On a day when the announcement comes about DACA being rescinded, here are a few comments on a couple of titles dealing with social issues …
TALES OF TWO AMERICAS is edited by John Freeman and
contains essays and poems from thirty-six contemporary writers such as Larry
Watson, Julia Alvarez and many more. Each author has contributed to these “Stories
of Inequality in a Divided Nation.”
They
often write of their youth and what they know, with Sandra Cisernos (“I changed
my name from sand-druh sis-narrows to sohn-druh seez-neh-ros”), for example,
contrasting Chicago neighborhoods, describing her childhood and her reasons for
leaving. Timothy Egan asks “Was It
Better Then?” when he attended University of Washington and worked part-time as
a longshoreman in a past where he says “people without college degrees … could
live well, in the same neighborhoods as the swells.” Exploring current
politics, Richard Russo writes, “Losing your job makes you scared; losing your
work makes you angry” and he notes the importance of seeing people, of valuing and
respecting their work.
Annie Dillard
uses a two paragraph entry to describe a good day’s work, calling to mind Emily
Esfahani Smith writing recently in the
New York Times: “a good life is a life of goodness — and that’s something
anyone can aspire to, no matter their dreams or circumstances.”
TALES OF TWO AMERICAS received
a starred review from
Booklist and deserves consideration for inclusion
in our Senior writing classes since it offers students short introductions to quality
writing by authors they may not have yet read.
DESIGN THINKING FOR THE GREATER GOOD by Jeanne
Liedtka, Randy Salzman and Daisy Azer is published by Columbia University Press
and discusses applying design principles from the business sector to
non-profits and government.
It is split
into three parts: first, an introduction which defines design thinking (“a
problem-solving approach that is human centered, possibility driven, option
focused and iterative”); then, the majority of the book which contains ten stories
of its application; and a third part which offers insights for adopting design thinking
in the reader’s organization.
The authors note that we are seeing the democratization of
innovation from trained experts to everyone and argue that their case study
participants “used the tools of design thinking to reduce risk, manage change,
use resources more effectively, bridge the communication gap between parties,
and manage the competing demands of diverse stakeholders.” One example involves “turning debate into
dialogue” at the FDA. Another describes the “power of local thinking” at the
Community Transportation Association of America in order to better meet needs
of low-income workers. The tone of this book is rather academic, but the
message is powerful: “have a passion for
exploration and learning and the courage to try” while focusing together on key
questions like What is? What if? What wows? and What works?
JOYFUL by Ingrid Fetell
Lee is subtitled “The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary
Happiness” and this designer and writer does a wonderful job describing how to
find joy through 10 “sensations” of joy: energy, abundance, freedom, harmony,
play, surprise, transcendence, magic, celebration, and renewal. 
