Some Winter Reads with YIPA Staff

Looking for a good read to kick the winter blues? YIPA staff have come up with some recent favorites of ours. Here are some youth intervention and “fun” books (not that youth intervention reading isn’t fun!) that might spark your interest…

On the fun reading side, YIPA Executive Director, Scott Beaty, just read John Lennon, The Life, by Philip Norman. This is a wonderful biography about John Lennon’s life from the time he was born until his untimely death. This is a must read for anyone who is a Beatles fan. “I’ve been a big Beatles fan ever since junior high but I never knew all the history and drama that occurred with John and the other Beatles” says Scott. It’s a long book as it’s over 800 pages but highly recommended by Scott.

Scott also collects old wooden decoys and this past Christmas his wife, Joan, gave him the new book called Minnesota Duck Decoys, Yesterday and Today’s Folk Artists by Doug Lodermier. This is a wonderful book with some of the most beautiful pictures of duck decoys made by Minnesota carvers and decoy making factories, which there we many in the old days. The amount of research and history collection that went into this book is incredible. Read, look and enjoy!

Ann Marie, YIPA’s development director recently read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. Mark Haddon, who has worked

with autistic children, has created a unique book about how children with autism may view the world and the experiences the adults in their lives often go through. We come to see the world through the eyes of an autistic boy named Christopher Boone. The reader is able to experience how this boy understands and often misunderstands how the world works. You also come to sympathize with the adults in his life who cope with his sometimes difficult behavior and the struggle to exert patience with the minute details of how he has ordered life. Christopher is an amazing boy with many gifts which is empowering to read, but at the same time heartbreaking when you see the struggles he goesthrough just to deal with things we all take for granted.

Jessi Strinmoen, Director of Programs suggests Boys Adrift: The Five Factors Driving the Growing Epidemic of Unmotivated Boys and Underachieving Young Men by Leonard Sax. Jessi says that, “Reading this book with both the lens of a parent of a four-year-old boy and a youth service professional confirmed my concerns about

boys in this era – a group largely disengaged, over-involved in video games and fantasy worlds, and missing important role models in their lives. His advice for parents and professionals alike is timely and right on the mark.”

Jessi also suggests Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See a novel set in nineteenth-century China in a remote village, where a unique friendship blossoms out of a match made at the age of 7. The girls use a secret fan to share messages about their lives and dreams in a secret language of Chinese women, designed to communicate in a way men could not understand. It was an insightful look into Chinese history of things like foot binding and arranged marriages, as well as a passionate story of true friendship.

Chris Klejbuk, YIPA's membership director, finally in January read Greg Mortenson's Three Cups of Tea. According to Chris, this is truly an inspirational book on what "one person" can do who is a passionate about an issue, cause, or project. Mortenson's life reads like a combination of Mother Teresa and Indiana Jones. And for a great read during our Minnesota winter, Chris suggests Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods; one man's memoir of walking the Appalachian Trail.

Clare Ryan, YIPA’s Promise Fellow says, “Ever wonder how other countries look at juvenile offenders? Judging Mohammed: Juvenile Delinquency, Immigration and Exclusion at the Paris Palace of Justice by Susan Terrio provides a deep and fascinating look into the French juvenile justice system.” Check out a published review written by Clare.

For fun and in keeping with the French theme, Clare adds, what better way to pass a winter afternoon than reading about adventures in French food? These books, The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food by Judith Jones and My Life in France by Julia Child are both tantalizing in their food descriptions and also inspirations for anyone with an unconventional passion.

Have any suggestions you want to share? Are you or someone you know writing a book or article about youth intervention? Post it here!