Every now and then it is beneficial to take a step back from a long-term project and regroup, re-evaluate and re-energize. That is what I'm doing these next couple of months. I'll still be posting occasionally, but regular additions to Chicago History won't appear until September. I've given myself permission to take a working vacation.
I have two goals: catch up on my reading and work at strengthening my reading, writing and research skills. I'll address the latter first.
In spite of the fact that I have worked as a writer and editor, I have found myself struggling with even the simplest posts. And, I don't want to talk about the disorganization that has sabotaged my current research papers. So, I've ordered a few books that I hope will help me to focus and get my sorry act together! The first is the classic How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler. Also on the way are From Reliable Sources: An Introduction to Historical Methods by Martha C. Howell and Writing History: A Guide for Students by William Kelleher Storey. If any of you historians, academics or researchers have some further suggestions, please chime in. Any and all recommendations will be gratefully accepted.
My summer reading list includes both fiction and nonfiction, but all pertain to Chicago history in some way. The fiction category includes The Genius by Theodore Dreiser (reading now), The Gilded Age by Mark Twain and A Hazard of New Fortunes by William Dean Howells. These are just for fun. By the way, I noticed that a new addition of The Titan is due out at the end of the month. Dreiser fans rejoice! The Titan is the second book in the Cowperwood trilogy (the first is The Financier; the third is The Stoic) and, as I'm sure you recall, is based on the life of Charles T. Yerkes. Really looking forward to its release.
The nonfiction list is pretty much what you would expect, but here's a sample:
The Marshall Fields: The Evolution of an American Business Dynasty by Axel Madsen
Henry B. Fuller of Chicago: The Ordeal of a Genteel Realist in Ungenteel America by Bernard R. Bowron
Land of Hope: Chicago, Black Southerners, and the Great Migration by James R. Grossman (I really know nothing about the African-American experience in Chicago. Shameful!)
Growing Up with a City by Louise de Koven Bowen (reading now)
The Urbanization of America: A Brief History by Zane L. Miller
The Souls of the Skyscraper: Female Clerical Workers in Chicago, 1870-1930 by Lisa M. Fine (reading now and really interesting!)
For the Love of Pleasure: Women, Movies and Culture in Turn-of-the-Century Chicago by Laurn Rabinovitz.
If you'd like to find out a bit more about the books I've mentioned, here's a handy Amazon Search box. (Yes, I'm an Amazon Associate, but I'm too lazy to link to all the books. Hey, a girl has to make "book money" somehow!)
So, that's what's going. Do stop back now and then over the summer. I'll let you know how my little study project is going.
7 comments:
Thanks for sharing, Sharon.
Great reading list, Sharon! I like Dreiser very much too though have only read Sister Carrie so far...I totally understand the need for a break. I hope that you have a refreshing and relaxing summer full of great reading.
You are a terrific writer and I am looking forward to catching up with you in the fall...
Thanks, Laura! This really was the right thing for me to do at this time. I just finished "Growing Up with a City," the memoir of Louise de Koven Bowen. She was a wealthy woman who spent her entire life in service to the poor, children and working-class of the city. There is definitely a blog post in the future. Thanks so much for sticking with me!
PR - Thanks for stopping by! Yes, I am having a great time! But, my reading list just keeps growing and growing.
We are a not-for-profit educational organization, founded by Mortimer Adler and we are Encyclopaedia Britannica’s exclusive agent for these programs.
We have recently made an exciting discovery--three years after writing the wonderfully expanded third edition of How to Read a Book, Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren made a series of thirteen 14-minute videos on the art of reading. The videos were produced by Encyclopaedia Britannica. For reasons unknown, sometime after their original publication, these videos were lost and are now available.
For those of you who teach, this is great for the classroom.
I cannot over exaggerate how instructive these programs are--we are so sure that you will agree, if you are not completely satisfied, we will refund your donation.
Please go here to see a clip and learn more:
http://www.thegreatideas.org/
Thank you for letting my readers know about the availability of the videos. Many teachers and home schoolers visit my site so I'm sure they will find this information valuable. I certainly do. I am a strong advocate of a liberal arts education - no matter what age a person is -but learning to properly focus on reading material should always be step one. Thank you for stopping by. I've placed a link to the Great Ideas website in the left column.
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