is a contemplative book that can be savored over time, because he offers so much to digest.
It’s hard to encapsulate and review a spiritual book. I think each reader takes away different content, even varying with each reading. But Nepo’s main focus is two-fold. First, finding comfort in yourself—who you are and how you feel. And second, finding out how you fit into the world and develop relationships. But of course, your mileage may vary.
My conclusions The Book of Soul felt calming and enriching to read. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of ideas to ponder. In fact, I could probably start rereading one chapter a day right now, even though I just finished.
Nepo doesn’t write with a particular religious tradition in mind. His perspective enlightens the Universe around us, and the humanity within us. He writing is about valuing each other, and above all, valuing ourselves. This time, I connected to his words about where we focus and spend time listening. And how to listen with an open heart, in order to silence the roaring noises around us.
I recommend The Book of Soul if you’re looking for a soul-searching respite. It’s a timely and meaningful antidote to the news.
Honestly, you can pair this book with anything. So I’ll leave that up to you this time.
Acknowledgements Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press / St. Martin’s Essentials, and the author for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for this honest review....more
Barbara (The Bibliophage)
>
Books:
non-fiction
(193)
Loading...
