What Lonnie's Reading
Disability Inclusion Book Reviews
Summary: Provides an overview of different disability categories, do’s and don’ts when interacting with someone with a disability, societal issues, and creating a welcoming environment. Is it insightful? 5 Stars Good statistics on the prevalence of disabilities in society. Outlines seven practical themes in facilitating relationships with people with disabilities. Great tips on how to interact with those with a disability, what to say, and what to do. Is it creative? 5 Stars Book is chock full of examples and real-life applications, i.e. how Walgreens distribution centers employ an average 35% of people with disabilities. Examples do a great job of reinforcing key concepts. Is the well written? 4 Stars Read in about two hours. Author communicates concepts simply and concisely. There were some formatting issues on Kindle that could have been resolved by simple proofreading. Is it a page turner? 4 Stars Book covered a lot of turf on disability inclusion. As a reader I was looking forward to what angle the author was going to cover next. What would have made it better is if the author’s personality came through in her writing. It read too much like a research paper; couldn’t really discern the author’s voice. Overall Rating: 4 Stars 
Summary: An approach to inclusion of people with disabilities and mental health conditions for faith-based organizations. Is it insightful? 5 Stars Great perspective on what inclusion means and how it’s comprised of both a Structure of Inclusion (activities and actions that foster inclusion) and Spirit of Belonging (connections and relationships with people which make all feel valued members of a community). While there is some specific applicability to faith-based organizations, many of the concepts apply to any organization. Is it creative? 5 Stars Uses lots of stories to underscore key points, including stories about the author’s son who is a person with Attention Deficit Disorder and Aperger Syndrome. Book makes great use of sample forms and assessment questions to help bridge the gap from theoretical to practical application. Is the well written? 3 Stars Read in about three hours. Book not at all adapted for kindle reading. Words hyphenated in paperback, i.e. accomplish-ments, left hyphenated in kindle version even though there was no line break requiring hyphenation. No page break or hyperlinked chapters. Book references charts on specific page numbers (which don’t apply to kindle) or references charts that don’t exist. Book also references a workbook however the workbook doesn’t exist on Amazon nor is there a hyperlink from the kindle book to purchase the workbook. Lost opportunity to cross-sell the workbook. Is it a page turner? 3 Stars Good interesting facts in the book, but other than in the first chapter where the author talks about her son any trace of a writer’s voice is absent. As the book went on it became more and more a dry read. Overall Rating: 4 Stars 
Summary: Provides supportive solutions-based strategies for navigating the ins and outs of balancing high-functioning autism (HFA) or Asperger’s with independent living, careers, socialization and romance. Is it insightful? 4 Stars Author provides good insight into how someone with HFA typically thinks and behaves, and how their thoughts and actions are strengths or barriers to successful living. Topics and examples are easily relatable for someone with HFA or for someone who has a loved one with HFA. Is it creative? 5 Stars Very good stories which underscore each life skills topic establish a good rapport with the reader. Book uses shaded comment boxes to highlight key points the author wishes to convey. Great use of frequently asked questions at end of book. Is the well written? 5 Stars Read in about 90 minutes. The author’s writing style is very direct and uses simple, effective language. There’s strong focus on applications that the reader can take away to immediately work on. Very kindle-friendly, with chapters and external references hyperlinked. Only minor ding is chapters don’t hyperlink back to table of contents. Is it a page turner? 5 Stars The author has a very conversational writing style that feels just as if she is sitting down with the reader over a cup of coffee providing insight and advice. The author’s writing voice coupled with her sage advice makes for an easy, enjoyable, and informative read. Overall Rating: 5 Stars |
Summary: Positive Parenting for Autism provides an overview of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and how ABA can be effectively used to help a child overcome behavioral challenges. Is it insightful? 5 Stars Very good presentation of ABA concepts and techniques. It’s clear the author has mastery of subject matter. Is it creative? 4 Stars Good examples and case studies throughout the book which reinforce the concepts. Nothing exciting or unique about how concepts are presented. The ABA concepts, while helpful for parenting a child with autism, are not exclusive to autism; they are good overall parenting techniques. • Is the well written? 5 Stars Read in about two hours. Author communicates clearly and concisely. Each chapter has takeaways at the end to reinforce key concepts. Good formatting for Kindle, though when hyperlinks are clicked within a paragraph there is no way to get back to where you were reading. Is it a page turner? 3 Stars Book covers a lot of turf; however the author’s writing voice is non-existent, which made the reading much less interesting. The author expresses no empathy, encouragement, or desire to connect with the reader, who is most likely dealing with a difficult parenting situation. This is underscored in a number of statements in last chapter telling the reader how much he/she has learned as result of reading the book. How does the author know what the reader learned? Overall Rating: 4 Stars 
Summary: An indepth view of neuroimaging and genetic research, their link to behavior of those both neurotypical and autistic, and how to help those on the autism spectrum better succeed in life. Is it insightful? 5 Stars Deep analysis of how the brains of neurotypical and those on the autism spectrum differ. Book examines cause-effect relationships such as how Grandin’s elongated left ventricle extends into her parietal cortex, which is associated with working memory, which explains her difficulty with short-term memory. Is it creative? 5 Stars Great use of stories about both Grandin and others she knows in the autism arena. The stories make for an easier understanding of some very difficult medical and technical concepts. Also very clever use of analogies, such as how Grandin describes parts of the brain using terms like CEO, VPs, and workers. • Is the well written? 5 Stars Read in about five hours, just because there is so much technical and medical information to absorb. Great balance of facts and data with stories and examples using clear language. Only minor ding is that chapter headings aren’t hyperlinked back to the table of contents. Is it a page turner? 5 Stars Great progression of understanding the brain from a physical perspective and how it manifests into behaviors and social issues/stigmas surrounding autism. Grandin’s writing voice is well heard throughout the book, making it almost as if she were sitting with the reader talking about the book. Overall Rating: 5 Stars |
Summary: A fictional story about Melody Brooks, a young girl with Cerebral Palsy who is unable to communicate on her own and dismissed as mentally challenged. Through the use of a Medi-Talker, those around her are able to understand how intelligent she really is. Is it insightful? 5 Stars Good window into Cerebral Palsy and dispels the assumption that just because someone can’t speak it doesn’t mean he/she isn’t smart. Underscores the importance of society to make the effort to better understand someone who cannot communicate. Is it creative? 5 Stars Very creatively embeds lessons about Cerebral Palsy into a fictional story, as told from a first-person account as if the reader could read Melody’s mind. The first time the Medi-Talker said “I love you” to Melody’s parents was a great example of how the Medi-Talker opens a window for someone who cannot communicate on his/her own. Is the well written? 5 Stars Read in about three hours. Easy, conversational reading style without trying to use big words to dazzle (or confuse) the reader. Author makes good use of chapter hyperlinking in table of contents but would want to see hyperlinking from chapter back to table of contents. Really liked how author used bold font to indicate words that Melody typed on her Medi-Talker or pointed to on her communication board. Is it a page turner? 3 Stars An interesting, believable and compelling read through the first ¾ of the book. Without revealing spoilers, the ending, while unexpected, just didn’t seem to fit and was almost as if the author was trying too hard to shock the reader. I would have ended the story with more of an inspirational message and one where there was a more obvious change in some of the characters. I also would have eliminated the event towards the end involving Melody’s sibling. It felt disjointed and didn’t add anything to the story. Overall Rating: 4 Stars 
Summary: Tito Rajarshi Mukhopadhyay, a nonverbal man on the autism spectrum, gives insight into the autistic mind and how it things, sees, and reacts to the world. Is it insightful? 4 Stars Provides good insight into how Tito views the world and the unique perspective in which he relates to everyday events. As example, he describes watching basketball and football like watching swarming ants. I wanted more analogies. Is it creative? 3 Stars There is poetry interspersed throughout some of the chapters which is meant to help underscore concepts. I found the poetry a distraction and not helpful at all to the book. Is the well written? 3 Stars Read in about three hours. There was no logical progression of the chapters. One chapter he is in India, then he’s in Austin, then later in Hollywood. The author sometimes gave indication of how old he was, sometimes not. The book needed a good editor to scrub it. Is it a page turner? 3 Stars The longer I read the more I wanted the book to be over with. It read more like a random string of short stories. Even more disappointing is that it would not have been much work to sequence the chapters and make it read more chronologically. Overall Rating: 3 Stars |
Leadership Book Reviews
Summary: Reed Hastings, co-founder and CEO of Netflix, talks the leadership philosophy that underpins the culture at Netflix: Creating people talent density, an environment of candor, and empowering employees through decentralized decision making versus restrictive controls. Is it insightful? 5 Stars Great insight on how to attract and retain the best people and compensate them based on market value versus internal controls, i.e. salary bands, trust them to make decisions on how to do their job, hold them accountable for great performance, and openly learn from failure and share the lessons learned with the rest of the organization. Is it creative? 4 Stars At end of each chapter there is a summary of key points to underscore the most important take-aways. Each chapter builds upon the prior chapter to demonstrate how each of the nine “dots” connect to create the empowered culture. Is the well written? 4 Stars Each chapter contains an explanation of what happens at Netflix by Hastings then some leadership philosophy by Meyer. Book uses numerous references where someone other than Hastings or Meyer was speaking. I found it confusing at times where I thought Hastings was speaking then discovered it was someone else. Would have helped if quotes from others were in italics or quotation marks were used. Is it a page turner? 5 Stars Each leadership point logically builds upon prior points made. As example, if you’re going to remove controls you first need a high-performance workforce capable of making decisions in the best interest of the company. What also struck me from the philosophy is the importance of the person at the top not just supporting it but living and breathing it. If there’s going to be decentralized decision making without governing policies then that needs to be true for an entire organization, not just a department within an organization. A mid-level manager reading the book would not be able to implement many of the concepts in the book on his or her own; it needs to start with the CEO and permeate through the organization. Overall Rating: 5 Stars |
Personal Growth Book Reviews
Summary: A concise guide outlining seven practical steps you can take to avoid identity theft. Is it insightful? 4 Stars Great very practical actions expressed in both narrative form in each chapter as well as in checklist format at end of book. While the information is good, there were several instances where information was out of date. When taking on a fast-evolving topic the author needs to ensure content stays fresh and relevant. Is it creative? 4 Stars Information is presented in a very straightforward how-to format. What would have helped underscore key concepts is to have real-life stories accompany each of the steps. Is the well written? 5 Stars Read in about 60 minutes, including clicking on the many helpful hyperlinks. Author makes good use of supporting websites and materials, though at least one of the links transferred me to a “page not found” message. Is it a page turner? 3 Stars I almost stopped reading during the introduction. The author uses four hyperlinks: three of which either link to his other products or a teaser to get a checklist if I provided an email address. I have no problem when an author links to other products at the end of a book (I do this as well), but to do it in the introduction and try to get a reader’s email address before he’s had the chance to establish credibility is poor form. I am glad I continued reading as there’s good information to be gleaned; I just wish the author didn’t take to shameless plugs in the first two minutes of reading the book. Overall Rating: 4 Stars |
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