Scott J. Pearson’s Book Review

Found in Transition: A Mother’s Evolution During Her Child’s Gender Change

By Scott J. Pearson | September 17, 2020September 17, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

I did not know what to expect when I picked up this book. I hoped for something thoughtful and self-aware, something becoming of an MD. Fortunately, Hassouri did not disappoint. She shows an incredible, heartfelt openness that transcends her education and professional training. In many ways, this memoir can be used as an exemplar of supportive parenting. Likewise, it can be used as a guide of how to be rigorously honest in one’s writing. She…

The Death of Ivan Ilych by Leo Tolstoy

By Scott J. Pearson | September 14, 2020September 14, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

Throughout recorded time, humans have wondered about the afterlife and its relationship to this life. Tolstoy takes a spin on that and focuses on the interface between the two. What exactly happens as one approaches death? Few have experienced near-death, but no one has experienced death fully. What is dying like? Tolstoy provides his answer in this short depiction of a Russian lawyer Ivan Ilych. He lives a normal, even boring, life and suddenly gets…

Fiction-Stories Humanities

A Single Swallow by Zhang Ling

By Scott J. Pearson | September 12, 2020September 12, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

This tale, translated from the original in Chinese, centers on events surrounding one Chinese woman during the Second World War. It is told through the perspectives of the ghosts of three men who loved her and who she loved back, albeit in different ways. It narrates how war augments human stories of love, family, and relationships. The translation is generally excellent and fluent. Only the prevalence of Chinese customs make it obvious that this story…

Biography-Memoir History Leadership

His Truth is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope

By Scott J. Pearson | September 6, 2020September 24, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

The recently deceased congressman John Lewis has been a public light to the United States for over fifty years. Nicknamed “the conscience of Congress,” he courageously campaigned for civil rights since a college student in Nashville. The author Jon Meacham, surely one of America’s greatest biographers, writes this history of Lewis’ doings in the 1960s. With extreme acuity, gravity, and imagery, he captures what the civil rights movement resembled on the inside. In so doing,…

Biography-Memoir History Religion-Philosophy

Sinner Saint: A Novel of Francis of Assisi

By Scott J. Pearson | September 5, 2020September 5, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

The twelfth-century monk Francis of Assisi lived one of the most interesting and impactful lives in the history of Christianity. In this novel, Price tells the story of his life using the techniques of historical fiction to bring out Francis’ illustrious personality. Francis attempted to bring out Gospel living in an age of church hypocrisy. In so doing, he shares a tale with us all that lifts our spirit and inspires readers to excel in…

Books

Books I’m Reading in September, 2020

By Scott J. Pearson | September 1, 2020September 1, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

His Truth is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of HopeBy John Meacham This book was on my “To Read” list before Lewis’ well-reported death last month. His passing moved this book onto my high-priority list. John Lewis impacted history with his personality like few others in American history. He went from oppressed outcast to respected congressman throughout his life. That type of ascent is something that we all can learn from. But his…

Biography-Memoir History Science

The Monk in the Garden

By Scott J. Pearson | August 30, 2020August 30, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

An outsider’s view of scientific history deems that stories of scientific discovery are boring. After all, how could readers be interested in narratives about how people work in laboratories? To that, Henig pens her eloquent reply in an interesting tale of how an obscure monk in Eastern Europe transformed modern biology… after he died. Thus goes the all-too-human tale of humble Gregor Mendel. After joining a monastic order in the 1800s, Mendel studied science and…

Biography-Memoir History Religion-Philosophy

Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments with Truth by Mohandas K. Gandhi

By Scott J. Pearson | August 26, 2020August 26, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

Gandhi’s name sticks out in bold in twentieth-century history. Words associated with this great include India, non-violence, independence, integrity, and freedom. Yet those (like me) who have been schooled in a different religious tradition (for me, Protestant Christianity) might not be aware of the depth of Gandhi’s greatness because of differing idioms. That’s why I originally picked up this book, and that’s why I suggest that your reading of this book is important, too. Gandhi…

Psychology Research-Education

Social, Emotional, and Psychosocial Development of Gifted and Talented Individuals

By Scott J. Pearson | August 20, 2020August 20, 2020 by Scott J. Pearson

I come at this book as a parent and a mentor of talented youth. I am interested in honing my skills to be more effective in serving these students. This book is written especially towards those working in gifted education, whether at a K-12 level or higher. Rinn gathers all of the research and presents it in a careful manner. She also exposes where research consensus is currently lacking and requires more study. All in…