Amy

This book was interesting to read as a new professional in student affairs myself, and because I will soon be supervising someone in her first professional job in student affairs. This book is definitely out of date now, but I enjoyed comparing the experiences with the new professionals in this book with how things work today. Many aspects were the same, which is reassuring, although the systems were quite different (perhaps one day the Internet will be part of job searching!). A good book to look back and reference as I reflect on my own job one.

The first half of the book includes rich descriptions about growing up in Brooklyn and loving the Dodgers and then becoming a journalist who covered the great Dodgers teams. The second half of the book involves the author visiting with the players from those great Dodgers teams 20 years later. The epilogue describes some of the initial responses to the book, which were my own feelings: “A newspaper reviewer named Jonathan Yardley had trouble understanding the relationship between the two major sections...Yardley complained, not entirely pleasantly, that I had written two books, not one.” In addition to my confusion about the two sections of the book, I also didn't quite get the point of the book overall, other than to recount memories for the author. I kept expecting him to work his way to some great point, but he never did. However, that isn't to say I didn't enjoy the book. As a huge baseball fan, reading detailed recollections about players and games was enjoyable.

Well-written, well-structured look at Jackie Robinson's first major-league season. Jonathan Eig presents the case for why Robinson was chosen to play the role of the first black man in modern major-league baseball and shows the struggles and prejudice Robinson faced. After the glorious details of the majority of the book, the ending felt rushed, particularly in analyzing Robinson's greater legacy. Overall, this was a fascinating read.

This has been on my to-read list for years because of the catchy title, but unfortunately, I was underwhelmed. The main theme and the self- assessments all point a reader to discovering some potential new career, but it is oversimplified. It's probably a good book for some who are looking for a major overhaul.

This fun, touching, lightly adventurous children's book tells about dragon Miss Drake and her “pet” Winnie, as Miss Drake trains Winnie in the magical world all around them – and cleans up the big mess created by Winnie and a magical sketchbook. The adventure part of the story is resolved a bit too quickly, but the growing relationship between Miss Drake and Winnie as well as the overall spirit of the book made this an enjoyable read.

This collection of poetry, memoir, and fiction portrays a variety of Asian American experiences. As an Asian American myself, I appreciated both seeing some of my own experiences reflected in the writing as well as the way that expressing multiple voices shows that not all Asian American experiences are the same. There is nuance in the different stories, yet there is a constant connection to this exploration of who we are and what does that mean.

This book took quite a commitment. I think I checked it out four times, plus renewed it each time I was able to. Because I read it over such a long stretch, it's hard for me to remember my impressions of the beginning. I do remember thinking how clever Jane Austen was, which comes through in her letters as much as in her books.

And towards the end, especially as her books started being published and she started writing more letters (or at least, more of them were preserved) to her nieces and nephews, I was quite enchanted. It does feel a bit like eavesdropping, to read someone else's letters, and I wonder at what point a person is famous enough or has been gone long enough that it's OK to read their mail. But I'm glad I was able to read hers.

I think I liked each volume of Maya Angelou's autobiographies better than the previous, maybe because I grew to like Angelou better in each volume. Not to say that I didn't like her in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, but just that her growth as a woman and a writer is clear in each succeeding volume. She shows a wonderful ability to capture her voice from each period in her life.

I love Anne of Green Gables so much, and I also enjoyed the Emily of New Moon books. Unfortunately, Pat falls short. The same rich descriptions from L.M. Montgomery's other books are there, but Pat just isn't as endearing, and the main driver in the story is that Pat never wants to leave Silver Bush. I will stick with Anne.

It's been many years since I've read the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, but I remember really liking it, so at some point, I picked up this book from further along in the series. It is a pleasant read, although there isn't really much actual mystery in this one. In fact, there isn't much story arc at all. It's more just a nice opportunity to get to know Mma Ramotswe and the people in her life.

I liked the concept of the book, but it really didn't give me any great insights or tell me anything I didn't already know. The authors have a comfortable writing style, and it has a few good passages. I liked that the “Something to try” at the end of each chapter included a variety of items, which means that different people could try different suggestions.

I really appreciate Young's distinction between guilt and responsibility and, similarly, between a liability model of responsibility for injustice and a social connection model. In discussions about injustice, it is easy to get caught up in whether I, as an individual, am at fault for the ills of the world. Young describes this perspective as unproductive. Rather than trying to place blame for great social injustices that transcend individuals, we can realize that we have a social connection to the rest of the world. We might not be guilty of specific infractions against other people, but we do have a collective responsibility to work to rectify problems and work for justice.

I subscribed to Sports Illustrated for a few years, and reading Rick Reilly's column was always my favorite. He tells some great stories in just a few hundred words. I lost interest in his work after he moved to ESPN, but I really enjoyed this collection from his prime. In one column that wasn't included here, Reilly wrote, “Sports isn't an escape from life–it's woven into the fabric of it.” That is the essence of why I love sports and why I love the stories Reilly shares.

This book made some really interesting points about multiculturalism in the early church and that having multiracial churches now is not just a social issue but a theological one. The writing was not the most compelling, but the content made up for that and really made me think about my role in the Church and the type of congregation I want to be part of.

Something about this book is very haunting. It's a children's book, but I think I would hesitate before having a child read it. I kept thinking about what eternal life on earth would be like, and to be honest, it seems like quite a hellish thing. But the characters are sweet and they have quite an adventure.