For parents searching for some reading materials this summer, R-MA staff and faculty have recommended the following:
Man’s Search for Meaning by Dr. Viktor Frankl. Dr. Frankl’s book is “one of the ten most influential books in America,” according to a Library of Congress survey. Dr. Victor Frankl (1905-1997) was Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at the University of Vienna Medical School. During World War II he spent three years at Auschwitz, Dachau, and other Nazi concentration camps.
Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours by Dr. Kevin Leman. Dr. Leman is an internationally known psychologist and an avid Christian. If you have a child who’s challenging you, this is worth the read, whether you are a parent, teacher, or both.
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. Mari Malcolm writes, “Why do some people succeed, living remarkably productive and impactful lives, while so many more never reach their potential? Challenging our cherished belief of the "self-made man," he makes the democratic assertion that superstars don’t arise out of nowhere, propelled by genius and talent….”
College Match: A Blueprint for Choosing the Best School for You – by Steven R. Antonoff. This is a piece of required reading for all R-MA seniors, and we recommend parents take the time to review it as well. It could save you a lot of headaches down the road.
Steel My Soldiers’ Hearts: The Hopeless to Hardcore Transformation of U.S. Army, 4th Battalion, 39th Infantry, Vietnam by Col David Hackworth. Colonel David Hackworth’s account of his tour of duty in Vietnam commanding the 4/39th, as he successfully changed this dispirited group into a cohesive unit, raising morale and dramatically dropping the mortality rate they had been experiencing.
Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other by Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Sherry Turkle (2011). You might recognize this one as this year’s community reading selection.