A Selection of Non-Fiction Booktalks
"Booktalks" are a tool used by librarians and teachers to persuade someone to read a book. They are usually presented to children and teens, but sometimes to adult audiences. If you love to read non-fiction, perhaps one of these written booktalks below will grab your attention.
Author Talk edited by Leonard Marcus, 2000
Author Gary Paulsen learned how to live off the land for weeks at a time while he was only in elementary school. In adulthood, he raced the Iditarod, then biked 800 miles. Extensive physical races and living off the land were life-changing experiences, and he subsequently found it difficult to relate to other people. He currently writes for 18 hours per day, and he loves life and animals.
Judy Blume never expected to become an author. She decided to write later in life, and she enjoys writing about real issues that kids face. She wishes to break taboos in life wide open so that kids can benefit. She delights in fan mail and the fact that her audience feels free to share their emotions with her. Her works have been popular with kids across generations.
These are just two examples of the incredible children's authors whose words fill this work's pages.
The authors of great literature in this book have been compiled by Leonard Marcus, who is an icon of children's literature. He has written so many amazing works and he created an exhibit on children's literature that was housed in the New York Public Library's main research library. Marcus has attended and been a panelist at many of the Children's Literary Salons that were held at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building.
My Thoughts
I have always been a huge fan of Leonard Marcus and this book reminded me why.
Additional Resources
Hiring for Attitude: a Revolutionary Approach To Recruiting Star Performers With Both Tremendous Skills and Superb Attitude by Mark Murphy, 2012
Brown shorts. You show up to a group interview along with many other candidates. You, like everyone else there, don formal attire (aka... a business suit). A staff member of the company that you are interviewing with enters the room. They wield a pair of casual brown shorts and suggest that some of the interviewees might wish to get more comfortable and put the shorts on. You can guess what kinds of looks and verbal responses such a query generates.
Would you put on the brown shorts? If you declined, Southwest Airlines would also decline the opportunity to further pursue your candidacy for the pilot position. The company has a fun culture, and it wants staff who are willing to go with the flow and who do not take themselves too seriously. Of course, the candidates must be great pilots, too. A great attitude and technical expertise are the twin qualities that most employers seek out high and low.
Interestingly enough, many staff members who turn out to be considered "bad hires" have a negative attitude. They could have the best skills in the world but an inability to play well with others can set themselves and the company back. Bad attitudes have a seriously deleterious effect on workplace culture, staff and customers. Most hires possess the necessary skill set for the advertised position. In order to avoid a "bad hire," it is helpful for interviewers to ask non-leading questions that inform the candidate which answers are desirable. For instance, "Tell me about a time when there was conflict in the workplace" without "and how you resolved it." The addition informs applicants that resolution of problems is expected. Allow candidates to reveal their workplace behavior.
Recruiting and human resources management is a challenging field, and not much empirical research has been conducted about how to effectively hire staff that works out long term. However, recruiters can increase their chances of success by utilizing certain strategies. How positions are advertised can also influence the pool of candidates that are created for a certain position. Word choice and emphasis on what stellar employees look for in an organization can help companies hire great staff.
My Thoughts
I found this work interesting, but, in my opinion, the best way to hire great employees is to mine the company's volunteer worker pool. Another helpful strategy is to identify great part-time and temporary workers that are already doing great work (good working habits, good interpersonal skills and great technical skills) and offer them promotions to full-time work.
Additional Resource
Work Optional: Retire Early the Non Penny-Pinching Way by Tanja Hester, 2019
Work optional... sounds impossible or like a dream? Sounds like you could never do it? Everyone has to work to make a living, right? Think again. There is nothing optional about work... but maybe you could escape the rat race and exhaustion of today's ever-demanding company reality. You could get away from employers who think that they own every waking minute of your life until you separate from the company.
If you are dissatisfied with your job and your life, blast out on a different path. Craft your own future. Start your own business or work from home and determine your own hours. With years of smart financial planning, finance a career intermission, semi-retirement (part-time work) or early retirement (before your 60s). Saving money and avoiding mindless spending, investing in 401Ks, IRAs and individual accounts can help achieve your financial goals. The importance of pensions and the money that they will provide during your golden years should not be overlooked. And, of course, at present, there are Social Security funds available. A complete overhaul of your spending habits may be necessary in order to achieve early retirement.
Each person wants to feel personally fulfilled in their lives and careers. Pursuing a job that you feel passionate about creates happiness, and you can help make the world a better place. Chasing promotions and money can cause individuals to spend more time at work and feel more exhausted. Even if you do not wish to quit your job, this book provides a different perspective on the world of work.
My Thoughts
I read this book at just the right time in my life, and it changed my life. The book fundamentally altered the way that I think about work/life balance, the working world and life in general. The author of the book retired at age 38.
Additional Resources
The Millionaire Next Door: the Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy by Stanley, Thomas and Danko, William, 1996
Under Accumulators of Wealth (UAWs) versus Prodigious Accumulators of Wealth (PAWs)... Which one are you... or neither? Surprisingly enough, being wealthy does not necessarily equate to making large amounts of money. Wealth (rather than the accumulation of luxury goods) is the accumulation of money that sticks in your bank account. It is not high levels of cash flow. Many people who spend massive amounts of money do not have a large retirement account.
Consumption versus saving.
High consumers tend to make money in order to spend it. They expend large amounts of time planning purchases and comparison shopping. They are very concerned with keeping up with the Joneses and enjoying the finer things in life. They earn dollars in order to consume goods. These people are generally raised by folks who share this "earn it, spend it" philosophy. These individuals tend not to be entrepreneurs.
Savers have generally been raised by people who are also frugal. They are very careful about their purchases and how they spend money. They may have modest job titles such as a teacher or work in other middle-class professions. They spend many more hours than consumers planning their financial lives. They spend little time shopping and accumulating material goods, leaving time for low-cost activities that they enjoy.
My Thoughts
A friend recommended this book to me, and it was quite a read. It is very revealing about gender stereotypes, and some reasons for the perpetuation of unequal pay between men and women. Spending money and living the high life do not necessarily equate to a comfortable living in the long haul.
Additional Resources
Condoleezza Rice: A Memoir of My Extraordinary, Ordinary Family and Me by Condoleezza Rice, 2010
Rice's parents tried to get her admitted to first grade at the age of three. However, she rebelled and soon emerged victorious. Then, her mother homeschooled Condoleezza as a first grader so that she could enter second grade at the age of six. Prior to her senior year of high school, her father, an employee of Denver University, asked her if she would like to enter college early. He wished to avoid the high tuition costs of St. Mary's High School. From a young age, brilliant Rice showed an aptitude for academic achievement. She went on to get a PhD from Stanford University, then became a professor, and later a provost there.
An only child, Rice was very close to her parents throughout their lives. She stayed in Denver for a couple of years after graduation in order to be close to them. After she moved away, she communicated with them daily via telephone. They sacrificed money and time for her education, skating school and piano lessons. Rice is eternally grateful for this. Her parents recalled that she proclaimed as a little girl that she wished to remain an only child.
Rice has many interests that have evolved over time. At times, she thought that she would turn her love of skating or music into a professional career. However, she switched her major to political science, and she is very glad to have made the move. Working in the White House gave her a sense of excitement that she did not find elsewhere. She did, however, end up teaching music classes in order to finance her graduate education. She specialized in Russian studies and security. She had many wonderful mentors along the way, and she loved being Secretary of State for the President George W. Bush.
My Thoughts
Rice is fascinating. She has had an amazing, prolific career, and she seems like a genuinely kind person. Her multifaceted interests are dizzying, at times.
Additional Resources
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