Is there any hope for childhood? Will 2014 be remembered as the year when children spent more time in virtual worlds than with their parents?
In Their Name is Today, Johann Arnold reviews sweeping changes in the way our society treats children.
In Their Name is Today, Johann Arnold reviews sweeping changes in the way our society treats children.
My best reading usually gets done while I’m riding the trains since it’s uninterrupted by at least twenty minutes. I generally read on my Kindle but, this time around I grabbed a copy of “Their Name is Today- Reclaiming Childhood in a Hostile World” by Johann Christoph Arnold.
It felt good to have an actual book in my hand for a change instead of an electronic device. There’s something to be said about seeing your progress in pages as you read and that thought actually connects quite well with the theme of the book.
I reached my destination, the bowling alley for my league game and when I sat down my teammate who is a teacher asked, ‘Where did you get that book?’.
I explained that I received it for review and asked if she’d heard of it or owned it. She said it was on her on her list of books to read and asked if it was any good.
I said I’d just started reading it so, I would let her know.
Well, after finishing it, I can tell her that it is indeed worth the read.
I seem to have this conversation a lot with people lately and I even mentioned it in a previous blog post that as we get more connected as far as technology it seems like we’re more disconnected from each other than ever.
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| Author Johann Christoph Arnold |
Author Johann Christoph Arnold touches on that so well in this book. It’s almost like there is too much information out there to the point that children don’t even absorb it. What is the point when you can just Google and find the answer again in an instant.
The overload of technology available to kids today is not the only thing Arnold talks about. He also goes into this need in society to overload our kids with things to do every minute of the day while our own lives as parents are consumed with work and the things we need to do to provide and also this focus academically in the overall tests scores of students as a group versus the growth and learning of the individual child at their pace.
This book was eye opening in a lot of ways. There is one particular quote that stuck with me in the chapter about parenting that states:
Perhaps it’s because our generation never really grew up. Many of us are still seeking the perfect partner, the perfect car, or some other kind of elusive happiness.
We don’t know what it is to make sacrifices, to give unselfishly in ways that won’t ever be recognized. I’m not sure we were expected to.
This quote is exactly how I feel about my generation. We have too many choices and are always looking for the next best thing. Are we transferring those values on to our children? I think so.
This is a great book for parents, teachers, parents to be. It will make you stop and think about the things that are important to you and maybe, hopefully help you to shift in a better direction should you need to. I know I needed to shift a lot of my thinking. This book reassured me that I’m off to a good start.
You can purchase a copy of ‘Their Name is Today: Reclaiming Childhood in a Hostile World’ by Johann Christoph Arnold on Amazon.com. Let me know what you think.
We are also giving a copy of the book away to one lucky reader from either the US or Canada. Enter to win below. Good luck!
“Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.
Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”