This week was back to school. I had decreased some responsibilities, and with that, I was able to fill in my new time with reading. I finished two books this week. Both were from different genres. Both were excellent.
I may go back and do book reviews on the books I read leading up to the New Year, as I feel it’s a disservice to those fabulous books. For now, though, I just want to introduce the two books I finished.
The first is a middle grade novel that I read for school, as I’m a middle school teacher sponsoring a club where there’s lots of reading.
Starfish by Lisa Fipps
Ever since Ellie wore a whale swimsuit and made a big splash at her fifth birthday party, she’s been bullied about her weight. To cope, she tries to live by the Fat Girl Rules—like “no making waves,” “avoid eating in public,” and “don’t move so fast that your body jiggles.” And she’s found her safe space—her swimming pool—where she feels weightless in a fat-obsessed world. In the water, she can stretch herself out like a starfish and take up all the room she wants. It’s also where she can get away from her pushy mom, who thinks criticizing Ellie’s weight will motivate her to diet. Fortunately, Ellie has allies in her dad, her therapist, and her new neighbor, Catalina, who loves Ellie for who she is. With this support buoying her, Ellie might finally be able to cast aside the Fat Girl Rules and starfish in real life–by unapologetically being her own fabulous self. -Amazon
This is not a book I would pick up on my own, but I’m so glad to have read it. Starfish is a novel that readers (especially young readers) can sympathize with as they navigate adapting to middle school. I found myself relating to Ellie, even though I did not and do not experience bullying like she does.
The part of the book where she asked to find her own doctor, instead of being forced to use the one her mother chose for her, made me quite emotional. Finding doctors with good bedside manners is a daunting task. I’ve experienced my own traumatic visits to the doctor, in which I felt belittled and less than human.
With everything that Ellie goes through, and with the help of a considerate therapist and new friends, Ellie is able to find inner strength and also compassion for others.
This was written in free verse, so it was a quick read; however, I devoured every words. Excellent book.
Stolen Focus by Johann Hari
We think our inability to focus is a personal failure to exert enough willpower over our devices. The truth is even more disturbing: our focus has been stolen by powerful external forces that have left us uniquely vulnerable to corporations determined to raid our attention for profit. Hari found that there are twelve deep causes of this crisis, from the decline of mind-wandering to rising pollution, all of which have robbed some of our attention. -Amazon
This is not a self-help book. Johann Hari says so, and after finishing reading it, I agree. He does offer insight into how to gain back some of your attention, but admits that you won’t be able to reclaim all of it because of outside forces that don’t want you to get your attention back.
Hari does a deep dive into attention and moves beyond simple blaming technology (although he does that) to noticing the affects of problems such as pollution, confinement, and overwork, too.
His conclusion is particularly enlightening as he addresses the potentially ultimate biggie in the destruction of our attention–the increased speed of our world thanks in part to the constant push for economic growth.
Usually, I find nonfiction books in this category to be padded with a lot of statistics and boring details that I skip over once I understand the main point. However, Hari is such a captivating storyteller and is able to weave in narratives with data from studies and experts in such a way that keep you reading. I digested every word he said and still have more to think on.
This book comes right after reading Joshua Becker’s Things That Matter, so I was able to draw many connections that I want to eventually write about. But, in the interest of not writing a book here, I will just say that this book is worthy of a deep, critical read. Mark it up. Write in it. See if it moves you to change or be part of a larger community demanding their attention back.
Cafe + Lit 