WHAT I'M READING V. 43

1. Becoming by Michelle Obama

I saw this book popping up everywhere, and while I am usually not one to read autobiographies by political or politically related figures, I am very interested in the Obamas stories and particularly curious about Michelle Obama's point of view on what she went through.  It's a big book, and the first half of the book felt like a very standard growing up in the suburbs story, but it started to get really interesting midway when she started talking about the balance of working while being a mom, couples counseling, and what it mean to take care of herself and determine for herself what would make her happy.  Also, it gave a backstage look at what it was like to be a part of the campaigns and living in the White House during those 8 years and what it was like afterwards.  It was so interesting, and I even cried at some parts that described the campaign - all that hope.

2.  The Hidden Life of Trees

My cousin Lois lent me this book and by the first couple of chapters, my mind was blown. Wohlleben is a German forester who is passionate and knowledgeable about trees and makes the very convincing case that trees are like human families, caring for one another in a social network, and how much letting trees do their thing is beneficial to all of life on this earth. I read this one slowly, one small chapter at a time, and grew into a deeper appreciation for trees. I will never be able to see trees quite the same way again!

3. Creativity, Inc. 

I can't remember where I heard about this one, but the person recommending said that while it was about Ed Catmull, the president of Pixar, and how he got the company to where it was, it also held principals that would be helpful for all creative endeavors.  He states at the very beginning that he is primarily concerned with creating a culture of sustainable creativity and problem-solving, and he demonstrates how Pixar accomplished that by going through its history and its practices. I took away a lot from this one!

4. Evicted by Matthew Desmond

This book was utterly heartbreaking, and I think that every American should read. MacArthur follows eight families in Milwaukee as they struggle to keep housing. With these various stories, you get to see the very clear and unifying theme that when you are poor, you can only focus on one day at a time, and even the tiniest road bump could completely derail your life.  Planning is a luxury reserved for those that live above the poverty line.  It was well-written and spotlights a very pervasive and significant problem in this country. I especially liked the chapter at the end where he talks about the effect that doing this research had on him personally.