In this Monday’s Link Roundup I’ve listed several book reviews that I think you’ll find interesting. If you’re concerned about digitizing your precious family history, you’ll want to read Digital Imaging Essentials. For an understanding of what it’s like to be supportive parents of a gay teenage boy who tried to commit suicide, be sure to read Oddly Normal. And for John Lennon fans, don’t miss The John Lennon Letters.
- No sunlit room, no last words. “As Luke Allnutt watched his father die, he thought the time for a meaningful conversation and emotional epiphany was at hand. His father had other ideas.”
- The best way to get unstuck. “Don’t wait for the right answer and the golden path to present themselves.This is precisely why you’re stuck.”
- 10 Essential Marketing Skills for Freelancers. “As a freelancer (or potential freelancer), you live and die by your ability to sell your services. And uOddly Normal is not Joseph’s story. It’s the story of his parents, who struggled for years over how best to raise a child whom they knew was gay, who wasn’t out to them or the world, and whom they thought was mentally crumbling under the pressure of that secret.nless you’ve got some kind of agent or marketing firm doing your marketing for you, you’ve got to be your own marketer. If you’re like me, that doesn’t come naturally.”
- Digital Imaging Essentials by Geoff Rasmussen. “Genealogists use digital imaging technology every day. But what they do not know about it can harm their digital treasures. They have needed a comprehensive, easy-to-read guide, full of illustrated step-by-step instructions to learn how to digitize, organize, preserve, share, and backup their digital collections.”
- The John Lennon Letters, Edited by Hunter Davies. “The triumph of these 200 or so letters is that they are not just about John and Mimi, or John and The Beatles, or John and Yoko. They are all of that but, within the framework editor Hunter Davies gives them, they’re also about a time and place, and Lennon’s role within it. It is hard to distinguish whether the honestly and innocence of some of his correspondence reflects his personality, or his era.”
- Translating from speech to prose. “Terkel’s books consist of tape-recorded conversations with mostly common people; after a brief introduction from Terkel, each text unspools almost seamlessly, with only an occasional nudge from the questioner. But here’s the thing: most people don’t talk that way.” [Thanks to APH member Pattie Whitehouse for alerting me to this article.]
- Book Review: Oddly Normal. “Thirteen-year-old Joseph Schwartz …came out at school one spring day in 2009, rode the bus home, shut himself in his suburban New Jersey bathroom, and downed way too many capsules of Benadryl. He had never been subjected to overt homophobia, was only a few years away from hearing the president of the United States express unequivocal support for gay marriage on national television, and was the son of two very supportive, loving parents. But no matter his direct relationship with what it meant to “be gay,” Joseph carried the weight of his difference… and it almost killed him. Joseph’s dad, New York Times national reporter John Schwartz['s],… new memoir, Oddly Normal: One Family’s Struggle To Help Their Teenage Son Come to Terms With His Sexuality… is not Joseph’s story. It’s the story of his parents, who struggled for years over how best to raise a child whom they knew was gay, who wasn’t out to them or the world, and whom they thought was mentally crumbling under the pressure of that secret.”
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Tagged Business, digital imaging, End of life, freelance writers, freelancer, genealogy, guide, homophobia, How to, Hunter Davies, John lennon, John Schwartz, last words, letters, link roundup, Marketing, New York Times, Oddly Normal, Parenting, sexuality, skills, small business, Studs Terkel, Tips
A Happy July 4th to all my American readers. If you’re taking it easy today, why not settle back and check out some of the great links in this Monday’s Link Roundup? My favorite is Any Last Words? It made me ponder what I’d want for the opening line of my obituary.
- What Is the Difference Between a Hobby and a Business? “It’s important to get the right answer to this question, because it has broad implications regarding your taxes and bookkeeping. In this post, we’ll discuss this important topic and provide some additional resources that you can turn to with questions.”
- Best-Ever Guide to Integrating Stories into Speeches, Presentations, Indeed, Any Influential Message. “A couple of weeks ago… I noted that Terrence Gargiulo, who delivered a commencement speech recently, was “considering doing a meta analysis of how [he] worked with the craft of story making to research, design, and deliver this talk. Well, he’s done it, and the resulting white paper is a wonderful primer on bringing story into the communication of any kind of influential message, including speeches and presentations.”
- Any Last Words? The narrator of Timothy Schaffert’s new novel The Coffins of Little Hope is the 83-year old obituary writer of a small-town newspaper in Nebraska. “Inspired we asked you to provide the first sentence to your own obituary…The responses — humorous, whimsical, and poignant — rolled in, and we asked the authors of our favorites to read them.” [Thanks to Pat McNees of Writers and Editors for alerting me to this item.]
- Chicago Billboards, 1942. “This film produced by the outdoor advertising industry in the 1940s is a great slice of everyday history. It shows some classic product advertisements, vintage Chicago street scenes and antique vehicles. We also get an in depth story about how outdoor advertising works. This third part is in gorgeous color including some great footage of public transit.”
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In this Monday’s Link Roundup Famous Last Words should provide an entertaining distraction. Here’s a sample of what you’ll find.
“Yes, it’s tough, but not as tough as doing comedy.” Actor Edmund Gwenn, upon being asked if he thought dying was tough.
On a more serious note take a look at Why Indiscretions Appear Youthful. This is interesting reading for personal historians.
- 100 Places to Find Your Next Great Read. “Whether you’re into classics, mysteries, or a fluffy romance novel, it can sometimes be a challenge to find new books to fall in love with. However, the Internet is full of great sites that can help you get connected with books that you’ll really enjoy reading. Check out these communities, review sites, and other outposts of quality books to discover great stories.”
- Roll Your Own E-Books. “Want to ditch the heavy backpack full of books and join the digital book revolution? Here’s out guide to creating a digital copy of just about any book — whether it’s your own masterpiece or an old paper copy of Cervantes — into a digital book.”
- Library archivist explains how to research the history of an old house. “Anyone who lives in an older house knows it has a story to tell about its past, if only they could unearth it. When you live in an old house, “You form a bond,” Debra Charpentier, archivist at the Millicent Library, told an audience of close to 50 people at the library on Saturday.”
- Online Storytelling Part 1 – EdmontonStories. “The City of Edmonton created the online storytelling repository EdmontonStories after corporate branding research revealed a big “perception gap” between local residents and other Canadians. Edmontonians generally love their city, with its endless sunshine, ample parkland and lively festivals. Outside of Edmonton, however, the city is often stereotyped as a shopping mecca and tax haven with miserable weather, little historical interest and poor liveability… One certain measure of EdmontonStories’ success is the sheer diversity of content now offered on the site. Stories are available in 17 languages, with both text and video content.”
- Famous Last Words. “Last Words are interesting, illuminating and entertaining. The Famous Last Words widget quotes some of the best epitaphs, last words, and final quotes from celebrities, celebrity gravestones, and old funny tombstones. We’ve provided them here in widget and feed format so that you can add them to your website, blog, or personal homepage in order to receive a different one every day to reflect upon.”
- Why Indiscretions Appear Youthful. “We can’t make up the past, but the brain has difficulty placing events in time, and we’re able to shift elements around,” said Anne E. Wilson, a social psychologist at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. “The result is that we can create a personal history that, if not perfect, makes us feel we’re getting better and better.” [Thanks to Hella Buchheim of lifestorytriggers.com for alerting me to this item.]
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