House of Stone: A Memoir of Home, Family, and a Lost Middle East by Anthony Shadid

"The whispers of Isber's age were everywhere in Marjayoun. They spoke of a time in which I never lived but had envisioned so often that, to me, it was almost more familiar than the present. It was the era whose fragments and civilities - the remnants of the Ottomans and the Levant - had originally drawn me to the Middle East."

Much about House of Stone: A Memoir of Home, Family, and a Lost Middle East by Anthony Shadid is revealed in this passage from page 133. Isber was Shadid's great grandfather, a man who after 1900 built a stately house on a hill to claim his membership in the society of Marjayoun, a vibrant town of Christian and Muslim merchants in Southern Lebanon. The wealth and tolerance of the community soon disappeared in the upheaval following the dismantling of the Ottoman empire after World War I. Isber sent his children to the United States and Brazil to escape violence, and he then died prematurely. His widow lived in the house until the 1960s after which it began to crumble. It was occupied by an Israeli agent during the 1982 war and was struck by a small missile. Shadid, who grew up in a Lebanese community in Oklahoma, took a year off from his job with the Washington Post to rebuild the house, hoping to rebuild his family as well.

In House of Stone, Shadid retells stories from his family while describing the slow restoration of Isber's house and gardens. Throughout there are strained relations with his foreman and various craftsmen who have a very different sense of time than Shadid. He also visits relatives and prominent citizens of the community. My favorite is Dr. Khairalla, a wise retired hospital administrator who gives Shadid cuttings for his garden. The doctor was convicted of treason (but never sentenced) for having dealt with the Israelis during the occupation, something he had to do to keep the hospital open.

Shadid was a winner of two Pulitzer Prizes for Journalism and is nominated again this year for his coverage of events in Syria. In February 2012, he died from an asthma attack while clandestinely crossing the Syrian border from having interviewed Syrian rebels. His book was published in March. Like his great grandfather, his stay in the house was short.

Shadid, Anthony. House of Stone: A Memoir of Home, Family, and a Lost Middle East. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012. 311p. ISBN 9780547134666.

420 Characters: Stories by Lou Beach

"420 characters are a lot for even the most epic of novels," I thought, "and this book is rather thin." But I discovered the characters were letters, numbers, symbols, punctuation, and spaces, and 420 Characters: Stories by Lou Beach is a collection of very short short stories. They debuted on Beach's Facebook page, which at the time of their writing limited posts to 420 characters.

What can you do with so little? Beach as a professional illustrator working for magazines was already adept at conveying a message quickly. His job was to catch the eye and support the message of each article. In a similar vein, his little stories are really pictures made from a handful of words. They are truly stories, too, as each has characters and plot. Some even have settings. A few could be used as luring opening paragraphs for standard-length stories or novels.

You have to be in the right mood to read Beach's pieces. Some days I opened the book and was greatly entertained, but on other days I did not comprehend them at all. They are sort of like poetry. Being relaxed helps. Don't read more than a few at once. Some of Beach's mysterious illustrations are inserted between the stories.

You can find some of the stories read aloud by Jeff Bridges, Ian McShane, and Dave Alvin at 420characters.com.

Beach, Lou. 420 Characters: Stories. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011. 169p. ISBN 9780547617930.

You Know When the Men Are Gone by Siobhan Fallon

Why do I forget that I enjoy short stories? Tending to read mostly biography, history, and science, I rarely venture to the fiction shelves. Luckily for me, Bonnie left You Know When the Men Are Gone by Siobhan Fallon on my night stand. This collection of stories describes the lives of soldiers and their families stationed at Ft. Hood outside Killeen, Texas during the years of the Iraq War. Because soldiers do twelve month (or longer) tours abroad and because most of the combatants are still men, many women and children populate the gigantic base, where there are schools, churches, shopping centers, hospitals, libraries, and such. Rarely having to ever leave the base, 40,000 women are absorbed into a regimental culture. Not all join willingly.

The author knows of what she writes. While her husband served two tours in Iraq, she lived at Ft. Hood, observing the life around her with the eye of a writer. She emphasizes in her notes that the stories are fiction. The specific plots may not be true, but the emotions that drive the conflicts between women and between married couples are authentic. Times of deployment, disastrous attacks in Iraq, and reunion are particularly stressful. A sign near one of the base gates warns "You Survived the War, Now Survive the Homecoming." That is also the title of one of the stories.

Each story stands by itself, but it is fun to identify a few characters that appear in more than one story. The two longest stories are about forty pages. The stories should be popular with readers of contemporary fiction. 

Fallon, Siobhan. You Know When the Men Are Gone. Amy Einhorn Books, 2011. 226p. ISBN 9780399157202.

The Story of the Weeping Camel

This week's final nature film is a docudrama called The Story of the Weeping Camel. Like Winged Migration, the producers use artistic license in the creation of this film, arranging scenes to tell the story that they want to tell, a sort of Mongolian legend in which traditional music is used to manage a problem associated with a rare white camel calf*. I don't want to tell you what as to save the surprise.

While the plot may be scripted, the setting is authentic. Viewers see nomads from Mongolia's Gobi Desert raising their camels, goats, and sheep and living in their gers. We observe the daily life of four generations who seem to be quite prosperous. Inside their gers, are colorful blankets and painted furniture. They may not have been moved recently. Outside the scenery is stark and dry, but the herds seem large and healthy. Camels drive the pump that lifts water from their well. The herders trim hair off the camels to weave their own ropes. The scene seems timeless, except for some bright plastic barrels and the radio that the grandfather keeps. We learn late in the film that they could have a television, but the elders fear the children would waste their time.

The pace of the movie is slow compared with Hollywood fare, but that is a big part of the charm. You can learn much more about the film and life in Mongolia at the National Geographic website.

The Story of the Weeping Camel. New Line Home Entertainment, 2005. 87 min. ISBN 078065014X.

*In the film, the baby camel is referred to as a colt, but I found that zoos consistently use the term calf in their postings on the website ZooBorns. National Geographic also uses calf in its website description of the film.

Jane's Journey

We continue nature film week with Jane's Journey, a biographical portrait of Jane Goodall, who has become a champion of conservation and the ethical treatment of animals. At nearly two hours, this documentary recounts the primatologist's long career, showing her childhood, early chimpanzee studies in Gombe National Park in Tanzania, and global campaign for a variety of environmental causes.

Thanks to Goodall's father, who was an early advocate of home movies, we are able to see her as a child, and she was comfortable in front of cameras when National Geographic arrived at her compound on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in the early 1960s. The magazine articles and television specials that National Geographic produced made young Goodall an international hero quickly. The first half of Jane's Journey describes her years of primate study, her failed marriage with photographer Hugo Van Lawick, and the loss of natural habitat for the wildlife of Africa. The second half shows Goodall as ambassador to the world. A subplot throughout is her strained relationship with her son Hugo, known to people worldwide since his birth as Grub.

Because her causes are now her life, we travel to many troubled places in the later part of the film. The saddest may have been in the United States, as Goodall visited a Native American reservation where poverty and lack of hope have led to many adolescent suicides; her Roots and Shoots program is supporting community gardens to improve nutrition and create civic pride there. Her visit to a Congolese refugee camp was also quite moving. There, as in many places, she is surrounded by people eager to transform their lives and environments.

Jane's Journey will be appreciated by her fans worldwide.

Jane's Journey. First Run Features, 2011. 111 min.

Winged Migration

As I mention in my review of Himalaya with Michael Palin a few weeks ago, we got a flat-wide-screen television which excels at showing nature programs. To celebrate, I am making this nature film week at ricklibrarian. Today we start with one of my favorites, Winged Migration by director James Perrin. This film about the world's birds, many of whom travel great distances seasonally, is filled with dramatic forests, mountains, beaches, and deserts against which the colorful birds are strikingly beautiful. With little dialogue, the film records flocks of birds traveling north to breed and south to escape the winter. In some sequences we simply hear wind, waves, and the flapping of wings. Sometimes new age music accompanies the birds in flight. It is wonderful viewing.

Like many films that we have seen on PBS's Nature or National Geographic Specials, Winged Migration is the story of a year. What distinguishes this film, which was a feature attraction in theaters, is the point of view. We are close flying alongside the birds crossing spectacular landscapes. To get such shots, the producers had to go beyond the rules followed by many nature filmmakers who record unscripted events. Perrin and his crew hatched flocks of migrating birds that imprint well and taught them to accept the sounds of motor boats, ultralights, paragliders, trucks, and motor scooters. We do not hear motorized sounds or the calls of bird keepers, all of which were edited out of the scenes. In the special feature Making-of, the producers admit that their film is not real life but stress their recreation of nature.

Over 450 people worked on the film, 17 pilots and 14 cinematographers. Shooting took three years and another year was spent editing. Each minute of the film represents about two months of a crew on location. The movie was release in the U.S. in 2003 and is still stunning. Viewers with new televisions should borrow Winged Migration again.

Winged Migration. Sony Pictures Classics, 2003. 89 min. ISBN 9781404923096.

Pennsylvania Academy of the Arts

Pennsylvania Academy of the Arts, a photo by ricklibrarian on Flickr.

During my lunch break at the Public Library Association Conference in Philadelphia yesterday, I visited the Pennsylvania Academy of the Arts , which is right across the street from the convention center. The museum has a small but impressive collection of works, many from artists associated with the city. Anyone who has read books about American Colonial or Revolutionary history will recognize some original paintings by Gilbert Stuart and Charles Willson Peale of George Washington. There are paintings by many members of the Peale family, as well as by Thomas Eakins, George Bellows, John Singer Sargent, Childe Hassam, and members of the Hudson Valley School. I was able to see the paintings and still had time to get a sandwich in the Academy's cafe. A great small museum.

Busy Day at PLA

Hi, everyone. I have just finished another full day at PLA. I'll write up some reports later, but here are links to two of my reports from yesterday.

For The Reader's Advisor Online, I wrote about Authors and Books: The Top 5 of Another 5. I have a lot  of titles to add to my to-read list after attending this program.

For PLABlog, I wrote about A Librarian's Field Guide to Near Field Communications. I had never heard of NFC tags before coming to Philadelphia, but I now know what you can do with an NFC tag and an enable smartphone.

I skipped lunch and went to another art museum. More about that later.

iPads in the Library: From Tech Programming to Staff Productivity

Joel Nichols, soon to be the driver of the new Tech Mobile at the Free Library of Philadelphia, has been using iPads in his children's story time presentations. He believes there are numerous other applications that may also be made throughout his library, which he described in his well-attended PLA presentation "iPads in the Library: From Tech Programming to Staff Productivity."

To start, he briefly identified the differences between current smartphones, e-readers, and tablet computers, pointing out that tablets have the greatest potential for library use. Then he limited his discussion to iPads and iTouchs with which he has experience. He began with use in children's programming. His first point was, of course, that librarians may read from iPads to children, but he cautioned us about this application. An oversized print book is easier to share with a group of more than two or three listeners, but the iPad is still a good device for Kamishibai stories told with pictures that a presenter has assembled using PowerPoint or the Slide Shark ap. With a supply of iPads, all the kids could create their own picture-based stories and then share them.

iPads may better serve in secondary roles in programs. Should the librarian or other presenter need music or sound effects, they can quickly be stored, cued, and played from an iPad or iTouch. A tablet could also be used as a digital display for photos, animations, or web pages that could be passed around to attendees during presentations. iPads could provide reference help during cooking lessons or craft programs, used by presenters or participants. Last, but not least, programs could be recorded easily using a tablet's camera and microphone and then quickly loaded to YouTube.

According to Nichols, there are over half a million aps for iPhone and iPad, which may be purchased through the iTunes store. These might provide content or be productivity aps. He showed stills from his work with Puppet Pals. He recommended checking user ratings at the iTunes store as well as checking Flipboard, a magazine for educators using aps. If libraries have complicated procedures to make credit card purchases, he recommend using iTunes gift cards. Most aps cost under $5.

Beyond programming, reference librarians may use iPads to access the library catalog, web pages, and online databases while roving the library. He recommended strapping an iPad to the hand to become an object of curiosity. He has found librarians in a public setting reluctant to carry iPads that they might drop or lose. A strap might help with the carrying. School librarians might carry iPads instead of laptops when going to help in classrooms.

A librarian at the program reported that the District of Columbia Library has developed an ap to assist weeding collections.

Because they display photos so nicely, Nichols said mounted iPads would be good in public displays. iTouchs with cameras may be used to read QR codes posted around the library for patron self-guided tours.

He said that their use instead of laptops in projected programs has been problematic so far because special connectors have to be used and some equipment seems incompatible. It might be better in some situations to use Apple TV for presentations. Some members of the audience reported having no problems connecting an iPad to a projector.

Finally, he said with an ap to record handwriting, the iPad is a great devise on which to take notes during conference programs. Nichols has put the slides to his presentation on the web at tiny.cc/nicholsPLA.

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Philadelphia Museum of Art, a photo by ricklibrarian on Flickr.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art has a big Van Gogh exhibit. I did not go because I had limited time and did not want to wait in long lines. I really wanted to see the American art wing, with lots of Thomas Eakins and the Peales, who were from the city. I also saw 4 John Singer Sargent works that I had not seen before! After seeing the American art, toured the medieval and renaissance art wing, which had huge doorways from cathedrals and a cloister from a monastery, as well as lots of alters and such. It was overwhelming. Then in the Asian section there was the interior of a temple to Vishnu and a Japanese tea cottage. Later I found whole rooms full of period furniture from European countries. Great place.

I also went to the opening of the exhibits at the Public Library Association conference today. I ended my day with a great meal at the Down Home Diner at the Reading Market. The mashed potatoes were smooth and creamy and the cast iron fried chicken reminded me of my grandmother's chicken.

Monument to Honor Scottish Immigrants

Monument to honor Scottish immigrants, a photo by ricklibrarian on Flickr.

I'm in Philadelphia now to attend the Public Library Association Conference. Coming a day early, I was able to walk around the historic district on Tuesday. Close to the Delaware River, I was surprised to find this monument to Scottish immigrants. I do not recall ever seeing such celebrating the Scots, who must be among the most under-appreciated of American immigrants. I think Bonnie will like this monument.

I toured Independence Hall yesterday. I wish it could have been self-guided, as for the first time ever I found the park ranger guide annoying. He kept asking us questions instead of informing us in a pleasant manner. People don't like to speak up in big tour groups (80 per tour). He seemed like a pompous teacher who likes to belittle his students. I hope you don't get him as your guide if you visit what has to be one of the most important American places. I would have preferred sacred silence.

Today I visit art museums before I attend the opening of the conference mid-afternoon.

ricklibrarian to PLA in Philadelphia

Today I will fly to Philadelphia to attend this year's Public Library Association Conference. I am looking forward to seeing friends in the field (not the grassy field) and attending a bunch of programs aimed at public librarians. I also am eager to see my new book Read On ... Biography which is scheduled to debut at the conference. I like that Jane Goodall is one of the figures on the cover. I will be with Joyce Saricks and Barry Trott at a signing event at the Libraries Unlimited exhibit (too big to call a booth) on Thursday from 4 to 5 p.m. Come by if you are at PLA.

In the meantime, I will be trying to see as many historical sights and American Art as I can before the conference officially begins.

Once the conference begins I will be reporting on programs and exhibits here at ricklibrarian and at PLABlog. I will also be sending a report or two to Sarah at RAOnline.

Read On … Audiobooks: Reading Lists for Every Taste by Joyce Saricks

This week I'll focus on the Public Library Association Conference in Philadelphia. Joyce will be at the conference. You learn where to spot her in the next to last sentence of this post.

  Spring approaches and I will soon be gardening. It is a fortunate time to borrow Read On … Audiobooks by Joyce G. Saricks. I am browsing and creating a listening list for my hours with the flowers.

Like all of the guides in the Read On … Series, Joyce's book is divided into five sections according to the appeals of reading. The order, however, differs from other books in the series. She starts with language/voice and follows with mood, which are numbers 4 and 5 in other guides. Then she adds story, character, and setting. I turn to the last first because I enjoy new or unusual settings, and I immediately find the list "We Are So Not Amused: The Dark Side of Amusement Parks." I have already enjoyed Something This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury in audio. Maybe I will like The Rabbit Factory by Matthew Karp or Native Tongue by Carl Hiaasen. Maybe I will be laughing wickedly as I rip weeds from the soil.

I like Joyce's comment in her introduction that audiobooks appeal to us because we were weaned from having others read to us at too early an age. Some of us do still hear Bible passages read at church, but we hear little else read live. I remember fondly enjoying my fourth grade teacher reading Johnny Tremain aloud while we sat at our desks. It is hard to imagine such stillness in a schoolroom today. 

Joyce will be at the ABC-Clio/Libraries Unlimited exhibit at the Public Library Association Conference in Philadelphia this Thursday signing her book. If you are at PLA, come by at 4 p.m. Barry Trott and I be there, too.

Saricks, Joyce G. Read On … Audiobooks: Reading Lists for Every Taste. Libraries Unlimited, 2011. 145p. ISBN 9781591588047.

Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu

In December, National Public Radio chose Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu for its Backseat Book Club. The club asks kids between 9 and 14 years old and their parents to read books and send to the club their comments. I heard the end of the month report on an NPR podcast and was impressed with the observations made by numerous students. Hearing that The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis inspired the recent work, I borrowed a copy and started to read.

"It snowed right before Jack stopped talking to Hazel" seems a rather modest first sentence, but having finished the book, I see much is introduced by these nine words. The statement launches a tale that at first seems very contemporary but then turns magical. Hazel is an 11 year old adopted by American parents from India and brought back to Minneapolis. She and her best friend Jack share an interest in reading, fantasy games, and the Minnesota Twins, but they do not agree about other 5th graders. Jack has a wide circle of friends, but Hazel is only interested in Jack. A snowball in the back marks the start of a series of events that leads the two to a dangerous place far beyond their neighborhood.

The author obviously knows and loves fantasy literature, and like-minded readers will recognize references to genre classics, such a The Hobbit and The Wizard of Oz. What I especially like is how Hazel draws on her reading to understand her own challenges. Of course, not every thing is as it first seems in Breadcrumbs. Readers of all ages will have fun sorting the good from the evil with Hazel.

Click here to learn more about the Backseat Book Club.

Ursu, Anne. Breadcrumbs. Walden Pond Press, 2011. 312p. ISBN 9780062015051.

Himalaya with Michael Palin

I envy and admire Michael Palin. I so wish I could wander the planet as he does in his great travel adventures. At least he kindly takes us with him to the world's most amazing places, especially in his 2003-2004 journey Himalaya. In six months, he visited the heights of Pakistan, India, Nepal, Tibet, China, Bhutan, and Bangladesh, ending where snow-melted waters of the Ganges pour into the Bay of Bengal. I cannot imagine getting to all of the remote places any other way than going with Michael.

While Palin made the trip so easy for us, we see how difficult and dangerous the going was for him. The BBC, of course, worked to keep him safe, but the narrow mountain roads and rocky footpaths left little room for mistakes. He suffered from altitude sickness and bitter cold, but the grandeur of the mountains drove him on. In Nepal, one of his guides was kidnapped by Maoist insurgents for a couple of days, but he was released unharmed after a couple of days.

Throughout Himalaya, affable Palin was the perfect guest, able to accept the hospitality of rich and poor alike, eating anything put before him. I loved the scenes of him in a yurt making yak butter. He took tea with local celebrities, holy people, academics, porters, and fellow travelers. He could strike up a conversation with almost anyone.

With our new flat screen television, we were wonderstruck by the towering mountains, crystal blue lakes, ancient temples, and colorful prayer flags. All six 50-minute episodes are a feast for the eyes. I would not mind seeing it again. A daily diary with many photos is on the web at palinstravels.co.uk. There is also a companion book.

Himalaya. Warner Home Video, [2005]. 3 DVDs. ISBN 141981303X.

The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire by Jack Weatherford

That women held power in the age of Genghis Khan is a secret, according to Jack Weatherford in his book The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire. Pages telling of feminine leaders were cut from the Mongol records, probably by men who did not want their stories told. The author, however, has been able to reconstruct a bit of their history from accounts by the Mongols' enemies and by reexamining historical artifacts. His finding is that for nearly three centuries Khan's daughters, granddaughters, and their female descendants took part in defending and defining the Mongol empire.

Readers unfamiliar with Asian history (most of us?) will be surprised by Weatherford's characterization of Genghis Khan. He has been described by many histories as a barbarian, a destroyer of civilization. The records, however, show that he had many progressive ideas. He degreed that women could not be traded for animals or property, and, Weatherford claims, Khan even established his daughters as rulers over four of the regions in his empire. They were as ruthless as and more successful than his sons.

As interesting as the plot is, The Secret History of the Mongol Queens was not a hit with our book discussion group. In the first two sections of the history, there are far too many people and place names and far too few developed stories for most readers. Interest in reading wained for many. Only in the final section of the book was Weatherford able to write a sustained narrative with well-developed characters.

Interestingly, the Field Museum of Chicago has just opened an exhibit on Genghis Khan. The promotional materials mention Khan and his sons but not his daughters. Have they read this book? It will be interesting to compare the accounts.

Weatherford, Jack. The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire. Crown Publishers, 2010. 317p. ISBN 9780307407153.

Bill Cunningham New York directed by Richard Press

Who's that man in the blue windbreaker taking candid photos of people on the streets of New York? Why do so many people seem so unconcerned when he lopes ahead or behind them, snapping shots from many angles? Do they know him? Yes, many do. He's Bill Cunningham, fashion photographer of the New York Times, and for decades he's been taking their pictures for his Sunday fashion column. Many Manhattanites dress up hoping Bill will notice their wild hats, capes, shoes, earrings, purses, and vests, and they are quite pleased when their photos show up in the newspaper. They strut for Bill, who is the subject of the intimate 2010 documentary film Bill Cunningham New York directed by Richard Press.

There are many surprising things about Bill, including his age. At over 80, he dashes between his Manhattan assignments on a bicycle regardless of the weather. At several points, I thought he might get hit by a cab, but he seems to be protected by a guardian angel. He also lived at the time of the filming in an old artist apartment at Carnegie Hall without a closet, kitchen or bathroom. Most of the space was taken with filing cabinets holding his photo archive. His bed was a mattress propped on boxes wedged between cabinets. He always eats out - the cheaper the better. Despite his total lack of pretension, he receives invitations to many of the most exclusive society affairs in the city, where he never accepts even a drink of water while others wine and dine.

Before our film discussion group viewed Bill Cunningham New York, I couldn't imagine being interested in a fashion photographer, but Bill is a totally free spirit who seems to enjoy nearly every minute. In the serious moments of the film, you will discover that he works very hard to remain independent. Whether he is a viable model for living is a good topic for any discussion group - after they stop laughing.

Bill Cunningham New York. Zeitgeist Films, 2010. 84 minutes.

Chicago History in Song by the History Singers

Kathryn and John Atwood at Thomas Ford

Chicago has a dramatic history, only some of which has been commemorated in song. Kathryn and John Atwood of the History Singers have found major historical subjects that have no surviving songs to sing to later generations. Among the stories unsung were the Haymarket Riot, the sinking of the Eastland, and the eviction of the Potawatomi Indians from the region. Being devoted folksingers, they have written their own pieces which they debuted at the Thomas Ford Memorial Library on February 21 for one of our Elmer Kennedy History Lectures.

Kathryn and John added their songs to others they have collected for a new program they call Chicago History in Song. They started with an old favorite called "El-A-Noy" which was used to promote the selling and settling of the state in the 1830s and ended with the blues classic "Sweet Home Chicago." In between, they sang about the Chicago Fire of 1871, the First Ward rule of Bathhouse John Coughlin, and the woe of the Chicago Cubs, as well as the three subjects in the first paragraph above. They introduce each song with a bit of history to explain its significance.

If we had a house band at Thomas Ford Memorial Library, it would be the History Singers, who have presented at least a half dozen of their programs as our history lectures or for our Friday at the Ford coffeehouse. Kathryn and John are always warm, friendly, and entertaining, and they always have some new or forgotten songs to share. We have enjoyed debuting their latest offering.

Uranium: War, Energy, and the Rock That Shaped the World by Tom Zoellner

The story of uranium is, of course, an epic that has no end (thankfully). Tom Zoellner brings us up to date with Uranium: War, Energy, and the Rock That Shaped the World. It is tale that begins with the formation of the earth, but being more concerned with human pursuit of wealth, power, and a better life through uranium, he starts in the the Middle Ages. When Czech miners dug for silver at St. Joachimsthal, they also found a greasy, dark matter that stuck to their picks. They called it pechblende, meaning bad-luck rock, and tossed it aside. Within fifteen years of mine operation, many of these men began to cough, spit blood, and die without a known cause. The silver soon ran out, the tragedy was forgotten, and the piles of waste surrounded the neglected mines for several centuries.

Zoellner picks up the story in 1896 when French chemist Henri Becquerel discovered strange emissions in his cathode ray experiments, leading the Curies to begin their studies of radioactivity. For the next several decades, most scientists thought rare radioactive elements would be of most use in medicine. Early in the 20th century, only novelist H. G. Wells suggested that an unnamed rock could produce both great energy for industry and powerful bombs for the military conquest, but his idea was considered fantasy.

The search for uranium began in earnest during World War II. Here is a part of the story that will surprise many readers. Even as the physicists of the Manhattan Project worked to build a weapon to give the Allies an edge to end the war, the potential for atomic weaponry was not realized. Military intelligence assured the president and his defense council that very little uranium existed anywhere and that only one mine in the Congo had ore worth extracting. Because the U.S. had firm control of that one mine, there was no danger of a proliferation of atomic weapons. Also, agents reported that Soviet scientists would never be able to understand how to build a bomb.

Of course, uranium turned out to be in many places, especially behind the Iron Curtain, and nations large and small sought supplies to become players in the atomic age. Building bombs is not difficult with highly enriched uranium. Fortunately, enriching uranium is still a very difficult and costly process.

In the last two thirds of Uranium, Zoellner takes readers to remote locations in many countries, including the Congo, Niger, western Australia, Israel, Iran, Pakistan, India, former states of the Soviet Union, and the desert southwest of the United States, places were ore is mined, refined, and shaped into weapons. He also follows international inspectors working to lessen the threat of terrorists obtaining weapons-grade material. Through his reporting of this research, he recounts 70 years of science, diplomacy, and fear. Readers who enjoyed his The Heartless Stone: A Journey Through the World of Diamonds will recognize and appreciate his quick-moving narrative.

Zoellner, Tom. Uranium: War, Energy, and the Rock That Shaped the World. Viking, 2009. 337p. ISBN 9780670020645.

Skin, a Film Directed by Anthony Fabian

Genetic science was not well understood by common people in the 1950s when a dark-skinned girl was born to Abraham and Sannie Laing, white Afrikaners living in the East Transvaal of South Africa. History was also misunderstood, as white Afrikaners had been taught that their ancestors had settled an empty land long before the arrival of dark tribes that they forced to work their crops and mines. The idea that many of them were of mixed race seemed ridiculous to them. With their own prejudices against blacks, her parents raised Sandra as white, not preparing her for the protest that arose when they sent her to boarding school. Nor did they imagine the three decades of trouble dramatized by director Anthony Fabian in his 2008 film Skin.

With a talented cast from Great Britain, South Africa, and other Commonwealth countries, Skin portrays the pervasive prejudice of 1950s to 1990s. Shopkeeper Abraham Laing (played by Sam Neill) will not allow the blacks to hand him money; glaring at them, he taps on the counter when they try to do so. Other people stare at Sandra (played by Sophie Okonedo) when she goes into a restaurant with date who talks constantly of chicken farming. When Sandra's racial classification is contested in court, crowds fill the courtroom and the streets. Her ever-changing legal status makes her life difficult, but is almost irrelevant in the end. She is seen as an outsider by everyone.

Skin is an excellent choice for film groups, for it is artfully made and has troubled characters with perplexing situations worthy of discussion. Viewers at the Thomas Ford Memorial Library were sympathetic and wanted to learn more about the Apartheid Era and current South African affairs. Because its distribution in the U.S. was very limited, many libraries can debut it to their communities. We had our best turn out of the season.

Trailer on You-Tube

Skin. E1 Entertainment, 2011. 107 minutes. ISBN 9781417233816