My Most Recent Reads - September, 2015

I didn't even make it to fifteen books this month; I feel like such a slacker.  I'm mostly kidding there.  September is a busy month in academia, especially when you work at a college and are working on a doctoral program.  Funny how that works out to less time to read extra!  But as usual, I did find a couple gems worth talking about and sharing with you.

Book store

Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on Their Decision Not To Have Kids by Megham Daum

Daum edits this collection of sixteen writers as they discuss the topic of being childfree.  I've talked before on this blog about my decision to be childfree and other books within this realm.  I liked the diversity of takes in Daum's anthology.  Some, I really connected with, others I felt were annoying, and some gave me new ways of thinking about being childfree.  I appreciate this mix and it does include three males writing on the subject.  Again, I would prefer some of these works to be more balanced because in part, I think the male's voice about being childfree is equally useful to be heard and contribute to the conversation.  Regardless, I'm happy with the selections as they provide a diverse range of thinking about what it means to be childfree and how people happily live their lives.

Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America by Ari Berman 

Berman provides a comprehensive history of the Voting Rights Act from the challenges to get it passed to the most recent court cases that negatively impacting this monumental and essential legislature that protects voting rights of millions of Americans.  I was impressed with Berman's tracing of different political leaders and organizations that were constantly working (some in support, some in attempts to undermine) and equally impressed to see how this explains the significant shifts in politics between Democrats and Republicans over the course of the 20th century.  If you're looking to better understand the nature of race-related politics, the inequity of American politics, and the lingering institutional forces that still create a racial divide--this book provides a great lens to examine these issues. 

How We Learn by Monica Pasupathi

This was a lecture series from the Great Courses series, one of my favorite audio resources.  Pasupathi provides a comprehensive and well-executed approach to discussing learning in a variety of ways from addressing the sciences behind it and some limitations with that, to environmental factors to learning different types of things to different challenges in learning.  The lecture series works good for learning because it is in itself, chunked into half-hour sessions that focus on an aspect of learning, the research behind it, how you can apply it and concerns about it, before moving onto another lecture.  It's a useful resource, not just for educators but for any person to better understand how they can maximize their learning.

Here's my ongoing list of books read this year on GoodReads.  Also, here 2015's reading reflections thus far:


AUDIOBOOKS
  • You're Never Weird on the Internet by Felicia Day
  • Why We Work by Barry Schwartz
  • Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on Their Decision Not To Have Kids by Megham Daum
  • Dead Things (Eric Carter #1) by Stephen Blackmoore
  • Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America by Ari Berman 
  • How We Learn by Monica Pasupathi

GRAPHIC NOVELS
  • The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil by Stephen Collins
  • Southern Bastards, Vol. 2: Gridiron by Jason Aaron
  • The Woods, Vol. 1: The Arrow James Tynion
  • The Woods, Vol. 2 by James Tynion
  • Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
  • Harbinger, Vol 5: Death of a Renegade by Joshua Dysart


What are you reading this month?  What's the good, the bad, and the ugly?  Any recommendations to send my way?


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