I'm reading too many things, and I'm enjoying them all. You know what that means: library fines are mounting. I'm in the middle of, almost in the middle of, or almost finished reading A Mango-Shaped Space (yes! another YA), How Does It Feel To Be A Problem?, and Girls Will be Girls.
I'm just beginning Sound Reporting and this month's National Geographic...
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Brain Fade
I gave up on The New Feminine Brain. The good Dr. Schultz disappointed me by making a substantial chunk of the work - ostensibly a non-fiction self-help book - a running commentary on her own life.
I like the format of nonfiction books that take off with a personal narrative, something that provides a glimpse into the author's first-hand experience with a situation. From the beginning, I thought Dr. Schultz was just going to unusual lengths to prove her understanding of various brain functions.
Unfortunately, her first-hand accounts continued, from her experiences in medical school (which seemed to pop up in every chapter) to her M&M "addiction," to name-dropping, like the three-paragraph explanation of helping Naomi Judd pen her autobiography, with the explanation rather heavily peppered with her own quotes.
I selected the book because I assumed the subtitle, "Developing Your Intuitive Genius," referred to my/the reader's intuition, not the author's. (I guess I'm no genius.)
The book's cover promises readers will "discover your unique brain type and how to use it" and find out "how to use your intuition to improve your physical, emotional, and relationship health." Instead, it actually details the author's discovery of her unique brain type and a variety of her physical, emotion, and relationship problems.
I know how much work it takes to get a book to market; because of that, I really hate to "trash" a book. So, I offer this recommendation: Because the author has ADHD and has spent a lifetime examining brain function (a good bit of it her own) it may be a helpful book for adults with ADHD or parents of older children with ADHD. There. That's the best I can say for it.
What I'd really like to know is, how did this book happen? Schultz has a PhD and an MD following her name; she's no dummy. The publisher - The Free Press - is a division of Simon and Schuster, which presumably employees bright editors. It really ticks me off when the book between the covers isn't at all what's touted on the covers and in press releases. And it can't help sales much, can it?
Sigh.
I like the format of nonfiction books that take off with a personal narrative, something that provides a glimpse into the author's first-hand experience with a situation. From the beginning, I thought Dr. Schultz was just going to unusual lengths to prove her understanding of various brain functions.
Unfortunately, her first-hand accounts continued, from her experiences in medical school (which seemed to pop up in every chapter) to her M&M "addiction," to name-dropping, like the three-paragraph explanation of helping Naomi Judd pen her autobiography, with the explanation rather heavily peppered with her own quotes.
I selected the book because I assumed the subtitle, "Developing Your Intuitive Genius," referred to my/the reader's intuition, not the author's. (I guess I'm no genius.)
The book's cover promises readers will "discover your unique brain type and how to use it" and find out "how to use your intuition to improve your physical, emotional, and relationship health." Instead, it actually details the author's discovery of her unique brain type and a variety of her physical, emotion, and relationship problems.
I know how much work it takes to get a book to market; because of that, I really hate to "trash" a book. So, I offer this recommendation: Because the author has ADHD and has spent a lifetime examining brain function (a good bit of it her own) it may be a helpful book for adults with ADHD or parents of older children with ADHD. There. That's the best I can say for it.
What I'd really like to know is, how did this book happen? Schultz has a PhD and an MD following her name; she's no dummy. The publisher - The Free Press - is a division of Simon and Schuster, which presumably employees bright editors. It really ticks me off when the book between the covers isn't at all what's touted on the covers and in press releases. And it can't help sales much, can it?
Sigh.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Girly Brains?
I'm splitting my precious reading time between two books right now - Girls will be Girls (Deak) and The New Feminine Brain by Mona Lisa Schultz. Like wine and cheese (which often accompanies my reading, and probably does little for my retention) they make a nice pairing.
One of Deak's primary pieces of advice (or anti-advice?) for parents of girls is:
"Probably the worst thing we can do as adults, to handicap girls, is to encourage them in any way to want or need things in total order or control. They're already inclined that way. The best thing we can do is to help them learn to grow in a climate where chaos--internal or external--is always in the three-day forecast."
Amen.
Now if I could just learn to deal with that forecast...
One of Deak's primary pieces of advice (or anti-advice?) for parents of girls is:
"Probably the worst thing we can do as adults, to handicap girls, is to encourage them in any way to want or need things in total order or control. They're already inclined that way. The best thing we can do is to help them learn to grow in a climate where chaos--internal or external--is always in the three-day forecast."
Amen.
Now if I could just learn to deal with that forecast...
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