In June, as the 2014-2015 school year ended, I suggested several books to the students at Mt. Carmel-Holy Rosary and at Philip's Academy in case they were interested in some summer reading. I tried to pick books that related to books we had read earlier in the year. Sometimes I tried to further their interest in a particular plot style ("If you liked Enders' Game or Relic, then try Insignia by S.J. Kincaid") or a certain author ("If you liked The Accused, try the rest of the Theodore Boone series by John Grisham"). Some of the suggestions were to encourage an interest in the classics ("If you liked Lord of the Flies, try To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee"..."If you liked True Grit then try Shane by Jack Schaefer"). For my own summer reading, however, I usually like to try something entirely new.
My own summer reading assignments for school included The Crucible, Birth of a Nation and Albert Camus' The Stranger. All definitely classics, but after that I have to say I wanted to read something current -- even forward-looking. I picked up Jobs by Walter Isaacson, and loved it. It tells the story of a great man who created one of the most influential companies of the modern age. His rags to riches story tells us that we can all change the world if we try hard enough and force ourselves to think way outside the box. The book is simultaneously a cautionary tale about treating others well and not forgetting those who are truly important to us.
As great and innovative as Jobs was he was equally as flawed, and towards the height of his career he began losing his humanity. A once caring person he neglected his daughter, belittled his employees and lost touch with his friends. Aside from this personal transition, the most interesting thing to me about this book was the origin of Apple and how the company evolved over the years. From a few guys in a garage to a multi-billion dollar corporation, Apple has certainly changed the world. The book does an excellent job of telling that story and the stories about the people who remained behind the scenes. This was possibly the best thing about Jobs - he surrounded himself with people smarter than him to help him. This story reminds all of us that we can achieve great things, but also that we must remember who we are and we got here first.
My own summer reading assignments for school included The Crucible, Birth of a Nation and Albert Camus' The Stranger. All definitely classics, but after that I have to say I wanted to read something current -- even forward-looking. I picked up Jobs by Walter Isaacson, and loved it. It tells the story of a great man who created one of the most influential companies of the modern age. His rags to riches story tells us that we can all change the world if we try hard enough and force ourselves to think way outside the box. The book is simultaneously a cautionary tale about treating others well and not forgetting those who are truly important to us.
As great and innovative as Jobs was he was equally as flawed, and towards the height of his career he began losing his humanity. A once caring person he neglected his daughter, belittled his employees and lost touch with his friends. Aside from this personal transition, the most interesting thing to me about this book was the origin of Apple and how the company evolved over the years. From a few guys in a garage to a multi-billion dollar corporation, Apple has certainly changed the world. The book does an excellent job of telling that story and the stories about the people who remained behind the scenes. This was possibly the best thing about Jobs - he surrounded himself with people smarter than him to help him. This story reminds all of us that we can achieve great things, but also that we must remember who we are and we got here first.
One other thing...I'm thinking about introducing a young adult biography of Steve Jobs to the Raiareads students this fall. The author Karen Blumenthal has written a great one called Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different - I think teens of all ages would love this story before embarking on the longer Isaacson version!
