Andrew Santella

Andrew Santella’s “Soon” is a tongue-in-cheek exploration of procrastination. Included in this slim volume is a bit of historical background as well as handy rationalizations for our tendency to dilly-dally. Santella claims that he misses deadlines, shirks responsibilities, and finds more satisfying things to do than the job at hand. Rather than beat himself up for his failure to stay on task, he discusses such famous procrastinators as Moses, St. Augustine, Leonardo da Vinci, Charles show more Darwin, Edgar Allan Poe, and Frank Lloyd Wright. (Where are the female procrastinators, one wonders?). In 1837, when Darwin was twenty-eight, he returned from “a nearly five-year circumnavigation of the globe aboard the H. M. S. Beagle.” What he saw made him ponder why various species changed over time. Yet Darwin's magnum opus, “On the Origin of Species," was not published until 1859.

Alas, not everyone considers procrastination to be a minor imperfection. The author quotes Professor Joe Ferrari, who believes that putting things off is “rooted in unmanaged moods and emotion.” Timothy Pychyl states that “there are real costs to procrastination…. economic costs, yes, but the personal costs are huge. In relationships. In self-worth.” Benjamin Franklin sums it up succinctly: “Lost time is never found again.”

Why do we dawdle when our conscience tells us that we should make to-do lists and stick to them? Among the reasons are fear of failure, distractibility, and a perverse reluctance to let the calendar dictate what we do and when we do it. Whether you are a go-getter or a slacker, you may enjoy Santella’s wit, self-deprecating humor, charm, and erudition. Next time you find yourself daydreaming in the midst of an important project, you can console ourselves with the following words of wisdom: “To conform to dictated timelines and schedules is to cede some measure of individuality and humanity.” show less

A delightful extended essay on procrastination, meandering through Charles Darwin, Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Ellis, and Frank Lloyd Wright, this book is a quick read and the antithesis of self-help. It is full of choice quotable nuggets and meditations on the author’s fondness for dithering and putting off. I am grateful to this book for making me aware of the crow-assassinating St. Expedite.

I read it in an extended gulp, pausing only to clean my bathroom thoroughly while avoiding all my show more more pressing life projects. show less

Written in 2002, shortly after the attacks occurred, this book describes what went on that day etched in the memory of those of us who watched what unfolded before our eyes on television. I read this on the 22nd anniversary of the attacks. We know a lot more about some aspects of the attacks and how the war on terror played out, but the book still provides about the right level of detail about the immediate event for elementary readers.

An awesome resource book! I love it! This book gives the reader an wide range of information on Illinois. From the land, history, people, government, places of interest, etc. The photos are phenomenal and keep the reader's interest. There are charts and graphs, as well as, FAQ's and WOW factoids written in the margins throughout the book. Even better, is the travel guide in the back. Readers can plan out a trip through Illinois and not miss a single thing!