Monday, April 9, 2007

On War and Peace

I really should be reading. I posted here in February that I would start reading War and Peace, and I really haven't gotten very far. I am on page320. That is only 1,135 pages left to go.

I can't even decide if I like it. It is Adam's favorite book, so I feel compelled to read it, but honestly it is rather bone dry boring in some spots. I don't really know if I am a better person for knowing exactly how far to the left one cannon fires just before knowing how far to the right another cannon fires.

I will say however, that some parts are downright titillating. I feel as if I am reading some sort of classic Russian soft core erotica. And I am pulled into the story lines, and want to know what happens to these characters. It is a GOOD book by these standards. The main problem is, quite honestly, for every 20 pages of page turning interest, there seems to be 100 pages of sleep inducing detail. I am going to hang in there though, since I am only a fourth of the way through this, things might just turn around for me. It is interesting the parallels I see between this book, written so long ago, and today- as an American citizen embedded in but so far away from a war driven society.

I am managing to squeeze in some lighter reading during the day when I am hanging out with Desi as he plays on his own. Our Last Best Shot is a good book for families hitting that pre-adolescent state of being. I absolutely do not agree with everything this author puts forward, but the general idea of this book is good. It has my wheels turning about how we are going to proceed with these kids as they continue to grow.

Also about 1/4 of way through this book, the main points I have taken away from it are these:

  • kids need meaningful work and experience in their lives.
  • They benefit from being genuinely needed and valued by the family, for what they can do for their families.
  • They also benefit from having a solid network of trusted adults in their lives, aside from parents and family.
Maybe some no-brainers there, but I had not stopped to really concretely think about these things and develop a plan to make them happen. I am curious to what the last 3/4 of the book has to say.

No comments:

Bookshelf

Shannon's currently-reading book montage

The Complete Poems
Collected Poems
Kenya: Between Hope and Despair, 1963-2011
Anti-Bias Education for young children and ourselves
I Laugh So I Won't cry: kenya's Women Tell the Stories of Their Lives
How to Be Compassionate: a Handbook for Creating Inner Peace and a Happier World
Children
The Hundred Languages of Children: The Reggio Emilia Approach Advanced Reflections
The Secret Garden


Shannon's favorite books »

Shannon's read-in-2012 book montage

Rethinking Early Childhood Education
Anti-Bias Curriculum: Tools for Empowering Young Children
Safari Animals
Young Children Reinvent Arithmetic: Implications of Piaget's theory (early childhood education series
Total Learning: Developmental Curriculum for the Young Child
Clinical Supervision and Teacher Development


Shannon's favorite books »
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