Review: Safe and Sound: A Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair

“Safe and Sound: A Renter’s Guide to Home Repair” is a thorough and easy to understand guide for anyone just starting out with their own place. It covers everything from the tools you should have in your toolbox to basic plumbing and electrical to how to cover those pesky nail holes you tapped into the wall to hang that favorite poster.

I had seen a number of Mercury Stardust’s videos online and was excited to see that she created a whole book on home repair. This guide is perfect. The pages are well designed and easy to read. Directions are easy to understand. Illustrations are simple, but clear. Perhaps the best part is the words of encouragement readers can access via QR codes spread throughout the book. As someone who is nervous about ANY kind of home repair, the reminder to breathe and the option to hear words of encouragement are amazing features.

This book would be great for any renter or new homeowner. “Safe and Sound” is a fantastic gift for young adults who are getting their first place, even if they are moving into a dorm room.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book provided by NetGalley and the publisher, DK. All thoughts and opinions are my own. "Safe and Sound" is out on August.

Review: Flowers of Fire

“Flowers of Fire” from journalist Hawon Jung delves into the South Korean feminist movement of the past 10 years or so. I requested the book from NetGalley after reading one of her articles in the New York Times. It did not disappoint. 

The book reads like a long newspaper article, so it is compelling and easily readable. It covers a variety of issues faced by women in South Korea, from expectations to accept sexual harassment to expectations to resign from positions once they become pregnant. It reviews the necessity of women in the workforce and the discrimination they face. 

This is not a low-anxiety read by any means. There were numerous times I nearly stopped reading (see content warning below). However, this is an important story about women’s lives in the modern era. This book also explains two things I noticed when I visited South Korea several years ago. First, there were the ubiquitous ads for plastic surgery (they were EVERYWHERE in Seoul). I also noticed the number of young women who wore face masks (this was way before the pandemic years) during the heat of summer. Both of these are addressed in the discussion of impossible standards of beauty. 

“Flowers of Fire” is both depression and anger-inducing, BUT it is also a story of hope. The reader witnesses women risking everything, banding together, and fighting for legal and socially-accepted protections. Though women in South Korea are still not on equal footing with men, they have made tremendous strides toward equality.

 

This book is great for those interested in feminist movements outside of the United States or Western Europe or modern South Korean culture.

CW: descriptions of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and misogyny.

Thank you to NetGalley and BenBella Books for a free Advance Reader’s Copy in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Review: Killers of the Flower Moon (Adapted for Young Readers)

I recently picked up a hardback of “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI (Adapted for Young Readers)” from a local Barnes and Noble. I read the original version a few years ago and found it fascinating and terrifying at the same time. Even though this edition is adapted for young readers, it does not downplay the brutality of the story or the level of corruption that allowed murders to continue virtually unchecked for years.

This adaptation does a good job of explaining some of the intricacies of the story, including headrights, the guardianship system, and mineral rights. It discusses the multi-faceted corruption at the local and state levels in 1920’s Oklahoma. It explains how law enforcement was adapting to modern techniques during the time period. 

I’ve read a number of reader reviews for both editions of “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Many of them ask how they had never heard of this story before? I teach history (mostly World History) and have a degree in history, but I had not heard of it either. History curriculum at the K-12 level tends to focus on sweeping political history with a smattering of social issues at a surface level. 

This is a great book for students interested in U.S. History, the FBI, and/or Native American history (particularly as it relates to U.S. government policy). If I was teaching a U.S. History course, I would push to include this book for all students to read.

Review: Eduprotocols Field Guide Book 2

Last weekend I attended the 4th EduProtocols Worldwide conference. The half-hour sessions whizzed by, the presenters were fabulous, and I learned a LOT about implementing EduProtocols in the classroom. I also decided to pick up “EduProtocols Field Guide Book 2” to round out my collection that includes “EduProtocols Field Guide Book 1” and “EduProtocols Field Guide Social Studies Edition.”

In short, EduProtocols are learning routines that promote student engagement and critical thinking. These protocols include reading, writing, listening, and speaking. They are easy for teachers AND students to implement. 

Similar to Book 1 and Social Studies Edition, Book 2 introduces a number of EduProtocols. These chapters include easy to understand explanations, examples, learning goals, and adaptations. Book 2 then launches into variations developed by teachers before turning to the connections between learning theory and EduProtocols. The extensive discussion on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) includes two specific “case studies'' demonstrating how EduProtocols, properly implemented, can support ALL students. Speaking of ALL students, EduProtocols also supports English Language Learners. In fact, after participating in BeGLAD training earlier this school year, I immediately recognized places where EduProtocols can be plugged into the lesson sequence.

Best of all, there is explicit discussion (be still my beating heart) about how EduProtocols support students in a way that an expensive textbook program cannot. Thank you, EduProtocols.

If you are looking for ways to develop literacy skills AND support ALL students in their learning goals in a highly engaging way, EduProtocols is for you. These routines can be implemented easily and don’t require expensive supplies. Most can be done online or offline (or a combination thereof). Book 2 is a great addition to the collection.