Understanding Others’ Lives: Required Reading, November 20, 2015

Understanding Others’ Lives: Required Reading, November 20, 2015

In the wake of last week’s massacres, we’re all thinking about how we can work to understand each other a little better, how we can overcome and appreciate difference. As Gianpiero Petriglieri writes for the Harvard Business Review, “Fostering civilization means cultivating our curiosity to recognize substantive difference, and our commitment to respect them – within and between groups.” And as novelist Jennine Capó Crucet reminds us, a good book “gives the reader a chance to see what it feels like to be someone else for a little while. And so, in doing that, it shapes a sensory experience that inspires compassion and empathy.”

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Required Reading: November 6, 2015

Required Reading: November 6, 2015

Felix writes about Steelcase CEO Jim Keane’s blogpost for the Drucker Society Europe: “He makes an important contribution to the discussion of meaning in the workplace.” Meanwhile, Ann reflects on modernist artist Joaquín Torres-García, Capria thinks about the past and Jessica brings an infographic on parenting to the fore.

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Required Reading: Friday, August 14, 2015

Required Reading: Friday, August 14, 2015

In our Required Reading this week, Ann discusses her struggles with meditation and mindfulness, and some tools that are currently working for her. Capria tells us about her recent 600+ mile motorcycle trip around Northern Michigan, which helped her think about some great literary journeys. Jessica, too, is thinking about journeys–in this case, the Great Migration. And then, how do stories shape our lives? How are bestsellers marketed? What separates human skills from machine skills?

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Required Reading: July 31, 2015

Required Reading: July 31, 2015

In this week’s Required Reading, Jessica tells us about the new anthology ‘Rust Belt Chic’ and Ann discusses ‘New American Stories,’ while Cecily cites a few articles on the health and brain benefits of walking. We share some of our favorite historic footage released by the AP, discuss a favorite television show, and share a fantastic recent article on the liberal arts in tech.

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Required Reading: Friday, July 22, 2015

Required Reading: Friday, July 22, 2015

“For years, Ann has been reading Robert McCrum’s series for Guardian Books, the 100 best novels written in English. He did an earlier list in 2003, available here, but has updated and modified his list more recently. Ann writes that “ What’s magical about his collection is less what he chooses than how much effort he goes into chronicling why a particular selection has made his list. Mixing current and classic, British, American and beyond, his series is a literary walk through a carefully curated library, complete with synopses, analyses and personal insights.”

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