At the beginning of this month, I received a new book from Plough Publishing House to read and review. I was super excited about this book because it was by Johann Christoph Arnold, who authored Rich In Years, which I loved! This book is entitled Their Name Is Today: Reclaiming Childhood in a Hostile World.
By the title, I thought this was going to focus primarily on our fears in today's society: child abductions, terrorism, and the child sex trade. That's what I get for getting so excited about Arnold's name in the author line that I didn't read the blurb about the book. ;)
However, as I began reading it, my soul often cried out "YES!" as he spoke passionately about all of the many ways our world has become hostile to children. Ways we may not think of as being "hostile" per se. Standardized testing and mass educational systems that meet no child's real educational needs (and certainly not their psychological or physical ones), as well as the over-stimulation, materialism, and busyness of today's children and families, not to mention technology's impact!
At times, I felt the book take on a slightly liberal feel about how we should help the world's children, but it wasn't anything glaring or offensive. I think that people who are passionate about children have a tendency toward the "it takes a village" mentality, and certainly many of the people Arnold quotes and references in the book seem to be of that mindset. I do not feel this was a fault, though, because it is difficult to take on the issue of a generation of children's best interests (and how we are failing them in so many, many ways) without getting a little overreaching in our methods. I have often struggled with this as I feel very passionate about children, too!
The more I read about the failings of today's methods of raising children, from the poor assessment and teaching methods of our public schools to the behavioral after-effects of the all of our too-high expectations on children, the more grateful I was that I was able to provide an alternative to my children by homeschooling and maintaining a somewhat laid-back schedule. However, we have a long way to go in the materialism piece of the argument as a fairly well-to-do American family. :(
It is absolutely a book a would recommend if you have any interest at all in how to help your child or the children around you. If you are a parent, educator, childcare worker, or anyone who is passionate about or works with children, I suggest reading this very eye-opening book. Some of it you will likely expect to read, but I would hazard a guess that much of what the author outlines in his book will be very enlightening, even if it is just a different spin on an issue you are already aware of.
*Note: This review is my own opinion. I was given a free copy of the book from Handlebar and Plough Publishing House in order to read and review it. There was no expectation that the review would be positive, only that it be honest.
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