The Best Books of 2024: PBS NewsHour’s Top Picks

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As we wrap up another year, PBS NewsHour has highlighted the most captivating books of 2024. With insights from renowned literary critics Maureen Corrigan of NPR’s Fresh Air and Gilbert Cruz, editor of The New York Times Book Review, this year-end list spans fiction, nonfiction, and even some unexpected gems. Here’s a closer look at their recommendations.

Fiction Favorites

All Fours by Miranda July

A middle-aged female artist embarks on a road trip from Los Angeles to New York but soon becomes obsessed with renovating a roadside motel and a younger man. July’s novel humorously explores middle age, motherhood, and desire, making it entertaining and deeply poignant.

You Dreamed of Empires by Alvaro Enrigue

Set in 1519 Tenochtitlan, this novel captures the encounter between Hernán Cortés and Aztec Emperor Moctezuma. Through a fascinating blend of tones, Enrigue delivers a vivid portrayal of cultural clashes, underscored by moments of humor and historical intrigue.

James by Percival Everett

Everett reimagines Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Jim, the enslaved character. This National Book Award-winning novel is a heartfelt and humorous standalone story that reframes Twain’s classic in thought-provoking ways.

Colored Television by Danzy Senna

This sharp, satirical novel follows a mixed-race woman in Los Angeles as she navigates the challenges of writing an epic novel about identity. Failing to gain traction, she shifts to television, delivering biting commentary on race, class, and the writing profession.

Nonfiction Standouts

The Wide Wide Sea by Hampton Sides

This historical nonfiction book, an engaging account of Captain James Cook’s final voyage in 1776, balances thrilling seafaring adventure with a modern reflection on imperialism’s impacts.

Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here by Jonathan Blitzer

Blitzer chronicles 50 years of immigration policy at the U.S.-Mexico border, focusing on Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. His meticulous research provides a compelling look at this enduring issue’s political and human dimensions.

A Wilder Shore by Camille Peri

This biography of Fanny Stevenson, wife of Robert Louis Stevenson, highlights her adventurous life, artistic pursuits, and resilience in the face of adversity. It’s an inspiring story about living boldly.

The Letters of Emily Dickinson

This collection of 300 previously unpublished letters offers a rare glimpse into the mind of one of America’s greatest poets. It’s a treasure for Dickinson enthusiasts and anyone seeking literary insight.

Bonus Picks

Karla’s Choice by Nick Harkaway

Set between The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Harkaway continues his father John le Carré’s espionage legacy with a thrilling tale of George Smiley and his nemesis, Karla.

The Dog Who Followed the Moon by James Norbury

This beautifully illustrated and inspirational story about a lost dog navigating life’s uncertainties resonates with anyone seeking direction. The stunning artwork and gentle narrative make it a comforting read.

Conclusion

From historical sagas to contemporary reflections, PBS NewsHour’s selections for 2024 offer something for every reader. Whether you’re seeking inspiration, adventure, or a fresh perspective, these books promise to deliver.

Which of these will you add to your reading list? Please share your thoughts in the comments below, and let us know your favorite reads of 2024!

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Drones over New Jersey? Here’s the original UFO tale…

“We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus,” declared the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security

Sure, folks. Nothing to fear here…

This isn’t the first time flying objects have been reported over New Jersey. In 1938, Orson Welles’ “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast made people panic.

Here it is, remastered for your listening pleasure…

How Esports in Classrooms is Increasing Interest in STEM Activities and Encouraging Student Leadership

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From Digital Promise:

Through esports, students are exposed to the technical aspects of gaming, learning skills that can be directly applied to real-world STEM concepts. Nia Cannon, an instructional technology specialist and gifted lead teacher at King, witnessed firsthand how the availability of technology can spark interest in STEM activities. “Having more access to technology has boosted my students’ interest in STEM activities not only through esports, but also in other areas like robotics and coding,” she said. “They now have the tools to explore gaming, build skills, and connect it to real-life STEM ideas, making learning more fun and engaging.”

As a former esports coach, I’ve seen students quickly grow into leadership as part of these teams. Their care and investment in the games and in doing well are serious motivators and encourage real connections.

What Do Democrats Need to Do?

Either democracy was on the ballot in November or it wasn’t, and if it was, it makes no political, ethical or strategic sense to act as if we live in normal times. – Jamelle Bouie

The Eclectic Educator Gift Guide 2024

stainless steel padlock beside book and pen

Greetings Starfighters,

Hopefully you’ve had a chance to recover from the inbox bombardment that is Black Friday, Small Biz Saturday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday.

Does anyone else think we should do the giving stuff before all the buying? Or just do the giving and skip the buying?

Here’s a list of ideas for holiday gifts for someone special, or for yourself. Many of these come from my own favorite stuff pile or a bookshelf somewhere.

Books – Books always make great gifts since you can find one on any topic for any person. And yes, audiobooks, ebooks, and graphic novels count as books, too. I feel everyone should have a copy of Meditations around—I’m not the only one, there’s a great scene from The Holdovers below—because it holds so much wisdom for daily life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTO89JtczGI Also, if you or someone you know does any creative work, then The War of Art, Bird by Bird, On Writing, and all of Austin Kleon’s books are great gift ideas. Of course, for the fantasy lovers, Brandon Sanderson’s newest Stormlight Archive book will be a must read. The Library Book is a great gift no matter who you are, along with any biographies written by Ron Chernow, David McCullough, Robert Caro, Doris Kearns Goodwin, or William Manchester. Finally, there’s A Die Hard Christmas: The Illustrated Holiday Classic, sure to please that certain someone who believes it’s not Christmas until Hans Gruber falls from Nakatomi Tower.
Notebooks/Journals – Let me confess to you that I have become a notebook enthusiast over the past few years. The amount of time spent on finding just the right book with the right paper to work with the right pen is…staggering. My daily journal is a Leuchtturm1917 120G, having heavier paper than their standard notebook. My commonplace diary of quotes is a Hobonichi Techo 5-year journal that sits next to my desk at home. My daily driver for scribbling to-dos and random thoughts is a simple Field Notes memo book in a leather cover, although I mostly use the National Parks editions because our national parks are cool and maybe the best idea ever.
Writing tools – I worked at an office supply chain for over a decade and have tried every pen you’ve heard and many you haven’t. For me, there is no more tried and true companion than the humble Pilot G2 0.7mm, or one of its variants. They just work. A close runner-up is the newer Sharpie S gel. I use a Pentel Twist-Erase 0.5 mechanical pencil sometimes and keep Blackwing pencils around for writing marginalia in books.
Media – I’m buying more physical media these days. Not just books, but vinyl albums and blu-ray discs. Why? Here’s an example: December 6 (today) is the last day that you can stream Voltron: Legendary Defender on Netflix. Currently, there’s no streaming home for this great series. The real bummer is the full series has never been released on physical media. So, when I see good deals, I try to grab them. For the movie buff in your life, there’s always the Criterion Collection; Shout Factory tends to have older titles, A24 has some of the best new titles out there, and Kino Lorber does a great job of curating an eclectic mix of great films and tv shows. Oh, and everyone needs a Studio Ghibli film in their library.
Tech stuff – Notion is my indispensable tool for organizing all the things digitally. The Logitech MX Master 3S is the best everyday usage mouse on the planet. The AppleTV 4k is still the best streaming media box on the market.

OK, I’ve bombarded you with enough stuff to fill everyone’s stockings or just your own. Next week, I have some thoughts cooking from the first line of Brandon Sanderson’s newest Stormlight Archive book and why virtual schooling solves some specific needs in the education space.

Stay frosty, folks.

The Universe Rolls On

Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@sebacorti?utm_content=creditCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash">Sebastiano Corti</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/a-truck-on-the-road-n576AGk12mA?utm_content=creditCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash">Unsplash</a> — Photo by Sebastiano Corti on Unsplash

Greetings Starfighters,

I’m at my desk right now, thinking about how much crap I’ve accomplished today (it was quite a bit) while at the same time remembering that all of it, every last bit, will be gone one day.

Productivity is great and marking things off of lists is fulfilling but let’s not forget that the universe is rolling on past and doesn’t see much, if any, of what we do. Such is the pain of this existence, but also the joy.

Even if no one ever reads anything I write or sees anything I do, I’ll have done it and my little piece of the world will be better for it, even if only for a little while.

The same is true for you and your work. Never mind that you believe the work you do is trivial. All work is trivial. So why not have a little fun with it?

Here’s your reminder to not take yourself so seriously. Yes, you should want to do more and be more and make a change in the world for the better. Because someone else needs it to be better.

But, 50 million years from now, we’ll all be dust. Alexander the Great is buried in the same dirt as his mule driver.

But the people around you need you to be your best. You bring light to this world. Keep going.

Quote of the Day

If ever the day comes that someone asks me to what I attribute my success as a famous & great writer, I shall tell him it is because, in my teens, I never wrote one single ode to anything.

Musical Interlude

Right before Thanksgiving, the recently Hall of Fame inductee Dave Matthews Band played a weekend at Madison Square Garden. The Sunday Show turned into a fundraiser for hurricane relief and OH MY, what a show it was.

You can watch the entire show here:

Or, maybe you just want to see some highlights, like Bela Fleck joining DMB for “The Last Stop” live for the first time in 25 years…

Or Dave joining new favorite Goose for a cover of Bruce Hornsby’s “The Way It Is”…

Long Read of the Day

With my dissertation work focusing on virtual schools, I’ve been reading more and more about Connectivism, a theory that George Siemens described as a “learning theory for the digital age.”

Stephen Downes wrote more about this theory and you may enjoy reading about it:

“Knowledge has many authors, knowledge has many facets, it looks different to each person, and it changes moment to moment. A piece of knowledge isn’t a description of something, it is a way of relating to something.” – Stephen Downes

Read more here: https://www.downes.ca/post/33034

Second Long Read of the Day

Yep, here’s another article. The more I write, whether it’s journaling, note taking, or anything in between, the more fascinated I am with how people have used notebooks throughout history to manage their thoughts.

Jillian Hess of Noted fame shared some great insights on Jack Kerouac’s notebooks, including his required reading list:

Whatever he was thinking, Kerouac likely transferred it to one of his many notebooks. They remain a testament to his creative mix of discipline and rebellion. Kerouac wrote doggedly, but loosely. He set out to be a great writer, but he would do it his way.

Final Thoughts

Yes, I’ve been absent a lot lately. I’ll blame it on Alexander’s mule driver. And I’ll be back on Friday with more awesome things to share.

Will AI Transform Teaching and Learning?

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Larry Cuban has some great thoughts–as always–on the potential of AI to change education.

Yet there is little evidence that classroom use of these previous technologies forced classroom teachers to rethink, much less reshape, instruction. Nor have I found convincing evidence that these technologies altered fundamentally how teachers teach, increased student engagement, or raised test scores.

So I have concluded that those pushing AI use in classrooms fail to understand the complexity of teaching.

Yes, there have been any number of technological revolutions meant to forever change the landscape of teaching and learning. Most of these revolutions have fallen by the wayside or have never seen their true potential realized. I’m looking at you, 1:1 computing initiatives.

I’m of the mind that the failures of these technologies to revolutionize teaching and learning don’t fall on the technologies. They are, after all, just tools with no consciousness, no agenda, and no determination of how best to use them.

That part is up to us, the human implementors of said tools. When we can’t figure out how to leverage tools properly or, as is far more often the case, refuse to implement the tools, failure is assured.

Far too often, I hear the argument from some teachers that, “What I’m doing works, and I don’t need to learn anything new,” or the ever-so-sinister, “I only do my learning in the summer and don’t have time for this.”

Perhaps most damnable is this statement: “Technology has never been shown to increase test scores, so we don’t need to use it.”

Because all we’re worried about is test scores. And that’s the real problem.

OpenAI partners with Wharton for a new course focused on leveraging ChatGPT for teachers

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OpenAI has partnered with the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School to launch a new course titled “AI in Education: Leveraging ChatGPT for Teaching.” This initiative aims to empower educators to effectively integrate generative AI into their teaching practices, enhancing learning experiences.

The class is just as much about what you as a teacher can do with AI to make your life better and make you a more effective educator, a less stressed out educator, as much as it is about how do you create assignments for your students? – Ethan Mollick

Professors Lilach and Ethan Mollick, co-founders of Wharton’s generative AI lab, co-teach the course. They emphasize the program’s dual focus: assisting educators in using AI to improve their teaching efficiency and developing assignments that engage students with AI tools.

Ethan Mollick notes that while discussions about AI in education often center on concerns like cheating and plagiarism, the course aims to highlight AI’s positive transformations to pedagogy. By embracing AI, educators can create more dynamic and personalized learning environments.

This collaboration reflects a broader trend in higher education to adapt to technological advancements and prepare educators and students for the evolving landscape of AI in the classroom.

Bertrand Russell’s Ten Commandments for Living Virtuously (1930)

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In 1930, renowned philosopher Bertrand Russell shared his personal “Ten Commandments” for virtuous living, offering timeless guidance on personal integrity and ethical conduct. Originally published in the magazine Everyman, these principles reflect Russell’s deep contemplation on human behavior and morality.

Here are Russell’s ten commandments:

Do not lie to yourself.
Do not lie to other people unless they are exercising tyranny.
When you think it is your duty to inflict pain, scrutinize your reasons closely.
When you desire power, examine yourself closely as to why you deserve it.
When you have power, use it to build up people, not to constrict them.
Do not attempt to live without vanity, since this is impossible, but choose the right audience from which to seek admiration.
Do not think of yourself as a wholly self-contained unit.
Be reliable.
Be just.
Be good-natured.

Russell elaborated on these commandments, emphasizing the importance of self-honesty, the ethical use of power, and the value of reliability and justice in personal conduct. He believed that virtues like punctuality, keeping promises, and refraining from treachery are essential for social obligations. His insights continue to resonate, offering a framework for ethical living in contemporary society.