Checking out the Book Review Section of the Sunday New York Times

On Mondays I usually bring the following sections of the New York Times with me on my commute to work:

-Magazine
-Week in Review
-Business
-Book Review

In any event there is so much to read in the New York Times that I just can’t get to it all. Some weeks I don’t even get to the book review section. The aim of a book review is to provide enough information so that you know if you want to buy the book. I will talk about two book reviews that I read this afternoon while sitting on a park bench. Remember, I am on staycation this week.

Browning, Dominique. Slow Love: How I Lost My Job, Put on My Pajamas & Found Happiness. New York: Atlas & Co, 2010.

The author lost her job as House & Garden Magazine. I know that job loss can have the same psychological effect as a long illness or bereavement. Losing a job can cause the victim to become very angry. The sensitive parts of this describe the triumph of spirit over circumstance.

As I read this book review I thought of the postings of a Facebook friend (DW) who is so bitter about not being able to find a job in this miserable economy. I have never met DW, but I certainly understand his pain and wish him well. I will try to get this book from the public library. I can always use interlibrary loan. The author has a web site at http://dominiquebrowning.com/

Ravitch, Diane. The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education. New York: Basic Books, 2010.

I will be brief and say that I agree with the author that students should not be taught just to score high on an examination. Assessment at all levels of education is important, but it must be done the right way.

Does anybody think that Bruce’s Journal is a nickel blog?