Hickory Wind: The life and times of Gram Parsons

Just finished Hickory Wind: The life and times of Gram Parsons by Ben Fong-Torres. I have long been a fan of Gram Parsons (former member of the Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers, and International Submarine Band), so I greatly enjoyed reading this book. I got turned on to Gram a few years ago and have enjoyed his brand of country-rock music, which he called "cosmic American music." However, I only really knew the rough sketches of his life: he liked Nudie suits, sang on Sweetheart of the Rodeo by the Byrds (one of my favorite albums ever), and died young.

This book provided some more details into the somewhat scattered life of Gram Parsons. While not necessarily a true biography, it was a helpful read. Fong-Torres spent time interviewing key figures in Gram's life and includes snippets from these interviews throughout the book. This is definitely a good read for those who are familiar with Gram and would be good for those who are unfamiliar but are curious to learn about his somewhat influential role in modern American music.

Hickory Wind: The Life and Times of Gram Parsons

Tell No One

I read Tell No One  by Harlan Coben at the suggestion of my friend and colleague, Matt Grimes. I was glad he recommended this book to me, as I greatly enjoyed the story. It was a fun and quick read.

I will actually not spend too much time describing the story, at the risk of spoiling the many twists in this suspense novel. However, the protagonist is David Beck, a doctor who is widowed after his wife is brutally kidnapped and murdered. The suspense of the story comes when Beck receives a cryptic email leading him to believe his wife may still be alive. The ensuing story is full of interesting twists and turns that continually keep you guessing.

The story is rather well written, reminding me of a James Patterson novel, except better. This is definitely pop-fiction, but Coben's characters are dynamic and he provides plenty of detail in ways that Patterson does not. Coben appears to understand the genre in a way that makes Patterson look lazy.

I would definitely suggest the book.

Tell No One

Community: The Structure of Belonging

I picked up Community:The structure of belonging by Peter Block, at the suggestion of Dr. Frank Shushok, the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs at Virginia Tech. Dr. Shushok had referenced this book several times during the planning meetings for the Residential College at West Ambler Johnston and at one point indicated that he thought Dr. Stephens and I should read it and discuss it with him.

My initial thought after I read the book was that I did not much care for it. I thought that it was too abstract and that Block provided too few concrete examples to actually be useful. I was annoyed at the extensive use of the word "context," while the author actually failed to provide much context. I got the impression that Block perceived the decline of authentic community in the US, that he understood something must be done, and had a general idea, but nothing specific enough to write about. In some ways, the book reminded me of candidates during some interviews I have been part of, where there is an answer to a question that might lead one to believe the interviewee vaguely knows what he or she is talking about, but the answer is not specific enough to be certain.

In some regards, I still hold those opinions. However, after sitting with the book for a while and contemplating the message, I also think Block provides some important philosophical insights. Ironically, some of the most important takeaways for me are the titles of some of his chapters. This is not to say that the chapters themselves do not have content, they do. But really, one could find inspiration from the titles themselves. The ones that really spoke to me were "The Small Group Is the Unit of Transformation" and "Questions Are More Transforming Than Answer." These things might seem intuitive, but reading about them forced me to deeply reflect on the idea behind them. Additionally, the book poses some questions that I think will be very helpful when I convene the HRC RA staff together next year for fall training.

This book is definitely worth a read if you are interested in the idea of creating community. Just don't expect to have practical examples or step-by-steps. However, it is a great though piece.

Community: The Structure of Belonging