Flower Mound Public Library discussion

The Summer Reading Program theme this year is "Build a Better World". So for July, read a book that you feel goes along with this idea. It can be about the fields of engineering, architecture, inventions, or anyone who has done something innovative to build a better world. It can be fiction or nonfiction. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:



Enjoy!

Yesterday at the library I picked up the audiobook of to fulfill this prompt on my bingo sheet. It's about the building of the American Government. Some of the books Jill suggested look good too. Maybe I'll have time to get through more than one of these this month.

Thanks!

Kelly wrote: "Yesterday at the library I picked up the audiobook of to fulfill this prompt on my bingo sheet. It's abo..."

That sounds like a fascinating title. Thanks for the recommendation, Kelly!

How's everyone doing with this month's challenge? If you have any thoughts about what you're reading feel free to share. Did anything surprise you about the lives of the people you read? Maybe some of the setbacks or obstacles they encountered while trying to create something?

Ack. The Fountainhead. Read it in college and thought it solved all the world's problems. Read it again a few years and discovered Ayn Rand was an early proponent of white privilege. Your mileage may vary.

The audio format of American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic could not hold my attention. :/ Maybe I'll revisit in traditional book format another time.

I ended up reading The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore. I noticed that the quotes at the beginning of each chapter included quite a few from Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. This brought me the realization these two are our modern day Westinghouse and Edison.
Near the beginning of the book the main character describes Edison by saying "the president of the United States - and most of its citizens - believes [him] literally to be the a wizard, and [his] name instills awe in the heart of every child with a wrench and a dream."
This same type of reverence is often afforded to Steve Jobs just replace the wrench with a motherboard. But, he never would have reached this position in American Mythology if it weren't for the competition the brewed between him and Bill Gates, much like the competition from Westinghouse drove Edison to create his idea factory where more and more engineers worked longer days to solve problems the rest of the world thought impossible.

If anyone else has read this book, did you feel like Moore was leading the reader to see the parallels between the creation of computers and lightbulbs?

If you are interested in the rivalries that lead to great innovation in American history you should check out the series on Netflix called American Genius. Each episode covers the history of a different rivalry (episode 1 is Jobs vs. Gates, episode 7 is Edison vs. Tesla).

Kelly wrote: "The audio format of American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic could not hold my attention. :/ Maybe I'll revisit in traditional book format another tim..."

I love your analysis! This title is on my list to read. It's also the August title for the adult book club. Thanks for the Netflix recommendation, too.

I often find that I can't listen to anything too dense on audio. My mind wanders too much. Don't feel bad!

Kelly wrote: "The audio format of American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic could not hold my attention. :/ Maybe I'll revisit in traditional book format another tim..."
I loved this series, especially the one about Tesla. I think Edison really was a bully. It certainly changed my thinking about him as such an American hero. He was more in the right place, at the right time, with a sufficiency of capital.
FWIW
Viccy Kemp