Shift: Managing Your Emotions--So They Don't Manage You (Ethan Kross)

In Shift: Managing Your Emotions–So They Don’t Manage You, author Ethan Kross delves into the intricacies of how we can shift our emotional states, moving away from being controlled by our emotions to taking control of them.

A key strength in Shift lies in its ability to effectively combine research with engaging storytelling, weaving together real-life anecdotes that illustrate the author’s points. This approach not only makes the book more relatable but also reinforces the practical applications of his strategies.

Shift challenges common misconceptions about emotions, such as the idea that avoidance is always negative or that "living in the moment" is always optimal. Instead, Kross advocates for a nuanced understanding of emotions, recognizing them as valuable sources of information that can guide our actions.

Kross's writing reflects on his expertise as a leading psychologist. He avoids jargon and a lot of cliches, making the book enjoyable and informative. A wise person once told me that “Shift Happens” and her perspectives on how she deals with it helped her weave a successful professional career. Shift encourages us to shift our mindset on events to take charge of our emotions instead of letting them hold charge of us.

MY RATING: 4.5

Presidents at War: How World War II Shaped a Generation of Presidents, from Eisenhower and JFK through Reagan and Bush (Steven M. Gillon)

In Presidents at War: How World War II Shaped a Generation of Presidents, from Eisenhower and JFK through Reagan and Bush, author Steven M. Gillon traces the experiences of seven presidents. While doing so, he demonstrates how their wartime service influenced their political outlook and subsequent presidencies.

Gillon effectively weaves together individual narratives with broader historical context. Instead of a series of biographical sketches, he skillfully analyzes how the shared experience of World War II forged a common understanding of patriotism, sacrifice, and America's role in the world among these men. The book goes beyond just the battles, and delves into the psychological effects the war had on each man, and how those psychological effects influenced their political views and American foreign policy for the decades following World War II.

Presidents at War is a significant contribution to books on presidential history. It offers a fresh perspective on a pivotal period in American history and sheds light on the enduring legacy of World War II.

MY RATING: 4.5

Woodrow Wilson: The Light Withdrawn (Christopher Cox)

With regard to how historians view his record, Woodrow Wilson is arguably one of the more conflicting presidents in American history. Wilson, known for pursuing a lasting peace in the wake of World War I, was also a fervent segregationist and steadily opposed a constitutional amendment to grant women the right to vote. Wilson’s legacy has arguably gone through more scrutiny in recent decades because of his past and rather light career accomplishments prior to entering politics. Woodrow Wilson: The Light Withdrawn by Christopher Cox focuses on Wilson’s career crossed with the women’s suffrage movement and race relations.

Cox’s biography of Wilson is fair - criticizing him for his racial (er, racist) policies on segregating the federal workforce after several administrations of desegregation. Cox also notes how Wilson’s presidency was very much the result of infighting within Republican circles - in 1912 with the breakaway Bull Moose campaign of Teddy Roosevelt which split Republican votes into two camps, and in 1916 in California, a state that Wilson won by just over 3,000 votes and, had the party been more unified, may have swung the balance of the election to Charles Evans Hughes. Through Wilson’s political career, Cox weaves in the story of the women’s suffrage movement and how the Democratic party fought amongst itself over giving women the right to vote. That right was granted through the 19th Amendment, ultimately ratified in 1920.

Woodrow Wilson: The Light Withdrawn also dives into Wilson’s push for the League of Nations and how his health had deteriorated as a result of his strenuous work in the Paris Peace Conference post-World War I. In Cox’s book, the reader sees Wilson as a conflicting, somewhat controlling persona who vastly changed the relationship of the Presidency and Congress but also set back the country dramatically on race relations and slow-footed the implementation of women’s voting rights.

MY RATING: 4

Tequila Wars: Jose Cuervo and the Bloody Struggle for the Spirit of Mexico (Ted Genoways)

You may recognize Jose Cuervo as the name of Mexico's iconic tequila brand. But Cuervo was also the driving force behind centralizing several tequila producers within his family's growing business empire. In Tequila Wars: Jose Cuervo and the Bloody Struggle for the Spirit of Mexico, author Ted Genoways draws from Cuervo's family records and personal diaries to argue that Cuervo was a shrewd businessman and political player who navigated the tumultuous landscape of late 19th- and early 20th-century Mexico.

The book highlights much of Cuervo's rise through the Mexican tequila business, as well as his role in Mexican politics. Cuervo's efforts to modernize tequila production, establish international trade routes, and form strategic alliances during the Mexican Revolution were pivotal in transforming tequila from a regional spirit that wanted to export more into the United States into a global commodity. A particular focus of the book is Cuervo's role during the Mexican Civil Wars of the 1910's. One story recalls his daring escape on horseback from his Guadalajara mansion in 1914, as Pancho Villa's revolutionary forces closed in.

Tequila Wars incorporates historical events with personal anecdotes from the author to provide a comprehensive view of Cuervo's impact on Mexican industry and political history during a time of profound change and revolution in the country. Genoways not only revives the legacy of Cuervo but also highlights the intertwined histories of Mexico and its most famous export.

MY RATING: 4

Jesus Wept: Seven Popes and the Battle for the Soul of the Catholic Church (Philip Shenon)

Jesus wept is the shortest verse in the Bible (John 11:35). But it’s also the title of Philip Shenon’s meticulously researched account of the Catholic Church from Vatican II to the present. Shenon chronicles the seven popes that led the Catholic faith over the past 75 years and the internal struggles between a church whose membership yearned for modernization and openness and the bureaucracy that fought hard against it.

Starting with the end of Pius XII and continuing to Francis, Jesus Wept covers the lives and major events of the Catholic Church’s leadership. Shenon authoritatively discusses the reforms of Vatican II, the counter reform movements of the Catholic Curia, and the drive to silence voices who were outside of the Vatican hierarchy. John Paul II’s relationship with Benedict and Benedict’s increasing control of the church’s conservative thought are given significant coverage. Additional details dive into the church’s scandals around priest abuse of minors and the church’s attempts to cover up and keep those scandals under wraps.

Jesus Wept is a strong, powerful history of the modern Catholic Church and its struggles to modernize in a world that has rapidly changed since Vatican II.

MY RATING: 4

Hard Neighbors: The Scotch-Irish Invasion of Native America and the Making of an American Identity (Colin G. Callaway)

The Scotch-Irish have had a prominent role in American and British history. Originating in Scotland and the border regions of Northern England, this ethnic group migrated to Northern Ireland in the 17th Century. Many subsequently then came to America in various waves, often settling in rural areas and being a driving force in American expansion in the 18th and 19th Centuries. The migration of the Scotch-Irish from Pennsylvania through the Appalachians to Tennessee and subsequently Texas helped drive much of the United States’ growth as they drove Native American populations out of the areas they settled.

In Hard Neighbors: The Scotch-Irish Invasion of North America and the Making of an American Identity, author Colin G. Calloway explores the history of the Scotch-Irish through the late 19th Century. This immigrant group was often marginalized by leaders in the colonies and early United States for its rural and uncivilized behavior. Their behavior was also often violent, such as in the Paxton Massacre of 1763 and the Whiskey Rebellion in the mid 1790’s. Hating both established governments (for not protecting them and their interests) and “the other” (Native Americans, mostly, in the early days of the country), the Scotch-Irish became an insular, often resentful, demographic in the United States. Several of them became battle-tested veterans of the War of 1812 and one of them, Andrew Jackson, became their voice and was elected President in 1828 and 1832. Jackson’s policies towards Native Americans were the culmination of Scotch-Irish desires put into official government action. Despite these actions, some Scotch-Irish and Native Americans co-existed peacefully and intermarried. Like any history of a country (and many family stories), the reality and story can be complicated.

Calloway’s book is a fair, even assessment of a group of people who shaped much of American history despite not often being in the leading role of it.

MY RATING: 4.5

The Language of Mathematics: The Stories Behind the Symbols (Raul Rojas)

In The Language of Mathematics: The Stories Behind the Symbols, author Raul Rojas explores complex ideas by tracing their origins and evolution. Rojas demonstrates how seemingly abstract concepts, such as numbers, geometry, and calculus, arose from practical needs and philosophical inquiries. He effectively illustrates the interconnectedness of mathematical disciplines, showcasing how advancements in one area often pave the way for breakthroughs in others. Some of these breakthroughs are systematic and incremental, Rojas notes, and others are accidental.

One of the book's strengths lies in its ability to highlight the human element behind mathematical discoveries. Rojas introduces readers to the brilliant minds that contributed to the field, emphasizing their struggles, insights, and the cultural contexts that influenced their work. This approach transforms mathematics from a collection of formulas and theorems into a quasi-language of its own. 

Rojas also connects mathematical concepts to real-world applications, showcasing their relevance in various fields, including computer science, engineering, and even art. Math is everywhere among us, even if we don’t want to admit as much, and The Language of Mathematics effectively explores the application of math to real life.

Because some aspects of mathematics can be difficult and complex, concepts that underpin calculus and more advanced math may bog down what is otherwise a very enjoyable book. Rojas does a decent job of helping explain some of these concepts; however, for those who hit the math wall in geometry or algebra, some of the more advanced equations that get discussed may leave you scratching your head or having a bad flashback to your secondary school math classes. But these concepts are only a small section of a fast-reading and mostly enjoyable 

MY RATING: 4