RAPP STRATEGIES RUNDOWN – SEPTEMBER 2018
What we’re reading, listening to and thinking about this month.
Todd R.: I recommend the book Where Did You Get This Number?: A Pollster's Guide to Making Sense of the World by Anthony Salvanto, a look at the disappearing art of accurate political survey research. Also, Better Call Saul is back! So are the Vikings. And how about Nick Lowe’s Labour of Lust? What a pop album!
Todd S.: The Great Recession officially ended in June 2009, though recovery would be years away. As the 10th anniversary of the recession’s end approaches, I think it would be a great time to get to a book that I have always meant to read — The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis. The book is considered one of the most insightful takes on the build-up of the housing bubble during the 2000s that led to the near-collapse of the U.S. economy.
Sarah: I recently watch the documentary Three Identical Strangers and you should watch it ASAP. Right when you think you have it figured out, it takes a few more twists. Each morning after I tune into my news podcast (“Up First” by NPR) I’ve begun tuning in to “This Day in History Class” by the ladies at “Stuff You Missed in History Class.” Tracy and Holly have been delighting my inner history nerd with their well-researched episodes for years, and their daily installments live up to that standard.
Aaron: I am currently finishing The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World by neuroscientist Adam Gazzaley and psychologist Larry Rosen. Each chapter explores the human mind and explains why our brains aren't built for multitasking and suggests better ways to live in a high-tech world without giving up our modern technology.
Anna: I just finished A Man Called Ove by Swedish author Fredrik Backman, a book about a loveable curmudgeon that had me laughing out loud in my car. Next up is Americanah by Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, which so far is as richly layered as her unforgettable Half of a Yellow Sun.
Andrea: "Latino USA" has been reporting on the recent "zero tolerance" policy of the Trump Administration and its effects on families. Their podcast episode, "Torn Apart 2: The Moral Dilemma of Juan Sanchez," took an interesting look at this crisis when they interviewed Juan Sanchez, a social justice champion well-known in the Latino advocacy circle, BUT who is also the CEO of Southwest Keys Programs, the organization making money from sheltering immigrant minors in the U.S.