Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain was published in 2013. The following was taken from Barnes and Noble.
Drawing on important new research in the field of interpersonal neurobiology, Siegel explores exciting ways in which understanding how the brain functions can improve the lives of adolescents, making their relationships more fulfilling and less lonely and distressing on both sides of the generational divide.
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/brainstorm-daniel-j-siegel-md/1116149182 taken 5 June 2021
Brainstorm
My Thoughts
I was surprised by this book in that I didn’t get that much out of it. It’s true Dr. Siegel spends some time talking about adolescents but none of it was really a revelation. Perhaps I’ve read too much of this kind of literature but it seemed like this was more about how the brain works than specifically how the adolescence brain works or what to do about it. The author peppers the book with personal stories and observations. Most of which seemed to be effective in getting across his message.
Recommendation
It was okay. If you are unfamiliar with how the brain is organized and how it changes through normal development, this may be a good book for you.
“How to Be Human: An Autistic Man’s Guide to Life” was published in April of 2021 and is the autobiographical account of Jory Fleming, a high functioning person with autism who won a Rhodes Scholarship for the University of Oxford. A writer (Lyric Winik) did a series of interviews with Jory and strung them into the narrative that became this book. The book attempts to explain how Jory thinks and his perspective on life.
How to be Human
My Thoughts
Though I found the material interesting, I don’t believe it is relatable to other people with autism. To paraphrase Jory, “this is just how I think” and “I find it harder to relate to other people with autism.” My hat is off to Jory for what he has been able to achieve. Or more specifically, my hat is off to Jory’s mom who has given him daily support for his entire life.
Honestly, I’m bothered by some aspects of the popular notion of autism. There seem to be many people who romanticize autism and seem to see it as a net benefit. (E.g. Someone might claim a person with autism has an above-average IQ. These people evidently don’t know what autism is or how IQ is measured.) While these people aren’t actually diagnosed with any disorder, they are more than happy to claim the benefits as they see them. The usual humble brag is something akin to “I have Asperger’s.” This is usually an excuse for being socially awkward and/or a poor attempt to claim superior skills in analytical tasks. However, I’m not sure most of these people have been confronted by someone who has severe autism. Someone who is incapable of communication and truly does not “see” the world around them. Just like Jory’s mom, there are unsung heroes who devote their lives to making the world a better place for these people.
In short, all of us think differently. Autism is a spectrum which means there comes a point when the spectrum bumps up against the “normal.” Of course, that leads to another question, “What is normal?” Answer? “Normal” is just another bell curve of behaviors. The line between “normal” and “autistic and even “sane” and “insane” is uncomfortable thin. It all comes down to definitions and those definitions are always in flux.
So… I believe there is likely a little autism in all of us and we are all just a little off. That doesn’t give us super rain-man mental powers and most of us are able to negotiate society. We all feel awkward at times and some of us are insensitive jerks. It’s how we play the hand we are given which makes the difference. If it was all you could do not to kill someone on the way to work then I say, “good for you!” (However, if that’s how close you are to the line, expect the rest of us to lock you up somewhere safe in the near future.) The rest of us will continue doing what we can to do our best, day by day and sometimes hour by hour.
Published in 2007, On Call in Hell is the story of a man who served a tour as a Marine officer and later became a Navy doctor. He shares his journey and juxtaposes those two perspectives as he served in Iraq.
On Call in Hell
My Thoughts
I’d never met a Marine who went into Navy medicine so this was an interesting read. Still, I’ve met a number of Navy Corpsman and the attitude was pretty close to what I would have expected. I would have preferred it be read by the author since some of the saying didn’t quite come out correctly. I felt like there may have been a bit of humble brag going on but hey, it’s his book.
Recommendation
A very interesting look at a relatively unknown field. If you have interest in military medicine, I feel this book would be a good place to start.
Published in Sep of 2011, What it is Like to Go to War is a book about the psychological impacts of war and becoming a warrior. The author (a Vietnam veteran) makes the argument that we should do a much better job preparing our warfighters for what they will encounter in theater.
What it is Like to Go to War
My Thoughts
Certainly, a thought-provoking book and one set in its day. It had been 10 years after the 911 era and the author draws a number of parallels to his time in Vietnam. The more I learn about that war and how our warfighters were treated, the sadder it becomes. It is interesting that the trend of remote war is becoming more and more prevalent as the Marines are deactivating their tanks and towed artillery batteries. There have been so many changes that it is only natural we won’t be able to adjust. Particularly, as we’ve all had a year of being sequestered from others. The term I hear most often these days is “resilience.” We say it is important but I’m not sure we know how to get there…
Recommendation
It is an important topic but the content is dated.
Published in January of 2012, Shadows in Flight tells the story of Bean and his kids as they are in at near light speed waiting for a cure to their condition. Hundreds of years have passed on Earth and they have been all but forgotten.
Shadows in Flight
My Thoughts
I liked this one better than the last. It seemed to wrap things up a bit better and was pretty interesting.
Recommendation
If you are this far into the series, it was worth the read.
Published in April of 2020, How to Think Like a Roman Emperor is a study on the meditations of Marcus Aurelius and stoicism in general. The book guides you through the history of stoicism and through some of it’s main tenets.
How to Think Like a Roman Emperor
My Thoughts
I really enjoyed this book and it was a compelling read. I felt the author did a great job of going through the histories and linking them to the present day. I also enjoyed that the author had come to my University and one of my employees had filmed him talking about the book. So I got a little bonus.
Published in December of 2020, Embrace the Suck is a book about taking on and overcoming the obstacles in life from the perspective of a former Navy SEAL.
Embrace the Suck
My Thoughts
This was a decent read and pretty motivating. I felt he was a little over the top with some of his descriptions and language but I guess that’s par for the course. He had some practical applications which, had I followed them, would have made the read more impactful.
Published in March of 2005, Shadow of the Giant is the fourth book in the “Shadow” series by Orson Scott Card. These books continue and deepen the story found in the “Ender’s Game” series.
This book finds Bean as an ever growing giant and watches the critical stages of Peter as he is trying to unite earth and end war forever. However, the question keeps coming up, “What to do with the Battle-school graduates?” They just keep stirring up trouble.
Shadow of the Giant
My Thoughts
This book closed up a bunch of gaps and brought some good closure to the series. There is another book so I will read it but this would have been a good stopping place for me.
