We may have been given complimentary copies and/or access for review purposes to any books, products, and/or any other visual or audio media mentioned below. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.
Books: Hoodwinked: How Marketers Use the Same Tactics as Cults & The Probable Son
Today, we recommend Hoodwinked: How Marketers Use the Same Tactics as Cults by Mara Einstein, PHD. This book equates the underhanded methods companies use to sell products or even to recruit people to sell their products with how cults use to draw in followers and keep them under their spell. The similarities are both uncanny and horrifying. The book thoroughly covers a variety of important topics, including Multi-Level Marketing, influencers, the way social media has changed not only how we buy and sell products but also our very politics, and so much more. You won't want to miss this very timely and extremely eye-opening book.
Today, we recommend The Probable Son by Cindy Jiban. After giving birth, Elsa is convinced that she has been given the wrong baby in the hospital. Her family tries to convince her that the baby is hers, and although she is unconvinced, she brings the baby home, but her son, nicknamed Bird, is not at all like the rest of her family.
Years later, Thomas, a student in one of the middle school math classes Elsa teaches, is so much like her younger son that she becomes convinced that he and Bird were switched at birth and Thomas is her real son. It doesn't go unnoticed when she starts paying more attention to Thomas, and vicious rumors quickly spread, leading to surprising revelations.
This is an extremely unique and original story. It is quite gripping and really makes you want to keep turning pages and find out what is going to happen next. It is full of strong characters that feel very real.
Although it may be triggering for those dealing with maternal grief, especially those who've suffered a pregnancy loss, it does a good job of dealing with the subject. It highlights how the grief process, although necessary, is not a straightforward path, but is different for everyone, and sometimes initially manifests in unhealthy ways. It is also about family, not necessarily about families being perfect, but about families being there for each other when it counts.
Movie: The Merchants of Joy
Today, we recommend The Merchants of Joy. This documentary film is based on the book of the same name by Taylor A. Pierce. It is the story of the five families that control Christmas tree sales in New York City. Although in some cases, businesses are passed down from one generation to another, in others, an outsider who started out working for one of the families then branched out on their own, with surprisingly little hard feelings for the most part.
The competition may be cutthroat, but the relationships are unexpectedly civil. These people genuinely care about each other, not just within the individual families but among the different families. It is heartwarming and encouraging. Corporate America should take a lesson from these people.
And that's our view. Hoodwinked: How Marketers Use the Same Tactics at Cults was published in February. The Probable Son was published last Tuesday, December 2. The Merchants of Joy is available on Amazon Prime now.
Tune in tomorrow for Where-To-Go Wednesday.
The Probable Song image used in this post is our own. Any other photos have been sent to us by publicists, artists, and/or PR firms and are used with permission. If there is a problem with the rights to any image, contact us here, and we will look into the matter