"Kindness is the greatest floss..." from The Razor's Edge

When I was in college working at Muir's Drug Store on Michigan Avenue, I remember reading an article about a "rudeness syndrome" that was sweeping the country. Part of the problem, the author felt, was the younger generation's lack of concern for humanity and continual focus on self. I could not stop laughing when I read it! Interestingly though, as I shared the article with friends, family, and co-workers, they agreed with the author! That was in the seventies, and I am happy to report that forty some years later, a New York Times writer, Nicholas Kristof, believes that people are getting nicer. Well, it's about time, don't you think!!

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Readerz Edge

Recently I have been reading and reviewing books like crazy! I love having the time to do this and have joined Story Circle Journal as a guest reviewer. My first review, on Leila Levinson's book entitled Gated Grief, appeared on Story Circle recently. You can read my review here. I have several other short reviews (some rather hastily written) on Good Reads of recent reads. With the exception of one, I feel like I have chosen fantastic books lately. I am only listing books recently read, because if I went back and added everything, I would simply die of exhaustion....
Currently reading: Paula by Isabel Allende.

Just finished: Someone to Talk To: Finding Peace, Purpose, and Joy after Tragedy and Loss by Samantha M. White. Review here. My photo has been posted as a reviewer here!

Butterfly Tears is a collection of personal stories by young women whose lives have been transformed by the amazing power of community impact. Pathways to Improvement, a foundation created by Dave Bishop, operates out of California through the generous donations of professionals and benevolent donors. I found the book to be quite compelling for anyone interested in programs that can impact those affected by drug and/or alcohol abuse. Available on Kindle, I highly recommend it for anyone looking to support/organize a good thing!

The Life and Letters of Kate Gleason is a fascinating biography of a female entrepreneur in a world of men during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Criticized by some, including her brothers with whom she ran Gleason Iron Works, Kate was admired by many more as she took her engineering know-how, industrious nature, and savvy business style to various communities. If you want to learn about a woman who designed, built, and sold products around the world, you simply must read about Kate Gleason.

Holding Our World Together :  Ojibwe Women and the Survival of Community by Brenda J. Child is the latest volume of the Penguin Library of American Indian History.  In this historical look at the influence of Ojibwe women who settled the Great Lakes region with their clans, Ms. Child contributes not only an important link for women's studies, but a critical chapter in American Indian history. Having grown up in Michigan, I was fascinated to read about wild rice gathering and the tribal benefit of accepting the European fur traders by the Ojibwes.  For those who love reading about the trials and tribulations of our earliest Americans, this book provides and essential chapter of that history!

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