Luke Nielsen Media
Working to put a little good in the world
Working to put a little good in the world
I'm pleased to announce that Ernest from Earth has won the gold medal for "Adventure Fiction" at the 2020 Living Now Book Awards.
The Living Now Book Awards recognize books aimed at making a positive impact, and I'm honored to be included in this year's winners.
Thank you to everyone who has read the book. Thank you to Dreaming Big Publications, and thank you to the people at the Living Now Book Awards.
More details to come.
Ernest is a twelve-year-old boy growing up on Earth in the Twenty-Second Century, an Earth that exists free of poverty, bigotry, famine, or war. The citizens of Earth live in peace, traveling the cosmos as readily as they once navigated country highways; but Ernest is separated from his family on one such trip and finds himself on a planet eerily similar to Earth’s past, with the exception of its red- and blue-skinned inhabitants. Ernest befriends a red boy named Dat, and he is forced to live in a world of racial tension and division the likes of which he has never known. Ernest operates as both an observer and a participant in the struggles around him, all while facing the challenges of growing up. Ernest and his friend Dat face bullies and a sense of isolation. They learn of tragedy and friendship, and they are thrown into a powerful legal battle that continues to shape their understanding of existence and their places in it. Ernest’s experiences leave him torn between his desire to return to his family and his idyllic life and the kinship he has formed with his adopted family, especially as they struggle through a glaringly unjust world. Ultimately, Ernest begins to question what is really right, and if his own world is as perfect as it seems.
I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Dr. Steve Fouts, educator and CEO of Teach Different. Teach Different is a phenomenal program for educators, students, and families of all kinds. The curriculum is designed to encourage and support meaningful conversations, and Teach Different provides many ready-to-use resources. Check out our discussion and the links below for more.
The most significant journeys of our lives are unending roads. We like beginnings and ends. We like to cross things off lists, but our passions and purpose don't turn off. Those things are always there. The paths might be rocky, but all we have to do is walk them.
The most significant journeys of our lives are unending roads.
We like beginnings and ends. We like to cross things off lists, but our passions and purpose don't turn off. Those things are always there.
The paths might be rocky, but all we have to do is walk them.
We've been talking factors that contribute to self-efficacy. This week, we're looking at how our physical, mental, and emotional states impact our self-efficacy.