The problem is that as children grow older, the statistical benefits of reading for pleasure become less clear-cut. It’s quite easy to raise “readers” who eventually find that screens are better at providing them utilitarian information and light entertainment.

This is a really, really bad thing, but it’s so normal it’s hard to realize how dangerous it is. A free country such as ours is dependent on the premise that the citizenry are capable of thinking in a certain way.

They must be able to hold large ideas in their minds. They must be able to recognize the differences between logic and propaganda. They must possess the self-discipline needed to focus on issues that are boring, and seek the wisdom to differentiate between what is right versus what is expedient or amusing. Most of all, they must possess the perspective of a true education in ideas so they can think outside the echo chamber of our era.
All of this is deeply connected to what and how we read. It is not that people who use their phones frequently are necessarily dumber than people who don’t. Like any tool, though, screens can be dangerous. They can fill the spare moments of life until no time is left for thought and deep learning. They can retrain our brains and make it hard to focus on a long-form conversation, whether in-person or in print.Books are one of the best ways to guard our minds against a misuse of screens. Books aren’t magical mind-vitamins, of course. Yet in order to cultivate the ability to think, we must engage with good, wise, and true thoughts. And it happens that the works of humanity’s greatest thinkers are found in books.I would rather raise a thoughtful child who reads sometimes than a child who mindlessly consumes a favorite type of book without pause. This isn’t to say that children should read only highbrow literature. The point is to make friends of books. It’s about leaving room in our lives for contemplation. If you are ready to embark on a structured course of study and are seeking detailed guidance, you might check out Susan Wise Bauer’s “The Well-Educated Mind.” She provides background on different genres of writing, suggests an approach to annotated reading, and offers lists of historically significant titles. Mortimer Adler’s “How to Read a Book” is also highly respected.It’s helpful to do something when you finish a book. Discussing it with friends is a good option. Simply keeping a reading journal—on paper or perhaps via GoodReads—is another. It’s quite satisfying to look back at a given year and see what you’ve read and what you thought of it.

BASED ON THE INCREDIBLE GRADUATION SPEECH WITH OVER 14 MILLION VIEWS ON YOUTUBE

If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.

On May 17, 2014, Admiral William H. McRaven addressed the graduating class of the University of Texas at Austin on their Commencement day. Taking inspiration from the university's slogan, "What starts here changes the world," he shared the ten principles he learned during Navy Seal training that helped him overcome challenges not only in his training and long Naval career, but also throughout his life; and he explained how anyone can use these basic lessons to change themselves-and the world-for the better.

I have had this book for several years but had avoided reading it because I sensed I would cry through most of it. And I was right: I cried through most of it. But I had found myself in a season of grief already, so I thought I might be ready to enter in to the sacred space of Ruth’s story. The book is about a Missionary Kid/Third Culture Kid who grew up in boarding school, but that is not all it is about.

Letters Never Sent is also for anyone who has grown up in Christian circles and, as a result, thought they had to be perfect or could never admit weakness. It’s for anyone trying to measure up and continuing to fail in their attempts. This book is even for anyone who grew up poor and wondered at the unfairness of the world (honestly it was refreshing for her to tackle such a seemingly “earthly” issue as that of money). And of course it is especially for those who grew up in boarding schools and didn’t feel permission to speak all of their feelings about it over the years.

Ruth is a generation (or more) ahead of me in life, yet every issue she tackled felt modern and relevant. Don’t skip it just because her TCK experience differs from yours, or because you are afraid of facing the grief. This is an important book.

from Allan Jude and Michael W Lucas

ZFS improves everything about systems administration. Once you peek under the hood, though, ZFS’ bewildering array of knobs and tunables can overwhelm anyone. ZFS experts can make their servers zing—and now you can, too, with

the first of two ZFS books, by critically acclaimed author Michael W Lucas and FreeBSD developer Allan Jude

ZFS, the fast, flexible, self-healing filesystem, revolutionized data storage. Leveraging ZFS changes everything about managing FreeBSD systems.