Thomas Hauser’s Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times was one of the most influential books I have read. So many times I found myself thinking about people, politics, government, society, racism, sexism, or ableism.
While I typically don’t enjoy biographies, Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times was a true exception. Of all the people that have ever lived, Muhammad Ali is one of the people I would most like to meet.
For the month of July, I mentored a high school student interested in a job in the field of accessibility. While I really enjoyed the experience, I found myself regularly thinking about the lack of mentors for blind children. As someone who was born blind, this is a topic I have been thinking about for nearly my entire life.
Hank Green’s A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor is the sequel to <a href=”https://www.jonathansimeone.com/2021/05/09/reviewing-an-absolutely-remarkable-thing/”An Absolutely Remarkable Thing.”> As with An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, I enjoyed reading A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor.
This post has updates on me falling in love and my job search.
A year ago at this time, Ufi had been injected with the sedative that was preparing him to be relaxed when the lethal injection forced him to take his last breath.
Now, I still can’t believe he’s gone. I still can’t believe all he’s still doing for me. Most of all, I know Ufi would be glad that thanks to a miracle that didn’t seem possible one year ago today, I’m truly looking forward to a great future.
It won’t be the future I would have had with Ufi by my side. But it will be an even better, brighter future because of all I learned from Ufi.
Now, for the letter to Ufi.
There are times in every life when you know something momentous is happening to you. In those moments, you realize life will never be the same. Sometimes, they are tragedies. Sometimes, they are advancements. If you are truly lucky, they are dreams coming true.
In honor of getting a year older, I thought I should share a few thoughts.
As I write this, I’m not vaccinated against coronavirus. Nor do I have a plan to get vaccinated against coronavirus. But I’m not against the vaccines. I could imagine scenarios where I get a vaccine. Since I weigh in on most things, I thought I should share the reasons why I’m not vaccinated and those that could compel me to get vaccinated.
If you are interested in achieving systemic change, you can’t be popular. Most people resist change. Some appreciate the privilege they get from current systems. Some think change is too hard and it should be incremental. Some think the change you want should come after the change they want. No matter what the reason, a desire to implement change means a change agent must choose between popularity and effectiveness.
Jim Bouton’s Ball Four is one of the most famous books about baseball. Given my love of baseball and reading, it’s hard for me to believe I didn’t read it until now. Now that I have read Ball Four, I can see why it has been so popular for so long.
