The last surviving member of 617 squadron more commonly known as the dambusters. A great and enjoyable journal that reads like a boys own adventure :)

 

 

 

I’m not entirely sure how to rate this book. The text is incredibly short: about the length of a magazine article. The takeaways are even shorter; much of that short text is a parable about a young man learning the ways of the one-minute manager. That said, I got this book from the library so I’m inclined to be generous regarding the amount of actual content, and there is something to be said for expanding on a simple idea at a little more length in order to fix it in readers’ minds. The takeaways are basically this: Goals: Employees need to know what their goals in their positions are, so that they can figure out for themselves whether or not they’re succeeding without having to wait for infrequent performance reviews. The manager and employee should figure out together the employee’s goals, which should be written down with timelines in a short form that’s easy for the employee to review regularly. (I’m having trouble figuring out how to implement this one in my workplace due to the nature of our work.) Praising: Managers should try to “catch people doing something right” and offer specific praise when they see it to make employees feel good about themselves. People with confidence and who like their jobs do better work, so focusing on people and focusing on results shouldn’t be a choice between two different goals. Also, you shouldn’t wait until people are doing something perfectly before praising them any more than you’d wait until a kid has learned to talk before praising their attempts. (I need to work on this but at least the how-to is obvious.) Redirects: When people do something wrong, the authors suggest that you discuss it with the person as soon as possible; confirm the facts and review the mistake together; tell the employee how you feel about the mistake and pause for a moment for them to be concerned; and then express that you know their work is better than this, have confidence in them and think well of them as a person. Then, let it go. (All this seems challenging to do, but probably a good idea. I haven’t tried it yet.) Overall this seems to me to pack some good advice that goes beyond what you’d expect from the brief page count, though yeah, it is really short. Hopefully I’ll be able to figure out how to use it.

The first chapter filled with the dry, quiet, patient, gentle humour of the long friendship between Walt Longmire and Henry Standingbear as they try to find a new location for Katie's wedding when the venue on the Reservation becomes unavailable at the last minute.

 

There's a strong sense of place, a feeling of family and the easy companionship that comes from doing something important but not too challenging. Then, just as I was relaxing with Walt and Henry, taking in the beauty of the landscape, they see someone die and everything changes.

 

For me, this captures the spirit of the Longmire stories: men doing their best, taking their ease where they can but always keeping a weather eye for the next piece of misery the world will throw their way.

What to say about this novel? Besides the fact that everyone should read it?

Based on a true story (more than one), this novel relates the work of an African-American reporter who is able to pass as white, allowing him to go undercover at lynchings. Johnson deals deftly with the issue. What moves the story is the relationship between the various characters. Pleece's artwork is a good match to the story. The use of black and white illustration is far more effective and powerful than color.

Zane and Carl's relationship lies at the central of the novel as does the relationship (if that is the correct word) between the races in the South. Some critics have pointed out that one subplot of the book could have used more attention, and perhaps there is some truth to that, but I don't see how that could have been done in the space and structure of the story. Perhaps Carl's story is a bit predictable, but both his character and Zane act like real people (as does everyone in the comic).

The ending is both moving and great.

 

 

Renaissance, though published later, is a prequel.  It deals with passing and cultural theft.  While it might lack the emotional impact of the first book, it does address heavy issues and does it well.  It also focuses on the question of a woman in the times to a far greater degree than the first book.   

My local library has re-opened for business. The Summer Reading Program (SRP) is still virtual; story time is on FB Live once a week and then you can grab a craft to do at home at the library's lobby. You log your reading and activities via Beanstack.org. There is also a story walk around the playground across the side street from the library; the story is changed out weekly. Computer Lab is still closed as well as the rooms to rent and the bathrooms. 

 

Honestly, I am glad the library is re-opened but I am taking precautions (the kids and I wearing masks, using the self-checkout kiosk rather than the front desk, 6ft distancing, etc). Our OverDrive is starting to be a PITA because everyone was borrowing so many books that I wanted that the wait times for some books was 6 weeks or more. And those books I need for the adult version of SRP - it's not how much (in minutes) reading you do, it is reading for the prompts given. And the SRP ends July 31st.

 

I picked up two books for two prompts: for true crime, Beneath A Ruthless Sun: A True Story of Violence, Race, and Justice Lost and Found by Gilbert King; for the graphic novel prompt, The Dressmaker by Jen Wang. I picked up One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression is Destroying Our Democracy by Carol Anderson from the #BLM and Social Justice lists going around. Finally, just because I am a weirdo, another disease book - The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic - and How it Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Steve Johnson.