Rapp Strategies Rundown – June 2018
What we’re reading, listening to and thinking about this month.
Todd R.: I'm starting Katy Tur's book Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in American History on the 2016 campaign, and the challenges of covering a presidential election while Donald Trump was re-writing the rules of campaigning. Preet Bharara's podcast "Stay Tuned" is in the middle of a four-part series about how the federal criminal justice system works from the inside. Great stuff. I've put my iPhone on "shuffle" this week - had a back-to-back of Arcade Fire’s “Modern Man,” Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man.” Thankfully, no one can hear me sing in my car.
Todd S.: June seems like the perfect month to revisit a favorite book – Fantasyland by Sam Walker. The story is about Walker’s attempt to win America’s top fantasy baseball expert competition with no experience playing fantasy baseball. This, he writes, is "like trying to learn the cello by joining the London Philharmonic." It’s a fun, sharply written book with quirky characters and great insights into America’s pastime and how it’s evolved. Walker is currently the WSJ’s deputy editor for enterprise, the unit that oversees the paper’s in-depth page-one features and investigative reporting projects.
Rita: My summer reading list has to include best-selling titles that no longer have long waitlists at the library. On the summer stack: Turtles All the Way Down by John Green, Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng and Lab Girl by Hope Jahren.
Sarah: One of my favorite follows on Twitter is @FiveThirtyEight – they deliver data-driven stories in an easily digestible format. I’m a sucker for a good historical fiction novel and just finished The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. Up next is At the Water’s Edge by Sara Gruen.
Aaron: I am currently reading Paul Strathern’s novel The Medici: Power, Money, and Ambition in the Italian Renaissance. A very readable history of the Medici family and their influence on the renaissance.
Anna: I enjoy the advice and insight of contributors to Fairygodboss, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of women professionals. I am also reading To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf, a stunning and atmospheric summer novel. And my day always begins with Blois Olson's Morning Take, a tip sheet of top Minnesota news stories.
Andrea: I was recently introduced to “tiny desk,” an NPR video series of intimate music performances by artists in all genres. It’s an awesome and creative introduction to new music.