non-fiction

I am reading this Sociology/Black culture  for a book club. Written 20 years ago, it is still a very real, empathetic look at urban poverty. I have not finished it yet, but there are some signs of hope that at least one of the young men will be able to break the cycle and  find happiness and security.   I believe it is the type of writing  that should motivate us all to make real commitments to challenge ourselves in this election year.  Just think what might have been accomplished by now if we had all done so 20 years ago!    

After all the drama and controversy surrounding this book, I expected something other than a simple memoir of raising children. Chua's book is funny and ironic, not a horrific instruction manual on raising children in the "Chinese way." She is not blind to her own failings and reveals the universal parental truth - everyone wants what they believe is best for their kids.

This was a fascinating book and well worth listening to. Although long, I learned a lot and found myself trolling Google for images and movies of rogue waves. I still cannot imagine the 1700-ft wave that smacked Lituya Bay, Alaska in 1958. That's nearly 1/3 of a mile tall. Clearly, hundred-foot waves are not the impossibility scientists once believed, and this is an intriguing peek into the surfers who seek out these monster waves as well as the science (or lack thereof) behind the waves.

First take a short quiz to find out how "effed" you are, and then read tips and suggestions on how to improve your health, relationships, finances and career. Along the way you will discover interesting facts like the average American sleeps 25.3 years over their lifetime, or that the United States is the most medicated nation on Earth. This book will give you the necessary tools to evaulate why you might be making the same mistakes over and over, and will help you to make the necessary adjustments so that you can stop sabotaging your own life. This quirky "self-help" book is a fun and easy read... and you  might just discover a few things about yourself that you had previously overlooked!

Perhaps it is my age and my yearning to retire early-ish and still able to make a big dent in my bucket list that caused me to seek out a Suze Orman book.  Non-fiction listening in the car is not my favorite, but my retirement plan motivated me to pay attention.  I would call this a "how to" audiobook with very clear, although sometime overly opinionated, directions from Suze.  I can't think of any aspect of personal finance that she didn't cover well in this book. 

I wish I had another set of hands to give this movie 4 thumbs up! This movie's great visual references plainly and accurately depict aquatic invertebrate life cycles... fantastic for the emerging fly-fisher woman! Or... it can easily lull you to sleep, with its classical musical score and its PBS-style narration. Either route you take, you cannot go wrong by checking out this DVD.

I was inspired to re-read this book after having read Half Broke Horses and it continues to be one of my FAVORITE books. I recommend it to everyone. It chronicles the life of Jeannette Walls as she grows up in her dysfunctional family. It's amazing she turned out to be any type of normal, despite her parents negligence.   If you're looking for a spellbinding read - I highly recommend The Glass Castle.