develop a personal education plan

I’m now reading a second book on the same disease family – including kuru and spongiform encephalopathy. This one’s a little more dramatic in the writing and I see that either one book drew from the other as a source, or both from the same source, in some places. But it’s very interesting so far, and I’m enjoying putting the information from both books together. Max’ book focused on FFI, and this book on kuru – different manifestations of the same process at work, the “misfolding” of protein ribbons.

I’ve also been reminded of a friend from another city, whose brother was affected by some kind of protein-related disease. His mother described it as an inability to metabolize or process certain protein. He was a normal child, but in his fourth or fifth year he developed this condition (or it began to manifest). It’s degenerative and generally fatal before full adulthood, though her son was 22 and still alive. At the time I met him, he had to be fed and his general aspect was similar to my uncle who has CP. But what I remember is his mother telling me that at four years old he had beautiful clear light blue eyes, and one of the early effects of his illness was that his eyes turned deep brown.

I wish I remember what she called it.

John Snow’s work in the cholera outbreak was referenced in D. T. Max’ book The Family Who Couldn’t Sleep, which is about fatal familial insomnia (and bovine spongiform encephalopathy and other similar diseases). This book also tied together several news pieces I’d seen over the past few years that I have remembered but didn’t realize were related in the ways that they are. Mad cow in Europe, arrests for journal entries (boy, did the media only tell a tiny fraction of THAT story), sleeping sicknesses…I have many avenues of exploration from this.

Recently I read a very interesting NF book about one of the big London cholera outbreaks (the one that led to the disproving of the “miasma” theory by two very dedicated men). I’d tell you the title if I could remember but I’m dead on my feet tonight and the book’s back at the library. Anyway…yesterday by chance I picked up a midgrade/YA historical novel, Ask Me No Questions, which was also about cholera in the same time period.

Very interesting cross-reading. I need to do more of it, though it was particularly fun to have it just happen by chance.

I think about this fairly often. I would like to focus my reading towards an objective of becoming more knowledgeable about particular topics and increasing my understanding.

I read a lot, and I read a lot of literary work and nonfiction (I don’t read much fluff). What I don’t do is read related works in a given period. I’ve often considered that were I to read much the same books but in related groups, I would make so many more connections and be able to evaluate and draw better conclusions.

I used to think, “When this baby starts sleeping through the night and I’m not so tired…” Then it was “When they aren’t so little and needy…” But I could have done a little even then. And now there’s nothing really stopping me.

• Various segments of cultural anthropology
• The history of the Middle East
• The history of childrearing in America
• Mathematical theory and theorists
• Drum corps/drumlines and drumming history
• Cultural histories of countries, such as Laos, and regions, such as the Congo
• Educational theories and innovations; charter schools, home school, magnet schools, alternative educational paths

Things like that. Some related to my kids’ interests, some related to my own directly, and some related to things I’ve read and enjoyed and should have immediately looked for more readings in a variety of genres on those subjects.

I think reading several different readings on a single topic in a short period would be far more enlightening than reading those same works interspersed with other things.