ningerbil (ningerbil) wrote in 50bookchallenge,
ningerbil
ningerbil
50bookchallenge

Books 17 and 18

17. Glow Kids, by Dr. Nicholas Kardaras. I finished this one for the book on technology category for the Read Harder challenge. This one has actually been on my want-to-read list for a while. I've seen it referenced a couple times in articles concerning education and problematic technology use for children. So I knew what type of message I would be reading. Also, I've seen with my own eyes the effect of people, especially younger people, being glued to their screens. I myself have tried to cut back at least one weekends. It's tough- guess where I am now, ha ha! Still, I was unprepared for the scope and depth of the issues presented here. Now, Kardaras makes clear from the start he is NOT anti-technology, and even indicates where it can be useful. What this book champions against is too much tech and the wrong tech too soon. And his own anecdotes on what he has seen in children and young adults (he's an addiction counselor) who struggle with gaming and technology addictions are unnerving. He not only cites his own observations, but quotes from numerous studies that outline the dangers of too much technology use. Kardaras goes into the history of "glowing screens" starting with television, the Etan Patz kidnapping and how that (plus other societal views) changed how children were brought up, how and why children get addicted and, perhaps best yet, solutions to the situation. There's a lot of ground covered in less than 300 pages. The writing style and organization make it easy to read and understand. Once in a while I wondered if the sarcasm and condemnation came off a bit harshly. For example, he criticized parents who carried their children's backpacks. OK, my thought was how old were the kids and how heavy were those backpacks. Every year before the start of school there are articles from orthopedic surgeons who caution against young children carrying too heavy a bag because it can cause back and neck problems. I once weighed my high school bag once after walking home from school, in ninth grade. It had all my books in it, and it weighed 25 pounds. That was without the folders and binders, which would have added another couple pounds. That was really heavier than I should have been carrying around school, much less carting over two miles from school to home (mind you, I also had back surgery two years before, plus other mild to moderate orthopedic issues.) I can easily imagine a pint-sized gradeschooler's bag weighing 15-20 pounds-far above what they should be carrying. But that's another topic for another day, and I'm really beginning to digress here. This is a small point in an otherwise well-written and researched book. I do hope parents and educators read it and take the messages to heart. There are reasons the American Academy of Pediatrics have set guidelines for technology use for children and teens (http://www.educationviews.org/danger-children-handheld-devices/).

18. Fishing Tips and Takes, by C. William King. I read this for work; I'm not using for the book challenge but those in my neck of the woods who need a book for the book set 100 miles from your location could consider this one, especially if they are into fishing, fly fishing and local lore. King's book was fun to read; he relates his various fishing adventures in someone fictitious fashion, and his stories are amusing. I laughed out loud at his story regarding one of his trips when he saw a colony of bats. I liked it, too, because it brought back memories of me fishing with my dad when I was younger. Never went fly fishing. Admittedly, if you don't like the great outdoors and can't stand fishing, you might not enjoy this book. As well as his personal anecdotes, King sprinkles his short stories with many fishing tips and fly fishing pointers. But for those who do, this is a quick and fun read. King has a warm, personable tone to his writing. It put me in mind of listening to stories on a sprawling back porch on a summer evening.

Currently reading: Journalism Next, by Mark Briggs.
Tags: non-fiction, technology
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