Many of you may have heard me speak about grit this year; our students certainly have. Several weeks ago I received an email from our newly installed head of the Ransom Everglades Parents’ Association (REPA), Laurie McWilliams, who had just heard Angela Duckworth speak at their summer getaway, Seaside. Duckworth’s subject was her newly released book: Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. A subsequent conversation led to Laurie’s proposal – her first initiative as REPA president – that we join forces and read Duckworth’s book this summer.
 
Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point, Blink and Outliers, has said, “Grit is a persuasive and fascinating response to the cult of IQ fundamentalism. Duckworth reminds us that it is character and perseverance that set the successful apart.” Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive and A Whole New Mind, endorses Grit as “A contemporary classic – a clarifying and deeply researched book in the tradition of Stephen Covey and Carol Dweck. For anyone hoping to work smarter or live better, Grit is an essential – and perhaps life-changing read.”
 
Dr. Duckworth earned her BA in neurobiology at Harvard, her MS in neuroscience at Oxford and her Ph.D in psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. Her story is personal; she was raised by a demanding scientist who often cited his daughter’s lack of genius. Independent school educators have been closely following Duckworth’s research for the last several years; she is a brilliant writer and has a terrific mind. Her book will provide a vehicle for us to talk as a community about talent, effort, perseverance and passion. I am excited about the prospect of what we will learn together.
 
And once you get through Grit, don’t stop there. We asked our faculty and administration to send along recommendations for great summer reads. My email exploded.
 
Here’s what they recommended:
 
Quiet, The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
Recommended by Ellen Samimy
The book was recommended to me by an RE parent and it has added great value to my ability to communicate with many students. If we are not aware of the many valuable points Ms. Cain teaches in this book, the Harkness method could lead us to underestimate the potential of introverted students. RE is a great microcosm of “a world that can’t stop talking,” with our academic rigor, our truly exceptional students, and our non-stop activities. This book not only reminded me to actively recognize the student who quietly learns in her/his own way but to consciously include and encourage them to grow and lead to the same degree as the extroverted student.
 
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman.
Recommended by Matt Stock.
Perhaps it is the artist/nerd in me but I love fantasy and sci-fi novels. I love Neil Gaiman and highly recommend Neverwhere. Gaiman weaves magical, richly decorated worlds that live just out of sight beyond the gossamer fabric of reality. Neverwhere is a wonderful introduction to his particular brand of fantasy. Richard, the protagonist, has a very bumbling but critical role in the plot to help save a girl and the world as we know it much as Arthur Dent (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) did in another fantastic fantasy/sci-fi novel. This is a very enjoyable summer read of an alternative London below the one we know where magic lives and angels are not all they seem.
 
The Road to Character by David Brooks.
Recommended by John A. King, Jr.
I’ve long struggled with Paul Ransom’s imperative that we put more into the world than we take from it as I have tried to figure out what it means to “put more into the world." I think this is a question we should all wrestle with more. Brooks’ book is inspired by Soleveitchik’s “dual man” dichotomy. Using a series of historical case studies of the famous and not so famous, Brooks tries to help us negotiate the challenges and merits of balancing two voices within all of us. On the one hand, the Adam II voice is focused on an existential quest for truth and cultivating a soul that is deep and at peace by asking ourselves what our calling, our purpose, is. But, Brooks argues, we live in a modern world that nurtures much more our Adam I, focused on the material and ephemeral, personal happiness and temporal victories. In the end, Brooks’ book is not a self-help book with a number of steps to wellness, but rather it is a philosophical exploration of how, no matter where we are in our lives, we can all benefit from reflecting on how we balance the pursuit of virtue and accomplishment.
 
It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens by Danah Boyd
Recommended by Jennifer Carey
I highly recommend It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens. It explores the ways that teenagers communicate digitally and through social media. She delves into major myths about teens’ tech use and addresses topics such as privacy, safety, danger, and bullying.
 
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Recommended by Jody Salzinger
All the Light We Cannot See is a gripping story set in France during World War II about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths cross after a series of suspenseful events. The historical fiction book has many plot twists that keep the reader hooked.
 
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Recommended by Jody Salzinger
Me Before You explores relationships and quality of life after one of the main protagonists, Will Traynor, is permanently disabled due to an accident, and is being cared for by Louisa Clark, who recently lost her job at a local café.
 
The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney
Recommended by Jody Salzinger
I am currently reading The Nest, by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney. This book, set in New York City, is about a dysfunctional family in which four siblings are counting on the money from a trust fund established by their father. The family dynamics make one consider how money can affect relationships, and how family members can sometimes help each other – but can disappoint each other as well. The Nest is an interesting read, and that it is set in New York is a plus for me!
 
The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle
Recommended by Cathi Leibinger
This book explores brain science and looks at where talent comes from, how it grows and how we can make ourselves smarter. Coyle explores various hotbeds of talent (a penniless Russian tennis club that created more top 20 players than the entire United States; a small town in rural Italy that produced the dozens of Renaissance sculptors and painters; the Brazilian soccer legacy) and presents a solid strategy for skill acquisition.
 
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
Recommended by Amy Shipley
As one reviewer said: this book should be required reading for the whole world. It’s a deeply disturbing, beautifully written account of a boy’s horrific journey through Sierra Leone’s civil war. Orphaned after a rebel attack at age 12, Ishmael Beah spends his young teens as a soldier for the government army, surviving on a diet of drugs and unthinkable brutality until he is rescued by volunteers from UNICEF. When I finish it I’m going to hand it off to my rising seventh-grade daughter.
 
Start by Jon Acuff
Recommended by Cathi Leibinger
There are two paths in life: average and awesome. Acuff explores the five stages of learning and the steps to getting unstuck and back onto the path of being awesome. (I highly recommend the audio-book version, read by the author. He’s quite engaging and entertaining.)
 
Retire Inspired by Chris Hogan
Recommended by Cathi Leibinger
Whether you’re 25 and starting your first job or 55 and watching the career clock wind down, today is the day to get serious about your retirement. Hogan is a Dave Ramsey radio personality who teaches that retirement isn’t an age; it’s a financial number – an amount you need to live the life in retirement that you’ve always dreamed about. (Again, the audio version is amazing. Hogan’s voice is one of the greatest speaking voices I’ve ever heard!)
 
The Force of Destiny by Michael Gabriel
Recommended by Cathi Leibinger
This is the biography of Colonel Arnald Gabriel, Conductor Emeritus of the United States Air Force Band, written by his son Mike. It tells of Gabe’s landing on Omaha Beach during the Normandy Invasion, then moving across Europe during WWII and eventually coming back to his true passion as a musician. He is a true American hero and spoke to our students at the Middle School in 2014, just before the 70th Anniversary Celebrations of the invasion. I was blessed to join him in a concert on Omaha Beach, and he has become one of my dearest friends and greatest mentors.
 
How We Got to Now by Steven Johnson
Recommended by Rachel Rodriguez
Johnson also wrote the book Where Good Ideas Come From, which the faculty read a few years ago. How We Got to Now, a gift from a student, explores the history of innovation by describing the way in which everyday items have innovated our lives, as well as ways in which the same items have been the impetus for other innovations.
 
Conquerors: How Portugal Forged the First Global Empire by Roger Crowley
Recommended by Katrina Patchett
Published in December 2015, this account of Portugal’s emergence as a supreme naval power and empire builder promises a distinctive insight into the discovery of a sea route around Africa to India as well as passages to Brazil and Canada. Crowley not only writes about the people and events that propelled Portugal to explore, but he also investigates the effect of empire-building on local societies. During my travels to Europe this summer I am visiting Portugal for the first time, so am keen to re-read about this important period in Portuguese history.
 
The Little Paris Bookshop: A Novel by Nina George
Recommended by Katrina Patchett
This seems to combine my love of travel with my love of books! Set in a floating bookshop on a barge on the River Seine, the proprietor helps customers overcome life’s problems through reading.
 
Road to Character by David Brooks
Recommended by Charles Webber
Character education is lost on us all. David Brooks’ Road to Character makes a strong argument for why it’s significant in solving today’s problems
 
Between The World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Recommended by Charles Webber
Ta-Nehisi writes a letter to his young son about what it means to be black in America. An absolute must read. Winner of the National Book Award.
 
Failure: Why Science is so successful by Stuart Firestein.
Recommended by Gus Palacios
From Amazon.com: "The general public has a glorified view of the pursuit of scientific research. However, the idealized perception of science as a rule-based, methodical system for accumulating facts could not be further from the truth."
 
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang.
Recommended by Kathryn Bufkin
It’s a gripping account of 20th-century China, as told by three generations of one family. It deals with the day-to-day realities of  everything from bound feet and concubines to the various phases (famines, political purges, the Cultural Revolution, Nixon’s visit, etc.) of the Mao era.
 
Memoirs of a Mongol Without a Pony by R. G. Stern.
Recommended by Shelly Stamler
This book is written from the point of view of young man born with Down’s Syndrome. His happiness is infectious, and every day is a new adventure for him as he drags all the people he encounters forward with him. The book chronicles his life from childhood to adulthood, with amazing stories battling stereotypes along the way. Growing up in Miami, a few years in Minneapolis, San Francisco, and Philadelphia, and finally Tucson gave Shane an opportunity to meet many interesting characters and well-known celebrities. All who have met him have been touched by his warmth and innocence. The book is a great, uplifting read and provides a commentary on gender, race, sports, entertainment, politics, celebrities and American culture.
 
Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America by Gilbert King
Recommended by Greg Cooper
This is a fascinating look at a case, and an area, that is often overlooked in the traditional civil rights narrative.  The case of the Groveland boys – black men wrongly accused of raping a white woman – highlights the dedication and courage of Thurgood Marshall and all those who defended the wrongly accused in the racist south.  The case's location in Lake County, FL, highlights that Florida – with more lynchings than any other state – was as much a part of the nation's civil rights story as Mississippi, Alabama, and the rest of the deep south.
 
Reclaiming Conversation, The Power of Talk in a Digital Age by Sherry Turkle
Recommended by Isis Perez-Gonzalez.
The book explores the premise that we have sacrificed conversation for mere connection. Sherry Turkle, a sociologist and licensed clinical psychologist, has spent the last 30 years studying the psychology of people’s relationships with technology.
 
How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success by Julie Lythcott-Haims
Recommended by Penny Matthews
This is my current favorite for teachers and parents. So far, my favorite bit of advice contained in these pages are “8 Essential Skills for an 18 year old.” I was surprised at what was contained in the list. It’s an easy read full of helpful suggestions.
 
E = MC^2 by David Bodanis
Recommended by Jean Duty
It is a historical look at the development of the various parts of one of the most famous equations. You don’t need to be a mathematician or scientist to understand and to enjoy this book. David has done a great job of providing the reader with clear explanations of the development of each symbol in the equation and how the power of the formula played out in history.
 
Math and the Mona Lisa: The Art and Science of Leonardo da Vinci by Bulent Atalay
Recommended by Jean Duty
I loved reading this book because I enjoyed exploring some of the mathematics in it. But, you don’t need to understand mathematics to enjoy this book. It is a fascinating read of Leonardo’s intellect and  thought process.
 
Full Cicada Moon by Marilyn Hilton
Recommended by Stephanie Lewis (for middle-school readers)
A young girl of mixed descent in the 1960’s who has a strong love of science. Altogether a powerful read written in free verse about identity and embracing what makes you stand out.
 
The Madonnas of Leningrad by Deborah Dean
Recommended by Betty Park
Deborah teaches creative writing at FIU. This book is set in Leningrad during WWII and in Arizona in later years. It's a great read; based on truth about the Hermitage when Germany invaded Russia. Amazingly, Deborah had never been to the Hermitage when she wrote this book!
 
In the Garden of Beasts by Eric Larsen
Recommended by Betty Park
Set in Berlin during WWII. True story of Ambassador Dodd and his family as they realize how Hitler and the Nazis are poisoning Germany. A great author; a great story teller. He also wrote Devil in the White City based on the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1893. A true story. A haunting tale!
 
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
Recommended by Gila Aloni
At this time of the academic year (when I have collected papers and need to clean up and reorganize home and office space), I am reading Japanese author Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. I just finished reading Where'd You Go, Bernadette. It is witty, funny, and quick, "light" read. A satire about the way we live our lives today.
 
Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill.
Recommended by Ana Maria Szolodko
It is a relentless, spine-tingling, witty, fast-paced supernatural thriller about a jaded, fading rock star who decides to dabble in the occult by purchasing a ghost online. What could possibly go wrong?
 
Skin Tight by Carl Hiaasen
Recommended by Jim Cowgill
After many years, I recently read again Carl Hiaasen’s Skin Tight for some light reading.  I enjoy his humorous writing and his satire of Miami.
 
Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku by David Davis.
Recommended by Robin Escobedo
This summer I plan on reading - Waterman: The Life and times of Duke Kahanamoku by David Davis. Duke was a swimmer, surfer, Olympic gold medalist, Hawaiian icon and waterman. I hope to read it while my newborn son sleeps!!
 
Brain Rules by John Medina
Ever Since Darwin by Stephen Jay Gould
Recommended by Bob Dubard
Brain Rules details amazing connections between cognition research and practical approaches to success in school, work and life; Ever Since Darwin offers an interesting collection of science essays.
 
Geronimo by Robert M. Utley.
Recommended by Robert Crabtree
A well-researched story separating myth from truth for the great Apache leader.
 
All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Recommended by Connie Hyde
I just started All The Light We Cannot See. It's too early to give much of a summary, but it is very well written and enjoyable so far.
 
The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin
Recommended by Stephanie Lewis for Middle School readers
A beautiful story about loss, identity and love.
 
Other recommendations:

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North
A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan.
Recommended by Alex Kutsenok
 
Opening Belle by Maureen Sherry
Recommended by Kristin Castle
 
Burn Math Class: And Reinvent Mathematics for Yourself by Jason Wilkes
Recommended by Karen Key
 
Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle by Dan Senor and Saul Singer
Recommended by Barbara Share
 
Mysteries of the Rectangle by Siri Hustvedt.
Recommended by Jose Rodriguez
 
Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be—An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania by Frank Bruni
Recommended by Bruce Hunter
 
The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende
The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman
Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman
The Girl with all the Gifts by M.R. Carey
Recommended by Rose Shumow
 
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas by Elaine Pagels
Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman
Recommended by Kate Bloomfield


Penny Townsend
Head of School