Three Books I Recommend
Gone is the exuberance of summer, but Autumn is one our favorite seasons, isn’t it? If you live where the seasons change, then you know the feelings of fall: sunny, crisp days, the first time you wear a sweater or bite into a juicy apple, football, clam bakes, Hallowe’en and hayrides. I’m sure you can add to the list! Another pleasure of Autumn is curling up with a good book, perhaps by the first cozy fire of the season. I’ve switched from beach reads to interesting and informative books we have time to think and reflect during this calm and beautiful season.
Our Better Angels
by Jonathan Reckford
Why this book is resonating…
“When the waters rise, so do our better angels.”―President Jimmy Carter
“It has been our honor to work with Habitat for Humanity and see these seven virtues in practice. When we look outside of ourselves, we experience a glimpse of who we can be. Jonathan’s book reminds us to love one another. Amazing things happen when we do!”
Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks
JENA’S REVIEW
Our Better Angels: Seven Simple Virtues That Will Change Your Life and the World by Jonathan Reckford
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Jonathon Reckford is the the CEO of Habitat for Humanity. Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit organization that “helps people in your community and around the world build or improve a place they can call home.” Habitat for Humanity was found in 1976 in Americus, Ga and I guarantee that today there is a Habitat organization close to your home.
When we think of Habitat, we envision people getting together to build a house. Author Reckford also sees this, but he sees more. He sees the virtues that we gain, those better angels of our nature, by sharing together: kindness, generosity, community, empowerment, respect, joy and service. This book brings these virtues to life by sharing stories of people, whether the owners of a Habitat house, or a volunteer house builder who have changed and grown through Habitat.
These are feel-good, Chicken Soup for the Soul stories. As we “visit” building sites in the US and around the world, we learn that there is power in committed loving and caring. It’s inspiring to learn that an ordinary person with a tool-belt, or a mother who dreams of a better life her family can change the world. My favorite story was about salsa, and Eric, from Immokalee, Florida. The tomato farms of Immokalee produce most of the wintertime tomatoes for America. It’s a poor area. Eric’s family had qualified for a Habitat home. He and his high school classmates like him now had hope and they wanted to do more, something that would honor and help their community. So they came up with the idea of making and selling salsa! You will enjoy reading how this all unfolded and how it led to more dreams being realized.
This book is enjoyable and uplifting and would be a good gift. And who knows? Maybe you’ll want to pick up a hammer and start volunteering for Habitat for Humanity. Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press Essentials for a digital review copy. This is my honest review.
Your Move
by Jonathan Kay and Joan Moriarity
More about Your Move…
With its short, punchy essays, and dozens of beautiful photographs of the games themselves, every chapter will be a worthwhile read in itself, and the book overall will leave you inspired to discover the truths of your own inner and outer world through play, whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a total newcomer.
JENA’S REVIEW
Your Move by Joan Moriarty
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
There’s more to games than family game night! In the world of tabletop games there are many new and exciting games to discover. This book takes a look at games, with each pithy chapter “unboxing” a specific game or type of game. The authors write with an easy-going style as they dissect games most of us have played, such as Scrabble and Monopoly, and party games like Scattegories and Cards Against Humanity. We learn more about role playing games, like Dungeons and Dragons, and tactical wargames.
My favorite chapter was about The Game of Life and author Joan Moriarity (the authors alternate chapters, like taking turns in a game!) really does bring this game to life. The Game of Life was my second favorite game when I was a kid, playing with my neighborhood friends on our front porch. The history of the game is wonderful. The Checkered Game of Life was produced by Milton Bradley in 1860 and was a winner from the start. This was a track-based game like Snakes & Ladders, but it introduced the concept of choice. The original game was set-up like a checkerboard, with small drawings, but what I remember is the new version in 1960, with its plastic hills, bridges buildings and the best- the cars with the pink and blue people! The original purpose of the game, to edify and teach values and virtues, was re-focused more on wealth and success. Whatever- as kids we loved watching our pink and blue family grow and I’m sure we thought real life would be about the same.
The authors examine game playing behavior and show us why they immerse themselves in role playing game worlds and tactical wargames. Both authors encourage us to find our own groups and our own games. They also recommend more diversity in game design. I enjoyed reading this fast-paced book and its take on games, relationships and modern life.
Oh, and if The Game of Life was my second favorite game, what was my first? The Barbie Game!! Getting my prom dress, date and going to the prom- I loved it!!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Sutherland House for a digital review copy. This is my honest review.
The City Game
Matthew Goodman
Early Reviews for The City Game,
Releasing in November
“Fans of college hoops will devour Goodman’s excellent history. . . . Goodman effectively combines interviews and extensive research to definitively recreate the unfortunate story of the 1949–50 City College of New York basketball team, which won an unprecedented two college championships in the same year (the NIT and the NCAA) before being tainted by a point-shaving scandal involving several of its stars.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A richly detailed portrait of mid-twentieth-century New York City . . . This is a marvelous, vibrant recounting of a bit of sports history in which the backdrop of New York dominates.”—Booklist (starred review)
“Matthew Goodman has composed a portrait of an era that transcends sports. Painstakingly reported and written with great affection, The City Game is a masterpiece of American storytelling.”—Gilbert King, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Devil in the Grove
“Matthew Goodman tells this remarkable story—simultaneously stirring and upsetting—with the skills it merits: deep reporting, insightful writing, and a sure-footed comprehension of time and place.”—Daniel Okrent, author of The Guarded Gate
JENA’S REVIEW
The City Game: Triumph, Scandal, and a Legendary Basketball Team by Matthew Goodman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I am a basketball fan, thriving on high school, college, and NBA action. I’m drawn to the speed, incredible skill and chess-like maneuvering of the game. I couldn’t wait to read this book and I found it just as thrilling as any NBA playoff game. Author Matthew Goodman’s book promised a story of “Triumph, Scandal, and a Legendary Basketball Team” and it delivered.
When I tell you I’m from Cleveland, you will understand how I could relate to this book. Cleveland- sports proud and blessed with fans who root for their home team, “this year will be the year.” Except it never was the year for a Cleveland championship, until 2016, when the stars aligned and one star in particular, LeBron James, led Cleveland to an historic NBA championship. Sounds like the plot of The City Game, so let’s tip-off and see how the book plays out.
The cover of this book shows a scene from Madison Square Gardens and that’s where most of the hoops action in this book takes place. City College of New York played most of its basketball games there. City College was a beacon of hope for its students- who were mostly poor and from proud immigrant families. Their dreams and hope for the future made City College a vibrant place. The City College basketball team is the focus of this story, and the basketball season of 1949-1950 was the miracle year for the Jewish and African American players. It was a time of segregation, yet this team achieved the pinnacle of success, not once, but twice that year. They were heroes, at the top, then it all crashed down.
Author Goodman’s book is filled with research and facts that bring the players, their families, teachers and coaches, and the times to life. In a parallel story, we also learn of the scandals and corruption in the police and political world of New York City and how illegal gambling poisoned the times. This book is written in the “creative fiction” style, so while it is dense and factual, the story reads like a thriller. You will feel like you are living in the New York of 1950 and experiencing the sights, food, and energy of this melting pot city. You will also enjoy your “seat” in Madison Square Gardens as you root for the City College Beavers.
Who were to blame- the players, the coaches, Madison Square Gardens, New York City, the system? This is a good book to read, and to discuss. Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for a digital review copy. This is my honest review.
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