Review: The Snow Leopard

by | May 5, 2018 | Book reviews, David Howell

I recently reread Peter Matthiessen’s The Snow Leopard, a work of nonfiction published in 1978 that won the National Book Award for its depiction of Matthiessen’s spiritual explorations. I first read it 30 years ago: I was 23, trekking through Nepal, and looking for...

Educating an American child in China

by | Apr 7, 2018 | Book reviews, China

So which works better: memorization or discovery on your own, self-discipline or creativity? This, to vastly oversimplify, is the crux of the debate between models of education in Asia and the West. As an educator who has taught at every level from middle school to...

Bring on the brilliance

by | Mar 31, 2018 | Book reviews, David Howell

As a professor at a rigorous university, I’ve seen a trend over the last decade that troubles me. My students (as bright and hardworking as they are) are less creative. Each incoming class seems to have a more difficult time coming up with ideas to write about; they...