Book Review: Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About The Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans by: Michaeleen Doucleff

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Book, Book Blog, Book Blogger, Book Review, books, Hunt Gather Parent, Hunt Gather Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy Helpful Little Humans, Michaeleen Doucleff, Parenting, review, Self help

Parents don’t need to know how to play with kids. If we get kids involved in adult activities, that’s play for kids.” And then they associate chores with a fun, positive activity. They associate it with playing.

Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About The Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans – Michaeleen Doucleff

Initial Thoughts: So, I am not a parent. But, I like to read books on parenting. Weird, I know. So, I am hardly the target audience. I cannot say, “oh, that’s exactly like my kid, they don’t want to go to bed when I tell them to.” Instead, I relate that experience to when I was a kid. “I remember giving my parents a hard time because I was never tired right before bedtime and seemed to function on little to no sleep.” I was every tired parent’s worst nightmare, a kid who wouldn’t sleep. Really, parenting books make me grateful and in awe of my parents for putting up with me. I hope one day to be as patient as they were. I also hope to raise my future children properly. And so, for now, I read books on parenting to give me suggestions for the future.

Summary

When Dr. Michaeleen Doucleff becomes a mother, she examines the studies behind modern parenting guidance and finds the evidence frustratingly limited and the conclusions often ineffective. Curious to learn about more effective parenting approaches, she visits a Maya village in the Yucatán Peninsula. There she encounters moms and dads who parent in a totally different way than we do—and raise extraordinarily kind, generous, and helpful children without yelling, nagging, or issuing timeouts. What else, Doucleff wonders, are Western parents missing out on?

In Hunt, Gather, Parent, Doucleff sets out with her three-year-old daughter in tow to learn and practice parenting strategies from families in three of the world’s most venerable communities: Maya families in Mexico, Inuit families above the Arctic Circle, and Hadzabe families in Tanzania. She sees that these cultures don’t have the same problems with children that Western parents do. Most strikingly, parents build a relationship with young children that is vastly different from the one many Western parents develop—it’s built on cooperation instead of control, trust instead of fear, and personalized needs instead of standardized development milestones.

Maya parents are masters at raising cooperative children. Without resorting to bribes, threats, or chore charts, Maya parents rear loyal helpers by including kids in household tasks from the time they can walk. Inuit parents have developed a remarkably effective approach for teaching children emotional intelligence. When kids cry, hit, or act out, Inuit parents respond with a calm, gentle demeanor that teaches children how to settle themselves down and think before acting. Hadzabe parents are world experts on raising confident, self-driven kids with a simple tool that protects children from stress and anxiety, so common now among American kids.

Not only does Doucleff live with families and observe their techniques firsthand, she also applies them with her own daughter, with striking results. She learns to discipline without yelling. She talks to psychologists, neuroscientists, anthropologists, and sociologists and explains how these strategies can impact children’s mental health and development. Filled with practical takeaways that parents can implement immediately, Hunt, Gather, Parent helps us rethink the ways we relate to our children, and reveals a universal parenting paradigm adapted for American families.

The Review

I have a bit of mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, it was readable and had good useful tips. On the other hand, the book is a bit of a false advertisement. Michaeleen Doucleff has a Phd… in chemistry. She is not a child psychologist nor any sort of expert on parenting. She is a journalist, and she is a parent to a toddler. The title of the book is also a bit misleading. She does not explore how parenting was done in Ancient Cultures, but rather she visited three remote communities that have more traditional ways of doing things.

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Fame, forgery and the value of art

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art, Book, Book Blog, Maud Lewis, Opinion, Painting, The Italian Teacher, Tom Rachman

Art is subjective. What is beautiful for one person can be ugly for another. What is impressive for one person can be boring for another. So, how did we come to the consensus that some pieces of art are better or more valuable than others? Take for instance the Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting. Why is it the most famous painting in the world? Why is its value superior to the various reproductions created by countless artists all over the world?

The Italian Teacher by Tom Rachman and notoriety in the art world

These were some questions that were floating around in my mind, particularly when I read The Italian Teacher by Tom Rachman. The Italian Teacher is the story of a relationship between a father and son. The father, Bear Bavinsky, is a world-renown artist whose success has caused his ego to swell to enormous proportions. Meanwhile, the son Charles, called “Pinch,” appears to have the promise of an artist but cannot seem to ever measure up to any amount of his father’s success. His nickname “Pinch” is fitting because he only has a pinch of his father’s legacy.

Throughout the book Pinch tries to make a name for himself in the art world. He tries to become a painter, but his father crushes his spirit by telling him that he has no talent. And, Pinch (just as the reader) concludes that Bear must know what he is talking about. After all, Bear is an expert at his craft and famous.

But, here is where the book takes an interesting turn.

If you have not read The Italian Teacher and do not want to learn about what happens, do not read the next part. Spoilers ahead!

Book Review: The Italian Teacher by: Tom Rachman

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Book, Book Blog, Book Blogger, Book Review, books, Fiction, Literary fiction, The Italian Teacher, Tom Rachman

“What’s there to say about making paintings?” He looks hard at his son. “My real life, it’s when I’m working. It’s entirely there. The rest—everything—is flimflam. And that’s tragedy. Because what am I really doing? Wiping colors across fabric? Tricking people into feeling something’s there, when it’s nothing? When I’m doing the work, I almost think it adds up. Then they drag me to some farce like tonight, and I’m reminded what my job really is: goddamn decoration.

The Italian Teacher – Tom Rachman

Initial Thoughts: Oh that cover! That beautiful beautiful cover! I know we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but I just cannot help it. There are millions of books out there. You cannot expect me to read the synopsis of each and every one. A book cover is important. It allows you to narrow down what you are interested in reading from what you are not interested in reading. As for me, I am interested in too many things, so it is already hard to narrow things down. As for this book, I solely wanted to read it because of the pretty cover. Also, I thought there was going to be some sort of romance, there really isn’t. It is more of a coming-of-age story of a would-be painter.

Summary

A sparkling, propulsive new novel from the bestselling author of The Imperfectionists.

Rome, 1955. The artists gather for a picture at a party in an ancient villa. Bear Bavinsky, creator of vast canvases, larger than life, is at the centre of the picture. His wife, Natalie, edges out of the shot.

From the side of the room watches little Pinch—their son. At five years old he loves Bear almost as much as he fears him. After Bear abandons their family, Pinch will still worship him, striving to live up to the Bavinsky name; while Natalie, a ceramicist, cannot hope to be more than a forgotten muse. Trying to burn brightly in his father’s shadow, Pinch’s attempts flicker and die. Yet by the end of a career of twists and compromises, Pinch will enact an unexpected rebellion that will leave forever his mark upon the Bear Bavinsky legacy.

A masterful, original examination of love, duty, art and fame, The Italian Teacher cements Tom Rachman as among this generation’s most exciting literary voices.

The Review

This book has been on my shelf for quite a few years, just waiting for me to pick it up and read it. I was initially drawn in by the cover art (really, look at those gorgeous colours). I had absolutely no idea what the premise was until I began reading.

Book Review: My Sister’s Keeper by: Jodi Picoult

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Book, Book Blog, Book Review, books, Jodi Picoult, My Sister's Keeper, review

You don’t love someone because they’re perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that they’re not.

My Sister’s Keeper – Jodi Picoult

Initial Thoughts: I need to be in a particular mood to read books like My Sister’s Keeper. I don’t like tear-jerkers because I cry easily. Not just a little tear streaming down my face, oh no, I ugly cry. Fun fact, the book that made me cry the most to date has been A Monster Calls. It took me a while to find a copy of My Sister’s Keeper. It also took me a while to find the right time to ugly cry. That is also the reason why I have yet to read Me Before You. The movie really made me cry, I almost dread at how the book will tear at my heartstrings.

Summary

New York Times best-selling author Jodi Picoult is widely acclaimed for her keen insights into the hearts and minds of real people. Now she tells the emotionally riveting story of a family torn apart by conflicting needs and a passionate love that triumphs over human weakness.

Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age 13 she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate—a life and a role that she has never challenged … until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister—and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable, a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves.

My Sister’s Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child’s life, even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are if that quest makes you like yourself less? Should you follow your own heart or let others lead you? Once again, in My Sister’s Keeper, Jodi Picoult tackles a controversial real-life subject with grace, wisdom, and sensitivity.

The Review

Anna was born for one sole purpose, to save her sister Kate. When Kate was young she developed leukemia, a blood cancer, that could severely shorten her lifespan if she could not find a donor to replace her white blood cells. Out of fear and love for their daughter, Kate’s parents conceive Anna, who is Kate’s match. Now at age 13, Anna has gone through countless surgeries and procedures to keep Kate alive.
Now, Kate’s kidneys are beginning to fail. Kate and Anna’s parents assume that Anna will give one of her kidney’s to Kate. That is, until they are served papers by Anna’s lawyer and they discover that Anna is suing them for the rights to her own bodily autonomy. If she wins, Anna will be able to refuse to donate her kidney. Also, if she wins, Kate will die.

Book Review: The Little Book of Lykke: The Danish Search for the World’s Happiest People by: Meik Wiking

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Book, Book Blog, Book Blogger, Book Review, books, Lykke, Meik Wiking, review, The Little Book of Lykke, The Little Book of Lykke: The Danish Search for the World's Happiest People

A city is successful not when it’s rich but when its people are happy. Creating bikeability and walkability shows respect for human dignity. We’re telling people, ‘You are important—not because you’re rich, but because you are human.’ If people are treated as special, as sacred, even, they behave that way. We need to walk just as birds need to fly. Creating public spaces is one way to lead us to a society that is not only more equal but also much happier

The Little Book of Lykke – Meik Wiking

Initial Thoughts: What is “Lykke?” Is it some sort of magic spell? Is it a branch of philosophy? A drink? Food? None of the above. It is simply the Danish word for “happiness.” Denmark is often called “the happiest country” because it usually comes out on top for being surveyed as the happiest people. That doesn’t mean that there are no problems in Denmark. Sometimes, things are rotten in Denmark (sorry, had to insert a bit of Hamlet). However, there is something that the Danes do well in comparison with the rest of the world. And Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Reasearch Institute in Copenhagen wants to find out what it is. Not just in his own country, but in other countries as well. What are people doing to increase their own happiness and the happiness of their communities?

Summary

From the author of the international bestseller The Little Book of Hygge

Lykke (Luu-kah) (n): Happiness

It’s easy to see why Denmark is often called the world’s happiest country. Not only do they have equal parental leave for men and women, free higher education and trains that run on time, but they burn more candles per household than anywhere else.

So nobody knows more about happiness – what the Danes call lykke – than Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen and author of the bestselling sensation The Little Book of Hygge . But he believes that, whilst we can certainly learn a lot from the Danes about finding fulfilment, the keys to happiness are actually buried all around the globe.

In this captivating book, he takes us on a treasure hunt to unlock the doors to inner fulfilment. From how we spend our precious time, to how we relate to our neighbours and cook dinner, he gathers evidence, stories and tips from the very happiest corners of the planet. This is the ultimate guide to how we can all find a little more lykke in our lives.

Meik Wiking is the CEO of The Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen and is one of the world’s leading experts in happiness. Committed to understanding happiness, subjective well-being and quality of life, Meik works with countries across the world to discover and explore global trends of life satisfaction. Only someone absolutely dedicated to happiness sits in coffee shops across the world counting peoples’ smiles!

His first book, The Little Book of Hygge, became an international bestseller and will soon be published in 31 countries.

The Review

The first book that I read in 2022 was The Little Book of Hygge, which was also written by Meik Wiking, the CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen. Hygge is often translated as “cosiness” or something that is “homey.” In his book, Wiking asserted that incorporating Hygge into one’s life also increased life satisfaction. It gave me a lot to think about regarding the lighting in my place and the little things I could do to brighten my day.