Intelligent reading well suited to this moment.
A writer and English professor explores the “uncomfortable truths” of what it means to be a White, middle-class man in 21st-century America.
Speaking from the perspective of middle age, Franklin boldly confronts the “delusional thinking” he views as “killing us softly, one narcissistic fairy tale at a time.” He does so through 12 essays that muse on the many self-deceptions in which he and countless Americans have engaged. The author begins by examining his role as a father through the game of toy soldiers he sometimes plays with his three sons. The game appears to be a harmless bonding activity, but as Franklin suggests, it also speaks to the way “masculinity and mayhem” are inextricably intertwined in American culture. The author observes that the same ready acceptance of surface truth has also characterized his view of class issues. While he was a poor graduate student in southeastern Ohio, he donated plasma for money and saw a connection between himself and the poverty-stricken miners in neighboring communities who did the same. Deeper interrogation forced Franklin to realize that his situation was temporary while the coal miners’ situation was not. Ultimately, he was as equally deluded about the “relative ease of social mobility” as he was clueless about “the challenges of systemic poverty.” Later in the book, Franklin probes how the continued existence of color lines in America means that he will always see young Black men like Trayvon Martin as different from his sons and that this difference will always preclude the “shared vulnerabilities” that make empathy possible. The best he can do is teach his sons to “embrace the humility and compassion necessary to get to know boys like Trayvon Martin.” Wise and humane, Franklin’s book offers a timely, socially relevant portrait of the struggles facing thoughtful citizens seeking to create a more just society for every American.
Intelligent reading well suited to this moment.Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4962-1210-8
Page Count: 216
Publisher: Univ. of Nebraska
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
Harari delivers yet another tour de force.
A highly instructive exploration of “current affairs and…the immediate future of human societies.”
Having produced an international bestseller about human origins (Sapiens, 2015, etc.) and avoided the sophomore jinx writing about our destiny (Homo Deus, 2017), Harari (History/Hebrew Univ. of Jerusalem) proves that he has not lost his touch, casting a brilliantly insightful eye on today’s myriad crises, from Trump to terrorism, Brexit to big data. As the author emphasizes, “humans think in stories rather than in facts, numbers, or equations, and the simpler the story, the better. Every person, group, and nation has its own tales and myths.” Three grand stories once predicted the future. World War II eliminated the fascist story but stimulated communism for a few decades until its collapse. The liberal story—think democracy, free markets, and globalism—reigned supreme for a decade until the 20th-century nasties—dictators, populists, and nationalists—came back in style. They promote jingoism over international cooperation, vilify the opposition, demonize immigrants and rival nations, and then win elections. “A bit like the Soviet elites in the 1980s,” writes Harari, “liberals don’t understand how history deviates from its preordained course, and they lack an alternative prism through which to interpret reality.” The author certainly understands, and in 21 painfully astute essays, he delivers his take on where our increasingly “post-truth” world is headed. Human ingenuity, which enables us to control the outside world, may soon re-engineer our insides, extend life, and guide our thoughts. Science-fiction movies get the future wrong, if only because they have happy endings. Most readers will find Harari’s narrative deliciously reasonable, including his explanation of the stories (not actually true but rational) of those who elect dictators, populists, and nationalists. His remedies for wildly disruptive technology (biotech, infotech) and its consequences (climate change, mass unemployment) ring true, provided nations act with more good sense than they have shown throughout history.
Harari delivers yet another tour de force.Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-525-51217-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
Review Posted Online: June 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
An intriguing approach to identifying and relating to one’s emotions.
An analysis of our emotions and the skills required to understand them.
We all have emotions, but how many of us have the vocabulary to accurately describe our experiences or to understand how our emotions affect the way we act? In this guide to help readers with their emotions, Brackett, the founding director of Yale University’s Center for Emotional Intelligence, presents a five-step method he calls R.U.L.E.R.: We need to recognize our emotions, understand what has caused them, be able to label them with precise terms and descriptions, know how to safely and effectively express them, and be able to regulate them in productive ways. The author walks readers through each step and provides an intriguing tool to use to help identify a specific emotion. Brackett introduces a four-square grid called a Mood Meter, which allows one to define where an emotion falls based on pleasantness and energy. He also uses four colors for each quadrant: yellow for high pleasantness and high energy, red for low pleasantness and high energy, green for high pleasantness and low energy, and blue for low pleasantness and low energy. The idea is to identify where an emotion lies in this grid in order to put the R.U.L.E.R. method to good use. The author’s research is wide-ranging, and his interweaving of his personal story with the data helps make the book less academic and more accessible to general readers. It’s particularly useful for parents and teachers who want to help children learn to handle difficult emotions so that they can thrive rather than be overwhelmed by them. The author’s system will also find use in the workplace. “Emotions are the most powerful force inside the workplace—as they are in every human endeavor,” writes Brackett. “They influence everything from leadership effectiveness to building and maintaining complex relationships, from innovation to customer relations.”
An intriguing approach to identifying and relating to one’s emotions.Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-250-21284-9
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Celadon Books
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
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