The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

I hesitated before I checked out the audiobook of The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier. I had passed it over numerous times when looking for a book to listen to in the car. I was unsure whether I wanted to enter the brutal world of Trinity School again. I had been disturbed by the book back in the 1970s. Would it seem as horrible now?

Thirty years have not lessened the horror of The Chocolate War. It is as creepy as ever. The battle between Brother Leon and Archie Costello of The Vigils, involving side battles with freshman Jerry Renault and a subtle power struggle within The Vigils, is still compelling reading. The difficulty of a second reading is knowing that the end will be ugly, just as the opening line of the book tells readers that it will be.

Looking at a synopsis in Masterplots II after I finished the audiobook, I noticed that essayist said The Chocolate War was fast-paced. I disagree. Cormier lets the reader linger in every tense moments, never rushing anything. He lets scenes mature before advancing. The reader is never let off with diluted drama.

I enjoyed listening to the book read by George Guidall, 6 1/2 hours. Another version is available read by Frank Muller in only 5 hours and 38 minutes, with an introduction by the author included. I do not know if a quicker reader could be as dramatic.

I wonder what impact the book had, if any, on schools. I notice that they still send their students out selling calendars, coupon books, wrapping paper, fruit, and chocolates. I sense that students in my area have the choice to participate or not, but I remember feeling pressure to sell when I was a student. So, did the book help? A search of the ERIC database returns lesson plans for teaching the novel in literature classes, but I see no reports on the conduct of school fund raising mentioning the title.

I just noticed that Cormier also wrote Beyond the Chocolate War. Dare I enter that world again?

Cormier, Robert. The Chocolate War. Recorded Books, 1993. ISBN 1402522940

Wendell Berry in World Ark Magazine Digitized

Yesterday, I drove my daughter Laura back to Iowa City for her spring semester at the University of Iowa. I've heard remarks about how dull a drive it is along Interstates 88 and 80 - about how there is nothing to see. I disagree. I paid particular attention yesterday and discovered that there was almost always farmhouses, barns, or other agricultural buildings in view. There were vast fields covered in light snow, ponds covered in ice, rivers to cross, and cows and horses breathing out steam in the cold. Near the Mississippi River, I saw a bald eagle circling right over the highway. A redtailed hawk sat on a post. Rather than a void, the land between the western Chicago suburbs and the college town is rich farmland, especially lovely with the snow.

This morning I read the January/February 2008 issue of World Ark, which includes an interview with novelist/poet/farmer/environmentalist Wendell Berry. Berry has written a lot about farmland and the people of rural America. He'd be able to read the land along the Interstate and know which family farms are thriving and which have been taken over by corporations. The maintenance of the barns and house would shout at him. In an interview on pages 16-19, he says that he regrets how our urbanized society has lost touch with its food supply and discusses how even city neighborhoods can reconnect with land. He suggests models from the past to make the future better. Ancient Greek cities included farmland to keep them self-sufficient.

World Ark is a publication from Heifer International, which sponsors giving farm animals to third world countries. I suspect only contributors ever see its articles. I checked Worldcat to see how many libraries carry World Ark and found only five.

There is a way, however, for many people to read this article. Heifer International posts the entire issue on its magazine on its website using services of Nxtbook Media. Click on a page of the magazine and the digital reader turns to the next. The magazine allows zooming, bookmarking, stick notes, saving, and printing. without my having to download any software.

Libraries could use similar digital publishing on their websites for annual reports, tutorials, or online children's books.

Joe Filisko Shines at Friday at the Ford Concert

What a night! Sixty-three people came to the Thomas Ford Memorial Library on a very cold January evening to hear Joe Filisko, a Chicago-based harmonica artist, play the blues. With the meeting room nearly full, he did just that and more. In the end, he got a standing ovation, something rare for our coffeehouse concerts.

Knowing how cold it would be, I wondered before the concert how many people would come. A morning phone call from Ohio (two states away) was a clue that it might be a special night. Word had gotten out among people who love harmonica that Joe was playing a free concert at the library. As soon as I open the front door, people came in, and I was concerned at one point that we might not have enough room. I gave up the seat I had staked out. Luckily for me, the crowd and room balanced with a nice mix of regulars and newcomers.

Joe began his program by humbly explaining the situation. His partner for the night had a family emergency, so he was alone on the stage. This was something that he and I had discussed earlier in the week. He prepared a special program that he had been contemplating for years, highlighting the many ways a harmonica could be played. The program was not a lecture - it was a virtuoso performance.

Joe started with a piece that he had composed himself, which started quietly and had an atmospheric quality, something many people would not associate with harmonica. Then he played "Amazing Grace" to demonstrate many harmonic playing styles. I was really surprised in the third verse by how like a bagpipe that it sounded.

Then Joe got down to the blues, folk, c&w, and Cajun songs. I particularly liked a medley of songs by Deford Bailey, one of the early stars of the Grand Ole Opry. He followed with a song by Peg Leg Sam, who Joe described as a snake oil salesman who used the harmonica in his pitches. On this song, Joe sang and performed harmonica gymnasts, playing the instrument from many angles and even without hands. It is hard to describe. You have to see it to believe it.

Joe also played blues pieces by Henry Whitter, Sonny Terry (who was featured on a postage stamp), and Big Walter Horton.

For many of the songs that he played, Joe held up old vinyl record albums while he described the artists from whom he learned the songs. Most were from small regional recording companies, and I thought that they lent a nice eclectic touch. I bet the records would all be hard to find now. He also had an over-sized harmonica that he hung behind him and used to explain some techniques.

The Western Springs Library Friends, who underwrote the evening, served refreshments, we all stayed warm, and Joe played for nearly an hour and a half. Lots of people swayed to the music. It was a great night.

Joe said that he would like to play other libraries. His contact information is on his website. I recommend him.

My Fellow Americans by Keir Graff

" Now let's go out and bring democracy to America!" said George Libby.

Wow, this was more than I expected. My Fellow Americans by Keir Graff is a fun book to read but disturbing to contemplate. The story moves quickly, and I kept the book near, so when I had time, I could read another section. The central character Jason Walker never gets to rest, and I did not either until I finished the book.

The setting is familiar, especially to me since I live outside Chicago, but something has gone wrong. A tall building is being built along the Chicago River, and Jason Walker likes to take pictures with his old film camera. The president (never named but he was in office when the planes slammed into the World Trade Center) is in his third term. I think I'll stop here on the description of the plot because the reader needs to discover it.

If I were going to analyze, I would mention the book 1984 and the film Brazil. I might also bring up the new book The Suicide of Reason by Lee Harris, which I have not read, but I suspect some of the characters in the book have and taken it to heart. My Fellow Americans would be a good book to discuss.

If there are discussions, I suggest this question: Why does the author always refer to his characters by their full names? In his narration, he never says "Jason," "Gina," "Chad," or "Leo" except in dialogue. I think the author has a reason.

I urge more libraries to add this book.

Graff, Keir. My Fellow Americans. Severn House, 2007. ISBN 9780727865229

No Place for a Woman: A Life of Senator Margaret Chase Smith by Janann Sherman

With Senator Hillary Clinton running for the nomination for U.S. President, it is a good time to remember Senator Margaret Chase Smith. It would also be a good time for libraries to display No Place for a Woman: A Life of Senator Margaret Chase Smith by historian Janann Sherman.

In 1964, Smith, a moderate senator from Maine, ran for the Republican nomination for U.S. President. She was the first serious woman candidate for the high office. At that point, she had been in Congress twenty-four years, many as the only female senator. She was not expected to win the nomination, but there was serious discussion of her chances to be Barry Goldwater's running mate. The Arizona senator said that he would have no qualms about a female on the ticket, and she seemed to lean farther right in the period before the 1964 Republican Convention. In the end, it did not happen, and Smith was lukewarm in her support of the Goldwater-Miller campaign.

One of the great early stories of her life is how Smith had to borrow sixty dollars from her grandfather to go on the high school trip to Washington, D.C. She was inspired by seeing all the monuments and met some government officials. She had to pay her Yankee grandpa back with six per cent interest.

Though she was not a feminist, she hired mostly young women from her state for her staff and chastised her congressional colleagues for being bad boys when they acted out of self-interest or unethically. A widow, who said that she too busy with national affairs for a family, she faithfully sat at the bedside of her dying aide, Bill Lewis. Historian Janann Sherman's book is an admiring profile of a powerful woman who lived ninety-seven years, mostly in Maine.

I am putting No Place for Women in my book on biography.

I now need to find an updated biography of Shirley Chisholm.

Sherman, Janann. No Place for a Woman: A Life of Senator Margaret Chase Smith. Rutgers University Press, 2000. 298p. ISBN 0813527228.

My Luis Tiant Toothbrush

My Luis Tiant toothbrush,
With a picture of his face
In the space you might see Big Bird,
The Road Runner, or Mark Grace.

My Luis Tiant toothbrush,
Lime green and somewhat fat,
I saw it in a dream.
Can you imagine that?

Librarians in the Jury Box by Nancy Kalikow Maxwell

The January/February 2008 issue of American Libraries includes an article that I appreciated and enjoyed, for it really speaks to what has happened in my life and in my library. It is entitled "Librarians in the Jury Box: Why Do Information Professionals Make Such Desirable Jurors?" by Nancy Kalikow Maxwell. It can be found on pages 50 to 54.

It has not happened recently, but the staff at my library has often gotten jury notices. In Cook County, Illinois, the jury system has a one day or one trial call. If you do not get assigned to a jury the day of your call, you are released. If you do, you serve until the case is done. Most of the staff has gone for the one day, or even no days, when there is a phone number to call ahead to see if any juries will actually be selected that day.

I have twice been interviewed by attorneys in the jury selection process and was selected both times. So, I'm two for two. In both cases many prospective jurors were being rejected, and I was retained after only a few quick questions. Maybe Maxwell is correct in saying that attorneys readily accept librarians.

The first case I served on concerned assault and battery. The defense attorney tried to discredit the witnesses but failed. The case took three days, and we found the defendant guilty.

The second was a medical malpractice case. The doctor being sued was not on the scene when an infant was injured during emergency delivery. It was the doctor's weekend off. The claim was that he had not filled out a form completely at one of the mother's prior examinations. The jury decided the form was irrelevant in the emergency delivery. The case took five days, and we found the doctor innocent.

Both experiences were very education and satisfying, and I would readily serve again. It would be interesting to hear other librarians report on their experiences as jurors. Have many of us served on juries?

Driving Lessons, a Film by Jeremy Brock

Bonnie brought home another great movie of which I had no knowledge, Driving Lessons. It stars Rupert Grint, who everyone will recognize as Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter movies. It is a contemporary story of a shy young man, pressed by his mother to get a job, who becomes the daytime companion for a retired actress. The film was written and directed by Jeremy Brock, who was one of the screenwriters of The Last King of Scotland. Scotland is about the only thing the films have in common, as Driving Lessons is very funny.

I do not want to give away too much about the movie, but I do want to encourage you to see it. One reason to do so is the great cast.

Rupert Grint does a great job as Ben Marshall. To date, he has not gotten many roles other than Ron Weasley. Perhaps he is being selective, and, if so, he has chosen very well. This film shows that the audience can forget his known role after five or ten minutes into the story.

Julie Walters is Dame Evie Walton, a retired British actress who needs someone to do chores and take her to appointments around London. Ironically, she is Molly Weasley in the Harry Potter movies, but I did not recognize her. She is alternately sensible and outrageous.

Laura Linney is Laura Marshall, Ben's mother, who is teaching him to drive. She has many expectations for her son, and she takes her role as the vicar's wife a little too far. You may remember her from The Squid and the Whale and from The Truman Show.

Nicholas Farrell is the vicar, Robert Marshall. I have been a fan of his since he was Aubrey Montague, an aristocratic athlete in Chariots of Fire. He was also in The Jewel in the Crown, Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet, and many series shown on Masterpiece Theater and Mystery. In this film, he is as shy as his son.

Teens will like this movie, as it shows how hard it is to deal with crazy adults. It will also appeal to Harry Potter and Masterpiece Theater fans. I would further suggest the movie to people who enjoyed Harold and Maude. Like the old cult classic, it has a frustrated young man with an overbearing mother, and he becomes attached to a wild old lady.

According to Worldcat, 307 libraries own copies of the DVD of Driving Lessons. They should put it on display. It'll get snapped up.

Chaucer by Peter Ackroyd

Being a poet gained Geoffrey Chaucer entry into many nobles' courts, but it did not pay his rent. According to biographer Peter Ackroyd in his compact volume Chaucer, to keep his apartment above Aldgate Gate, where he could see everyone entering and leaving London to the east, the son of a wine merchant had to keep accounts for the King, gather tariffs and taxes, and represent the British crown on missions abroad. While in Italy and France, Chaucer always listened to the poets, noting their cadences, voices, and storytelling. In London, when not involved in lawsuits, he wrote and recited his poems.

Ackroyd says that Chaucer was very private and guarded person in many ways. He had to be in the employ of the crown in an especially violent time in London. There were many kidnappings, murders, and rapes, the latter a crime of which the poet was accused but settled out of court. Reading the poetry is one of the keys to understanding him. His work shows him to have a complicated group of interests and to be drawn more to bawdy comedy than art. He was more heard than read in his own time, as he presented his poems at many social gatherings.

Chaucer was not the first British poet, but with Troilus and Criseyde and Canterbury Tales, he wrote the rules for the next seven century of English verse. Ackroyd quotes extensively from them without translating the Middle English to modern spellings. I was surprised how much I could read of it if I sounded it out.

In the introduction, the author states that this is the first of a series of Ackroyd's Brief Lives. He added J. M. W. Turner to the series in 2006 and will release Newton later this year. Libraries should consider them all.

Ackroyd, Peter. Chaucer. Nan A. Talese, 2005. 188p. (Ackroyd's Brief Lives). ISBN 0385507976.

My Fellow Americans by Keir Graff Noted by Mary Schmich

In her column in the Chicago Tribune today, Mary Schmich tells about the books that are piling up on her desk, and the first she highlights My Fellow Americans by Keir Graff, a senior editor at Booklist. Many of us in the library world also know that Keir is the daily blogger who brings us Likely Stories. It is a rare day when he does not have an interesting bit of publishing news or reflections on controversies in the book world.

Schmich scans the book quick and is much amused by the character Ronald Flush, a billionaire developer, who is building a very tall building where the Chicago Star-Tabloid used to stand. I hope she finds time to read the entire book.

*****

Schmich also lists other books with a Chicago setting. The other title that interests me is Chicago Afternoons with Leon: 99 1/2 Years Old and Looking Forward by Kenan Heise (ISBN 9781434347374), a biography of an alderman who was a thorn in the side of the original Mayor Daley. I do not find it in any library and Baker and Taylor has no inventory. Amazon has it. I'm trying to get it.

The Kennedys: Portrait of a Family by Richard Avedon

At this point in time, when a new political star may be rising, The Kennedys: Portrait of a Family by Richard Avedon is a very interesting book. Could the United States ever have another first family with the style and confidence of the Kennedys? Are there photographers who could frame them the way Avedon did the Kennedys on January 3, 1961?

In some ways, this book is just about a day-long photo shoot of the president-elect and his family at a vacation home in Florida. Not all of the details are clear. Whose idea was the session? Did Jacqueline Kennedy choose Avedon after having denied many previous photo proposals? The people who could answer these questions have all died without addressing these questions. What is clear, however, is that Avedon took indoor and outdoor photographs, and then he submitted high impact articles to both Look and Harper's Bazaar from the images taken that day.

There are some preliminary photos in the book, showing Jackie as a camera assistant at the Washington Times-Herald in 1953, the couple at their wedding, and Avedon photographing Elizabeth Taylor. With these is text by Shannon Thomas Perich, a curator at the Smithsonian, telling about the photographer's career, about the impact of the articles, and about the donation of all the negatives and proofs to the Smithsonian. Best of all, there are copies of all the contact sheets from the indoor sessions and illustrations showing how Avedon touched up the photographs to make great portraits.

My daughter really liked the series of photographs of father and daughter. Caroline holding her father's hand to her cheek is outstanding. The series of Caroline holding her six-week old brother is also guaranteed to please anyone who likes babies and small children. These joyous photos contrast with the shots of JFK and Jackie, who seem a bit reserved. It is hard to look at these photos without layering them with the tragedies to come.

Readers interested in the art of photography or in the history of the presidency will find this book fascinating. It is a standout among the hundreds of books about the Kennedys.

Avedon, Richard. The Kennedys: Portrait of a Family. Collins Design, 2007. ISBN 9780061138164.

Travels with Herodotus by Ryszard Kapuściński

In 1955, when young Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuściński mentioned to his editor that he would enjoy going abroad, he was thinking about Czechoslovakia. He was stunned when she called him to her office and announced that he was going to India, a country that was pursuing better relations with Soviet-era Poland. He knew little about the country. He knew nothing about its languages. As a sort of odd parting gift, she handed him a copy of the new Polish translation of The Histories by Herodotus.

The trip to India was only the first of many trips described in Travels with Herodotus. He soon was stationed in China and later spent many years in Africa as the only Polish correspondent for a continent. Wherever he went, he took his book. As he read, he began to wonder more about the ancient Greek, whose situation must have been much like his own in some ways. How did Herodotus get his stories? Did he have troubles with translators? Was he suspected of being a spy? Was he a spy? Why did the Greek write up his travels when there was no publishing as we know it now?

Travels with Herodotus has two story lines, one set in fifth century B.C.E. and the other in the 1950s to 1990s. The ancient story gets the greater emphasis, as Kapuściński tells us much about the lands Herodotus visited. There is an especially long section about the wars between Greece and Persia. As a reader, I wish the author had told us more about his own experiences instead. The first few chapters about when he went to India and China led me to expect more of his own story. Perhaps I was reading the wrong book. It appears from the author bio that Kapuściński, who died in 2007, wrote many other books about his experiences.

I do now better understand Herodotus and ancient Greek perception of the known world. I also found the stories of ancient wars relevant to today. In one, the Greeks and Persians have been lined up against each other for weeks, but lacking favorable omens, both have delayed their attacks. In the meantime, a banquet is held to which warriors from both armies are invited. Over dinner one Persian tells one Athenian how sad he is that so many of his men will die in the coming days. The Athenian agrees but says that a soldier is bound to do as he is commanded even when no good will come of it.

Some history readers will enjoy the book, which I recommend to larger public libraries.

Kapuściński, Ryszard. Travels with Herodotus. Knopf, 2007. ISBN 9781400043385

A Reference Librarian Hero

“I expedite the use of the library,” Mr. Smith said over lunch at the Algonquin Hotel, explaining just what it is he does. “I’ve been called a connector. I’m in a position to save people time. I know where to find things.” (NYT, 12/31/07)

These are wonderful words from David Smith, a reference librarian about whom the New York Times has written. They say just what we should strive to do at the reference desk. We do it every day, so it seems a bit strange to think of it as a remarkable mission, but it surprises people to find someone so helpful.

Placed where he is in the New York Public Library, Mr. Smith assists many famous writers. The article includes their praises of the librarian. Roy Blount, Jr. was shocked when Smith offered his help. Why are people so scared of librarian?

Read and be inspired.

Roberts, Sam. "The Library's Helpful Sage of the Stacks." New York Times. December 31, 2007. Page E1.

The Pocket Guide to African Mammals by Jonathan Kingdon

Recently, ecotourism in Africa has been hurt by fear of terrorism and political unrest. While current events in Kenya are troubling, there are still safe countries to visit, including Tanzania and Botswana. These countries need tourist dollars to continue to protect their wildlife. Going on camera safari is still a wonderful thing to do. If you go, you will need a field guide to mammals. The Kingdon Pocket Guide to African Mammals by Jonathan Kingdon is an excellent choice.

Jonathan Kingdon has previously published numerous larger works on the mammals of African and on human evolution. Distribution of these mostly academic books in public libraries is rather spotty. With the pocket guide, public libraries should take notice and add it to their collections. It is authoritative, affordable, and easy to shelve until it is borrowed and taken to Africa.

The pocket guide is a handy item to have while sitting in a Land Cruiser near an African water hole where the animals congregate. It shows more of the small mammals than other guides than I have seen. Kingdon's illustrations will help you distinguish between a gerenuk and a springbuck, between a wild boar and a bush pig, and between bush hyrax and tree hyrax. He includes continental distribution maps, tells you animal habitats, and describes behaviors.

This colorful pocket guide is also good for libraries that have students with animal assignments. It should be shelved with The Safari Companion by Richard D. Estes, which goes into greater depth about African mammal behaviors.

Kingdon, Jonathan. The Pocket Guide to African Mammals. Princeton University Press, 2004. ISBN 0691122393

Warm Springs: Traces of a Childhood at FDR's Polio Haven by Susan Richards Shreve

Thanks to Maggie for recommending this book, which I enjoyed.

In 1951, when novelist Susan Richards Shreve was eleven years old, she was sent to Warm Springs, Georgia for the treatment of polio. Unlike some of the children who were in full-body casts or iron lungs, she was relatively mobile. Because she had contracted a milder form of polio as an infant and had recurring episodes, she could walk in an awkward manner, but at the foundation she chose a wheelchair to be like her love-at-first-sight boyfriend Joey Buckley. She tells of her two years there in Warm Springs: Traces of a Childhood at FDR's Polio Haven.

Readers might at first think that Shreve had a total lack of good sense. She excelled at getting into trouble for complete ignoring the advice or commands of adults. Several accidents could have been avoided if Shreve had not created odd situations. As a young girl, however, she seems to have had a much better understanding of her fellow patients than staff. When asked to stop agreeing with Joey that he might someday play football for the University of Alabama, she refused. She knew that the severely crippled boy needed his dreams as a source of strength.

What I find hard to imagine now is how young children were so casually separated from their families at a time when they endured painful surgeries. The kids had to support each other after their reconstructions, surgeries moving muscles to new locations in their bodies. Shreve also seems to have been able to roll into nearly any room she chose.

Shreve is best when telling about her own misadventures. Warm Springs is a must read for those who enjoyed her novels. At times humorous and always readable, it would be a good book club book for older baby-boomers who remember the time.

Shreve, Susan Richard. Warm Springs: Traces of a Childhood at FDR's Polio Haven. Houghton Mifflin, 2007. ISBN 9780618658534.

It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff by Peter Walsh

Happy New Year!

It's self-help book season. I am not usually fond of personal psychology books, but if I see practical titles, I may glance at them. It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff by Australian organizational consultant Peter Walsh caught my eye. People hire the author to come into their homes and help them dig out from their over-abundance of things, and he has talked about what he does on television and in magazine articles. What he offers is mostly just common sense, but that is sometimes in short supply. That's why we have self-help books.

The author begins by describing our current situation. Many people have filled their houses with things, and those of financial means are trying to cope by adding onto their houses, buying bigger houses, putting some of their things in "temporary" storage, or even buying second houses. He thinks this is ridiculous. Having so many things rarely makes anyone happier. He proposes having fewer things.

Walsh indicates that people will not succeed in clearing their houses of clutter unless they first clear their minds of the bad thinking that leads them to buy and retain so many things. He recognizes that there may be legitimate sentimental reasons to keep some items, but he urges self-examination. If one's dream house is being fouled by the clutter, it is time to establish principles and act upon them.

The plan that Walsh proposes is called F.A.S.T.

• Fix a time to work.
• Anything that has not been used in twelve months goes.
• Someone else's stuff gets returned if possible and pitched if not.
• Trash (anything that is no longer usable) is taken out.

The author offers ideas for every room in the house and for prevention of clutter in the future. I suspect everything that he says has been in other anti-clutter books, but he is entertaining without being smug, and there is an obvious need for his advice. Many libraries should consider this book.

Walsh, Peter. It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff. Free Press, 2007. ISBN 9780743292641

Cookie, the Major Mitchell's Cockatoo

Cookie, the Major Mitchell's Cockatoo
Originally uploaded by ricklibrarian.

Bonnie and I often go to the Brookfield Zoo on New Year's Day, which is open every day of the year. Being a cold snowy day, there were not many people about the place, so we had good views wherever we went. We were glad that we went, for we saw many active animals, many exhibiting interesting behaviors, such as howling or calling. Hudson the polar bear was playing a blue plastic toy. We saw the baby gibbon from afar. A quartet of penguins was rapidly swimming around in the Living Coast tank. A guenon was howling in th Tropic World indoor rainstorm.

On most of trips to the zoo, we stop by the Perching Bird House to see Cookie, its oldest resident. Cookie was there when the zoo open in 1934. No one really knows how old he is. At his latest physical exam, his bone density was low, so he now has a special sunlamp to help him get more vitamin D.

I posted another photo of Cookie, a nice orangutan shot, and many snow scene photos in a folder on Flickr called Snowy Day at Brookfield Zoo. Take a look.

Mozart by Peter Gay

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died too soon. He was still young, at the height of his artistic achievement, and had a commission to finish, a requiem mass. Novelists, dramatists, and filmmakers have made much of this tragedy. In Mozart, his short collection of biographical essays about the composer, his family, and his music, biographer Peter Gay admits the story is sad but insists that the musical genius had enjoyed much of his life, despite his overbearing father, poverty, and failure to gain high appointments. His peers admired him, and his poverty was mostly self-induced (from enjoying himself too much). Gay's Mozart is a man who lived mostly as he pleased and would have done well with just a little more luck.

Gay emphasizes the brilliance of the music. His chapter that tells about Mozart's transformation from a prodigy to a mature composer is enthusiastic. I now want to devote some time listening to symphonies, concertos, sonatas, and operas. He also suggests that Mozart had a genius for characterization and story and could have written plays.

I listened to this early volume from the Penguin Lives Series read by Alexander Adams. I enjoy listening to Adams, who has many audiobooks to his credit. I always feel that he is just telling me a story that interests him very much.

People who enjoyed the movie Amadeus or who are interested in music history will enjoy this book. Many library own it.

Gay, Peter. Mozart. Viking, 1999. ISBN 0670882380.

AIA Guide to the Twin Cities by Larry Millett

In late March 2008, many public librarians will be in Minneapolis at the Public Library Association National Conference. Because I am attending the conference, I am reading parts of AIA Guide to the Twin Cities by Larry Millett.

In this architectural guide, Minneapolis precedes St. Paul. In the Central Core section, downtown Minneapolis just north of the convention center is in the first section, sixty buildings and two special features of the area are described and reviewed. The special features are the Nicollet Mall and the Minneapolis Skyway System.

The Nicollet Mall is one of the few pedestrian malls that were designed in cities in the late 1950s and 1960s to have survived. It is a twelve-block-long shopping district with restricted traffic (only buses and cabs). Somewhere along this way, Mary Tyler Moore threw her hat in the air. (I wonder if there is a plaque.)

The skyway system is a network of bridges and walkways that lets people walk between buildings without going outdoors. Here is a map showing skyway with the hotels. It looks like there is a possibility of taking wrong turns and getting lost. If the weather is good, it would be faster to hit the streets instead. The author says that the skyway is popular because of the severe winters in the city, but he regrets that it reduces street traffic vital to retail businesses.

So, it seems that the city pulls you outside with the pedestrian mall and pulls you inside with the skyway. Perhaps it is nice to have the choice.

Back to the architecture. I want to see the Minneapolis Public Library. Millett says that the interior is "suave and gracious, the library delivers that most precious of architectural gifts - the natural daylight." He then compares the exterior to a stack of glass trays, four on one side and five on the other, with an awkward wing that swings up. I need to see it for myself.

There are also AIA Guides for Boston, Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C.

Millett, Larry. AIA Guide to the Twin Cities. Minnesota Historical Society, 2007. ISBN 9780873515405

28 Stories of AIDS in Africa by Stephanie Nolen

Who has AIDS in Africa? Between twenty-five and thirty million people do. Because it is so difficult to understand and care for so many unfortunate people, journalist Stephanie Nolen chose to write about a limited number of individuals with the disease, who have lost family, and/or who treat the victims of the disease. 28 Stories of AIDS in Africa works out to about one story for every one million victims.

Nolen spent six years following the AIDS crisis around Africa. In that time she met people in many countries, revisiting them as their disease progressed or regressed. Her contacts included miners and their wives, truck drivers, soldiers, subsistence farmers, teachers, clergy, shop owners, and sex workers. She visited with grandmothers who cared for all their grandchildren because an entire generation of parents was missing. She also visited children who were on their own, trying to live inconspicuously in dangerous neighborhoods. Many of the stories make you want to cry. Others surprise you with how long the victims have survived.

A theme that runs through the book is that the West does not really understand the epidemic and often acts in ways that worsen the situation. Western governments pledge funds that are never actually delivered, or, when they are, come with conditions that lessen the aid. The donors often require the African governments to use funds to buy more expensive medicines from their own countries, limiting the number of doses that can be purchased. They also like to demand reductions in government bureaucracies so debts can be paid, which, of course, results in reductions in health personnel in hospitals and clinics, making distribution of medicines more difficult.

Many think that the situation is hopeless and write the continent off. Nolen's message is that there is hope. She discusses how some prevention and treatment programs have made progress and could make more if the wealthy nations would offer more helpful help.

Nolen also shows how African governments and cultures have often made the situation worse, too. Here again, she offers evidence that some governments are being to understand their problems. Some of the individuals profiled were the first people to admit having AIDS in their communities. Initially, many were shunned but tolerance is growing as more people suffer deaths in their families.

Nolen provides a list of organizations providing help to African AIDS victims in the back of this important work.

All public libraries should get this book into the hands of their readers.

Nolen, Stephanie. 28 Stories of AIDS in Africa. Walker and Company, 2007. ISBN 9780802715982

Best Book Lists Abound

I enjoy the end of the year when best book lists are everywhere - in newspapers, magazines, websites, and blogs. There are always items that catch my eye that I passed over first time around. Here are a few lists that look particularly interesting to me.

Best Books of 2007 from Reader’s Advisor OnlineReader

Book Sense Picks

Economist Books of the Year

Ten Best Historical Novels by Sarah Johnson of Reading the Past

Best of 2007 from the Village Voice

800-CEO-READ Best Business Books

ricklibrarian's Books That Matter 2007 and Other Awards

It's that time again, Many newspapers, magazines, journals, and other media are publishing their best books lists. One that I found particularly useful was "Books That Shine," a list of cookbooks from 2007 in the Good Eating section of the Chicago Tribune, December 12, 2007, page 1. I ordered six or eight books for the library from this list. I enjoy and benefit much from the end-of-the-year lists.

For the second year, I am now presenting my own best of the year list. Some, but not all, do tend toward the serious side. I am also adding some music, film, and library awards, all chosen through personal deliberation. I hope that you find something of interest to you in the list.

Not every item chosen is actually from 2007. My encounter with each was in 2007.

Recent Nonfiction

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver with Steven L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver. HarperCollins, 2007. ISBN 0060852550

Dear Miss Breed: True Stories of the Japanese American Incarceration During World War II and a Librarian Who Made a Difference by Joanne Oppenheim. Scholastic Nonfiction, 2006. ISBN 0439569923

Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2007. ISBN 9780743264730

Flower Confidential by Amy Stewart. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2007. ISBN 1565124383

Johnny Cash: The Biography by Michael Streissguth. Da Capo Press, 2006. ISBN 0306813688

Killed Cartoons: Casualties from the War on Free Expression. Norton, 2007. ISBN 9780393329247

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah. New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007. ISBN 0374105235

Lose Your Mother: A Journey Along the Atlantic Slave Route by Saidiya Hartman. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007. ISBN 0374270821

The New York Botanical Garden. Abrams, 2006. ISBN 0810957442

The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court by Jeffrey Toobin. Doubleday, 2007. ISBN 0385516401

Stolen Voices: Young People's War Diaries, from World War I to Iraq. Penguin Books, 2006. ISBN 9780143038719

A Stronger Kinship: One Town's Extraordinary Story of Hope and Faith by Anna-Lisa Cox. Little, Brown and Company, 2006. ISBN 0316110183

Best Old Book Newly Discovered

Adventures of a Biographer by Catherine Drinker Bowen. Little, Brown, 1959

Poetry

Domestic Violence: Poems by Eavan Boland. Norton, 2007. ISBN 0393062414

Library Science

Technology Competencies and Training for Libraries by Sarah Houghton-Jan. ALA Techsource, March/April 2007. ISSN 0024-2586.

Movies

Away from Her

The Lives of Others (I never wrote the review)

Nuovomondo

The U.S. vs. John Lennon

Television

Simon Schama's The Power of Art

Music

Love by the Beatles

Living with War by Neil Young

Book Review Blogs

Librarian's Blog

Pop Goes Fiction

Library's Blog

Newton Reads

Best Presentation at a Library Conference

He Reads ... She Reads ... with David Wright of Seattle Public Library and Katie Mediatore of Kansas City Public Library, Missouri.

I now look forward to another year of reading good books. Have any suggestions?

Rumpole Misbehaves by John Mortimer

Rumpole is back with more cases at the Old Bailey. This time he is himself a defendant as his own chambers tries to have him served with an ASBO (Anti-Social Behavior Order) because he is eating, drinking, and smoking in his office. At the same time he is trying to gain a QC (Queen's Council) appointment so he can "wear silk."

From Rumpole Misbehaves by John Mortimer, American readers can learn a lot about British law while laughing at silly characters like Samuel "Soapy" Ballard and Claude Erskine-Brown. Mortimer really is a lawyer, and in this new book he criticizes the ASBO for its excessive regulating of behavior. He is not alone, as the Guardian also reports on its misuse.

Of course, learning about British law is not the real reason to read Rumpole books, which have been coming out since the 1970s. Having read bunches of them, I simple enjoy the continuing story of the aging junior member suffering through the schemes of his wife Hilda (She Who Must Be Obeyed), defending the Timson family in court, and solving a murder case.

Libraries should add this new title to their collection of Rumpole books and DVDs.

Mortimer, John. Rumpole Misbehaves. Viking, 2007. ISBN 9780670018307

Christmas Gifts That Really Matter

For Christmas, my aunt Marian Sue sent me a CD loaded with old photos. Most are of ancestors, but I appeared in this one, in which I seem to be eating pancakes with my hands while my grandmother pours more syrup. I still like pancakes.

I hope your Christmas, Hanukkah, or other holiday presents are just as wonderful.

Ronald Reagan: A Graphic Biography by Andrew Helfer with Art by Steve Buccellato and Joe Staton

Ronald Reagan seems to be a perfect subject for a graphic novel biography, especially one in black-and-white. As an actor, he often played rather comic book figures, and his world view was rather uncomplicated. There were good guys and bad guys. Ronald Reagan: A Graphic Biography by Andrew Helfer with art by Steve Buccellato and Joe Staton reflects these ideas and presents the former president as simply a man who sought fame.

The statement on the back cover claims that Reagan would have enjoyed this telling of his life. He might have, as he seemed to be a person with a sense of humor. He was rarely upset. Besides, for an actor there is no such thing as bad publicity. His fans and the people who worship his legacy may not be so please. I notice that the book is not for sale at the website for the shop at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Foundation.

The book starts in a reverential tone as it tells about Reagan's death and funeral. Then it shows his birth and childhood, college days, early days in radio, and arrival in Hollywood in a mostly positive tone. Only when the story reaches his involvement in the actors union and politics does he become flawed. As depicted by Helfer, Buccellato, and Staton, Reagan seems to have no qualms about the political positions he takes. In his mind he is always right and there is no doubt about it. Winning elections and pushing his agenda become more important than truth and fairness. When Reagan refuses to let his speech writer correct an easily-verifiable factual error in a State of the Union speech because he insists it makes a better story than the truth, the reader knows that Reagan's act has become more important than actual service to the nation.

The final pages seem reverential again. The effect is like tacking a happy ending to a tragic movie.

With so many of the recent books portraying him positively, Ronald Reagan: A Graphic Novel can be seen as a needed balancing viewpoint. Being somewhat sketchy, it can only serve as an introduction, but it does suggest further reading in the back pages. It can go either in the graphic novel section or biography section in public libraries.

Helfer, Andrew. Ronald Reagan: A Graphic Biography. Hill and Wang, 2007. ISBN 9780809095070

Between Barack and a Hard Place: Second City of Chicago's 94th Revue

Last night Bonnie and I attended Between Barack and a Hard Place, a hilarious revue at Second City in Chicago. Without prior knowledge, we were there on the 48th anniversary of the comedy club's founding in an old Chinese laundry in 1959. We got to sing "Happy Birthday" to the club at the beginning of the third set of the evening.

As you can guess from the title, the revue had a good bit of political humor. The members of the troupe began by all declaring that they were Barack Obama, representing every ethnic group and special interest in the country. This theme is repeated throughout the revue with variations. Other sketches deal with terrorism, minor countries that support U. S. occupation of Iraq, tax preparations, smoking in the workplace, and the campaign of Hillary Clinton. Two musical pieces that I particularly liked featured Meagan Flanigan singing a love song to Al Gore and Amber Ruffin singing about why it is a good time to be black.

Other than Obama and Clinton, no other presidential candidates were mentioned in the show. Public libraries were mentioned in the bungling terrorists sketch.

Not all the humor was political. Many of the skits revolved around the problems of being socially awkward. The comedians parodied couples entertaining other couples, students on dates, and workers discussing their sexual orientations. There was not time for applauding because you kept laughing.

One of the pleasures of attending Second City performances is wondering whether you will see any of the players later on television and in movies. So many alums have gone on to great careers in comedy and acting. We may have some trouble being certain of who we saw last night. The photos on the playbill insert are a bit grainy. We are sure that Flanigan and Ruffin were there. Dave Colan was also obviously Dave Colan. Was the guy in the glasses Joe Canale? Was the guy who played Lincoln Tim Sniffen? Who was the other guy? He most definitely did not look like Ithamar Enriquez.

The third and final set for the night was impromptu skits. The players asked the audience for ideas and did "something wonderful right away." Some of the biggest laughs of the night came in these skits.

Here is a bit of advise for attending The Second City, which I recommend:

• Wear warm clothes if you are going in winter. We are not sure whether there was any heat. The crowd did not warm the club.
• Park in the garage just west the club. Unless you park at roof level, you can get in and out without being in the rain or snow. Like the club, it is still cold and there may be ice to avoid while walking into the building. While there is snow, the side streets are a poor choice, as the plowed snow traps lots of cars.
  
• The waiters and waitresses will keep a running tab for you into the second set of the revue. There are nonalcoholic drinks, food, and desserts available in the club.
  
• There are numerous restaurants in the immediate area. Even suburbanites will recognize the chains.

Libraries with comedy collections should consider the books and DVDs for sale by Second City.

51 Birch Street: A Film Discussion Guide

Last night at the Thomas Ford Memorial Library, we had one of the best film discussions that I have ever witnessed. Fourteen people came to see the documentary 51 Birch Street by filmmaker Doug Block. In this film, which begins when his mother dies, he seeks to learn why his father would remarry within three months of her death. Was his parents' 54-year marriage a happy one? When his father decides to sell the family home, he and his sisters come to sort through all the possessions. They discover 30 years worth of journals written by the late mother.

After the film ended, the discussion began and lasted for half a hour. I did not need a list of questions or to even direct the conversation. Here are questions that the viewers asked and discussed.

1. Is it right to read a deceased person's journals? How would you know whether they intended them to be read? Would you want to know what is in your parent's journals?
2. Would you trust what was written in a journal?
   
3. Why do children dislike the idea of a surviving parent remarrying? Should there be a period of grief observed before remarrying? When life expectancy is already short, is there a reason to wait?
   
4. Was Block's mother depressed? Did the traditional housewife role doom her? Would she have enjoyed life more if she had a job? Did psychotherapy help her?
5. Was Block's parents' marriage a mistake? Were they just not compatible? Was she incapable of love or was he incapable? Was making do for so many years acceptable?
   
6. Did Block's father have an affair? What constitutes "an affair"? How did he reconnect with his new wife so quickly after more than thirty years?
   
7. Why do Block's sisters disappear in the latter part of the movie?
8. Is Block honest about his own feelings about marriage?
9. How do fathers and sons learn to accept each other? What right does Block have to ask his father such personal questions?

I was struck by the sheer amount of stuff that in the Block house after 50 years. It is so funny and sad how the father keeps trying to get the son take some of the things that he has saved for so many years.

I had thought that the film might be terribly sad, but it was not. Block takes the film in directions that the audience does not expect, probably because he was very surprised by the developments. I recommend it to public library discussion groups.

The Haunted Land: Facing Europe's Ghosts After Communism by Tina Rosenberg

Four out of six said they disliked the book. It was "dry," "long," "boring," etc. Three of them did not finish reading it. Still, they joined in a very lively discussion of The Haunted Land: Facing Europe's Ghosts After Communism by Tina Rosenberg at our monthly church book group.

Of course, I found the book fascinating and compelling. Having recently seen the movie Das Leden der Anderen (The Lives of Others), I wanted to learn more about the culture of distrust and betrayal prevalent in Soviet-block countries and how the end of communism had affected many lives. I was not disappointed, as The Haunted Land was filled with interesting stories about Czechoslovakia (before the split), Poland, and East Germany. I do admit, however, that the section on Poland focused too much on Wojciech Jaruzelski, the prime minister who declared martial law in 1981. It would have been more interesting to have read about Polish soldiers and intelligence agents under orders to suppress Solidarity. Like communist agents in the other countries, they must have had mixed feelings.

The section on Czechoslovakia discusses the lustrace laws, which were designed to keep communist collaborators out of public service in the post-communist government. The difficulty was that almost everyone other than youth had talked with intelligence officers at some point in their life. Many had provided sensitive information unwittingly. Because their names were on lists of informers, many talented people found themselves left out of the new government unfairly. Some lost their jobs, and there was no method to challenge the rulings.

My favorite section of the book deals with East Germany. According to Rosenberg's account, the Stasi records on individuals were opened to the public after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Many people who went to read their own files discovered that their friends and family had informed on them. Others found that sympathetic Stasi had actually shielded them by writing false reports. Viewers of The Lives of Others will conclude that the actions of agent Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler were not unbelievable.

The Haunted Land is now a historical work, as much has changed in twelve years in the formerly communist countries. Though it will never be a popular book, this National Book Award winner is still worth reading for it captures a moment in time when it was difficult to judge guilt and innocence and to know when forgiveness should be offered. Retain your copy if you have one.

Rosenberg, Tina. The Haunted Land: Facing Europe's Ghosts After Communism. Random House, 1995. ISBN 0679422153

Moooving Art

Moooving Art
Originally uploaded by ricklibrarian.

From Sarah at LibrarianInBlack I learned about the museum photo toys at Dumpr. You can put your favorite photos into art gallery scenes. You can insert photos directly from your computer or from Flickr. Then you can send it to Flickr, send in an email, or save to your computer. It is very easy, fun, and free.

Here is one of my favorites from my November trip to West Texas. I also have an entire folder of cattle photos from the family ranch, if you like to look at cattle. The calves are sort of cute. They don't really stay that way very long, except in nice photos.

Enjoy.

The Eye of the Lynx: Galileo, His Friends, and the Beginnings of Modern Natural History by David Freedberg

In writing my reference book on biography, I have been seeking out group biographies, books in which the several individuals are profiled (perhaps with chapters) and their relationships described. I think it was in the bookshop at the Morton Arboretum that I first saw The Eye of the Lynx: Galileo, His Friends, and the Beginnings of Modern Natural History by David Freedberg. I may have seen it in a catalog from the University of Chicago Press. Perhaps I read a review. I am uncertain, but I did see it somewhere and placed a request for the book. It landed on my desk late last week.

Now I have the book in my hands, and it weighs a ton. The high quality paper and the binding are appropriate for an art book, which it is. It is also a history of science text, which includes beautiful reproductions of scientific illustrations from various members of the Academy of Linceans, a seventeenth century Italian organization founded by Prince Federico Cesi in 1603. Though Galileo was a member, most of the illustration (some in color) are from other members. Because they were a diverse lot, there are drawing of the planets, plants, insects, mammals, birds, and fossils.

What is important about this group is that they pioneered methods of dissecting specimens and drew structures not apparent from a glance at the exterior surfaces. There was some drama in their lives, for in the wake of Galileo's trial for heresy, their revolutionary drawings were dangerous. Because church authorities discouraged studies that contradicted accepted explanations of nature, they only shared their work among trusted friends.

The story of how Freedberg came to write this book is included. He found a cupboard full of old drawings in Windsor Castle about which there was little information. He began an investigation, which took him across Europe in search of more drawings and the identities of the Linceans.

The reader of The Eye of the Lynx learns much about the study of natural history and how the art of drawing advanced the sciences, but personal details about the men involved are pretty buried in this text. So, I am not adding it to my biography book, but I want to recommend it to someone who enjoys botanic and zoological drawings. You may have to request it from a special or academic library.

Freedberg, David. The Eye of the Lynx: Galileo, His Friends, and the Beginnings of Modern Natural History. University of Chicago Press, 2002. ISBN 0226261476.

In Hiring, Is Your Library the New York Yankees or the Minnesota Twins?

My way of thinking about hiring reference librarians has been challenged. I had not even realized that I had an assumption about practices regarding large and small libraries and the individuals that they add to their teams. Now I see there is another viewpoint, which has some merit. Of course, reality falls between the philosophies.

It has been said that to understand America, you must understand baseball. I think baseball modeling can apply to libraries, too. So, I ask this question:

Is your library the New York Yankees or the Minnesota Twins?

I have always thought that smaller public libraries take a more Minnesota Twins approach to hiring librarians. Not able to offer the highest salaries, smaller libraries tend to choose recent library school graduates (fresh from their farm teams) and put them in the lineup. They then field questions at the reference desk and go to bat for the libraries to order books, plan events, and design websites. These rookies bring a lot of excitement into the smaller libraries and develop a strong fan following.

After a few years, these librarians elect to become free agents and hire themselves to new teams at higher salaries. Larger libraries, like the New York Yankees, are always looking for veteran players who excel in the game. These institutions accumulate the stars, the heavy hitters, the gold glove librarians who will make few errors.

It was suggested to me recently that this thinking is all wrong and that new librarians should start with the big libraries and that the smaller libraries need the veterans. New librarians need the mentors and the greater resources available in the big libraries. In small libraries, where a librarian may often be alone without another professional on deck, a veteran will know what to do in difficult situations and need few reference tools because she will know how to get the answers from what she has on hand.

This challenge has made me look around, and I see that both philosophies are in practice. Recent graduates go to both small and large libraries. They learn a lot when they are the only players on the field, or they benefit from being with vets in a full lineup. Veteran librarians are sometimes moving to smaller libraries where they may be more comfortable than in large organizations. Sadly, no one is throwing money around like the Yankees.

Ironically, when I think about my career, I realize that I actually started at a fairly large library and then moved to a small library. Subsequently I worked for a big organization and then a small one again. I will take my bat and glove wherever I am needed.

Few of us are like Craig Biggio, Kirby Puckett, or Robin Yount, staying with one team. Most of us aspire to be Don Baylor or Nolan Ryan, starring for several libraries.

Put me in coach! Let's play two!

From Midnight to Dawn: The Last Tracks of the Underground Railroad by Jacqueline L. Tobin

Sometimes titles deceive. In choosing From Midnight to Dawn: The Last Tracks of the Underground Railroad as her title, Jacqueline L. Tobin has shortchanged her book, which is about much more than the transport of escaped American slaves before the Civil War. Instead, she depicts racial conditions in various regions before the war and explains how regional differences destabilized the continent. She tells about the abolitionist movement and the press it spawned, the passing of the Fugitive Slave bill and its application (or lack of) in various states, organizations to aid fugitives once they reach free lands, and the development of black communities in Canada. Her book is more about the context in which the Underground Railroad ran than about the running of the Railroad.

What does it matter? Well, student looking for escape stories or descriptions of the routes taken by fugitives will be disappointed by Tobin's book. There are, however, many other books with these stories. What the author contributes to the literature are stories of the black communities in Canada, like Buxton, Sandwich, Wilberforce, and Dawn. Getting to Canada was not the end of the story. The fugitives did not all live happily ever after. There were hard winters, lands to plow, good and bad neighbors, bills to pay, rights to be earned. Abolitionists in the U.S. spent much time reporting on and debating the merits of these communities. Should they send aid or would blacks better learn self-reliance if they got no aid? Should free blacks receive the same help as fugitives? What agreements went with the aid, such as temperance or church attendance? Could the communities serve as models for forming black communities in the South after Emancipation?

Readers of From Midnight to Dawn learn much about the abolitionist press, which was far from united in mission. Some writers really wanted all the blacks sent back to Africa. Opinions about Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin and about John Brown's attack on Harper's Ferry varied. The role of women in abolition was also debated. Ironically, not much was said by abolitionists about the Underground Railroad, which needed secrecy to survive the Fugitive Slave Law.

Readers who think the 21st Century is remarkable for its communities divided by controversies need only read this book to see that nothing is new. Look for it in public libraries.

Tobin, Jacqueline L. From Midnight to Dawn: The Last Tracks of the Underground Railroad. Doubleday, 2006. ISBN 038551431X

Shaggy Muses: The Dogs Who Inspired Virginia Woolf, Emily Dickinson, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Edith Wharton, and Emily Bronte by Maureen Adams

Dog stories are pretty hot in the publishing world right now. It was only a matter of time before the trend would cross from the memoir camp to literary biography. Maureen Adams accomplished this feat with her new book Shaggy Muses: The Dogs Who Inspired Virginia Woolf, Emily Dickinson, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Edith Wharton, and Emily Bronte.

Dogs are known for their loyalty and freely-given companionship, which was something all of the women in this book needed. All of the dogs sat with their mistresses as they wrote their stories, poems, and essays. They also became subjects in some of their greatest works.

The best story in this book may be the first, that of Browning and her dog Flush. Caring for her dog got the young invalid out of bed and eventually led her to stand up against the wishes of her father, who refused to ransom the kidnapped dog. Browning defied him and arranged for the ransom to be paid to get her beloved dog back. She might never have eloped with Robert Browning had she not learned she could trump her father. Flush went with the couple to Italy, where he lived out his days happily.

After the story of Flush, Shaggy Muses is not a warm and fuzzy read. The remaining women had many problems, and their dogs sometimes played roles in disturbing episodes. In great anger over his getting on the furniture, Emily Bronte beat her dog Keeper savagely; she immediately regretted her outburst and nursed his injuries. This uncontrollable violence is reflected in incidents in Wuthering Heights.

Virginia Woolf wrote about her dog Pinka's feelings of loneliness instead of her own in letters to her lover Vita Sackville-West. Her husband Leonard also deflected some of his thoughts through the dogs in his messages to Virginia. No one seemed willing to admit their own feelings.

Late in life Woolf wrote Flush, a book about Browning's dog. Though it was supposed to be a quick, easy project, she spent over two years researching and writing what is now a mostly forgotten book. She realized what an important character Flush was and gave him full biographical treatment.

I enjoyed Shaggy Muses as both a dog book and as an easy introduction to the lives five literary women. The book deserves to be in more public libraries.

Adams, Maureen. Shaggy Muses: The Dogs Who Inspired Virginia Woolf, Emily Dickinson, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Edith Wharton, and Emily Bronte. Ballantine Books, 2007. ISBN 9780345484062

The Canning Season by Polly Horvath

Needing an audiobook for a long, lonely drive from Iowa, wanting something to keep me awake, I looked at the teen collection in my library where I have found good books in the past. I choose The Canning Season by Polly Horvath based on the Chas Adams-like art work on the box. I think that I may have seen the title on recommended lists, but I knew nothing about it. Embracing the attitude of blind discovery, I checked it out.

I like some teen audiobooks because they have engaging characters and their stories move along at a quick pace. They often have irreverent viewpoints, satirizing adults who are bound by the conventions of the adult world. They also remind me how horrible and wonderful that it is to be young. For all these reasons, The Canning Season was a good choice.

The story starts in Pensacola, Florida. The central character is a girl named Ratchet, who has a "thing" on her left shoulder that she hides as commanded by her mother. Her single mother, who struggles to pay for their basement apartment and a few groceries, is really more grossed out by the "thing" than Ratchet herself, perhaps feeling guilt for the birth defect. In desperation, she sends her daughter up to Maine to spend a summer with her aged aunts Tilly and Penpen, who run a blueberry canning business on a remote estate. One aunt holds the shotgun and watches for bears while the other picks the wild blueberries in the woods.

The great aunts are twins who have spent years out in the woods in an old mansion with a telephone that accepts but does not make calls. The place is surrounded by bears, who may have eaten the servants years ago. Neither aunt has gotten a driver's license, but that does not stop "those queer Menuto women," who have a very old car that they take into town to get their mail once a week. They also have a pact to die together.

During the course of a long summer, they are joined by Harper, another abandoned teen, who longs for a good meal, an Internet connection, and a new swimsuit. Getting food onto the table and being civil to others are just two of the challenges the strange quartet face. As wickedly funny as The Canning Season is, it also becomes sweet near the end, as the four deal with aging, death, and commitment.

Read by actress Julie Dretzin, The Canning Season is a good audiobook for long, lonely drive.

Horvath, Polly. The Canning Season. Recorded Books, 2003. 5 CDs. ISBN 1402566069.