Mascot Nation by Billings and Black

MASCOT NATION by Andrew C. Billings and Jason Edward Black will definitely be of interest to our students who are pursuing questions about the controversy over Native American representations in sports.  The authors, both university professors, utilize their expertise in broadcasting and communications to provide a reasoned, balanced approach to the subject. They cite many examples at both the professional level (Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Braves) and college one (Florida State Seminoles and the now-retired University of Illinois’ Chief Illiniwek). In fact, there is an entire chapter on the “Online Debate on the Acceptability of the Washington NFL Mascot” where Billings and Black discuss how an increasing number of journalists refused to use that name. They provide historical background, outline concerns of Native Americans, delve into specific cases, review national polling data and more, although often in an academic, jargon-laden manner (e.g., self-categorization, post colonialism).  Throughout, they are respectful of both sides of the argument, acknowledging fans’ affection for their team as well as concerns over appropriation and mis-representation.  The text concludes with a discussion of five avenues where change may be possible: line of decivility; education; economic pressure; journalistic protest; and legal challenges. Roughly fifteen percent of the book is devoted to notes and index.

More non-fiction titles ...

Here, I will describe several new non-fiction books. I have grouped them together because I think that many of these will interest our students, particlularly those working on their Junior Theme research.

TRUTH by Hector Macdonald (March 6, 2018; Little, Brown and Company) is, of course, extremely timely and will add to a number of books already in our collection which deal with Psychology, Critical Thinking, Journalism or Mass Media, Objectivity and Bias. Macdonald subtitles his text “How the Many Sides to Every Story Shape Our Reality” and takes a somewhat unusual stand in arguing that truth actually comes in many forms.  His book is divided into sections titled: Partial truths, Subjective truths, Artificial Truths, and Unknown truths. In each case, he provides examples; these range from the fad of consuming quinoa to King George VI’s speech at the beginning of WWII to pamphlets produced by the Texas Department of State Health Services.  At one point, Macdonald notes that Orwell’s “fears for the integrity of the truth are turning out to be well-founded but misdirected. It is not simply that we are being lied to; the more insidious problem is that we are routinely misled by the truth.” He describes three types of communicators: advocates, misinformers and misleaders, where the latter are deliberately trying to “deploy competing truths to create an impression of reality that they know is not true.”  This lack of black vs. white and true vs false is a difficult concept for our students and I believe that TRUTH with its many business stories (involving labeling, advertising and motivation) will be a popular resource, especially since teachers have often asked us to teach about “fake news” and misinformation while limiting political examples. 

THE SUSTAINABLE CITY by Steven Cohen (Nov. 2017; Columbia UP) is a scholarly work that looks at “the sustainable city from an organizational and public policy perspective.”  Cohen has divided the book into three parts: Concepts, Cases and Conclusions. He defines a sustainable city as one which “facilitates human economic (production and consumption) and social life with the least possible impact on the environment.” He looks at several systems (energy, water, waste, sewage, food, transport and public space) and devotes a chapter to examining the role of local and state governments in setting policy.  His case studies are fascinating, including those from the US, China, Columbia, Japan and Africa. Cohen, a professor at Columbia, is honest enough to say, “While I am confident that the transition to a sustainable and renewable economy will take place in the world’s cities, I am far from confident that I understand how the change will take place.” He calls for more research, discussion and analysis, all of which should appeal to our students interested in the rapidly urbanizing world and related environmental concerns.

 

MELTDOWN by Chris Clearfield and András Tilcsik (March 20; Penguin Press) provides an intriguing look at “Why Our Systems Fail and What We Can Do About It.”  The authors (a pilot/former derivatives trader and a business professor at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management), discuss how as systems become increasingly complex and more tightly coupled they are also more prone to failure.  In an engaging, readable way they freshen the mid-80s work of social scientist Charles Perrow with many current day examples (an airliner crash, VW emissions scandal, and the Oscars mix-up among others ). Another connection I made was to Levine’s and Stark’s 2015 op-ed on “Diversity Makes you Brighter.” MELTDOWN  raises awareness of important issues and is likely to appeal especially to fans of writing by Charles Duhigg, Adam Grant and Daniel Pink, all of whom have posted positive review comments. On that side note; mark your calendars: Daniel Pink will be speaking locally in April and I will post those details soon.

The last two books which I will mention briefly deal with international affairs and foreign policy. Again, I can readily see their appeal for students pursuing those topics for Junior Theme. THE RETURN OF MARCO POLO'S WORLD by best-selling author Robert D. Kaplan (March 6, Random House) examines the interplay between cultures and economics/trade through a series of essays.  Kaplan is known as a strategic thinker and while the execution seemed a bit dry at times, the subject matter is fascinating and his text received a starred review from Kirkus. EMPIRE IN RETREAT by Victor Bulmer-Thomas (March 27; Yale University Press) is subtitled, “The past, present and future of the Unites States.”  Bulmer-Thomas provides a thorough review of “empire,” American imperialism, and potential changes in world leadership/standing. One aspect I particularly liked was his discussion of soft, hard and smart power. This is clearly a more scholarly approach, but those are concepts that I found students to be very curious about this year.

Please let us know if you have a non-fiction title to suggest for purchase.

New Book on Communication from Alan Alda

Alan Alda, perhaps best known as the star of M*A*S*H, has a new book titled IF I UNDERSTOOD YOU, WOULD I HAVE THIS LOOK ON MY FACE?  He was interviewed on PBS NewHour last night:

Alda builds on his experience hosting PBS’s Scientific American Frontiers to stress the importance of listening – really listening with eyes, ears and feelings.  As founder of the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University, he points out the importance of empathy, personal connection and trust in communication. His message combines an appreciation for science (saying we need to understand it better so as to support it more) while sharing insights associated with the Humanities, like the acting world's “mirroring” and other improv exercises. IF I UNDERSTOOD YOU, WOULD I HAVE THIS LOOK ON MY FACE? seems particularly timely and useful in an age when so (too?) much of our communication tends to be through screens.