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
Divides
Last Wednesday night, sitting in the dugout waiting for our softball game to begin, the umpire yelled towards us – presumably continuing a conversation started with one of my teammates about politics.
“My sister is a libtard out West. I don’t even talk to her anymore. She lives in Oregon and I hope she stays out there.”
The hostility and apparent sense of self-satisfaction with his words was jarring. To so casually flatten a relationship and write off a sibling – someone who he presumably shared so much of his life with at some point was just so sad to me.
Divides come in many different forms; geographic to geological; man-made to natural; personal to the political. But what they all share is a common source. For something to be divided inherently means at one point it had to be united. Coming from the same land mass, country, community, relationship or family. This makes the division both painful and possible unification hopeful.
I’ve been listening to Noah Kahan’s new album a lot lately. It is aptly named, The Great Divide. Throughout the seventeen tracks, Kahan explores divides – presumably inspired by his own life, Someone wrestling with leaving his home town and coming back. Recognizing divides that have occurred for a myriad of reasons – time, distance, life events, class conflicts, politics, and trauma.
In many songs, there is a yearning to bridge these divides. In the last song, “Dan”, he longs to just have a Miller Lite with an old friend who he once had so much more in common with. In my favorite song, “Willing and Able”, he sings of a falling out with a sibling. The chord progression in the chorus builds movingly and achingly towards a desired reunion. The song ends by repeating “I’d be willing and able” eight times before wistfully saying, “If you’re willing, I’m able.”
I have long believed, perhaps naively so, that there is substantially more that unites us than divides us. So much division is born from the self-interests of others who pit people against each other for their own gain or a culture that leans too heavily into zero-sum thinking and resentment. If only we could pause and remind ourselves of our ties that bind – before they were torn asunder. To see each other with more grace and compassion. To judge less and seek understanding more. To forgive doesn’t require that we forget. But it does ask that we remember what brought us together in the first place.
If you’re willing and able, of course.
This Week’s Recommendation: Listen to Kahan’s The Great Divide. Find a song that speaks to a division you’re experiencing. Now consider sending that song as an olive branch to the person on the other side of that divide.
Share this email with a friend – or perhaps even better, an ex-friend
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:
Divides
Last Wednesday night, sitting in the dugout waiting for our softball game to begin, the umpire yelled towards us – presumably continuing a conversation started with one of my teammates about politics. “My sister is a libtard out West. I don’t even talk to her anymore. She lives in Oregon and I hope she stays …
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.