Sophie Scholl: The Real Story of the Woman Who Defied Hitler by Frank McDonough

Just a nudge, a little thoughtless push, and a stack of leaflets floated down from a balcony over a university lecture hall entryway. In an unguarded moment, twenty-one year old Sophie Scholl sealed her fate. She and her brother Hans would be captured for distributing their leaflets calling for the German people to protest against Hitler and the Nazis. Within days, she, her brother, and another member of the White Rose fellowship would be tried and executed as a message to all who contemplated resistance to Nazi rule.

Few Americans know of Sophie Scholl, but according to Frank McDonough in Sophie Scholl: The Real Story of the Woman Who Defied Hitler, Scholl was chosen in a recent poll as the most admired German woman of the twentieth century. Schools and streets throughout the country are named for the young woman who was at the heart of the small group of students with courage to speak up against absolute rule of the Nazis and protest the killing of Jews, communists, and handicapped people. In Germany, there have been many biographies of Scholl, but McDonough contends that most repeat undocumented stories that depict Scholl and her brother as saintly, which he says they were not. While the sister and brother were idealistic children of a philosophical father and devoutly religious mother, they had to overcome fears and set aside their pleasures to take up clandestine actions against the Nazis. They even disagreed whether a campaign of graffiti helped their cause.

Scholl and the members of the White Rose were not without mixed feelings. Several members had been in the German Army before attending the University in Munich. Sophie's boyfriend was on the Russian Front. How to support the troops while protesting the war was a delicate issue that arose each time they edited another leaflet.

McDonough is a history reader at Liverpool John Moores University specializing in Anglo-German relations. In Sophie Scholl, he sets out to discover the real woman, who was energetic, idealistic, a bit naive, always a bit of a tomboy. In doing so, he points out that she should be a hero to women's rights groups as much as for her protests of war, for she endured many hardships to get accepted at the university in Munich. Nazi policy makers were working to remove all women from higher education and might have succeeded if the war and extermination of non-Aryans had not taken precedence.

Sophie Scholl is a quick reading biography that gives readers a street level view of Germany during World War II. It is a British publication but it is available in the U.S. and Canada.

McDonough, Frank. Sophie Scholl: The Real Story of the Woman Who Defied Hitler. History Press, 2009. ISBN 9780752446752.

Cold: Adventures in the World's Frozen Places by Bill Streever

How cold can it get? When is cold dangerous? How do plants and animals survive extreme conditions? What do glaciers and rock formations tell us about our past and future? Biologist Bill Streever of the North Slope Science Initiative spends much of his time with these and other cold climate questions in his new book Cold: Adventures in the World's Frozen Places.

In Cold, Streever reports a year's worth of his observations, mostly made from Alaska. He starts his weather diary in July in Prudhoe Bay at the height of Arctic summer, seeing how long he can stand in thirty-five degree water in just his swimsuit before hypothermia forces him back onto shore. While he chills, he remembers many ill-fated Arctic expeditions and deadly winter storms that struck the lower forty-eight states, telling how people and animals fared when the cold set in. He comes back to why people live and die throughout the book, and in the process, he describes the places he visits, many very cold but starkly beautiful.

I was surprised to learn that Alaskans pour ice roads in the winter, using water drained from ice-covered lakes. As long as it is very cold, the roads survive truck traffic, but they disintegrate quickly come spring.

In the chapter "March," Streever tells us "Cotton kills" because it hold in seven times more water than wool. Other fabrics, mostly synthetics, are even better at capturing pockets of air and repelling moisture to keep people warm in extreme conditions. He also describes hypothermia warning signs as the "umbles." You are trouble when you mumble, fumble, grumble, stumble, and tumble.

Cold is an entertaining mixture of microhistory of weather, natural history of Arctic places, and survival guide with lighthearted doses of memoir thrown in. It s a quick read that many popular science fans will enjoy.

Streever, Bill. Cold: Adventures in the World's Frozen Places. Little, Brown & Company, 2009. ISBN 9780316042918

Blog with Integrity

Following the lead of other bloggers whom I respect, I have signed the Blog with Integrity pledge, promising to behave ethically and respectfully. What this implies is that I will strive to review books, media, or other products fairly, taking no payments or gifts for anything I say. If I know and like an author, which will happen when reviewing library science titles, I will reveal this. I will keep all conversations polite and constructive. I will identify sources when quoting. I will credit to others for their ideas.

One of the tenets of the pledge is that I be willing to criticize as well as praise. With that I agree, but you may notice most of my reviews are positive. I mostly read books that I feel sure to like.

Anyone wants to know more can click on this link.

Brookfield Zoo and the Chicago Zoological Society by Douglas Deuchler and Carla W. Owens

The Brookfield Zoo is one of my favorite places. When my daughter was little and we lived in Brookfield, Illinois, we were there at least once a week year round. It's like my backyard, and I have come to know a lot about the place since my first visit in 1982. So I was eager to see Brookfield Zoo and the Chicago Zoological Society by Douglas Deuchler and Carla W. Owens.

Like all Image of America series books from Arcadia Publishing, Brookfield Zoo and the Chicago Zoological Society is a 128-page paperback filled with annotated black-and-white photographs. These photographs drawn from the zoo archives and other sources are sequenced chronologically to tell about the building of the zoo, its maturation, and its rise as a leader in world conservation. Particular emphasis is given to its buildings, notable animals, special events, and zoo-goers experiences.

I both enjoyed seeing the familiar and unfamiliar in the photos. I remember the old dolphinarium, Olga the Walrus, the narrow-gauge railroad, the old Giraffe House where the okapis lived, the old Motor Safari vehicles with their animal-skin paint jobs, and Mold-A-Rama figurines. Most of these are gone and some have been replaced with something better, but the memories are still fond.

I also learned many things about the zoos past:

• In the 1930s, you could rent a wheeled chair (a chair on a sort of dolly) for 50 cents an hour and an attendant to push it for an additional 25 cents.
• The zoo encouraged feeding bears marshmallows until the late 1950s.
• The Aquatic Bird House originally had a bright Art Deco interior.
• The mote around Baboon Island was drained in 1948 after a ten-year old boy climbed over the guard rail and fell in.
• It took eleven zoo employees to carry a giant anaconda, the world's heaviest snake.
• Roosevelt Fountain was not constructed until 1954, decades after it was planned.

As with all Image of America books, I am left with unanswered questions, such as where were the pandas kept. 128 pages is not enough for 75 years of zoo history. I am glad that we also have Let the Lions Roar: The Evolution of the Brookfield Zoo by Andrea Ross, which goes into more detail. Brookfield Zoo and the Chicago Zoological Society by Douglas Deuchler and Carla W. Owens is a good supplement and update to the longer book. Both make me want to go back to the zoo tomorrow.

Deuchler, Douglas and Owens, Carla W. Brookfield Zoo and the Chicago Zoological Society. Arcadia Publishing, 2009. ISBN 9780738560922

The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family by Annette Gordon-Reed

I have finally finished listening to the highly acclaimed family biography The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family by Annette Gordon-Reed. At thirty-one hours thirty minutes on twenty-five compact discs, which I listened to over the course of three weeks, the audiobook is as long as some college classes. I wonder if I can apply for credit. I feel that I learned as much or more than I did in some of my classes.

You might wonder why I might commit that much time to one book, which in print is 798 pages. I usually would not, as I really prefer my books to stay under 300 pages. I was intrigued by how it was repeatedly named on best books lists for 2008, and now marketing myself as a biography expert, I felt compelled to give it a shot. Audio sounded liked a good option, as I could drive, cook, and garden while listening to the detailed account of the slave family owned by Thomas Jefferson from the death of his father-in-law John Wayles in 1773 until his own death in 1826.

Listening to the audiobook, I sometimes wondered whether it was properly named, as there were sections in which Gordon-Reed discussed Jefferson without even mentioning the Hemingses. Chapters that focused on Sally Hemings, her mother Elizabeth Hemings, or her brothers James, John, Martin, and Robert, however, never failed to mention Jefferson, which I suppose is unavoidable in light of slave-master relationships. I can accept the title because "Monticello" is the name of a world created by and maintained for Jefferson. The Hemingses were fully absorbed into and trapped by that world. I would estimate the book is 50% Jefferson, 20% Sally Hemings, 20% James Hemings, and 10% everybody else.

Read by Karen White, The Hemingses of Monticello is mesmerizing, but not because there is a flowing narrative. Gordon-Reed takes time and is very thorough in examining the issues of every aspect of lives of Jefferson with his slaves. For example, the arrival of Sally Hemings as the companion of Jefferson's daughter Mary, also known as "Polly," to the London home of John and Abigail Adams after crossing the Atlantic in 1787 gets thirty minutes on the audiobook. The author discusses how Jefferson had asked for a different companion, the precarious nature of the trip, the Adams's assessments of the slave girl, and Jefferson's failure to come from Paris personally to retrieve the pair of young girls. It is only around disc 16 that Jefferson and his party return to America from France. I decided while listening that Gordon-Reed would be an excellent expert witness in a court of law.

It would be interesting to know how the book affects public opinion of Jefferson. Gordon-Reed seems very evenhanded, describing how self-centered and hypocritical the slave-owner could be, but also putting him into the context of his day. Virginia laws made it very difficult to free slaves, and life as freemen was full of dangers for blacks in all of the American colonies. Life under Jefferson seems to have been better than many other possibilities but still maddeningly wrong.

Taking up The Hemingses of Monticello is not to be done lightly. Allow plenty of time. If you do start, don't worry about writing down names. You'll know them all in the end.

Gordon-Reed, Annette. The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family. Tantor Audio, 2009. 25 compact discs. ISBN: 9781400109753

Also, W.W. Norton, 2009. 798p. ISBN: 9780393064773

Eco Barons: The Dreamers, Schemers, and Millionaires Who Are Saving Our Planet by Edward Humes

When people say "biography," many think about big books, such as Lincoln by David Herbert Donald or John Adams by David McCullough. Readers of biography, however, do not always have to devote days or weeks to big books to get the pleasure of learning about celebrated characters. Though they do not often get much notice, collective biographies have long been an option for biography readers. We Are Lincoln's Men by Donald and Brave Companions by McCullough are notable examples. Even Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson has tried her hand at collective biography, having written American Heroines and Leading Ladies. Now, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Edward Humes offers Eco Barons: The Dreamers, Schemers, and Millionaires Who Are Saving Our Planet.

If I were a great follower of the business pages in newspaper and magazines, I might have known more about the subjects profiled in Eco Barons before I picked it to read. Doug Tompkins, who supports many environmental organizations and is buying vast reserves in Chile, started the North Face camping equipment and clothing company and then made a fortune selling fashionable clothes under the Esprit label. Roxanne Quimby began selling her Burt's Bee's products at craft fairs and ended up with millions of dollars in land in rural Maine. Terry Tamminen advanced from cleaning swimming pools for the rich and famous to becoming California governor Arnold Schwarznegger's secretary for the environment. Of course, I did know Ted Turner, the media mogul who started Turner Broadcasting and CNN, who has bought vast ranches in the West to turn into wilderness preserves.

As you might expect, rich people turning vast areas into wilderness does not always please area residents who earn their livings from industries that exploit natural resources. Tompkins and Turner in particular seem to have upset many people with secretive purchases and sudden announcements that their lands were closed to mining, lumbering, hunting, fishing, off road vehicles, and development. They have also fought the building of roads and the damming of rivers. Humes also profiles aggressive environmental lawyers, including Kieran Suckling and Peter Galvin of the Center for Biological Diversity, who have used the Endangered Species Act to halt clear cutting of forests and force various governmental administrations, Democratic and Republican alike, to enforce environmental laws. All of these people have received death threats from opponents. While the author's profiles of these men and women are mostly admiring, he does show how some have lacked basic understanding of their opponents. The most inspiring story may be that of Quimby who found listening and speaking with the people affected by her plans, offering them some reassurance, helped her save more land.

Humes's very readable profiles range from 20 to 80 pages and include quotes from the subjects, their colleagues, and opponents. Because Eco Barons includes much economic and scientific information, most libraries are shelving it in their ecology section, though it could justifiably be kept with biographies.

Humes, Edward. Eco Barons: The Dreamers, Schemers, and Millionaires Who Are Saving Our Planet. Ecco, 2009. 367p. ISBN 9780061350290

Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend by Larry Tye

When I think of legends, I think of St. Patrick or Pocahontas. These legendary figures lived in less documented times that allowed oral embroidering of their stories. Some of their well-told tales are, of course, improbable or impossible, such as St. Patrick chasing all the snakes out of Ireland. Because these stories are so good and speak to human emotions, however, they survive - at least until some biographer comes along, digs into the historical records, and reveals a more likely story. (Notice that I did not say the "true" story.) While debunking legends may sound like a formula for dismal reading, it has in fact yielded some fascinating books, such as St. Patrick of Ireland: A Biography by Philip Freeman and Pocahontas: Medicine Woman, Spy, Entrepreneur, Diplomat by Paula Gunn Allen. These books have a bit of mystery, a dose of author sleuthing, and surprisingly good characters revealed.

Modern times are not conductive to the emergence of new legends. To find any, the seeker has to get away from well-documented life and into overlooked places where "left behind" people gather. The ballparks of Negro League Baseball during the 1920s to 1940s were just such places, breeding grounds for many legendary characters. According to journalist Larry Tye in his book Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend, Leroy "Satchel" Paige was the most famous of the legendary black ballplayers. He certainly spawned the greatest number of folktales.

Did Satchel Paige really wave his outfielders away and then strike out three opposing batters with the bases loaded? Yes, several times in varying circumstances against different opposing teams. Did he ever get burned by his flare for the dramatic? Yes. Did the fans adore him? Yes, even when he behaved poorly. Did he truly follow his rules for staying young? Now there is a really good question. The proponent of clean living was often seen with a drink and smoke.

While fans and many teammates worshiped Paige, managers often wanted him off the team. He broke almost every team rule without regret, as owners often paid manager-imposed fines for him. The managers usually got their ways eventually, as Paige would skip out. He never saw a contract he couldn't break.

In Satchel, Tye has succeeded in making Paige a likeable character without overlooking his many faults. There is enough game detail to please the sports reader without boring the biography reader. The book should be in most public libraries for years to come.

Tye, Larry. Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend. Random House, 2009. ISBN 9781400066513

Nobody Knows, a Film by Kore-Eda Hirokazu

Taking care of our children is a responsibility that most of us assume willingly. We are with them each morning as they wake and put them to bed at night. We provide food, clothing, shelter, and whatever they need for school and play. If we have several children, we may teach the oldest to help us with the younger ones. If, however, we are very poor and need to work outside the home at odd hours, the normal routine may be altered, and the older child sometimes is asked to do more than is fair and reasonable. This is the case to the extreme in a shocking film from Japan, Nobody Knows, directed by Kore-Eda Hirokazu.

In Nobody Knows, an unmarried mother of four moves her family into an apartment with rules against young children. In the opening scenes, she introduces only Akira, a teenage boy, to her new landlord. She sneaks her other three children into the apartment, the two smallest in suitcases, which were sent with the moving van! As a viewer, you know immediately that something is wrong.

Negligence is followed with abandonment in this film based on actual events. While it happened in Toyko, it could and probably is happening in Chicago, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Paris, and other large cities where people do not know their neighbors. I am especially reminded of Paris, as there are scenes very reminiscent of those in films by Francois Truffaut, who featured children in The 400 Blows and Small Change. Like Truffaut, Hirokazu has managed to film children being children with no traces of fiction.

At two hours and nineteen minutes, the film seems slightly long. I was riveted but emotionally drained during the last half hour. If not for the length, I would recommend it very strongly for film discussion groups. I'm sure the film group at my library would have a lively discussion after viewing. In any case, it belongs in collections that feature foreign films.

Hirokazu, Kore-Eda. Nobody Knows. MGM DVD, 2005. ISBN 0792867394

Letters from Eden: A Year at Home, in the Woods by Julie Zickefoose

Listening to podcasts is lengthening my books-to-read list. It is easy to understand how listening to book review podcasts would do that, but they are not alone in driving the book push. I am finding many titles through science and even birding podcasts. One title that was recommended is Letters from Eden: A Year at Home, in the Woods by Julie Zickefoose.

Letters from Eden is a collection of Zickefoose's columns from Bird Watcher's Digest. They are rearranged in seasonal groups to tell the story of a "year" at her home in rural southeastern Ohio in the northernmost reaches of the Appalachian foothills. There she is well situated to see a cross-section of birds from eastern and midwestern zones. She describes the birds and their behaviors over a number of years.

I have fallen for Zickefoose's writings. She is what she describes as a "science monkey," always observing all the life around her. There are, of course, many observations of birds, but there is also more. One of the most memorable stories is about her raising and then parting with a bullfrog, whom she witnesses eating her songbirds.

I enjoy her enthusiasm and drive, as expressed in this paragraph, written after her second child started school:

... I was alone with the silence of the house. I knew it was heaven, but it was too quiet. ... I needed something else to care for. The orchids and greenhouse and the bonsais and gardens and aquarium and fishpond and macaw and bird feeders and hummingbirds and house and husband and (momentarily absent) kids just aren't enough.

So she wanted to get chickens, too. Zickefoose is certainly not a person to make excuses about being too busy to take on new challenges.

Letters from Eden is a great book that nearly no one knows. There is only one copy in the Metropolitan Library System's SWAN catalog of eighty plus libraries. That one library strangely has put it in the juvenile collection, where it certainly does not belong. I suspect a children's librarian bought it when it was recommended to her by client. Maybe a cataloguer quickly put it there because it has Zickefoose's beautiful drawings and watercolors. It is hard to believe so many of us missed this book. None of the major review journals seems to have reviewed, despite it being from a major publishing house. We have to look past the journals to find good books.

Zickefoose, Julie. Letters from Eden: A Year at Home, in the Woods. Houghton Mifflin, 2006. ISBN 9780618573080

Virtual Author Tour for Inheriting the Trade

When I think of book blogs and websites, I think of the content as spontaneous, created on the spot for the moment. I should shelve that idea. These sites are now established and somewhat planned, as evidenced by Thomas DeWolf's virtual author tour to support his book Inheriting the Trade: A Northern Family Confronts Its Legacy as the Largest Slave Trading Dynasty in U.S. History. A look at his website shows a schedule for interviews and other events to be posted on website, such as Bookzillion, Powell's eNewsletter, and Library Thing. He is tireless in his effort to address our country's racial past and present.

We will be reading DeWolf's book at Thomas Ford this fall, too. Our book discussion group is focusing on it at our October 7 meeting, and our film discussion group will be viewing his cousin Katrina Browne's Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North on October 30. Anyone in the area is welcome to come.

Wildflower: An Extraordinary Life and Untimely Death in Africa by Mark Seal

Recognition of known places is an appeal factor that Mark Seal probably discounted in writing Wildflower: An Extraordinary Life and Untimely Death in Africa. Most American readers have not been to Africa, except via wildlife documentaries, such as the ones produced by Alan and Joan Root in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. In this heart-wrenching biography, Seal recounts the life of Joan Root, her marriage to Alan, a brilliant but reckless cinematographer, and her tragic murder against the background of Africa's Great Rift Valley, a place of stunning scenery and desperate people. The exotic setting will be a plus for many readers.

However, I have been to Tanzania and Kenya and was taken back there by the story. I know the dining room in the lodge above the Ngorongoro Crater where Alan first met Joan. I was sick the long hour that I sat there sipping tonic water, which may have burned the room into my memory. I also know the switchbacks that they descended to get into the crater for a game drive on their "first date." Throughout the book are great places I have visited - the Serengeti, Samburu, Mt. Kenya, Lake Nakuru, Tsavo, and Arusha - as well many others that I would someday like to visit. So for me, the appeal is familiarity.

In Wildflower, Seal offers readers a sympathetic look at a woman who was very loyal to an unworthy husband. Joan did everything for Alan and never really gave up her hope that he would some day return. I found her very admirable, but it would be interesting to know how other readers react.

Most importantly, Wildflower is a riveting story with elements of adventure, romance, and crime narratives. Because he tells about his visits with her friends and includes many quotes from Joan's letters to her mother, the account also has an intimate feel. I think readers will enjoy this quick reading book.

Seal, Mark. Wildflower: An Extraordinary Life and Untimely Death in Africa. Random House, 2009. ISBN 9781400067367

The Reference Equation: What I Really Want

I had a dream a few nights ago that a decorating committee from the board of trustees got rid of the reference collection without consulting me. The reason given was they did not "look so good anymore." All the bookshelves were taken away. Big potted plants were put around the open room, and a few plasma screens were mounted on the walls. The screens were touch activated and had no "unsightly" keyboards. To get to them, clients had to get around the plants. The dream still haunts me.

In reality, I am the one who has gotten rid of bunches of reference books that are no longer being used. Not wanting what remains to follow quickly, I have been urging the other reference librarians and public to remember and use them.

At the same time, I am very excited about our joining a consortium of libraries to acquire dozens of databases in a big group purchase. To make this really good deal really good, I am urging all the reference librarians to remember them and use them. Click here to see what we now have. It is an impressive list.

It occurred to me that there is some an unstated desire behind my urgings, which might be seen as contradictory. How can you use both the books and the databases more. It becomes clearer when I put it in an equation.

More use of reference books + more use of database = more reference questions answered.

The problem with this equation is that "more reference questions" is stated as the result. This is actually backwards.

More reference questions asked = more use of reference books + more use of databases.

That's what I really want. I want the whole community to rise up because they know how good we are at what we do and ask us more questions. I want us to be in place, at the desk and around the collections and on the phone and on the web, available and eager to answer the many questions coming our way. And I want us to enjoy the pleasures of opening those great reference books and searching those powerful databases.

Oh, am I still dreaming? Maybe. Don't wake me.

Now the Drum of War: Walt Whitman and His Brothers in the Civil War by Robert Roper

As the American Civil War began, Walt Whitman was known by literate society of New York, New England, and Washington, D.C., but he could still walk the streets and woods mostly unrecognized, despite his height and great beard. Some of those walks would have been with or to see his male lovers, but he seems to have sought solitude often. He had published three editions of Leaves of Grass, written and edited for several newspapers, including one in New Orleans, met Emerson and Thoreau, and made a little money building houses in Brooklyn. In his early forties as the war began, he had his family much on his mind, according to Robert Roper in his book Now the Drum of War: Walt Whitman and His Brothers in the Civil War.

Walt Whitman was the second of six brothers. He also had two sisters, one still at home in the early 1860s. His older brother Jesse was said to be the brightest, but he hit his head falling from a mast as a sailor; he suffered years of mental illness, sometimes in a hospital, but often kept in the Whitman home. During the war, Whitman's mother cared for this sometimes violent man, as well as his brother Andrew, dying from some uncertain disease (syphilis?) that mustered him out of the Union army, and his brother Edward, who was born with physical and mental disabilities. Also in the home were brother Jeff, who was struggling to find steady work as an engineer, Jeff's wife and two young daughters, and a family of unhappy renters, who had control of the only faucet. By 1863, the mood in the house was sometimes explosive.

In Now the Drum of War, Roper tells how the steady presence of Mother Whitman and the letters and money from the two brothers away from home supported the family. Brother George was with the New York 51st, a regiment that fought in many of the bloodiest battles of the war. News of his injury at an early stage of the conflict is what got Walt out of Brooklyn. Finding that his brother was hardly hurt, Walt returned from the front by way of Washington and discovered the many hospitals filled with war casualties could use a poet willing to sit with dying men. He remained there through most of the war, though he did take several important trips back to Brooklyn.

As you might guess, Now the Drum of War is not a standard birth-to-death biography. It fits in the more contemporary trend of slice-of-life or defining-moment biography. Because enough of the text is about the many Whitmans, especially George and Mother Whitman, it might also be shelved with family biographies, if a library has such as shelf. Still, Walt Whitman and his many-faceted personality is the central focus of this enjoyable book. Don't be surprised if reading it gives you the urge to write your mother.

Roper, Robert. Now the Drum of War: Walt Whitman and His Brothers in the Civil War. Walker & Company, 2008. ISBN 9780802715531

Woodstock: Peace, Music & Memories by Brad Littleproud and Joanne Hague

Tomorrow is the 40th anniversary of the first day of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, also known as the Aquarian Exposition in White Lake, New York. Because attendees began arriving a day early, as you learn in Woodstock: Peace, Music & Memories by Brad Littleproud and Joanne Hague, you could argue that today's the day. No matter what day you choose, the event is worth remembering for its music, mud, mishaps, and myths.

No one really knows how many people attended Woodstock. According to the authors of Woodstock: Peace, Music & Memories, no one ever took the tickets. Because the festival was moved at a late date out of Wallkill, New York, where a half-finished stage sat for years, construction at Yasgur's Farm was never completed. No one ever built the ticket booths. It would not have mattered, as the fences were not finished either and there were far too many people to send through narrow gates. It is estimated that only one third of the attendees had tickets, which they kept and now sell on eBay.

Several new books about Woodstock have been published. What I like about Woodstock: Peace, Music & Memories is that it features the young fans who came much more than the musicians who played. The book is filled with their snapshots and memories, giving readers a good sense of what it was like to be out in the field at the festival. Despite the rain, mud, lack of food, and distribution of bad drugs, most had a wonderful time. The bands played super long sets through the day and even the night, since no one could actually leave and come back as originally planned. People did start to leave on Sunday. By the time Jimi Hendrix played his famous final set on Monday morning (long past the planned closing time), only 40,000 people remained.

Readers wanting more about the performers should try Back to the Garden: The Story of Woodstock by Pete Fornatale. Most of the chapters in this history focus on the rock stars, telling how they got to Woodstock, how and when they performed, and what being at Woodstock meant to their careers. Many played poorly, which is not surprising with the rain, technical problems, long delays, hunger, and drugs. Others rose to the occasion and are still remembered for peak performances. Fornatale's book can be read to see who won and lost at Woodstock.

Littleproud, Brad, and Hague, Joanne. Woodstock: Peace, Music & Memories. Krause, 2009. ISBN 9780896898332

Fornatale, Pete. Back to the Garden: The Story of Woodstock. Touchstone, 2009. ISBN 9781416591191

Joyce Sarick's Fiction Genre First Sentence Quiz

I was skeptical. Joyce Saricks said that I would get a perfect score on her fiction genre quiz, but I was very sure I would disappoint her. How could I tell what genre to assign a book by reading the first two sentences? With certainty that I would fail, I started the quiz, which is on page 27 of the August 2009 issue of Booklist.

I read the twelve quotes and thought "This is impossible. I know nothing." Then I read them again and decided that I could get at least two of them, the mystery and the western. Actually, the legal thriller jumped out, too. I decided that another quote read like a gentle read and fifth like suspense. Two quotes seemed to reflect the past, so I assigned them as historical romance and historical fiction. Eventually, I had classified each two-sentence quote and was ready to turn the page upside down to see how badly I had done.

Joyce was right! Though I read very little fiction these days, I got them all right.

You try, too.

***

Also look at page 101. There is the first ad that I have seen for my book Real Lives Revealed!

Biography Beat, August 2009

As summer winds down, the fall book season approaches.

Library Buying Alert

Included in this fall's books with large print runs, as reported in the June 29 issue of Publishers Weekly, are some memoirs and biographies.

On September 29, Hyperion will be releasing two million copies of Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom, in which he recounts his friendships with a dying rabbi and a minister working among the poor in Detroit.

On October 6, a publisher called Twelve will issue 1.5 million copies of True Compass: A Memoir by Senator Edward Kennedy.

On November 9, Knopf is releasing 750,000 copies of Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi.

Doubleday is printing 600,000 copies of Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer for release September 15. At this point in time, it is beating the three other books in advanced orders on Amazon.

Here are other large print run titles:

• On the Line by tennis star Serena Williams (300,000)
• Barack and Michelle by Christopher Andersen (200,000)
• Manhood for Amateurs: The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son by Michael Chabon (200,000)
• How to Be a Movie Star: Elizabeth Taylor in Hollywood by William J. Mann (100,000)
• The Queen Mother by William Shawcross (200,000)

More Celebrity Books Coming

It is said that hard economic times support escapist reading and a focus on celebrities. Maybe.

• Moon River and Me by Andy Williams (Viking, October)
• My Life Outside the Ring by Hulk Hogan (St. Martin's, October)
• I Am the New Black by Tracy Morgan (Spiegel & Grau, October)
• Robert Redford: The Biography by Michael Feeney Callan (Knopf, November)
• American on Purpose by Craig Ferguson (Harper, September)
• American Rebel by Marc Eliot (Harmony, September) About Clint Eastwood
• High Society by Donald Spoto (Harmony, Novemeber) About Grace Kelly
• Finding It: And Satisfying My Hunger for Life Without Opening the Fridge by Valerie Bertinelli (Free Press, November)
• Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? by Steven Tyler (Ecco, November)
• House of Versace by Deborah Ball (Crown, December)

Einstein Again

What more can there be? Walter Isaacson's 2007 biography Einstein: His Life and Universe is a big book that seems to cover the physicist's life in great detail. But there must be more, as Isaacson has written another book Einstein: The Life of a Genius to be published in November by CollinsDesign.


What I Want to Read

My tastes usually shy away from blockbusters. Here are the books that interest me:

• The Lady Queen: The Notorious Reign of Joanna I, Queen of Naples, Jerusalem, and Sicily by Nancy Goldstone (Walker & Company, November)
• Molly Ivins by Bill Minutaglio and W. Michael Smith (Public Affairs, November)
• A Mighty Long Way: My Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High School by Carlotta Walls LaNier (September)
• Two Coots in a Canoe: A Story of Friendship by David E. Morine (GPP, September)
• David Crockett in Congress: The Rise and Fall of the Poor Man's Friend by James R. Boylston and Allen J. Wiener (Bright Sky Press, October)
• Jumping Through Fires by David Nasser (Baker Books, October)

Start buying books.

Reference in the Small Affluent Library: Outsourcing

Today's Points of Reference post is called Reports from the Front. In it, Mary Ellen Quinn quotes reference librarian Michaela Haberkern about what is happening in reference at the Hinsdale Public Library, my library's next door neighbor. Like Western Springs, Hinsdale is an affluent community with well educated clients with high expectations/low expectations. High in that they want a lot but low in that they suppose sometimes that their small libraries will be insufficient. I was struck by her comment that her clients outsource much of what they do in life: "investing, law, genealogy, cooking." I would add auto repair to that and maybe even child care. If the community is keen on outsourcing, as people are in another neighboring affluent community, Oak Brook, you can see why the idea for outsourcing the library comes up, as it did in Oak Brook. CEOs who have sent millions of jobs overseas live in these communities.

Michaela says that her clients are self-reliant, keeping the reference statistics down. This influences reference budgets, keeping them low. Then with a small collection, you get even fewer questions. This spirals down.

Luckily, we do still have people who love us in our small libraries. Perhaps they can sustain us while we reinvent what we do.

What the Heck Are You Up To, Mr. President? Jimmy Carter, America's "Malaise," and the Speech That Should Have Changed the Country by Kevin Mattson

I remember 1979 well. I was in the first year of my first job as a librarian. Though my salary was low enough that I would have qualified for public housing, I was quite optimistic about the future. Double-digit inflation and OPAC prices for oil did not worry me. I agreed with President Carter that it was time to conserve, develop alternative energy sources, and reassess our consumer expectations. I did not want lots of stuff or a big house to put it in. I was even hoping to get rid of my car. I thought it was a great time to be alive, to be at the beginning of a social and political transformation. In What the Heck Are You Up To, Mr. President? Jimmy Carter, America's "Malaise," and the Speech That Should Have Changed the Country, author Kevin Mattson describes that turbulent year and why an opportunities for change were lost.

In reading a book like What the Heck Are You Up To, Mr. President?, I have to confront how my value system is so different from that of many other Americans. Many people want big houses, big cars, and lots of stuff. And they want it all at discount prices. Jimmy Carter was as out of the mainstream as I was (and am). He was also not in control of his staff and cabinet, who were sabotaging his message frequently. His popularity ratings had fallen below that of Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal. People were fighting in long lines to get scarce gasoline for their cars and talking about invading the Middle East. The stage was well set for Ronald Reagan to promise the world on a platter to every one who would vote for him.

Trying to reverse the slide of his presidency into stagnation, Jimmy Carter spent ten days at Camp David, meeting many advisers, experts, and regular citizens. With the comments he gathered, he shaped a speech to the American public calling for a new vision and resolve to build an efficient and just country. According to Mattson, the speech was initially praised, but neoconservatives quickly began attacking it. Soon, many people remembered Carter saying things that he hadn't actually said, including the word "malaise." Carter then insured the failure of his initiatives by firing his entire cabinet.

At the end of his book, Mattson reprints the speech that Carter delivered on July 15, 1979. I was struck by how well it describes 2009. We still are relying heavily on foreign oil, using up the earth's resources, and wasting our incomes on self-indulgent consumer goods. There is an even larger gulf between white collar and blue collar incomes. The rich are richer, and the poor are poorer. Perhaps, as Mattson suggests, the American people have made many terrible political and personal choices in last thirty years, but as he points out in his very readable history, blaming the people never helps.

Mattson, Kevin. What the Heck Are You Up To, Mr. President? Jimmy Carter, America's "Malaise," and the Speech That Should Have Changed the Country. Bloomsbury, 2009. ISBN 9781596915213

My Favorite Photo from the Weekend

Bonnie With Our Game Souvenir
Originally uploaded by ricklibrarian.

Some times you have to put down the books and have some fun. Bonnie and I went to a Kane County Cougar Game on Saturday night and sat just above third base. Between innings, the Cougars have lots of crowd pleasing promotions. I actually caught one of the softballs that were thrown into the stands. Bonnie has the proof.

The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The plight of women in contemporary Nigeria is the central concern in twelve stories in The Thing Around Your Neck, a new book from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The situation for many is bleak, as they are restricted by tribal and religious strictures that say whether they can marry for love, choose their friends, have careers, or control their own fertility. One woman's birth name means "father's wealth," referring to the payment he will receive when he "sells" her to a husband. As Adichie shows, it is dangerous to challenge the rules of husbands, boyfriends, fathers, and even grandmothers. Yet, they do and some succeed at great cost.

In The Thing Around Your Neck, Nigeria is a corrupt and violent place, a once-promising country spoiled by military strongmen and bad bankers. In a nod to modernity, many women are allowed educations, but then they are expected to accept subservient roles. In "Jumping Monkey Hill," a promising Nigerian author attending a writers' workshop reads her story about after getting her degree being given a bank job that expected her to sleep with bank clients. In "Tomorrow is Too Far," a grandmother always favors the grandson over a grandaughter, ignoring the latter's talent. In "The Arrangers of Marriage," an orphan is forced to marry a hapless Nigerian medical student doing his residency in the United States. In this and some other stories, Nigerians immigrate to America, but they always take a good bit of the fatherland with them.

These stories could simply be depressing, but Adichie's narration compels readers to continue past every injustice to see which women succeed and which fail. And not every father and husband in these quick reading stories is an enemy. The Thing Around Your Neck will appeal to readers of literary fiction who appreciate psychological insight and advocacy for social reform.

Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. The Thing Around Your Neck. Knopf, 2009. ISBN 9780307271075

The Earth Moves: Galileo and the Roman Inquisition by Dan Hofstadter

In many accounts of the 1632 papal proceedings against Galileo Galilei, the astronomer/mathematician/philosopher is cast as a defender of science and truth, and Pope Urban VIII is vilified as a backward church father, unwilling to face modernity. Galileo insists the sun is the center of our part of the universe, while the pope retains the belief in the earth as the center of creation. In The Earth Moves: Galileo and the Roman Inquisition, however, Dan Hofstadter shows the case was a bit more complicated than it has often presented to be.

Having seen the now available papal transcripts of the inquisition, not really a "trial" by modern standards, Hofstadter revises the story. The real charge was disobedience, not heresy. The pope was most upset that Galileo used deception to get a imprimatur on a book about a forbidden topic. The irony is that in a previous decade, when still a cardinal, the pope urged Galileo to write a book about the Copernican view of the universe. Scientific evidence to support or disprove Galileo's vision of the universe was never presented in the inquiry. In the end the pope was almost willing to just forgive the old astronomer after the latter confessed, but behind the scene papal politics intervened. Galileo lived the rest of his life on parole.

Hofstadter's story may actually be more disturbing than the often-told tale. Urban VIII understood the science and knew that Galileo was right, but the church was filled with people who could be described as "biblical neoconservatives." Galileo's theories threatened not only the belief in Bible infallibility but also the belief in astrology. If the planets were moved, seers had no basis for their astrological readings. The pope understood these constituents and ruled according to their prejudices in ruling against science and Galileo. Hofstadler also suggests that family and city-state rivalries and envy were really behind the charges. The Galileo affair was a skirmish in a much larger cold war. The author proposes that someone else should research and write a longer book about this assertion.

With its sections about Galileo's upbringing and education and about his work with telescopes, The Earth Moves serves as a quick reading profile of the astronomer. I enjoyed reading about how Galileo described his experiments in pre-Newtonian language. His descriptors for motion were "inclination," "repugnance," "indifference," and "violence." Because algebra had not yet been invented, his calculations of planetary orbits are particularly amazing.

Readers who enjoy human drama may get a little bogged down in the middle section of the book, which includes technical details about telescopes and various theories about the arrangements of planets, stars, and comets. The first and final sections have faster flowing narratives that should please many history readers.

Hofstadter, Dan. The Earth Moves: Galileo and the Roman Inquisition. W.W. Norton, 2009. ISBN 9780393066500

The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún by J.R.R. Tolkien

J.R.R. Tolkien has another new book, The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún. His son Christopher continues to find writings that interest his father's devoted fans. This new volume includes some early Tolkien translations and commentaries of Norse legends concerning the Völsungs, descendants of Sigmund. Tolkien in verse retells the Elder Edda, the oldest of the collections of the myths, which are also retold in the Icelandic Völsung Saga, the Middle High German Nibelungenleid, and Richard Wagner's series of operas, Ring of the Nibelungs.

I skipped the introduction to see if I could understand the legends without first being told what I was reading. I did fairly well. Tolkien describes a world of forests and highlands where kings travel by swift horses. These kings and queens produce offspring who become future kings and queens, if they live. A serpent is slain with a well-forged sword to capture the creature's treasure of gold. A king lusts to possess a powerful ring. Sins of fathers pass on to their sons. Many people die to satisfy the greed of a few. It's just what you expect from mythology.

My favorite line: "Wives oft are wooed by worthless men."

There are lots of names to keep straight: Gudrún, Gunnar, Grimhild, Gjúki, Sigmund, Sigrlinn, Siggeir, Signý, and Sigurd are just a few of the characters. Readers may want to create scorecards to keep the players straight. Names that disappear for dozens of pages appear again when old crimes are remembered. Keeping alliances straight is difficult, partly because of the betrayal of allies. It does not end well for anyone.

Thus glory endeth,
And gold fadeth,
On noise and clamours
The night falleth.
Lift up your hearts,
Lords and maidens
For the song of sorrow
That was sung of old.

Read The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún if you want to know Tolkien's sources and enjoy ancient mythology.

Tolkien, J.R.R. The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009. ISBN 9780547273426

The Times of My Life and My Life with the Times by Max Frankel

I have never been a regular reader of the New York Times, though I might consider it now that the Chicago Tribune has mostly given up the news business to entertain. Being a Midwesterner who keeps up with news fairly well, I did not recognize the name Max Frankel, a reporter and editor for the NYT. So, I had no idea what I would hear on the audiobook version of The Times of My Life and My Life with the Times by Frankel. With a shortage of good nonfiction audiobooks, I often just take what I can find. I was mostly pleased.

On the first of six discs, read by the author, the author tells about his childhood in Germany as a "Polish Jew" and his escape to America at the beginning of World War II. The story of his family being exiled to Poland and his mother's dangerously venturing back into Germany to obtain their visas from U.S. officials is engrossing. Many problems arose with the transactions, and he and his mother got out just in time. His father, however, spent the war in the Soviet Union, including a stint in Siberia. I had to keep listening well into disc two before I could stop.

His account of becoming a student and trying to lead a very American life while his parents tried to preserve old ways follows. He barely made it through school until a teacher involved him in journalism. The only problem that I have with his story of his becoming a reporter and editor of the newspaper at Columbia University and getting a job as a reporter at the New York Times is that it all sounded too easy.

My favorite part of the book is his memories from his time as a foreign correspondent in Moscow and Cuba and as a Washington press corps member during the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon years. His comparison of Nikita Khrushchev and Lyndon Johnson is thought provoking, as is his explanation of how well kept the secret of John Kennedy's infirmities and affairs were. He also claims that Kennedy never really considered the loss of military and civilian lives as he dealt with the Cuban missile crisis and Vietnam. The Cold War was just a thrilling game for the young president. Frankel's account of how The Pentagon Papers were published in his newspaper is good listening.

The final discs tell about Frankel's time as editor of the New York Times. While the description of daily meetings to choose stories for page one was interesting, I did not find the account of office politics and newspaper business compelling. If I had a time machine, I'd go back and stop early on disc five, but I have no regrets. I enjoyed revisiting the middle years of the 20th century in this reportorial memoir.

Frankel, Max. The Times of My Life and My Life with the Times. Airplay, 2000. ISBN 1885608233

Newton and the Counterfeiter: The Unknown Detective Career of the World's Greatest Scientist by Thomas Levenson

A surprising benefit of listening to science podcasts is finding lots of books to read. Listening to Science Friday from NPR a few weeks ago, I heard an engaging interview with Thomas Levenson, author of Newton and the Counterfeiter: The Unknown Detective Career of the World's Greatest Scientist. Levenson told how he stumbled upon information about Sir Isaac Newton, sometimes heralded as the first real scientist for his adherence to the scientific method, pursuing criminals in his capacity as Warden of the Royal Mint.

Throughout history, little was expected of the Warden of the Royal Mint, except the drawing of a large salary. The position was usually a political reward to a supporter of the king or queen. Due to a monetary crisis caused by the silver in British coins being of far greater value than denomination value of those coins, the coins were regularly and illegally being shaved or melted down. With a shortage of currency, counterfeiters had an opening to reap high profits. With no police force in London and the establishment of Scotland Yard still more than a century away, the job of enforcing the king's currency laws fell to Newton, who was at first unwilling to carry out his duty. According to Levenson, however, when the mathematician-physicist-philosopher took on the task, he pursued counterfeiters with determination. He was especially keen to bring to trial and convict the brash metal smith William Chaloner. Levenson credits Newton with establishing criminal investigative methods.

In the first half of the book, Levenson relates how both Newton and Chaloner became middle-aged enemies. The historical details slow the story a bit in the middle, but the later part of the book in which the warden and the criminal seek to destroy each other is compelling reading. Throughout the story, readers learn much about the world of scientific gentlemen and London crime figures. Near the end, the descriptions of the hanging and evisceration of criminals is a bit horrifying.

Most libraries have put this book in their science sections, but I think it fits better in crime or history sections. It also works fairly well as a biographical sketch of Newton.

Levenson, Thomas. Newton and the Counterfeiter: The Unknown Detective Career of the World's Greatest Scientist. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009. ISBN 9780151012787

The Veermer Interviews: Conversations with Seven Works of Art by Bob Raczka

There are some children's books that I think please adults more than children. One of those may be The Veermer Interviews: Conversations with Seven Works of Art by Bob Raczka. I can not imagine many children really caring about this book unless an enthusiastic adult draws them in by sharing it with them. I, however, like it very much.

The premise is that the author interviewed the models in seven of Jan Veermer's paintings to learn how the artist came to paint them and the methods that he employed. The woman in "Woman in Blue Reading a Letter" reveals who sent her a letter. The woman in "Young Woman with a Water Pitcher" explains why there is a map on the wall. The couple in "The Music Lesson" tell us about their relationship. In all of the interviews, we learn about perspective, light, and shadows. Though I have seen these painting many times in books, the interviews directed my eyes to details I had never noticed.

The Veermer Interviews might be a good book to use with art instruction. Otherwise, it is good to just have lying around for discovery by a child or adult with an unplanned afternoon.

Raczka, Bob. The Veermer Interviews: Conversations with Seven Works of Art. Millbrook Press, 2009. ISBN 9780822594024

Washington Schlepped Here: Walking in the National's Capital by Christopher Buckley

Right off the bat Christopher Buckley tells his readers that he is not a historian, but he promises that as a high level bureaucrat he knows how to steal good material for his book Washington Schlepped Here: Walking in the National's Capital. With just a tiny bit of right wing banter, he delivers an entertaining tour of many of the major sites of central Washington, D.C.

In his commentary, Buckley aims for laughs when he can, sometimes at the expense of the Founding Fathers, eminent politicians, and even himself. As a former member of the elder Bush administration, he has some inside stories to tell about Washington affairs. These mix well with the scoops that he gets from tour guides (the human kind) and guide books, showing that controversy has been a resident of the capital from its beginning.

Having spent a week in Washington two years ago when we attended the American Library Association conference, I recognized many of the places about which Buckley speaks. As he makes his way around the Mall, he reveals that there were political fights over the erection of nearly every building and statue. He does not mention the Botanic Garden and the National Museum of the American Indian, the latter having opened after he wrote the book. After crisscrossing the Mall from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial, he also walks Lafayette Square and Arlington National Cemetery.

I listened to Washington Schlepped Here read ably by Grover Gardner, which I suggest for readers who are contemplating a trip or simply looking for lighthearted history.

Buckley, Christopher. Washington Schlepped Here: Walking in the National's Capital. Books on Tape, 2003.

Just One Reference Book from Gale

I was just reading the new Points of Reference blog from Booklist in which Mary Ellen Quinn tells about the upcoming Fall Reference Preview. Her piece is a preview of the preview. In the first paragraph she states that Gale Publishing submitted information on only one reference title for the preview.

I am now trying to remember ten days ago in Chicago. Were there any books at all at the Gale exhibit at the American Library Association Annual Conference? I remember lots of monitors and keyboards and Gale staff ready to sell databases. I don't remember seeing any bookshelves. Had I forgotten that even Gale sells books? Were they around some corner I did not turn?

At the Booklist program Rethinking Reference Collections, panelists mused that the days of mostly digital reference sources are coming. Maybe they are already here. Our reference dollars will all go to big companies that can afford to build towers above the exhibit floor.

The Girl from Foreign: A Search for Shipwrecked Ancestors, Forgotten Histories, and A Sense of Home by Sadia Shepard

Where truly is your home? Where do you belong physically and spiritually? Is it in the place of your ancestors? In The Girl from Foreign: A Search for Shipwrecked Ancestors, Forgotten Histories, and A Sense of Home, Sadia Shepard spends a year in India. Her Fulbright Scholarship specifies that she is documenting the history and remains of the Bene Israel community, a little-known enclave of Jews in India established two thousand years ago, but she is really there to discover her grandmother's spiritual roots.

Shepard is a truly multicultural person, the descendant of many cultures. Her grandmother was Jewish raised in India, her mother Muslim raised in Pakistan, and her father Christian raised outside Boston. Because her grandmother lived with her family outside Boston, Shepard receive equal amounts of instruction in the three religions as a child. Luckily for her, the household was filled with tolerance and respect, but now that she is an adult, people are urging her to choose one path, something she is reluctant to do.

The Girl from Foreign: A Search for Shipwrecked Ancestors, Forgotten Histories, and A Sense of Home is just my kind of book, a memoir from an American who traveled abroad, full of observations about other countries and their cultures. I especially like that she shows why people love their homelands, even the places that the media so often depicts as dangerous places. I suspect many readers will identify with Shepard's sense of being an outsider wanting to be let in. Don't we all want this?

Shepard, Sadia. The Girl from Foreign: A Search for Shipwrecked Ancestors, Forgotten Histories, and A Sense of Home. Penguin Press, 2008. ISBN 9781594201516

Place Names of Illinois by Edward Callary

As a reference librarian, I like reference books, even ones that seem fairly plain, such as a simple subject dictionary. So, I am inclined to like Place Names of Illinois by Edward Callary. It may indicate my bookishness, but I find fun browsing the brief entries about the names of rivers, lakes, towns, cities, counties, and other populated places. Most tell when names were first used, origins, the names replaced, and when post offices were established.

What have I learned from the book?

Africa was a settlement of freed slaves. Alhambra was named by Washington Irving readers. There was a grain elevator in Cereal. Custer was probably named for General George Armstrong Custer. Maud was named for a county judge's daughter. Minooka means "good land" in Algonquin. Roaches was formerly Roach Town and Roachville. There are two Vermilion Rivers. Zif might be named for the eighth month of the Hebrew calendar.

Some of my favorite names:

• Burden Creek
• Dog Hollow
• Drowning Fork
• Henpeck
• Illiopolis
• Joy
• Jubilee
• Limerick
• Little America
• Paradise
• Pharaohs Garden
• Polecat Creek
• Wonder Lake
• Young America

Place Names of Illinois does the job it sets out to do and should be in most Illinois libraries. We have put our copy into circulation so anyone can take it home and enjoy browsing through the curious names.

Callary, Edward. Place Names of Illinois. University of Illinois Press, 2009. ISBN 9780252033568

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

I have been thinking about pirates since we visited Real Pirates: The Untold Story of the Whydah, From Slave Ship to Pirate Ship at the Field Museum in Chicago. Also, I have been thinking about Robert Louis Stevenson recently because I listened to the audiobook version of Sailing Alone Around the World by Joshua Slocum, in which the world traveler describes meeting Stevenson's widow. So it seemed a good time to listen to Treasure Island, Stevenson's classic and often adapted novel.

Listening to Treasure Island, I found I remembered most of the character names - Jim Hawkins, Captain Smollett, Squire Trelawney, and Long John Silver - but I at first recalled them as the cast of Muppet Treasure Island. Kermit the Frog was the Captain, Fozzie Bear was the squire, Tim Curry was Long John, and Miss Piggy was someone Stevenson never imaged, the Captain's old girlfriend. Listening I was surprised how the early part of the book and the movie really run parallel. Jim works for his family in an inn. Captain Bill Bones shows up with a chest and gets the black spot. Pirates wreck the inn looking for the map. The squire lets Long John choose the crew. Jim even heard Long John's mutinous scheme from inside an apple barrel.

Once the Hispanola reaches Treasure Island, late in the movie and early in the book, the plots diverge. I still imagined Tim Curry as the embodiment of Long John, while the rest of the characters became more realistic in my vision. That is not to say that Long John remained a cartoon. Quite the opposite. Stevenson's depiction of the one legged pirate is complex and puzzling. Critics can argue the pirate's pros and cons without true resolution. He is rightfully one of the great characters of literature.

One of the traditions of summer is picking appropriate reading for the beach. What could be better than a pirate book?

Stevenson, Robert Louis. Treasure Island. 1883.

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson

I noticed We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson in the June issue of American Libraries. It had won two different children's books awards. Being a big fan of both baseball and books, I had to see it. Luckily for me, when I sought the book, it had just been returned to the library and had not made it back to the new book display. Surely it would have gone back out right away.

I was impressed. Nelson is multitalented, both at storytelling and at illustration. He tells the story in the voice of an unnamed black ballplayer, often using the pronoun "we," making the story seem very personal. Within 88 pages, he tells the major stories of the league and describes the daily life of the players. There are dozens of arresting reproductions of Nelson's oil paintings depicting the ballplayers, including Josh Gibson, Satchel Page, and Cool Papa Bell. I can imagine this book doubles as both a children's storybook (older readers) and a museum catalog. The pictures would look good on a set of baseball cards.

Now I need to return it and let someone else enjoy this fine book. It would be a nice item to actually own, especially if you have young athletes in your home.

Nelson, Kadir. We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball. Jump at the Sun, 2008. ISBN 9780786808328

Time's Magpie: A Walk in Prague by Myla Goldberg

In her column in the June 2009 issue of Booklist, Joyce Saricks mentions looking for audiobooks to match the travel time of her driving trips. If she has only a three hour drive, say Downers Grove to Springfield, both in Illinois, I suggest Time's Magpie: A Walk in Prague by Myla Goldberg. In this audiobook read by Bernadette Dunne, Myla Goldberg recounts her 2003 stay in Prague, Czech Republic. Her account is heavy on description; she paints detailed pictures of the old city with its historic architecture, beautiful parks, and active street life. She also tells stories, including her being fleeced for jaywalking by a couple of crooked cops.

Librarians will especially enjoy her account of visiting the national library, which at the time of her visit was struggling to provide services with scant funds. The building and its collection date back to the 15th century when Jesuits started a college on the grounds of a Dominican monastery. Both have survived many transfers of ownership and authority, as has most of Prague itself.

While in Prague, Goldberg witnessed demonstrations against the invasion of Iraq and found Kafka's well-kept grave surrounded by a mostly abandoned cemetery, where many headstones had no names. I found these and other reports compelling listening as I tended our garden. It is easy to spend three hours in the garden, especially with a good audiobook.

Goldberg, Myla. Time's Magpie: A Walk in Prague. Books on Tape, 2004. 3 compact discs. ISBN 1415907773

Things That Go Bump in the Stacks: Whole Collection Advisory for Paranormal Fiction

Sunday at the American Library Association was my day to attend programs on subjects about which I knew little. I started with Things That Go Bump in the Stacks: Whole Collection Advisory for Paranormal Fiction, introduced and moderated by Neil Hollands of the Williamsburg Regional Library. Neil presented a brief history of these books with their vampires and other dark creatures. They differ from fantasy in that they bring magic into the everyday world. They spring from horror and often include appeal factors from romance and mystery. Some are even literary. Their rise has been spotlighted by the success of the Twilight novels by Stephanie Meyer.

With Neil were three authors. Marjorie Liu has spent much of her life in foreign countries and draws on her travel and diplomatic experience in crafting settings. She began her writing career in 2005 with Tiger Eye, a paranormal romance paperback. Liu says that she includes many forms of creatures in her novels, including her Dirk & Steele and Hunter Kiss series. she already has over a dozen books.

Charlie Huston is a classic rags to riches author, having been everything from a struggling actor to a bartender before becoming a successful author. His books are violent and often reflect life in the underside of society. Since his debut with Caught Stealing in 2004, he is known for the Hank Thompson trilogy and the Joe Pitt series. He jokes that he writes for maladjusted young men. "Splatter" is his favorite word.

Charlaine Harris is the most known of the panelists. She began her career writing Southern mysteries and segwayed into paranormal in 2001 with Dead Until Dark. Her latest book Dead and Gone, the ninth title featuring Sookie Stackhouse, debuted at the top of the New York Times Bestseller List.

Harris sympathized with librarians asked to recommend paranormal novels to readers. She said they range from cute and sweet books to titles filled with violence. She urged us to discover the differences before we put the books out. Huston agreed, admitting that his books are not for every reader, especially the young.

Neil listed appeals for paranormal fiction:

• magic
• blending of genres
• paranormal characters
• strong women
• real world issues beneath the story

What I found most interesting during the session was the discussion about how one writes fiction. None of the panelists were like J.K. Rowling, having planned out the story for a whole series of books. Each book is a revelation to them. Harris also said she sometimes finds herself writing in parts that she does not particularly like. She said that she really like Sookie's grandmother, but she had to kill her off for the sake of the story.

Many titles were mentioned throughout the program. You can find many of them on the paranormal cheat sheet at the Readers Advisory website. With the cheat sheet are lists of TV, film, and music links for paranormal fans. Most importantly, there are paranormal titles suitable for younger readers.

Chicago as ALA Conference Site: Is It Really Working?

ALA Chicago 2009 013
Originally uploaded by ricklibrarian.

Nearly every librarian I know enjoys coming to Chicago. The city is especially beautiful this time of year, filled with flowers. There are more than ever since Mayor Daley has put planters everywhere and the parks have installed more gardens. The city is also full of museums, zoos, and great architecture. Having the American Library Association Annual Conference in the city is a popular idea.

As a librarian residing the western suburbs of Chicago, I benefit from having the conference here. I can send everyone in my department to the conference in shifts - we do still have to run the reference desk. My library's librarians benefit from all the opportunities the conference offers. The enthusiasm is high.

The organizers worked hard to present a good conference and people are leaving with many good memories and many ideas for their libraries. Still, I have to question whether Chicago is a good city for the conference.

I see one big, big problem - the distance between McCormick Place (the convention center) and the city center where all the visiting librarians stay during the conference. Complicating matters is the practice of holding many meeting away from the convention center. I heard numerous complaints on the buses about the distances and short times to get between meetings.

The real indication of a problem is the attendance at the remote meetings. I attended programs at the Intercontinental Hotel (where there is a bottleneck at the elevators to get to the seventh floor) and the Hyatt Regency. There were plenty of empty seats at the LITA Technology Trends forum and the RUSA President's Program on Readers' Advisory. I heard friends say that they did not attend because it was such a hassle to leave the convention center and get back for other meetings. I believe ALA needs to look at program attendance figures and see how the remote programs are not working well.

McCormick Place is clean and expandable, but not really warm and inviting. Food vending at this conference was definitely inadequate. Still, it might have been better to have all meetings at the center. There were more rooms. I know I could have attended two or three more programs if I hadn't been off on buses.

Still, there is a benefit from getting out of the sterile environment of the conference center. The city has many restaurants, shops, and parks that are just waiting for visitors between meetings.

If Chicago had a light rail to get people back and forth from McCormick Place, much of the problem would be solved, but that should have been put in place years ago. It would be more environmentally responsible to have the conference in a city that would not require so many bus and taxi rides. People like to walk. I suggest that we try Minneapolis, Indianapolis, or Milwaukee, cities with more accessible conference centers.

Death at the Ballpark: A Comprehensive Study of Game-Related Fatalities by Robert M. Gorman and David Weeks

Death at the Ballpark
Originally uploaded by ricklibrarian.

I think that there may now truly be a book on every subject. At the McFarland Publishers booth at the American Library Association's annual conference, I found Death at the Ballpark: A Comprehensive Study of Game-Related Fatalities, 1862-2007 by Robert M. Gorman and David Weeks. Inside are listings for deaths of players, fans, umpires, or anyone else who happened to be a baseball game over a 145 year period. The authors have gathered their data from all levels of baseball, from youth to professional. The listings also tell cause of death, including suicide, violence, hit by pitch, foul balls, heart attacks, etc. McFarland has a number of interesting baseball books. I could spend the rest of my conference at the exhibit.

Books and Blogs, Made for Each Other?

The verdict on whether the Internet is killing reading is still out, as evidence presented often says more about its source than the readers being studied. What is clear is that an attempt is being made to utilize the web to increase reading, especially of books, as a community of book lover bloggers has grown. Included is this community are readers, librarians, authors, and publishers, each contributing to the promotion of books, but often for different reasons. At Booklist/Booklist Online: Books and Blogs, Made for Each Other?, Keir Graf of Booklist and a panel of bloggers discussed the relationship of blogs with books and its prospects for the near future.

The panel included the following:

• Mary Burkey of AudioBooker, who started her blog to keep track of audio titles that she had read. Her independent blog was later acquired by Booklist.
• John Green, a former Booklist employee, who with his brother posts videos to You-Tube as Vlogbrothers. He has also written a novel Looking for Alaska.
• Kaite Mediatore Stover of Kansas City Public Library, who posts to Book Group Buzz for Booklist.
• Nora Rawlinson, who has never been a Booklist employee. She was, however, the librarian at Baltimore County Public Library who uttered "give them what they want" and has worked as an editor for both Library Journal and Publishers Weekly. She is now writing the blog, EarlyWord, which is a for-profit effort.

Keir listed some qualities that make blogs useful to book professionals:

• Blogs offer immediacy. Bloggers can address issues quickly and can discuss books at the time they are published or are otherwise in the news.
• Blog writing is more personal and casual, allowing for a friendlier feel, attracting some loyal followers.
• Because blog postings are often short, writers have to hone more concise writing skills.
• Comments from blog readers start conversations that may bring forth issues that the blog writer did not address. They may also correct errors or otherwise keep the blog writer honest.
• Through comments, bloggers know their readers better.

Here are some highlights from this discussion:

Authority is something in which print excelled in its prime. Readers trusted the reviewers in newspapers and magazines, such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, or Atlantic Monthly. Now that these publications have their own blogs, that authority has transferred to its blog writers. Nora thought this advantage would in time diminish as other brand names are established. Some bloggers have name recognition for being on the scene early. Kaite said that with so many people blogging it is now difficult for a new blogger to get recognized.

Few book bloggers make a profit - or anything. They do not often get readers the way that niche technology bloggers do. Book bloggers blog for love of books.

Well-produced book trailers may be a passing fad. There is not enough money in the book market to support most expensive publicity, and the panel opinion was that the novelty will soon wear off. John said that most blog readers seek authenticity and are suspicious of slick marketing.

None of the panelists thought that writing blogs hurt their print writing style. Mary thought that bloggers free of institutional ties are franker in their blogs.

None of the speakers thought that Twitter would replace blogging. It is a good vehicle for posting links to reviews on blogs or telling others what you are reading. John said that Twitter is more important to people in Third World countries because they can tweet and read from cellphones, which seem to be harder to restrict than Internet access.

Kaite liked that bloggers sometimes review old books. It is not all about buzz.

Libraries in Hard Times: The ALA Membership Meeting

For the last week, I have receiving emails and flyers urging me to attend Libraries in Hard Times at Saturday's ALA Membership Meeting. The marketing was well done, so my hopes were raised that it would be an interesting program. It was, but not really in the way that I expected. Patricia Wong summarized efforts of California Public Libraries to help the jobless and needy. Christopher A. McLean of the ALA Washington Office then reported on the federal government's stimulus package and what parts of it hold promise for library funding. The information was good (if a bit too general) but the setting and presentations and the timing did not do the subjects justice. The assembly hall was huge and the attendance slight. It was late in the day. We were very far from the speakers. I expected first hand stories from librarians telling what they are up against and what they are doing. I appreciate that the topic is being acknowledged before the assembly of membership, but it needs more coverage and debate in more intimate meetings where there will be more energy and passion.

On the up side, there were some useful web sites promoted, including Advocating in a Tough Economy Toolkit for the ALA President's Office. Another was the Library Use Value Calculator from Huntington beach Public Library.