From Bob McKinnon comes this modern retelling of the beloved classic, Little Engine that Could, that asks young readers, “How does your journey differ from others?” It also serves as a thank you letter to all the parents, teachers, role models, and even strangers, who help to clear the storm or pull the tree trunk from their track.
Available in your favorite bookstores.
Have you ever asked yourself this question? Or wondered why your life turned differently than you expected or from others you know. On this site, you’ll find tools, writing and podcast episodes that explores this question and others. Watch Bob’s TEDx talk to learn about his journey and the science behind how we see our lives and those of others.
Children’s Books
I think I can, I think I can, I think I… can’t? What’s an Engine to do when even believing in yourself won’t get you to the top of the mountain? In this modern retelling of the beloved The Little Engine That Could, The Little Blue Engine and her friends attempt to reach the town on the other side of the mountain, but they quickly realize that not every engine is on the same track, and they all face different obstacles in their journey. In Three Little Engines author Bob McKinnon asks young readers: How does your journey differ from others?
While paying homage to the beloved classic, author Bob McKinnon acknowledges that although positive thinking and confidence are important, they are not always enough to help you succeed. In many instances, success requires a helping hand. This book is a gentle introduction to the idea of socioeconomic mobility and inequality in America. Heavily inspired by his own experiences, McKinnon teaches the youngest of readers how to recognize opportunity and inequality in the American Dream, and, most importantly, how to extend a helping hand to those on different tracks of life. At its heart, Three Little Engines is a thank you letter to all the parents, teachers, role models, and even strangers, who help to clear the storm or pull the tree trunk from your track.
Three Little Engines is now a New York Times best seller! Order your copy today from your favorite online bookseller or your local bookstore:
What is Your American Dream Score
Newsletter
Labor
Some random observations about labor on Labor Day.
Last week, waiting on the train platform, I could not help but notice how many people were staring down at their phones – perhaps already beginning their day of labor. A few looked up and out across the Hudson River to take in the splendid Palisades. I wonder who had a less laborious beginning to their day.
I went to work near Union Square, which was the site for the first Labor Day Parade in 1882. Contrary to what one might think, the name Union Square has nothing to do with that event but rather is simply because it is where Broadway and 4th Avenue unite.
I teach around the corner from the park at Parsons School of Design. The school was founded by Willam Merritt Chase. A few doors down from my building is a branch of the bank, JP Morgan Chase. It sits at the location of the former Coffee Shop. Before it was a hip nighttime hangout in the 90s for models and other fashionable folks, it was actually Chase Coffee Shop in the 1970s. Ironically, that diner was cited for health code violations in 1972 by a city inspector named Gordon Chase.
Consider this. An artist, a banker, a restaurateur and an inspector – all named Chase labored here. While their names and location were the same, the products of their labor could not have been more diverse: education, capital, food and safety.
Recently, I got into an argument at a bar over labor. At one point, my “opposition” argued that capitalists were more important than laborers. When given the somewhat false choice of who was more indispensable in building American railroads, the capitalists who funded them or the workers who built them, he said the capitalists. I disagreed, arguing that the tens of thousands of workers were more important than a handful of tycoons whose investments – while important – were dwarfed by the money spent by our government and the land grants given to the railroads. Who do you think is more indispensable in America – those who labor or those who accrue capital?
Labor and work are different. Work refers simply to action. Labor adds a degree of struggle.
Labor as a word dates back to the 1300s in the text of Life & Martyrdom of Thomas Becket. Approximately a hundred years later it was used in the context of childbirth. Which is not – although perhaps it should be – the inspiration for the term “Labor of Love” – which first appears in the King James Bible and refers to work in the service of God or others.
Labor does not appear in reference to groups of workers until 1839.
Labor Day first became a federal holiday in the United States in 1894.
Approximately, 70 million people in the United States still have to report to work on Labor Day.
Including workers at Dunkin Donuts, Barnes and Noble, Sephora, Staples, Whole Foods and other retailers that all surround Union Square. The corporate offices of these businesses however – and of course – are closed. Who is more indispensable again?
This Week’s Recommendation: Last year, I interviewed Adam Chandler about his book, 99% Perspiration. It was a fascinating conversation about the history of work in America and our attitudes towards labor. Check it out here.
Share this with someone whose labor deserves to be recognized.
Monday Morning Notes
Delivered to your mailbox each Monday morning, these short notes offer an opportunity each week to reflect on who and what contributes to where we end up in life. Readers tell us it’s a great way to start their week on a positive note. See the latest note below:
Labor
Some random observations about labor on Labor Day. Last week, waiting on the train platform, I could not help but notice how many people were staring down at their phones – perhaps already beginning their day of labor. A few looked up and out across the Hudson River to take in the splendid Palisades. I …
Attribution with Bob McKinnon
Attribution is a podcast, where people from all walks of life, reflect on who and what has contributed to where they ended up. Our hope is after each episode, you feel a little more inspired, grateful, or supported, then when you first hit play. Check out the latest episode below:
Episode 35: Class Matters w/ Richard Kahlenberg
Richard D. Kahlenberg is an education and housing policy researcher, writer, consultant, and speaker. He is also Director of Housing Policy and Director of the American Identity Project at the Progressive Policy Institute. The author or editor of 19 books, his latest is Class Matters: The Fight to Get Beyond Race Preferences, Reduce Inequality, and Build Real Diversity at America’s Colleges. This was a deep and challenging conversation about class, race, higher education, affirmative action and social mobility.