002: The Case Against Homework: How Homework Is Hurting Our Children and What We Can Do about It
Pages: 304
Status: Complete
Picked this up partly in curiosity, or maybe because the secret inner geek speaks, hahaha. Thought I might like this book when realising that I actually agree with some stuff, but more & more as I read this I found myself counting back to the time I was at that age (hahahaha I feel old but — some ancedotes relate to kids about kindergarten age, even!) and realised that at some point, hey - I was even worse off at that age! Although I also admit that some of the homework listed as “pointless”. well, really is hehehe.
Also did quite feel that authors were overusing statistics to push for their point of view, … quite one-sided at some parts.
Overall, something that I initially was quite interested to read but bored me towards the end. I’ve no idea why it has received such good reviews (heh), am quite tempted (harhar skepticism ftw) to think it’s just .. parents who mollycoddle their children too much or that we’ve got a different school system, possibly a combination of both. ;-)
That aside, I think I’m really .. not the best for this reading thingey @ the moment hahaha! I really don’t see how I can (for now), cos 2 books in 1.5 months? Gee. & I’ve 2 books I’d intended to complete, but have not yet, and they are overdue lol. Joy.
001: A Friend Like Henry: The Remarkable True Story of An Autistic Boy and the Dog That Unlocked His World
Pages: 262
Status: Complete
Found this randomly off the library shelves rather unexpectedly, after finding it in the “Memoirs” section of a bookstore I decided to see if the library next to it had the book - it did! :-) (and so I borrowed it)
I wouldn’t say this book was one that was an absolute page-turner that I couldn’t put down, but I did look forward to reading it where I had time - read it on the way, to/from work. Also, unlike several better known memoirs that I’d read (Falling Leaves, Dave Pelzer’s My Story) this book was uplifting, and not one filled with the protagonist’s self-pitying/swearing (which occurs alot in My Story, *cue eye roll*)
The latter part introducing the boy’s sister’s autism, however, was quite redundant, I felt it just dragged the book (as though the author was quite unwilling to end the novel!) And like several other reviews I’ve read online, I don’t entirely think it’s about the dog’s crucial role in helping Dale (the boy) overcome autism - the dog was a major tool, but only because his parents had the ingenuity to use it as a tool, in the first place.
Overall, enjoyed this book though! Quite a good start to my year of reading, haha (wanted to specifically choose a first book, but didn’t in the end. Worked out decently I think :p)
