Mike Matthews

My father recommended this book to me. I try to always follow his recommendations. He is still a voracious reader, while continuing to practice law. He is keenly interested in   […]   View Post →

This is a great cookbook from my favorite cooking magazine people – Cooks Illustrated. They always explain the science behind why a recipe works and show what they tried and   […]   View Post →

This book focuses on the personal legacies of our leadership. How does our relationship with those we lead help them to grow? “The most significant contributions leaders make are not   […]   View Post →

My dad has always loved Mark Twain, so I reread or read for the first time – Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer, and Roughing It were all wonderful. I laughed out loud on several of   […]   View Post →

Here is my second Pulitzer Prize book to read this year. This one is so much more approachable for me, because it is a book of great literature disguised as   […]   View Post →

My brother Bill from Oregon recommended this book. It’s a great companion to Undaunted Courage which is one of my favorite books of all time. Though not as compelling or   […]   View Post →

solid read.   by  (2017) I’ll give you two quotes from the book. One from the intro: “If you’re too busy to absorb the cosmos via classes, textbooks, or documentaries,   […]   View Post →

I am 55 years old now and I feel very fortunate that both of my parents are still alive and very much a part of my life. But I am   […]   View Post →

This came to my attention from a USC doctoral student. It is a fantastic book that brings together many of the best ideas and research in teaching. Mike Schmoker’s ideas   […]   View Post →

Manhattan Beach has spent a lot of time over the last 18 months talking about the importance of inclusion. We have seen events in our community and in our schools   […]   View Post →

When I’m not being a school administrator, I love to cook. I cook all kinds of things, but what I really love to do is to grill and smoke foods.   […]   View Post →

What a life. Those of you who watch the Daily Show (Jon Steward/Steven Colbert/Trevor Noah) know what intelligence, empathy, humor, and wit and takes to lead that effort. Trevor Noah   […]   View Post →

This book, by a journalist and not an educator, hits the nail on the head when the author states that our educational research in the US is fantastic, and the   […]   View Post →

I love this book. I love it so much and it has truly inspired me. I met with a group of leaders to share my enthusiasm for it, and I   […]   View Post →

Chris Nashawaty’s book details the making of Caddyshack, and even more than you might figure it was, it was a total sh**show. It’s a miracle a film was ever made. You marvel and cringe your way through it, and you feel for all of the comic geniuses who could not hang on to their own lives.

This was a majorly eye-opening book. To me, the key to the whole book is Wilkerson’s assertion that there have been three caste societies in our last 2,000 years. One   […]   View Post →

This book was recommended to me by Dr. Brett Geithman, MBUSD’s Executive Director of Educational Services. Brett is one of the finest instructional leaders I know. I first saw him   […]   View Post →

Steven Quartz is a very good friend of mine, and my wife and I were excited to be able to read this book before its publication. This is a big   […]   View Post →

Like most educators, I am a huge fan of Ken Robinson. His famous TED Talk has inspired so many of us in education. At the core of it is his   […]   View Post →

My favorite columnist in the world is Chris Erskine. He was a twice-a-week columnist in the LA Times for years. He wrote about being a dad, being a friend, being   […]   View Post →

This is another recommendation from my father. I call these types of books pure fun that can be read on a weekend or on a night when you don’t need   […]   View Post →

, by  (2004) I’ve always thought of myself is an excellent meeting manager. In fact, I’ve often joked that my ideal job would be a professional meeting runner. I believe   […]   View Post →

Michael Horn, one of the co-authors of this book, spoke at Manhattan Beach’s TEDx conference in 2012. It’s a book that makes predictions about where education is going. You all   […]   View Post →

This is the last in the century trilogy by Ken Follett. I’ve already written about the other two, Fall of Giants and Winter of the World. I love a good   […]   View Post →