Learning To Fall

Learning to Fall

Learning to Fall

A “reflective, eloquent [and] inspiringly written” (The New York Times) collection of essays about learning to live richly in the face of loss “Astonishing . . . sometimes heartbreaking . . . sometimes hilarious.”—The Boston Globe WINNER OF THE BOOKS FOR A BETTER LIFE AWARD’S BEST SPIRITUAL BOOK Philip Simmons was just thirty-five years old in 1993 when he learned that he had ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, and was told he had less than five years to live. As a young husband and father, and at the start of a promising literary career, he suddenly had to learn the art of dying. Nine years later, he succeeded, against the odds, in learning the art of living. In this surprisingly joyous and spirit-renewing book, he chronicles his search for peace and his deepening relationship with the mystery of everyday life. From our first faltering steps, Simmons says, we may fall into disappointment or grief, fall into or out of love, fall from youth or health. And though we have little choice as to the timing or means of our descent, we may, as he affirms, “fall with grace, to grace.” With humor, hard-earned wisdom, and a keen eye for life’s lessons—whether drawn from great poetry or visits to the town dump—Simmons shares his discovery that even at times of great sorrow we may find profound freedom. And by sharing the wonder of his daily life, he offers us the gift of connecting more deeply and joyously with our own.

Unfinished Learning

COVID-related school closures affected all students. But for students who needed in-person schooling most—students with disabilities, English learners, and students living in poverty—the impact was disproportionate and devastating. One research calls it “the largest increase in educational inequity in a generation.” Unfinished Learning follows families as they navigate the challenges of virtual learning, from figuring out how to log on to a sometimes unstable school platform to ensuring that their child’s special education needs were addressed. It looks at what data is now showing about which students are (and which students are not) recovering from learning lost during the pandemic. The book also traces the parent activism that arose as a result of school closures. It explores two elections that followed close on the heels of school reopenings: the 2021 election for governor in Virginia and the 2022 recall of school board members in San Francisco. Many of the conclusions drawn by pundits about both those elections do not fit with either the polling or with parent interviews. Finally, the book offers some suggestions on how schools, families, and communities can prepare for the inevitable next school closures.