What Universities Owe Democracy

What Universities Owe Democracy by Ronald J. Daniels, Grant Shreve and Phillip Spector

The title implies a discussion about what universities will give to democracy. However, the book spends more time arguing the opposite side. The authors propose greater extension of grants and student loans to allow more people to attend college, but glosses over the cause of the increased cost. Why do universities charge so much these days? Are the football team and fancy dorms essential for the education experience? It is valuable to have an educated populace, but are universities in their current form the best way to provide that? Do we really need that education?

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Random Acts of Kindness: 101 Stories of Compassion and Paying It Forward

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Random Acts of Kindness: 101 Stories of Compassion and Paying It Forward by Amy Newmark

The "Good Deeds" book is a short version of the Random Acts of Kindness book. It has a series of kindness stories, including many tear-jerkers. Sometimes people tell the stories of being helped, while other times they help others. Helping can be a true benefit of its own. (Though in a few you wonder if it did help.) There are also a few stories about help received from those who you would least suspect it. It does seem to be primarily from a middle-class suburban mindset, but there is a bit of variety in there.