Twitter for Goodness’ Sake—April 6, 2012
Recent events in the Middle East and Japan have shown, as never before, that individuals can influence the course of events using social media as a force for social change. In “Twitter for Good: Change the World One Tweet at a Time” author Claire Diaz Ortiz sets out a five-step model taught at training sessions around the world. Ortiz, Twitter’s head of corporate social innovation and philanthropy, explains how to set up a strategy for your organization, big or small. Hashtags allow people to search for relevant Tweets on topics they care about. The book’s title comes from the hashtag #Twitter4Good.
“Made for Goodness: And Why This Makes a Difference,” is by Nobel Peace Prize–winner Desmond Tutu, who lived through South African apartheid and chaired the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The co-author is his daughter and Episcopal priest Mpho Tutu. What results is the personal narrative of an insider, including touching stories, grisly memories and Desmond’s failure to forgive his own father before he died. In spite of it all he insists that we are fundamentally good, that racism is not instinctive but learned. In contrast to previous titles, this book provides a glimpse into the soul and the personal spirituality of the author.
“Talking about Death: A Dialogue between Parent and Child” is a guide for parents who are helping their children cope with the loss of a loved one--from the death of a parent to that of a pet. Adults and children can share a featured read-along story/dialogue. Along with a helpful list of do’s and don’ts, parents can find help with answers to the questions young people ask about death. Understanding is affected by many factors, including different developmental stages and the many and varied ways children express their emotions. Author Dr. Earl A. Grollman, a pioneer in the field of crisis intervention, has appeared on national television and radio, including “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and “All Things Considered.”
Of the time period when author Barbara Taylor Brown left the parish ministry to become a teacher, she wrote the critically acclaimed memoir “Leaving Church.” In her follow-up title, “An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith,” she shares how she learned to encounter God far beyond the walls of the church. Ordinary human connections like making eye contact with the convenience store clerk and seemingly small everyday tasks such as hanging clothes on the line provide opportunities to discover altars everywhere we go.
Find these new nonfiction titles and many more at your Hastings Public Library.
