The Cheese Man Autobiography

Cleese, John.  So, Anyway...  New York: Crown Archetype, 2014.  ISBN: 978-0-385-34824-9

Are you a Monty Python fan?  No, then why are you reading this?  Oh, you want to find out more about the twisted mind that came up with Fawlty Towers, A Fish Called Wanda, and Fierce Creatures?  Well, this tome will help, but beware, it is a long and winding road.

In So, Anyway..., John Cleese breezily writes out a partial tale of his life, speaking directly to the reader in sixteen chapters.  He covers his early life and schooling in some depth and makes it interesting by letting the reader know what shaped him as a comedian and as a man.  Then comes his University life in Cambridge where he met future Monty Python collaborators, got his first taste of performing, got his degree (barely) and then tossed it aside to enter the world  as a writer and performer for the BBC.  The last eight chapters cover Cleese's work, performance, and travel adventures.  Those adventures included being in a musical without being able to sing, touring with the Cambridge Circus in  New Zealand and then America without losing his BBC position, and getting married (for the first time).   Then, Cleese informs the reader on the BBC shows for which he wrote and/or performed in, and the movie scripts he and Graham Chapman worked on writing for Peter Sellers and others. Finally, Cleese describes the coming together of talent which created The Monty Python Show in 1969.  Unfortunately, that is where So, Anyway... ends, right where many folk's interest congregate.  Cleese does provide a postscript chapter that discusses the success of The Monty Python Reunion Show in 2014 revealing how some of the Monty Python sketches were created.  But that is just a teaser for what could be revealed.  Hopefully, John Cleese is busy writing the rest of his story and provide a willing audience his insight on the creation of Fawlty Towers, A Fish Called Wanda and other movies and television shows. 

An Examination on When, Where, and Why We Learn!

Carey, Benedict.  How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where and Why It
       Happens.  New York: Random House, 2014.  ISBN: 978-0-8129-9388-2


Learning takes place everywhere and in many surprising ways.  Benedict Carey mines the research literature on learning to provide the results scientists, psychologists, and educators' labors.  In ten short chapters with titles like "Breaking Good Habits," "The Hidden Value of Ignorance," and "Learning Without Thinking," the reader accompanies the author on an exploratory voyage on the frontier of learning theory.

One key fact Carey discovered is that scientists and others are still just laying the groundwork on how learning actually happens, so be prepared to change your strategies in the future.  How memory works is still under construction so what is known is almost overshadowed by what is not known.  However, the author does provide ways for the reader to increase the odds of their efforts being rewarded.  Besides, looking at study habits, sleep habits, long-term vs short term memories, pretesting material before actual reading the material, and many other bizarre practices, the author improvises ways you can utilize what is know in improving how you learn. 

How We Learn is easily read, but take the time to think through the implications of Carey's findings and then try implementing  one or two of the strategies.  Good learning to you!