Top 5 books I read in 2022
Also a thank you to participants in the fall book study, plus my one word for 2023
First, thank you to everyone who participated in the Teaching Readers (Not Reading) book study. A special shout out to the following people for joining me for a Zoom chat around the text and/or commenting on one of the discussion threads:
Gail Boushey
Sandy Brumbaum
Kay Hancock
Clarene Hight
Mary Howard
Denise Johnson
Udeze Maryjane
Ellie Olson
Rhonda Precourt
Sally Rowlands
Joy La Vay Taylor
Micki Uppena
Judy Wallis
Belinda Whyte
And of course: Peter Afflerbach! (Apologies in advance if I inadvertently left anyone off this list; let me know and I will update this post.)
Next, here are my top 5 books I read in 2022 (in alphabetical order by author’s last name):
Unlocking Leadership Mindtraps: How to Thrive in Complexity by Jennifer Garvey Berger (professional, leadership)
A highly accessible resource for understanding how to avoid simple approaches to complex situations. It is relevant to education and other fields, not just business.
For example, the mindtrap of simple stories has clear connections with the struggle some educators seem to have in accepting the reality that students need more than just skills and strategies to become readers.
I am using this text as part of a book study with other school leaders this year.
Hearts Touched with Fire: How Great Leaders are Made by David Gergen (nonfiction, memoir, leadership)
Terrific book on leadership, filled with wisdom and voice by a known personality (CNN). I would not have selected this title without Regie Routman’s recommendation and generous gift of a hard copy.
Gergen's experience in four White House administrations makes him a perfect observer about what effective leadership is and is not. If I were teaching a general course on leadership for future school administrators, I would have Gergen's book as one of the texts to choose from for students.
Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention- and How to Think Deeply Again by Johann Hari (nonfiction, social science, investigative journalism)
What starts as a journalist's quiet tech sabbatical becomes a global investigation into what the world is doing to our depleted and declining attention spans.
Hari’s book is what current and relevant investigative journalism resources should be:
Looking at many aspects of an issue
Being transparent about one's own biases and opinions
Speaking with experts in the field and creating a consensus on the truth
I bet we can think of at least one journalist who might benefit from this example…
Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder (nonfiction, biography)
An important book for documenting Dr. Paul Farmer's incredible efforts to eradicate tuberculosis from Haiti. Dr. Farmer serves as an example for how one person can make a difference.
One point I found interesting is how a few people in Farmer's organization tried to emulate him, such as his crazy schedule and energy. For me it was a good reminder that following can also be leading, that we don't have to intimate someone we admire - we can simply join them in their work.
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (fiction, horror/thriller, classic)
This horror classic hasn't lost any luster since published in 1959. The slow start introduces you to the characters, getting to know their personalities and idiosyncrasies. These small details play out in interesting ways later in the story when the hauntings begin. Very hard to put down once Eleanor, Luke, Dr. Montague, and Theo arrive at Hill House.
There’s little violence, and it’s as much a psychological thriller as a supernatural/horror story.
Finally, my one word for 2023: COMMIT
As I logged The Haunting of Hill House earlier today, I noticed where I was in my Goodreads Book Challenge.
My first thought was, Ugh, I’m definitely not going to reach my goal.
And then I thought about why I set this goal in the first place.
It’s fun to see my journey as a reader over the year.
I like viewing what the people I am connected with on Goodreads are reading.
As a reminder to read daily, although I don’t know if I really need this…
The point to be made is, the goal is not the purpose - reading is.
Reading 50 books in one year may not even be a healthy goal. If I’m speeding through each text just to log it and get to the next book, then there’s less room for joy, for contemplation about what I just read, or for sharing what I’m reading with others.
So I am resolving to commit to deeper reading in 2023.
At some level I realized this during 2022.
For example, I am rereading Unlocking Leadership Mindtraps with colleagues. We are using the text as a third point for talking about the challenges of educational leadership. Each principal has developed a personal understanding of the mindtraps in relation to their school. When they share the meaning they have constructed with the group, my own interpretation of the text expands. I can now see what Berger is trying to convey through a larger lens.
That I might miss out on a few more books I could have read in exchange for a better understanding of the ones I do read, as well as a greater appreciation for how others perceive the same words (and their worlds), is an acceptable tradeoff.
No posts next week - enjoy your holiday break, and see you in 2023!
What will you commit to in 2023? Or, what is your word of the year?
Speaking of commitment, I will be turning on subscriptions to this newsletter starting January 2023. Go to my About page for more information. (In a nutshell: I have committed to going back to graduate school and I am looking to crowdsource tuition.)
Thank you as always for your leadership and readership! -Matt