#AcademicRunPlaylist - 1/15/26

As usual my Japan calls didn't wrap up until late, so to help me get a second wind I read some books for my #AcademicRunPlaylist!

First was "You Are Not a Kinesthetic Learner" by Thomas Fallace. This combination scientific history and educational research primer provides a great overview to the state of the field but also a fascinating case study in how difficult it can be to challenge popular but unsupported concepts. Fallace reviews the early research on learning styles, which were exclusively on young children and limited in scope but then quickly trumpeted as a general lesson for education. Often this ossified racist stereotypes, as earlier and equally discredited research on IQ had done. I did like how this book identifies some theories that are well supported, such as "thinking styles," and overall this is an important book for those interested in learning and education at any level. Highly recommend https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/Y/bo248650721.html

Last was "Sunbelt Capitalism and the Making of the Carceral State" by Kirstine Taylor. This book examines the carceral state as a system, with particular emphasis on the injustices of convict labor in the South, starting in the Jim Crow years and continuing through the 70s. The labor portions of this book are most unique and insightful, charting the rise of prison labor unions and their Supreme Court induced fall and the terrible conditions that people have to work under. In the US it's important to remember that slavery isn't abolished - it's still legal for incarcerated people. Understanding that system is essential for those in the US and those who don't grasp how this forced labor still underlies much of our economy. Highly recommend https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/S/bo241241140.html