How To Read Like You Mean It

This candid, concise volume explores how we can open ourselves up to the ideas and people that scare us by reading difficult texts. Author Kyle Conway argues that because we resist ideas we don't understand, we must embrace confusion as a fundamental ingredient for meaning and exchange, whether between a reader and a text or between two people. Through evaluating the paradox of miscommunication, Conway posits that it's uncertainty that results in deeper understanding and proposes strategies for reading that will allow individuals to give up the illusion of certainty. In elegant and compelling prose, How to Read Like You Mean It introduces readers to the idea that it is through ambiguity that we can gain access to new, profound worlds--those of texts and other people.

In this candid and concise volume, Kyle Conway, author of The Art of Communication in a Polarized World, considers how we can open ourselves to others and to ideas that scare us by reading difficult texts. Conway argues that because we resist ideas we don’t understand, we must embrace confusion as a constitutive part of understanding and meaningful exchange, whether between a reader and a text or between two people. Building on the work of hermeneutics scholar Paul Ricoeur, Conway evaluates the recurring paradox of miscommunication that results in deeper understanding and proposes strategies for reading that will allow individuals give up the illusion of certainty. In elegant and compelling prose, Conway introduces readers to the idea that it is through uncertainty that we can gain access to new and meaningful worlds—those of texts and other people.

A surprisingly simple way for students to master any subject--based on one of the world's most popular online courses and the bestselling book A Mind for Numbers A Mind for Numbers and its wildly popular online companion course "Learning How to Learn" have empowered more than two million learners of all ages from around the world to master subjects that they once struggled with. Fans often wish they'd discovered these learning strategies earlier and ask how they can help their kids master these skills as well. Now in this new book for kids and teens, the authors reveal how to make the most of time spent studying. We all have the tools to learn what might not seem to come naturally to us at first--the secret is to understand how the brain works so we can unlock its power. This book explains: • Why sometimes letting your mind wander is an important part of the learning process • How to avoid "rut think" in order to think outside the box • Why having a poor memory can be a good thing • The value of metaphors in developing understanding • A simple, yet powerful, way to stop procrastinating Filled with illustrations, application questions, and exercises, this book makes learning easy and fun.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • This joyful rhyming book encourages children to value the “different” in all people, leading the way to a kinder world in which the differences in all of us are celebrated and embraced. Macy is a girl who’s a lot like you and me, but she's also quite different, which is a great thing to be. With kindness, grace, and bravery, Macy finds her place in the world, bringing beauty and laughter wherever she goes and leading others to find delight in the unique design of every person. Children are naturally aware of the differences they encounter at school, in their neighborhood, and in other everyday relationships. They just need to be given tools to understand and appreciate what makes us “different,” permission to ask questions about it, and eyes to see and celebrate it in themselves as well as in those around them.

“A novelistic mosaic that simultaneously reads like a thriller and like a strange, dreamlike excursion into the subconscious.” —The New York Times Years ago, when House of Leaves was first being passed around, it was nothing more than a badly bundled heap of paper, parts of which would occasionally surface on the Internet. No one could have anticipated the small but devoted following this terrifying story would soon command. Starting with an odd assortment of marginalized youth -- musicians, tattoo artists, programmers, strippers, environmentalists, and adrenaline junkies -- the book eventually made its way into the hands of older generations, who not only found themselves in those strangely arranged pages but also discovered a way back into the lives of their estranged children. Now this astonishing novel is made available in book form, complete with the original colored words, vertical footnotes, and second and third appendices. The story remains unchanged, focusing on a young family that moves into a small home on Ash Tree Lane where they discover something is terribly wrong: their house is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. Of course, neither Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Will Navidson nor his companion Karen Green was prepared to face the consequences of that impossibility, until the day their two little children wandered off and their voices eerily began to return another story -- of creature darkness, of an ever-growing abyss behind a closet door, and of that unholy growl which soon enough would tear through their walls and consume all their dreams.

“Full of revealing, instantly applicable ideas for leveraging your strengths and overcoming your weaknesses.” —Adam Grant, author of Think Again and Originals, and host of the TED podcast WorkLife For many of us, listening is simply something we do on autopilot. We hear just enough of what others say to get our work done, maintain friendships, and be polite with our neighbors. But we miss crucial opportunities to go deeper—to give and receive honest feedback, to make connections that will endure for the long haul, and to discover who people truly are at their core. Fortunately, listening can be improved—and Ximena Vengoechea can show you how. In Listen Like You Mean It, she offers an essential listening guide for our times, revealing tried-and-true strategies honed in her own research sessions and drawn from interviews with marriage counselors, podcast hosts, life coaches, journalists, filmmakers, and other listening experts. Through Vengoechea’s set of scripts, key questions, exercises, and illustrations, you’ll learn to: • Quickly build rapport with strangers • Ask the right questions to deepen a conversation • Pause at the right time to encourage vulnerability • Navigate a conversation that’s gone off the rails Now more than ever, we need to feel heard, connected, and understood in a world that keeps turning up the volume. Warm, funny, and immensely practical, this book shows you how.

A thoroughly comprehensive toolkit to help you develop all the networking skills you want to know, practice, and utilize. The art of effective networking is absolutely vital to building solid business relationships and to finding, growing, and keeping your business and enhancing your life. You will find the answers to important networking questions and topics, with advice on how to achieve your goals within each, such as: How do I start a conversation with someone I find intimidating? How do I ask tough questions tactfully? How do I start and exit a conversation at internal and external business events? How do I “network” with someone I may not like, but who is key in the department or industry? What are some of the topics to avoid? What are examples of great opening lines, icebreakers, and small talk when I’m networking? How do I follow-up? How do I establish and create advocates and referral opportunities? How do I know when I’m networking? Where can I find a systematic approach to networking? How can I keep all of my contacts organized and easy to reach? How can I continue to find, keep, and grow my business all the time? How do I develop my own "self-brand"? You can read the whole book or pick and choose topics as you need them as a lifelong reference. As Andrea says: "You already have the tools inside you — it’s just a matter of developing a system and sticking to it."

In 1916 Ambrose March, a young cameraman, was wounded on the Western Front. Nearly a century later his astonishing film remains testament to his talent. Now a major Hollywood movie company is aiming to recreate his final days. On set, Rory Defoe is giving the performance of his life, frequently reducing the crew to tears with his brilliant portrayal of the tormented Ambrose March. Off set, he’s proving the typical Hollywood bad boy: often so out of control he’s in danger of wrecking the film. In utter despair, the director knows there’s only one person he can turn to. Ella Buchan is tired of stars like Rory, with their obsessive fans and egos the size of the Beverly Hills Hotel. As Rory’s make-up artist she’s already spending hours each day shut up in her trailer with him. She certainly doesn’t want to get any closer. But the director needs Ella to save his film and she reluctantly agrees to get involved. She has no idea what she’s letting herself in for.