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What's Emilie Socash reading?

 
Emilie Socash is executive director of both the Jewish Federation of Pinellas and Pasco Counties and the Tampa Orlando Pinellas Jewish Federation.
Emilie Socash is executive director of both the Jewish Federation of Pinellas and Pasco Counties and the Tampa Orlando Pinellas Jewish Federation.
Published Sept. 1, 2016

Nightstand

Emilie Socash

Socash is currently the executive director of both the Jewish Federation of Pinellas and Pasco Counties and the Tampa Orlando Pinellas Jewish Federation. She previously served as the founding executive director of the Freefall Theatre in St. Petersburg. Socash, an avid reader and writer who pens a regular column for the Jewish Press of Pinellas County, has also, she says, "written, but not published, a children's feminist novel as well as a 'mockumentary' screenplay."

What's on your nightstand?

I have three books on my nightstand. The first one is Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro.

Did you read Ishiguro's Remains of the Day?

I did not. I actually did not recognize his name. It was an impulse purchase. I loved it. It's this dark fable. I love fables, but this is mature and highly textural. It's like a painting. It's very magical. So, that's one. Another one is Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions Into Adulthood by Lisa Damour. I have a 12-year-old daughter and an almost 11-year-old daughter, and I purchased it because I'm big on reading up on development. I'm also very tired of adults in the world saying in front of my daughters, "Oh, you're in for it." This was the only book on the shelf that took a refreshingly positive approach, and there's a lot to be celebrated. I recommend it. I also have Rise: 3 Practical Steps for Advancing Your Career, Standing Out as a Leader, and Liking Your Life by Patty Azzarello. It's a book my husband bought me six years ago. I raced through it, but a former colleague had asked me about books on leadership, and when I got it down off the shelf for her, I realized I needed to reread it.

Is there something in either Untangled or Rise that might be a new mantra for you?

You know, there's a thing from Untangled, and it's taking shape as some sort of universal thought. Although it's a book geared towards teenage girls, I think some of the things this author presents are applicable to marriage, professional relationships and interactions with (strangers). Everyone experiences big emotions, and our girls, husbands or co-workers often look to us to be what the author describes as the side of the swimming pool, in case they need to come in from the deep. They may need to swim back to the side. They are counting on you to be the pillar. It's a neat metaphor. They hang on to us for a little reprieve.

Contact Piper Castillo at pcastillo@tampabay.com. Follow @Florida_PBJC.