Summer Reading List: Innovative College Teaching

All - Please consider adding ICT to your summer reading list -- it includes a chapter and robust Appendix on using AI in the classroom.

Perry

Another Kind Amazon Book Review - June 4, 1968: The Last Fall

 

An exciting, quick read - from the UK

This story was gripping from start to finish. It follows Woody, a University lecturer, and his (mis)adventures time-travelling when one of his graduate students requests he use her time-machine project so that she may have the approval required to monetise her invention. 

The pace never drops. We see Woody flick back in time about half a century to his eighteen-year-old self, strong, fit and handsome, with his future wife just as youthful and captivating, waiting in the next room. And though the objective of his visit is reached, Woody returns to a present where catastrophic events resulted from this one change. 

The story that follows is a page-turner whirlwind, with Woody trying to correct his mistake, but mostly, trying to do right by his wife, no matter what. This was something that I found particularly endearing, how even when his wife, at a certain point in his time-travelling past, caused devastating harm to him, resulting in decades of his suffering, even then he never held a harsh thought of her, and only loved her greatly. 

Such a nice quick read. 

5-STAR AMAZON REVIEW: June 4, 1968 - The Last Fall

 

5-STAR AMAZON REVIEW ...The message that resonated with me is that history, no matter how disturbing, unfolded the way it did for a reason. Fans of historical fiction will enjoy this tale. (April 2, 2026)

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/June-1968-travel-short-story-ebook/dp/B0GPRBDP32

Another Kind 5-Star Review: June 4, 1968 - The Last Fall

"June 4, 1968: The Last Fall was a really enjoyable and easy read, especially if you like stories that play with big “what if” ideas. I was drawn to it partly because Back to the Future is one of my favorite movies, and while this book tackles similar themes, it does so in its own way. There’s no flashy sci‑fi gadgets, which I actually liked—it keeps the focus on the characters and the choices they make.

This was my first time reading historical fiction, and I was pleasantly surprised by how engaging it was. The story feels creative without being confusing, and the historical setting adds depth without slowing things down. I also appreciated the ending; it felt hopeful and satisfying without being overly perfect. Overall, this book was entertaining, thoughtful, and different from what I usually read. I’d definitely recommend June 4, 1968: The Last Fall to anyone looking to try historical fiction or who enjoys imaginative, character‑driven stories with a twist."

Interactive Classroom Activity on Negotiation

Fun time today with exercise generated by GPT:

March 2026: Survival Scenario Ranking (Consensus Negotiation Exercise)

Objective: Students negotiate to reach full consensus on a ranked list of survival items under constraints—simulating informal “contracting” without writing.

Scenario: You are part of a group whose plane has crash-landed in a remote desert. It is 95°F, and help may take several days to arrive. You salvaged the following 12 items. Your survival depends on prioritizing them effectively.

Item List

1. Mirror
2. 2 liters of water per person
3. Map of the area
4. Compass
5. First aid kit
6. Pistol (loaded)
7. Parachute (fabric)
8. Knife
9. Sunglasses
10. Flashlight
11. Jacket
12. Food rations

---

Class Timeline

1. Individual Ranking (3 minutes)

Each student ranks top 3 items 1-3 (most important)

2. Group Negotiation (10 minutes)

Students form groups of 3–5.

Task:

Produce ONE shared ranking of all twelve

Rules (critical for rigor):

• Unanimous agreement required (no majority voting)
• Every member must agree to the final list 

3. Report Out - Each group shares:

• Their top 3 items
• One major disagreement they had

4. Debrief

Instructor Key

A commonly accepted “expert ranking” (used in many versions of this exercise):

1. Mirror (signaling)
2. Water
3. Parachute (shade/shelter)
4. First aid kit
5. Knife
6. Jacket
7. Pistol
8. Sunglasses
9. Flashlight
10. Map
11. Food
12. Compass

---

Why This Works (Mechanics of Negotiation)

This activity creates natural conflict because:

• Some items seem intuitively important but aren’t (e.g., compass)
• Others are undervalued (mirror)

Students must:

• Advocate for their reasoning
• Reconcile competing mental models
• Make concessions

---

What to Watch For

1. Anchoring

First person to speak often influences the group disproportionately.

2. Dominance vs Participation

• One student may control decisions / Others may disengage

3. False Consensus

Groups may rush agreement to finish on time.

4. Poor Negotiation Tactics - Arguing positions (“This is #1”) / Instead of reasoning (“This helps us signal rescuers”)

 

• “What was the hardest item to agree on—and why?”
• “Did anyone change their mind? What caused that shift?”
• “Did you actually reach consensus—or just give in?”

Negotiation is About Reasoning, Not Winning

Best groups: Share logic - Build on others’ ideas  - Adjust positions

5-STAR Readers' Favorite Book Review: June 4, 1968 - The Last Fall

Another humbling/kind review:

... As a writer of "what if" science fiction, combined with non-fiction historical and current events, I was deeply impressed and captivated by Perry Binder's smooth mix of documented historical events with scientific "what if" fiction. He created a plausible story while simultaneously acknowledging the drawbacks and potential disaster of changing the course of history. The entire story reveals Binder's strong sense of story flow, with short but targeted narrative, dialogue that rings true, and is specific to the characters speaking. Woody's struggles to control the emotions affected by his decisions, and the repercussions of those decisions, are particularly poignant. At the conclusion, the author's notes include a 1966 quote by Robert F. Kennedy that captures the motivation and message of The Last Fall: "Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events."(L. Allen, March 20, 2026)

Click here for Kindle Purchase ($2.99)

 

Gratitude for GSU Book Club, 2025-2026 - Innovative College Teaching

One of the best things I've done this academic year is co-lead a book club for Innovative College Teaching. GREAT opportunity to meet professors and staff -- people I never would've met without these sessions.

Real and Imagined Headlines in Historical Fiction Thriller: June 4, 1968 - The Last Fall (a time travel short story)

Does Woody Endicott change the past for the good? I removed a "spoiler alert" from a January 1969 headline below:

June 4, 1968 – Saigon shelled in heavy attack; vessels struck

June 5 – Kennedy assassination attempt thwarted by kitchen worker

July 4 – Hero Celia Newing recounts harrowing events

July 17 – Beatles' Yellow Submarine movie premieres in London

August 8 – Nixon accepts nomination at Republican National Convention in Miami Beach

August 29 – Kennedy accepts nomination at Democratic National Convention in Chicago

September 24 – 60 Minutes premieres

September 26 – Pravda publishes Brezhnev Doctrine, justifying Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia

October 10-11 – Castro delivers speeches on the 100th anniversary of Cuba's proclamation of independence from Spain

October 18 – U.S. Olympic medalists Tommie Smith and John Carlos suspended

November 5 – RFK elected 37^th president; Nixon concedes to another Kennedy

November 20 – Tammy Wynette, Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash win big at second CMA Awards

December 24 – Apollo 8 orbits moon as astronaut Anders snaps Earthrise photo

December 25 – Kennedy signals plan for phased troop withdrawal from Vietnam

January 12, 1969 – Underdog Jets defeat Colts in Super Bowl III

January 20 – RFK sworn into office; ten minutes later, -----------------------------------------------------------

 

Movie/TV References in THE LAST FALL

Movie/TV References in THE LAST FALL

 

Woody time-travels: My brain cells were a cocktail of dizzy and peculiar, with a spritz of paranoia. Not the dreamy image of Jodie Foster floating peacefully to a planet’s beach in Contact.

 

Woody flies from LA to DC: I went home and booked a Wednesday to Friday flight to Stallone National.

Rocky Airport? Really?

 

Ode to Danny Glover in Lethal Weapon: As I took my next breath, I saw a man with a gun across the street heading my way. I picked up a ten-pound kettlebell, bolted to the bathroom like a senior cit with too much fiber, and hid behind the door.

“I’m too old for this sh*t,” I muttered aloud, trying to stay in the moment.

 

Woody in legal trouble: Whoa, it’s like an episode of Suits, and Bricker is Harvey, I marveled with my mouth agape.

 

Emotional Layers of THE LAST FALL

  

Conversation between student and professor: “Mr. Endicott, you are a moral man. In the end, you’ll know the right thing to do.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” I dreaded and hung up.

 

Woody: Who am I to change the world? Change the world back? WTF. 

When I got home, my front door was smashed open, the place torn up, and my laptop missing.

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/June-1968-travel.../dp/B0GPRBDP32/...

Any Stephen King or Star Trek fans out there? Book Dedication...

Book Dedication to June 4, 1968 - The Last Fall: 

Perpetuating a nightmare in homage to Stephen King’s book, 11/22/1963, and a 1967 Star Trek episode, “The City on the Edge of Forever.”

Click here to Purchase on Kindle