The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

My TIE friend Marilyn first recommended this book to me several years ago. She was so enthusiastic about it that I went ahead and ordered it, and then, after reading the back cover, decided Jane would enjoy it too. So I sent it to her. She loved it! She thought our father would enjoy it, so she lent it to him... He loved it! Finally, on a recent trip to Napa, I got a hold of that original copy and got to read it myself. I loved it too...and here's why.

It's nonfiction at its best. It tells a compelling story with rich detail and fascinating portraits of the people and the times. It's set in the Seattle area in the 1930's when that part of the country was fairly new to white settlement. The development of that area and the University of Washington was interesting...as were the boys who made the rowing team. These young men were hard, hard workers who never gave up. They struggled to make a living, to pay their tuition, and to make the rowing team. They feel like a whole different kind of person than one meets today, with the exception of my father's generation. It's inspiring to read of their commitment to the team, to each other, to getting their education, and so on. They just plunge onward through incredible adversity.

The University of Washington rowing team has several meets against Cal, and that's why I thought my sister would enjoy it too. The rivalry is described well, as is the way the sport evolved in the eastern elite schools. I loved the parts about the artistic boat builder and he is frequently quoted throughout the book. Rowing as a single unit is described like poetry!

I also enjoyed the parts about the competition in Berlin. As the Nazi's prepared for the Olympics and being center stage of the world's showcase, it was fascinating to read of these characters. I learned a lot about this painful history. And, as is the case throughout the book, it's thoroughly researched and written in a very engaging way. It's an incredible story on so many levels...poetic, historic, and inspiring.

Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek

My friend MaryLou lent me this book. She is reading it as part of a principal-preparation program. She thought I would enjoy it, and she was correct!!!

This is a very readable book with lots of good examples from business and the military. But it's a book that fits every profession and every person, because it's based on good principles. The main principle is that we need to trust our leaders and our leaders need to be trustworthy. We all need to do the right things for the right reasons. What I like about this is that it's true. What I also appreciated was the many examples of how businesses thrive when they put people and their needs FIRST, rather than profits.

One of the author's main contentions is that our current culture is more or less addicted to dopamine and quick results, rather than on long-term happiness provided by the brain chemical oxytocin. Sometimes this is a big stretch to make his point, over and over, but sometimes it seems to really fit.

I am thinking about giving copies of this book to Mike and/or Don, because I think it would help any businessperson remember that people are their most critical asset. It might also help them think about ways to make their business more altruistic and rewarding and not just profitable. Just thinking about this...not sure I'll really do it!

One "test" he gives is to ask us if we would trust our leader in a foxhole to protect us. That's ultimately what a leader SHOULD do, but somehow, in recent years, we do not. He cites many examples in politics, in bustiness, and other arenas that shows how short-sighted it is to operate without integrity and trust. His contention that leaders need to create a safety zone is well-founded, because it leads to innovation and better practices... Lots of good material here, worthy of putting into practice!!! He's also very worth watching on his Ted Talks! I like it when good principles gain popularity!

Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult

My friend MaryLou offered me this book. Since I really like her, and feel we have similar tastes, I was anxious to read what she thought was a good book.  Because I have read one Jodi Picoult book and didn't particularly like it, I was hesitant. But MaryLou told me I would enjoy learning about elephants, and so I took it.

She was right; this book has a lot of fascinating lore about elephants. These fascinating elephant habits are seamlessly interwoven into a story of love and loss and the parallels between the humans and the captive elephants are amazing. Another thing I really liked was the characters in this book. The first half of the book was captivating because of the off-beat and interesting characters. The story moved ahead in a very enjoyable way.

But... a little more than half-way through, the story took a weird turn, and the ending was completely surreal. I felt like I'd been tricked. I didn't buy the supernatural parts and am sorry it took that turn, and indeed depended on it for the plot to work at all. It's too bad, because otherwise I would have enjoyed sharing this book with others. As it is, I won't bother...

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

My wonderful friend Christy recommended that our Relief Society book group read this treasure. I remembered it only vaguely from when I read it as a young girl. I loved the cover of my book which had a painting of a girl sitting in a big comfy chair reading a book. Now that I think about it, I wonder if it was an abridged version? Because when I found this book in a used bookstore, I was astounded at the length of it! 537 pages! Could I have really read that hefty of a book as an eleven or twelve year old? Perhaps!

I was a little dismayed at first at the tone and the dated feel of it...but I quickly overcame that and found it sweet. It didn't take me long to get swept into the story again and to admire the girls and especially their mother.

There were many, many parts that I wanted to highlight and save...but there were too many. I need to save the whole book!

Parts to add: the position of the father, and how he's an ANCHOR to the family. Very much like God.

How Jo's role in society and in the family was a call for independence and new roles for women. This is modeled after Louisa herself, apparently.

In our discussion, April shared that she had experienced and also knew families whose sibling relationships were as positive as those portrayed in this book. The comment had been made that this was unrealistic.