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Will you pay $2,000 to have a kid read 12 books of your selection?
Summer will arrive, and students may have a more difficult time finding a part-time job than in years past. Is there a teenager, maybe even your own child, for which you care for and want to do something to help him or her find a way to make some money this summer? Do you fear the teen is going to spend the entire summer watching youtube videos of bad lip reading, smoking incense, and virtually killing people on XBox? Are you willing to spend as much as $2,000 to try to make the world an incrementally better place, and definitely give the teenager a leg-up in life?
If your answer is yes to these questions, then consider joining me in hedgeless_horseman's Sad Attempt To Keep Unemployed Teens Out of Trouble By Paying The Lazy Punks To Read Something Potentially Worthwhile Summer Scholarship Program.
Here is how it works. First, make a list of a dozen books that you believe are worthwhile for teenagers. Below, is my current list, along with brief explanations of why I believe each book is worthwhile for teenagers.
Second, purchase all of the books to give away. If you want a copy of a book for yourself, then buy an extra. These books are to get the kid started with a library of his or her own. Get real books made out of paper.
Third, place a reward value on each book indicating what you are willing to pay the kid to read it. I do understand this is very co-dependent, sick, sad, and wrong on many levels, but I have decided that I don't really care. Longer and more technical books get a higher reward in my system. However, having a higher reward for the books one feels are most important might also work. In my experience, the total value of all the rewards is a more important number in the eyes of the kid than the value on any one book. They want to know, "what is the value of the entire summer scholarship?"
Fourth, write a short and simple contract for the entire scholarship that includes the list of books and clearly explains the timeframe, rewards, and the fact that the teenager only receives pay after completing a book, holding a lengthy and detailed discussion with you about the book, and possibly passing an oral or written examination.
Finally, present the contract to the teenager for consideration, but do not sell the idea, or negotiate in any way. If he or she decides to pass on the offer, which is okay, then thank him or her for the consideration, and look for another teenager to repeat the proposal.
Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths, P.S. Edition
Bruce Feiler, $ 10.39
In today's world where all sides try to dehumanize the enemy, we should understand that Jews, Christians, and Muslims pray to the same God.
Reward: $ 50.00
Beyond the Yellow Brick Road: Revised
Bob Meehan, $ 20.00
All teenagers are going to be exposed to drugs, most are going to try drugs, many will become addicted, some will want help for themselves or others. This book can help.
Reward: $ 50.00
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
Christopher McDougall, $ 10.85
Inspirational, entertaining, and gives the reader all he or she needs to become, and stay, physically fit.
Reward: $ 50.00
Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, 10th Anniversary Edition
Daniel Goleman, $ 16.29
In a world where teens must interact with others, it is immensely helpful to have read an Operations Manual for our psyches.
Reward: $ 250.00
Excel 2010 For Dummies, 2010
Greg Harvey, $ 13.70
Understanding Excel is a foundation skill of many 21st Century jobs, appears on most resumes, but actually resides in very few brains.
Reward: $ 150.00
Graham and Dodd's Security Analysis, Fifth Edition
Sidney Cottle, et al, $ 10.00
This one book can put every reader, even a teenager, light years ahead of many, if not most, Wall Street professionals.
Reward: $ 350.00
The Creature from Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve, 5th Edition
G Edward Griffin, $ 24.50
Griffin explains money, banks, and some important history. A must read for everyone in America today.
Reward: $ 200.00
The Double Helix, Annotated and Illustrated 50th Anniv.
James D Watson, $ 17.43
Every kid will gain from this glimpse into real science and the process of discovery.
Reward: $ 50.00
The Elements of Style, 4th Edition
William Strunk, et al, $ 8.26
The book that started me on this sad attempt. We can all improve our writing.
Reward: $ 50.00
The Encyclopedia of Country Living, 40th Anniversary Edition
Carla Emery, $ 19.77
Especially if one does not live on a farm, it is a good thing to know the how, when, what, and where of providing for ourselves.
Reward: $ 175.00
The Killer Angels: A Novel of the Civil War
Michael Shaara, $ 16.32
An unforgettable illustration of war, and the things we are capable of doing to one another.
Reward: $ 100.00
The Way to Cook
Julia Child, $ 26.00
This is the most aptly titled book on this list. Huge benefits may be reaped from a teenager reading it before moving away from home.
Reward: $ 150.00
That is $ 193 in books and $ 1,625 in incentives, for a total investment of less than $2,000. Should I pay to cause my children to read these 12 books? That is up for discussion in the Zero Hedge comments, below. Will I pay? Yes. Absolutely, I will pay.
Will you pay a kid to read 12 books of your selection?
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Are you kidding? My 14yo is already out-reading me and I don't have to pay her a dime. She will read anything I give her. Actually read the constitution at age 10 and now carries a copy with her. Am I bragging? Too bad!
Hedgeless,
Most kids don't read, and their attention span is truncated because of hyper-stimulus. You need to offer these books in audiobook form, with sound and fury to keep them interested. Have them download the audiobook at www.abooktobeburned.com
A Book to be Burned breaks the hypnotic trance, interrupts the conditioning and sidesteps brainwashing defense mechanisms, speaking non-conventionally about the monetary system, disinformation, propaganda, techniques of manipulation, subliminals, perspective and illusion.
...and it has kick ass music!
(incidentally, DCRB, CogDis, ORI, SGS and a few others here helped with the pre-edit)
Escape from Reason - Francis Schaeffer
Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain
1+ for C.S. Lewis. Fascinating man and arguably the greatest Anglican author. Til We Have Faces exploring the darkness of the female psyche was required reading at our house.
Miffed :-)
Every young male should read " All quiet on the Western Front " The book gives a realistic portrayal of war without the bullshit. Given that young males are prime cannon fodder for oil war 1 thru infinity, they should know what they are REALLY getting into by volunteering.
what happened to the first thread that was discussing islam? I signed in to comment and "poof" it was gone
Every young male should read " All quiet on the Western Front " The book gives a realistic portrayal of war without the bullshit. Given that young males are prime cannon fodder for oil war 1 thru infinity, they should know what they are REALLY getting into by volunteering.
Awesome. I honestly believed I was the only person that ever found that book compelling reading.
All but eating the pig that night. Very, very disturbing indeed. Krauts got what was comin' to them, though. - Ned
Are you funding this endeavor HH? We are Mormon, so definitely on board if you are.
Laws, I now know why your posts are in general positive in nature. A well ordered mind begins with Good Orderly Direction.
I was taught and given a thirst for knowledge. I am here for two reasons, to learn something new each day, and to help my fellow travelers on the path I follow.
For Christ's sake, stop it with the heart of Abraham crap. Allah was a moon god, Mohammed was a psychopathic, murderous pedophile, and calling the con of Islam an Abrahamic religion needs to stop already. Can't you people hate jews/zionists/whatever it is motivating you without giving this satanic cult of Islam any respect? Respect and legitimacy for Islam is just as nutso fantastical as fiat money. Wake up! I though this was Zero Hedge, gawddammit!
Uh... All of the Abrahamic traditions fall into that catagory. Abaraham was a follower of Ba'al, who forked with the whole religion of the time that was the faith system of the proto-jews, known as the "sea people" or the phonenicans. The story of Issac is based on the tradition of Ba'al followers to sacrifice their first born son, which is clearly written up in detail in the story of Hanibal (Hani ba'al) because Carthage was a phonecian city. All three forks follow from this central founding religion, as do written language, and range of other items. Since the acutal historical record of the kingdom of David, Jesus, and Mohammed are all fairly to totally non-existant, I think taking any of them too seriously would be dangerous. Being a self made thinker, I'm glad that I don't follow any of these traditions, since I get pork, liquor, and pussy guilt free. To celebrate, I'm going to pray to all three gods by wrapping my dick in bacon while having some unmarried sex, while I drink a beer. Jesalladavid be praised, the bacon lubes my prayers!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baal
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannibal
Despite all evidence such as Genesis 16 to the contrary, or course.
Pray tell, what books might be on your list?
Uh, no direct tie. That claim was made to attempt to legitimize Islam in the region. The current version of this is the Mor(m)ons, where they follow someone who made similar claims, where there is a clear record of what really happened. To be clear, what ever floats your boat is cool, I hate people who try and push their ideas on everyone else. An example is the 10 commandments and which group follows which 10 commandments. Jews, Catholics, and Protestants have a different set. The dead sea scrolls have the "10 commandments", as part of 617 laws, and the 10 are given no advanced preference
And let me add, Muslims are 1400 years of inbred mouthbreathers. My problem is not with Arabs. It is with this dumbass pseudo religious political cult.
Gold: The Once and Future Money, by Nathan Lewis.
Hedgeless--Great idea but in my experience, the recent spawn of today can't read well enough to benefit from such a program.
I would add biographies of people like Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Edison, Alexander Bell, G.W. Carver, Eli Whitney, Abe Lincoln. The Federalist Papers. People who actually contributed to America's greatness.
The Wealth of Nations - Adam Smith
Mysterious Island - Jules Verne
1984 - George Orwell
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
Three are good, but NO ONE can read Smith these days.
Don't be a poseur, you didn't even read it yourself.
Well, it was 30+ years ago since I read it, but why do you assume things you know nothing about or just like to stir shit up?
Nope, sorry, not buyin' it, I've seen yer work here. Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit.
If you DID wade through it 30 years ago, you didn't understand it, so it's not like it counts.
And to answer your question: hell yes.
lol, point taken. reading and understanding aren't the same, nor is remembering
anything by Huxley and Orwell....Heinlein....Postman....
I'd heartily recommend the book, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, by Barbara Ehrenreich.
It's quite a rude awakening.
My first job out of college was a part-time telemarketing job. That was all that I could get at the time. Boy was that a shock to my system. A Bachelor of Arts degree got me a telemarketing job straight away.
Why the extra $2k? You will already be paying $35k/year to read books at college.
They won't absorb anything they haven't chosen themselves. Look at every undergraduate ever.
Man's got a point...
I would pay $2000 for my kid to take a semester long course that taught Human Action or Man, Economy, and State.
Otherwise, what's the point of a kid reading a book if he doesn't truly grasp the message.
Two grand? That kid better cut my grass, clean out the chicken coop, maintain my garden, cut and split wood, and help build me a shelter for some goats, and then go fetch me a beer when I ask for one. He'll still learn plenty, and not whilst sitting on his hind end.
I agree. Kids need to be smart. That way they can get into an ivy league school, get a great job at a wall st firm or in a mega law firm, learn how to steal from the best and then get off without any punitive legal or judicial ramifications. It's all for the children.
If I were to recommend a book it would be The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck. Unfortunately the RE fiasco has destroyed the sector but the underlying theme is still sound (family and real estate).
+1000!
It's the land that binds us. It is land that is home. Most "homes" today are mere cages, for those engaged in the rat race.
Read the good earth in junior high, what a rise and fall that chinese man had and two wives to boot!
the grapes of wrath, the fountainhead, brave new world, 1984, darkness at noon, stranger in a strange land, extraordinary delusions and the madness of crowds, the other side of normal, lolita, and lord of the flies.
+10 for 'Extraordinary Popular Delusions...' Am pissed I forgot to include it in my list.
The Scarlet Letter was the first book that came to mind. Readers are never too young to learn about consequences and repercussions associated with whorish behavior.
Kilrain rubbed his nose, brooding. Then he said, “The truth is. Colonel, that there’s no divine spark, bless you. There’s many a man alive no more value than a dead dog. Believe me, when you’ve seen them hang each other… Equality? Christ in Heaven. What I’m fighting for is the right to prove I’m a better man than many. Where have you seen this divine spark in operation, Colonel? Where have you noted this magnificent equality? The Great White Joker in the Sky dooms us all to stupidity or poverty from birth. No two things on earth are equal or have an equal chance, not a leaf nor a tree. There’s many a man worse than me, and some better, but I don’t think race or country matters a damn. What matters is justice. ‘Tis why I’m here. I’ll be treated as I deserve, not as my father deserved. I’m Kilrain, and I God damn all gentlemen. I don’t know who me father was and I don’t give a damn. There’s only one aristocracy, and that’s right here-“ he tapped his white skull with a thick finger-“and you, Colonel laddie, are a member of it and don’t even know it. You are damned good at everything I’ve seen you do, a lovely soldier, an honest man, and you got a good heart on you too, which is rare in clever men.
Great start, I would add the following to make 18 total - $75 for each and $100 for the Talib piece. Oh, you need to read them also in order to have an intelligent discussion. Enjoy.
The Mysterious Island - Jules Verne - Why there must be Engineers
The Black Swan - Nassim Talib - Randomness and the Law of unintended consequences
Chaos - James Gleick - marvelous history of analog mathematics - what the real world runs on
On Living Well - Meher Baba - God Within and Life Everlasting - adding Eastern thought to the mix
The Fourth Turning - Strauss and Howe - As society was, is, and shall be - as the wheel turns.
The Naked Ape - Desmond Morris - Human behavior as seen by a Zoologist - why people do strange stuff
The fourth turning was awesome, that I get other books.
Here is mine
Power hungry by robert Bryce -to get energy fix
How an economy grows and why it crashes by Peter Schiff - fun book about economy
A gift to my children by Jim Rogers - Any kid can read this and understand how to be good financially
Civilization wester and world by Lopez,Barnes,blum,Cameron need to know your history
The four agreements by don Miguel Ruiz - if you he or she needs an up lift
Love the Fourth Turning! I went to High School with Bill Strauss' daughter, he gave the commencment address to our graduating clasa - his words changed my life. Basically told us that as we go through life our parent's generations will blame everything on us, but to not believe this crap.
McCullough hit this home run!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lfxYhtf8o4
Amusing Ourselves to Death - Neil Postman
Yup, it's essential to have educated kids working at McDonald's! </sarc>
I'm sure that there are lots of other things out there, stuff that does a great job of teaching kids how to mentally masturbate, but my recommendations would center around reading that impart a working-knowledge, stuff about farming and livestock. Seems that if you get closer to the earth you'll have a greater interest in standing up for it, standing up for your ground.
Out of touch with reality, clearly... Anyone who can't fathom the implications of what I wrote- don't bother showing up for food from me.
You didn't actually look at the list of books before commenting, did ya?
Not a single one that's "mental masturbation" material. We're not talking about Simulacra and Simulation or On the Emergence of Dialectic Theory.
One of them IS a book on farming. Quit being such a curmudgeon.
It depends on the child, of course, but I would rather make the kid face reality as viscerally as possible, without, of course, permanent damage.
Put the kid on a bus and send him to the other side of the coutnry with $50. bucks in his pocket, and have him met on the other side by an SOB who will make him WORK.
Leave him overworked, far from home, and having to get along entirely on his own. (Okay, the SOB can watch him from a distance.)
This used to be accomplished by sending them to work at Aunt Millie's farm.
But who (present company excluded) knows a farmer anymore, let alone one that will willingly take your brat for months at a time?
The Closing of the American Mind - Alan Bloom
The Closing of the American Mind - Alan Bloom
Excellent choice! (I have disagreements with the author, but he brings up excellent subjects and makes excellent arguments.)
although, when compared to some current movements ...