291: They Can't Take Them Away From Us

Summary

No guest today in what is my first episode of the new year. I promise no New Year's resolutions except one: to read and digest as many books as I can during the year.

Given my interest in books, I was curious to know what some of my colleagues, friends, and family members will read in 2024. So, I contacted more than 40 of them, asking them for a brief bio, their book of choice, and why that title might find its way to their nightstand. I thought that maybe I'd hear from a few, but that many might be too busy to respond, given the fast-approaching holiday.

Their responses poured in:

Jesse Kohler is the President and Chair of The Change Campaign and also serves as Executive Director of the Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice.

Going to read Preventing and Healing Climate Traumas: A Guide to Building Resilience and Hope in Communities by Bob Doppelt.

Because the climate crisis is widely traumatizing. Promoting support across our society to work through it together is one of the most critical callings of our time.

Paul McNicholls is a lay historian and author.

Going to read Victory to Defeat: The British Army 1918–40 by Richard Dannatt and Robert Lyman.

Because what happened to the British Army between the First and Second World Wars explains why they were summarily defeated by the Germans and had to be evacuated from the beaches at Dunkirk in 1940.

Frank Zaccari is a best-selling author and CEO of Life Altering Events, LLC.

Going to read The Passion Test by Janet and Chris Attwood.

Because over my long time on the planet, my passion – or what I thought was my passion – has changed many times. Now, in my semi-retirement, this book will help me focus on finding my next passion where I can make a difference.

Neil C. Hughes is a freelance technology journalist, podcast host and engineer, and the producer of "Tech Talks Daily" and "Tech Fusion" by Citrix Ready.

Going to read Freedom to Think: Protecting a Fundamental Human Right in the Digital Age by Susie Alegr.

Because this title will deepen my understanding of the intersection between technology, privacy, and human rights in the digital age.

Melissa Hughes, Ph.D. is a neuroscience researcher, speaker, and author of Happy Hour with Einstein and Happier Hour with Einstein: Another Round.

Going to read Misbelief by Dan Ariely.

Because the human brain is so incredible and so incredibly flawed (and because I read everything that Dan Ariely writes!)

And Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things by Adam Grant.

Because we all have hidden potential begging to be discovered.

Valerie Gordon is a former Emmy-winning television producer who brings the Art of Storytelling for Impact and Influence to audiences and corporate leaders.

Going to read Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things by Adam Grant.

Because I found his previous works to be insightful and helpful in my business as well as in meeting my own goals. I recommend it to anyone interested in the human mind and its impact on realizing our potential.

Rich Gassen is a print production manager at UW-Madison and also leads a community of practice for supervisors where we explore topics on leadership and staff development.

Going to read Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things by Adam Grant.

Because I have always sought to improve myself and those around me to achieve more through better processes, incorporating efficiencies, and harnessing strengths. I feel that this book will bring me to another level in being able to do that.

Sarah Elkins is a StrengthFinder coach and story consultant, keynote speaker, podcast host, and the author of Your Stories Don't Define You, How You Tell Them Will.

Going to read Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson.

Because I've become especially sensitive to representation over the past few years, and I talk about wanting to support all people. Reading a book by a person of color and understanding her back story is one way to help me do that.

Diane Wyzga is a global podcaster, a story expert who helps clients clarify ideas and amplify messaging, and a hiker – who walks the talk.

Going to read The Perfection Trap - Embracing the Power of Good Enough by Thomas Curran.

Because as I've become aware of our culture's dangerous obsession with perfection, I want to learn to step away from my own focus on it.

Bill Whiteside is a retired software salesman who is now writing a book about Winston Churchill and a little-known event from World War II.

Going to read Larry McMurtry: A Life by Tracy Daugherty.

Because after spending the past five years researching my book with my nose in books about Britain and France in 1940, it's going to be refreshing to read just for fun once again. McMurtry's personality and career as a bookstore owner and a highly regarded author – "Lonesome Dove," "The Last Picture Show" and "Terms of Endearment" – fascinate me.

Mark Reid is a maker of traditional handmade Japanese paper and host of the Zen Sammich podcast.

Going to read The Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham.

Because the main character's internal moral challenges and the battle with societal expectations are compelling for me to read about and contemplate.

Mark O'Brien is the founder and principal of O'Brien Communications Group, a B2B brand-management and marketing-communications firm, and host of The Anxious Voyage, a syndicated radio show about life's trials and triumphs.

Going to read Lyrical and Critical Essays by Albert Camus.

Because as a longtime fan of Camus' existential work, I look forward to stretching my thick Irish noggin to let in a tad more light – as I always try to do.

Hope Blecher is an educational consultant and the founder of Hope's Compass, www.HopesCompass.org, a non-profit that helps members of the community and visitors to interact with survivors of the Holocaust and children of survivors through arts, music, poetry, prose, and more.

Going to (re)read The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exuperty.

Because I experience something new each time I read it.

And Art Matters: Because Your Imagination Can Change the World by Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell.

Because I'm curious about what these authors will say that will help me continue on my own pathway of exploring art.

Christine Mason is the Cultivating Resilience podcast co-host, educational psychologist researcher, entrepreneur, and yoga instructor/mindfulness coach.

Going to read From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas L. Friedman.

Because Friedman knows the region exceptionally well, this book will provide me with a greater understanding of the underlying regional and religious tensions and conflicts and also prepare me to lead others in a deeper discussion toward a potential resolution and peace.

Tammy Hader is a retired accountant, a lifetime Kansan, a storyteller, a caregiver, and an author. (See above.)

Going to read Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam.

Because our relationships – our social capital – continue to be degraded in the current environment, so I want to study it, defend against it, and learn how to shift myself and my community into improved connections.

Cindy House is the author of Mother Noise, a memoir about her recovery from addiction. She is a regular opener for David Sedaris on his book lecture circuit. She is also my memoir instructor.

Going to read Art Monster: Unruly Bodies in Feminist Art by Lauren Elkin.

Because the book looks at women artists and their work as a reaction against the patriarchy. In these days of watching the GOP war against women, it seems especially important as a woman in the arts to consider how my work can be a protest against extreme political positions.

Susan Rooks – the Grammar Goddess – is an editor/proofreader who helps nonfiction/business content authors of books/blogs/websites and podcasters and their episode transcriptions look and sound as smart as they are.

Going to read Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Peter Attia, MD.

Because as I age, I'm interested in doing everything I can to stay alive in a healthy manner.

Steve Ehrlich is a lifelong educator and has an equally long-standing calling in fly fishing. He combines those two loves in classes on the lessons of fly fishing and its treasured literature for personal and professional growth, renewal and healing, and social change.

Going to read An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong.

Because I've always been intrigued by the interconnectedness of things, especially the things we can't fully understand. Such a mystery is at the heart of this book, which is about how animals are connected to one another in so many ways and in a manner that most of us have difficulty comprehending.

Annette Taylor is a rogue researcher of evolutionary psychology.

Going to finish We Are Electric by Sally Adee – but doing so scares me...

Because it seems like the author is justifying our "merging" with AI or at least romanticizing our ever increasing entanglements with technology. And since I like to simplify life using a cave-dweller perspective, this idea freaks me out.

Leon Ikler is a commercial photographer primarily shooting tabletop and small room scenes in the studio along with a mix of location work.

Going to read Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson.

Because in these contentious times with the nation so divided, I like how she frames today's issues against what has taken place in the past. I feel it is essential to know our history so we can try to avoid making the same mistakes again.

Rita Grant is a former award-winning video producer.

Going to reread The United States of Arugula by David Kamp.

Because it's a great reminder of how our current American culinary landscape was created.

I'm ending with Rita because she also sent in another suggestion. Not a book, but a song – "You Can't Take That Away From Me," sung by the incomparable Ella Fitzgerald. As Rita noted, "The lyrics will stand the test of time. They're a testament to what we hold in our hearts and imagination that can never be taken from us."