My Favorite Children’s Books: Part 3

My Favorite Children’s Books: Part 3

This post is part of the Favorite Children’s Books series.

 

This is the third installment of my favorite children’s books. Looking for Christmas gifts for your little ones? I think these books would make perfect gifts!

 

A particular theme that I love in children’s books, or in general, is turning mistakes or weaknesses into strengths. I’m a big fan of the message that encourages creativity to reframe seemingly negative experiences into positives. I know I need to hear this often, and it is never to early to instill this reframing skill in our kids.

 

By the way, some of the books recommended in my previous posts (here and here) are on sale on Amazon like Rosie Revere, Engineer and What Do You Do With An Idea. Also, use Honey to track price changes on books and everything else you’re shopping for. It’s great for the holiday season!

 

As usual, help me find more fantastic children’s books by commenting your favorites.

 

This one is an interactive book that shows you and your little ones how oopsies, like torn paper or a smear, can be turned into a beautiful creation. I love the message. And seeing the message illustrated visually just impresses the mind that much more.

 


 

In my house, this book guarantees a laugh from my son. For that alone, I’d read it a hundred times. But this too is a beautiful story about seeing ourselves in new light. As an added bonus, it also rhymes and rhythmic. I can’t get enough of books with rhythm!

 

True to the title, this book’s cover is not shown in this post’s picture (see above). Written by B.J. Novak of The Office, with mischief, this book makes you say whatever it says out loud, no matter how ridiculous. It’s a super fun read. Also guarantees a laugh.

 

Nothing too deep here. But the pictures are funny. And I guess underwear is just funny. 

 

Eraser is feeling invisible and unrecognized, because her job, though important, is invisible. She erases the mistakes of others. Again, it’s about finding your individuality, reframing weakness into strength. 

 

What are your favorite children’s books? Shoot me your favorite titles!

Product links on this post are affiliate links, which means I get credits if you purchase products through them. Would appreciate it if you do!

My Year with The Next Big Idea Club

My Year with The Next Big Idea Club

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This post contains affiliate links. If you join The Next Big Idea Club or purchase products through my links, I will earn a commission. Opinions are entirely my own.

 

Since the beginning of this year, I’ve been a member of The Next Big Idea Club, the nonfiction book subscription club curated by Susan Cain, Malcolm Gladwell, Adam Grant, and Daniel Pink. Each quarter, a nice blue box arrives with two pristine hardcovers, plus other trinkets (e.g., book summaries, bookmarks, tote bag).

 

Keep reading to find out more about the club and my reflections on reading the selections so far. First, more details on The Next Big Idea Club.

 

 

How The Next Big Idea Club Works

 

There are three membership levels that you can choose from: Hardbacks, E-books, or Express Membership (you supply your own books). The club reads two books each quarter. Here’s the breakdown of the pricing:

 

Membership Option Billing Frequency Cost/year* Cost/quarter* Equivalent Cost/month
Hardbacks Annual $215.00 $53.75 $17.92
Quarterly $236.00 $59.00 $19.67
E-Books Annual $189.00 $47.25 $15.75
Quarterly $196.00 $49.00 $16.33
Express Membership Annual $89.00 $22.25 $7.42
*Bold face = actual amount billed

 

The Hardbacks subscription—the one I have—comes with a free tote bag and a bonus book. And if you pay the annual fee, you get 10% off.

All of the subscriptions include:

  • Access to video shorts by authors, reading guides, and author interviews for current and past seasons.
  • Access to a Facebook community forum to interact with authors, curators, and attend live Q&A sessions.
  • A donation to kids in under-resourced communities, in partnership with The Future Project.
  • For a limited time, you also get one year of Business Insider PRIME ($99 value) included with your subscription.

 

If you want to check out the club before paying for a membership, you can get a 2-week trial with the Express Membership.

 

I’ve read 6 books with the club so far and these are the ways that The Next Big Idea Club (NBIC) has added value to my life.

 

Exposure to New Books and Ideas

 

As with any good book clubs, NBIC exposes me to book selections I wouldn’t necessarily read otherwise. I would submit that this is the highest value a book club could offer, as it expands the horizon of our reading diet (as opposed to just reading books that are already aligned with our pre-existing worldview).

 

I’ve appreciated the way NBIC has expanded my exposure to certain issues and ideas, the most impactful being the principles behind building modern-day movements in New Power and the issue on free speech on college campuses in Uncensored . I was always interested in social movements and campus life, but these books introduce new questions to probe, new challenges to push through, and new paths to consider, like the ones in the next two points.

 

 

Big Ideas Take Time

 

Here’s the thing about big ideas: They’re big.

 

They’re not easy life hacks that you can implement and get results in two days. They need to diffuse into our minds. Their essence and principles need to be extracted. And finally, they need to be tested in our real life applications.

 

All of this takes time.

 

Sure, there are actionable steps proposed in each of the book, but the full truth and power of the ideas are not going to manifest fully unless you apply them in a sustained manner over an extended amount of time.

 

Changing culture isn’t easy, building endurance definitely isn’t instant, creating movements and paving a career may take years, engaging in difficult conversations and learning are lifelong pursuits.

 

The span of big ideas is measured in lifetime.

 

Why the long timescale? Because the true work of implementing big ideas is difficult, which brings me to the next point.

 

From Analysis to Design

 

One thing emerges for me as I read through the books: With big ideas, there are the easy part and the hard part of the work.

 

The easy part: Reading the books, critiquing the ideas, and talking about them.

The hard part: Asking how the ideas would inform my life and work decisions, and putting them into practice.

 

The easy part: Thinking about other people who should read the books and implement the ideas.

The hard part: Reflecting on how I contribute to or hinder the progress to a better world, as proposed by the books.

 

The easy work is done at an analytical distance. The hard work is internal and will step on our toes.

 

For me, the question is, how do I move from being a recipient of these ideas to a contributor. From consumer to creator. From analyst to artist.

 

While discussing the Culture Code , I posed a question to someone who is in a position of power, “What are the ways you intentionally shape the culture of your company?” The person paused to reflect and said that the answer is not fully obvious right now.

 

I think often there’s disconnect between engaging intellectually with the ideas vs. bringing them to real life. And it’s always easier to apply them to other people.

 

This question of artistry and design is where NBIC is pushing me to go.

 

(By the way, NBIC is not without criticism—see this blog post by Diana Senechal, which relates to this and the last point. As a NBIC member, I think it’s incumbent on each person to assess the truth of the principles in their own life and work, and not get too wrapped up in the “bigness” or trendiness of the ideas.)

 

Community: Where Ideas Brew

 

Ideas need communities. Communities are where ideas incubate and evolve. For me, the most valuable aspect of NBIC is the community—both the existence and the quality—it fosters.

 

I have found the Facebook community to be an enlightening space where thoughts get exchanged in respectful and considerate ways (much needed these days).

 

But of course, nothing replaces the meeting of minds in flesh and blood. I’ve truly enjoyed the NBIC Meetup groups (shout out to Carrie Sheaffer for organizing the Denver Meetup) and spending time with people whose common preoccupation is learning.

 

Beyond the NBIC-labeled communities, though, I have been in many conversations with others who ask about the club, the books, and by extension, the subject matter of the books. In a way, being a member of NBIC helps me find my tribe in and out of the club. And for this, I am really grateful.

 

Does The Next Big Idea Club sound like something you’d like? Join or check out the free trial here:

For another review of the club, see this post.

Photos by Johnny Loi.

Best Books of 2018: Part 1

Best Books of 2018: Part 1

This is the first installment of the best books I’ve read in 2018. Educated and Evicted were particularly fantastic!
If you follow this blog, recently, I posted my reading list on Understanding Poverty, which has been the subject I’m trying to delve into this year. Some of the books on that list also make an appearance here.

To see all of the books I’ve read in 2018, check out this page:

1. Educated: A Memoir

Educated is hands-down my favorite read in 2018 so far. It makes everybody’s best-of lists because it is just that fantastic. Westover tells her story of growing up in a fanatical, survivalist family who doesn’t believe in going to school, going to the doctor, or being registered in any government system. She finds a way to get out of her home and be in school for the first time at seventeen, and as she discovers education, she grows into her own self and her own thoughts. The most marvelous aspect of this memoir is her deep reflections on what is happening at every significant moment in her personal evolution. The tension between family loyalty and being able to think for her own is lucidly portrayed. It does two things for me. One, it makes me more appreciative of my own journey of education and the privilege to think. Two, it gives me a bit more understanding on the people and environment Westover grew up around. Simply said, it’s a marvelous and riveting memoir, deeply insightful and beautifully written.

 

2. Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City

Evicted is one of the best books I’ve ever read. It deals with the deep struggle for housing for the poorest of the poor in America. One of the biggest points of the book is that eviction is not only caused by poverty, but it also causes poverty. Matthew Desmond wrote out his research brilliantly in a very engaging narrative nonfiction form. He followed the lives of several families and individuals for an extended amount of time and recorded their challenges every step of the way.

 

3. $2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America

This book was what sparked my quest into the topic of poverty. I got it through a Kindle sale a few years ago because the title was very intriguing. Imagine, I got it for $1.99, the same amount some people live on for a day. $2.00 a Day also follows the lives of a few people, but also covers some policy background that has historically impacted–for better or for worse–the lives of the poorest in America. Several common themes emerge from this book and Evicted, especially on how people cope at this level of poverty.

 

4. Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis

Hillbilly Elegy has been credited as one of the explainers of the protectionist movement that arises from those who feel left behind by globalization, modern economy, and society. I don’t think J.D. Vance set out to play this role–he was really just telling the story of his upbringing–but he certainly opened the eyes of many to a specific culture and community that doesn’t really get represented much in most media. I can’t really do it justice in this summary, other than to say, it’s an important read.

 

5. Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion

Greg Boyle’s work with Homeboy Industries, a gang-intervention program in Los Angeles that provides gang members with jobs and support, is simply incredible. But this book, and Boyle’s message, stands out to me in that he doesn’t focus much on how to help the poor. His main message is to be with the poor. He calls it kinship. I reflect on his key message in this essay:

Kinship: A Better Model for Altruism

 

6. Janesville: An American Story

I used to pass by Janesville a lot on the way to visit my siblings in Madison, WI, but I had no idea what that town went through. This book tells the stories of several families as they experience the downward slip from the middle class to poverty after GM closed its biggest manufacturing plant in Janesville. The narrative is poignant because it tells what real people go through as a result of macro economic shifts in the world and corporate business decisions. I also think these kinds of ethnographic works should be the textbooks of anyone interested in policies–especially the policy makers–as they depict what happens on the ground. They can show where federal or state-level supports are needed, which programs work and which don’t, and what are the unintended consequences of certain initiatives.

 

7. Making Sense of God: Finding God in the Modern World

Of all contemporary Christian writers, Tim Keller is the one I respect the most. He is even-toned, nuanced, balanced, and incredibly well-read. What I love most of all is his cultural sensibilities: he understands the different narratives and values of different cultures, and is able to assess them vis-a-vis biblical values. To be more precise, he is not a preacher of Western culture, which I find quite common in American Christianity. Instead, he has the sensibilities to even examine his own culture and see the parts that are not entirely biblical.

These strengths are reflected in this book, where he proposes points to consider to the secular audience as they consider Christianity. If you happen to have been burned by Christian books before, this is a good one to try again, because even if you are skeptical, you will be intellectually nourished.

 

8. Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America

Amidst a plethora of angry and loud voices in today’s politics, John Lewis’ voice in Across That Bridge is refreshingly calm, full of wisdom, and enlightening. Lewis is someone who has fought for civil rights for decades, has been beaten, jailed, and threatened multiple times, and has continued to serve the public to this day. So the import of his words and counsel is deeply felt in this book. I picked this book up after listening to his interview with Krista Tippett on the spiritual aspect of the Civil Rights Movement. And boy, I did not realize how deep it was. The philosophy of nonviolence and their commitment to it is more than just a means to make social change. They were going for changes in the spiritual nature of society at the time.

For young people who want to make an impact in the world, for those who feel called by activism, this book is like sitting at the feet of your favorite grandfather, receiving wisdom-filled advice on how to move forward from the one person who has gone through it all.

 

Favorite Books Lists

2023: Best Books of 2023 Part 1

2022: Best Books of 2022 Part 1, Best Books of 2022 Part 2.

2021: Best Books of 2021 Part 1, Best Books of 2021 Part 2.

2020: Best Books of 2020 Part 1, Best Books of 2020 Part 2.

2019: Best Books of 2019 Part 1, Best Books of 2019 Part 2.

2018: Best Books of 2018 Part 1, Best Books of 2018 Part 2.

2017Best Books of 2017 Part 1, Best Books of 2017 Part 2.

2016Best Books of 2016 Part 1Best Books of 2016 Part 2.

2015Best Books of 2015 Part 1Best Books of 2015 Part 2.

 

*Amazon Product and Bookshop links on this blog are affiliate links, which means that each time you purchase something through those links, I get a small commission without you paying any extra. Of course you don’t have to use them, but if you want to chip-in towards content creation for this blog, I’d really appreciate it!