Dear Great Book Guru,  August is a favorite time of mine to read something I would not ordinarily tackle. It's probably a combination of warm summer days and the absence of so many of my vacationing friends that makes me want to spend time reading something meaningful.  Do you have any suggestions?

August Reader Extraordinaire

Dear August Reader Extraordinaire,  I have just the book for you especially if time is limited: TRIBE  by Sebastian Junger.  He writes that American society is at odds with our evolutionary history. While we buy bigger houses, crave separate bedrooms, relish private  backyards, and drive automobiles, the unhappier we seem to be. Is it because we were meant to live close together in shared spaces? Junger says, ”Native Americans would have practiced extremely close and involved child care, and they would have  done everything in the company of others. They would almost never have been alone.”  Junger asserts that this lack of tribalism is at the root of so much of the post-traumatic stress of returning  war veterans.  The military offered a respite from the aloneness of civilian life. A very thought- provoking book, very short (166 pages), and highly recommended!

Join me in welcoming Molly Matilda Anzalone to the world and  much love to her parents Gillian and Joseph!