What Your Chamber Team is Reading This November
W
hether we’re motivated to embrace big ideas and new insights that challenge the status quo or champion a fulfilling future, or are craving entertainment and being whisked away to another place, the staff at the GMC is always on the lookout for a new read, audiobook, or podcast. We thought you might be too, so here are the printed words [or audio] we’ve managed to put in front of our faces [& in our ears] lately!
Lauren G’s Pick!
Title & Author:
Summary:
Organizational psychologist Adam Grant is an expert on opening other people’s minds. He makes it one of his guiding principles to argue like he’s right but listen like he is wrong. “Think Again” examines the critical art of rethinking: learning to question your opinions and open other people’s minds, which an position you for excellence at work and wisdom in life. Throughout the book, Grant investigates how we can embrace the joy of being wrong, bring nuance to charged conversations, and build schools, workplaces, and communities of lifelong learners.
Why I chose it/what I learned/favorite part:
I follow Adam Grant on Instagram, and find his content to be very useful and full of memorable tidbits that creep their way into your conscience when you’re least expecting them to. Grant invites readers to let go of views that are no longer serving us well, while prizing mental flexibility, humility and curiosity over foolish consistency. This is a book I’d highly recommend community and organizational leaders, as I find it refreshing and inspiring to rethink some things you always thought you knew, and open your mind to what you don’t know!
Cole’s Pick!
Title & Author:
“The Pod Has Spoken” Podcast
Summary:
Hosted by multiple time Survivor contestant and winner, Tyson Apostol, this podcast recaps each episode of the current season of Survivor. Now on its 43rd season, listen as Tyson and special guests dissect the choices made by contestants and compare and contrast the actions seen in each episode with what they experienced during their time on the show and what the audience has seen in past seasons.
Why I chose it/what I learned/favorite part:
There are few cultural phenomena that have been able to withstand the test of time like Survivor. Since 2000, the show has continued to develop, rethink, and adapt to a changing world around it. It is fascinating to hear Tyson, a true student of the game, discuss the current season of the show with the tone of both a professor and comedian. The podcast is a terrific addition to watching the show and helps the viewer rethink what was just aired. In addition to Tyson’s antidotes about Jeff Probst, I greatly enjoy how the podcast adds to the viewing experience and encourages the audience to think deeper about relationships and strategies and how they unfold. While the business world is not as cutthroat as tribal council, we can all learn a little about perseverance and dedication through the show. And it is great to have a Greater Manchester area native, Noelle Lambert, on the show this season!
Lauren C’s Pick!
Title & Author:
“Armchair Anonymous: Ghosts” Podcast
Summary:
This is a spin-off podcast of Armchair Expert hosted by Dax Shepard and Monica Padman. They invite fans of the show to share their personal encounters with ghosts. There are some sweet tales of past grandparents looking over their living family members while there are some stories of lurking figures at a listener’s home.
Why I chose it/what I learned/favorite part:
I like listening to Armchair Expert as this podcast really humanizes celebrities that many of us idolize. This spin-off is a quick listen for those who are interested in the supernatural – including myself! Growing up in an older home myself, I can definitely attest to strange noises at night and hair raising on my arms for no reason. Whether you believe in this type of stuff or not, this episode provides real-life encounters of some freaky situations the listeners have been through.
Heather’s Pick!
Title & Author:
Summary:
A riveting telling of the Bear Brook murders, a 1985 crime that took place too close to home in Allenstown, NH. As this story unravels, you’ll be shocked by the stream of discoveries made over decades of time, the key players involved along the way and the critical role of genetic genealogy in identifying the murderer. The story certainly spans the nation but has roots as local as the Waumbec Mills of Manchester.
Why I chose it/what I learned/favorite part:
When in a meeting with NHPR’s Tim Brady, he mentioned this podcast and told me it is a fascinating story. Although I remember indulging in Unsolved Mysteries one too many times as a kid – and can still hear that creepy music – I am far from a crime/mystery junkie. I doubted I would really tune in. In fact, I had never listened or watched any other criminal case, and I had never heard of the Bear Brook case. But while I was driving to my son’s game that weekend, I found myself visiting that little purple podcast app and giving it a go. Let’s just say the narrating voice of Jason Moon ended up filling many hours of that day. I was hooked. Horrified, yes. But hooked. While listening, I was driving to my son’s tournament and was astonished to see a sign for Bear Brook Park along my route. At this point, I became so obsessed that I had to find the Allenstown cemetery where the unidentified victims are buried, with a tombstone that had no names. After 30 years of namelessness, these three people have been identified through the power of genetic genealogy. An amazing story of modern technology solving crimes, backwards. And still more to be solved.
