Monthly Archives: October 2025

Rosarita by Anita Desai

Rosarita by Anita Desai is a book for literary readers who want to spend some more mental energy in the beautiful cities of Mexico. Decades have passed now since I spent a summer traveling through Mexico on a trip with my school, but this book brought back that wonderful sense of travel–the unique sights and sounds that can only be experienced by being in Mexico, as an outsider perhaps. Readers who do not have the same connect to the country will still enjoy the prose, the rich description, and the strange emotional journey of our main character.

The Forever Colony by Victor Villanueva

I enjoyed The Forever Colony by Victor Villanueva tremendously. The book does the work of reclamation history and offers lovely prose and theory and magical realism. I was reminded of The Lost Journals of Sacajewea by Debra Magpie Earling, which does something similar, imho.

Who Is Government? by Michael Lewis (et al)

Who Is Government? is a book written by several writer/long form journalists, including Michael Lewis, who take a close look at areas of government that are frequently glossed over in new clips or political commentary. Specifically, individual public workers and their accomplishments are highlighted.

From this book, I learned more about the U.S. government. I was inspired by specific unsung stories of success and ability. For the successes, though, the book also ends on a flat line. The realities of social perception and the cultural roadblocks that literally stand in the way of saving lives are also hard pills to swallow.

Overall, I recommend the book as a reminder of what people are up to every day in their government jobs. Beyond the soundbites and glossy news stories, people are working methodically to improve lives, usually for modest pay and little recognition.

Mindset by Carol Dweck

All teachers should know and apply the concept of a growth mindset (this opposed to a fixed mindset). The concept is fairly common among teachers, simple to grasp, and truly can be life changing if effectively applied and integrated.

I thought I sufficiently understood and applied the concept. However, I decided to read the whole book, Mindset by Carol Dweck, for some research I’m doing and gained a lot more by doing so. Yes, the concept is simple, straightforward, and easy to grasp, but the book includes many examples that illustrate different concepts, many of which really helped deepen my concept of what fixed vs. growth mindset can look like in different settings. It was enlightening!

This is a concept that is broadly applicable to all humans, not just teachers and (active) learners. (Hopefully we all never stop learning.

The Deep Places by Ross Douthat

If you have ever been plagued by an illness that nobody could understand, and that no doctor could diagnose, that no medication could alleviate, and if you have ever had your otherwise reasonable self brought to the brink of insanity by said illness, then The Deep Places by Ross Douthat will likely be a good read and possibly even a comfort to you.

This book offers a tale of a man, and a family at the top of their game, who then are brought to their knees by a mysterious illness. The book offers insight into the experience of chronic illness, but it also takes an honest and stark look too, in that nerdy mix of insight, religiosity and theory that Douthat is known for.