ALA Highlights

The American Library Association Mid-Winter conference was held virtually from January 22-25. Some of the excitement and all the one-on-one conversations are missing on-line, but the speakers, publisher information, demonstrations and awards are every bit as inspiring.

Highlights of featured speakers included: 

Just as I Am: A Memoir by Cicely Tyson
   The Academy, Tony, and three-time Emmy Award-winning actor and trailblazer, Cicely Tyson, tells her story, looking back at her six-decade career and life. On Sunday, January 24th, Cicely Tyson was a featured speaker at ALA, the interview had been pre-recorded but it was sad to hear of her death later in the week.
   In the interview she talked about purchasing a copy of The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Ernest Gaines when it first came out in 1971 and knowing it was a role she needed to play. Three years later she was given the chance. The role earned her two Emmys. I was impressed with her honesty, her passion for reading, her desire to work for her beliefs not money. 

A Bright Ray of Darkness: A novel by Ethan Hawke on sale Feb 2
   Hawke’s narrator is a young man in torment, disgusted with himself after the collapse of his marriage, still half-hoping for a reconciliation that would allow him to forgive himself and move on as he clumsily, and sometimes hilariously, tries to manage the wreckage of his personal life with whiskey and sex. What saves him is theater: in particular, the challenge of performing the role of Hotspur in a production of Henry IV under the leadership of a brilliant director, helmed by one of the most electrifying—and narcissistic—Falstaff’s of all time. Searing and raw, A Bright Ray of Darkness is a novel about shame and beauty and faith, and the moral power of art.
   Ethan Hawke impressed me with his respect for writing, knowing the importance of punctuation in conveying how he performs on stage or screen. He is well read, knowing the importance of books to understand life. This is his first book in twenty years—it is on the top of my February release stack. 

The Good Girls: An Ordinary Killing by Sonia Faleiro on sale Feb 9
   An inquest into how the mysterious deaths of two teenage girls shone a light into the darkest corners of a nation. The girls’ names were Padma and Lalli, but they were so inseparable that people in the village called them Padma Lalli. Sixteen-year-old Padma sparked and burned. Fourteen-year-old Lalli was an incorrigible romantic.
   They grew up in Katra Sadatganj, an eye-blink of a village in western Uttar Pradesh crammed into less than one square mile of land. It was out in the fields, in the middle of mango season, that the rumors started. Then one night in the summer of 2014 the girls went missing; and hours later they were found hanging in the orchard. Who they were, and what had happened to them, was already less important than what their disappearance meant to the people left behind.
   During a publisher Buzz session, author Sonia Faleiro talked about her new true crime investigation about sexual violence in India. Faleiro has earned a national reputation for smart commentary on contemporary social issues of India through her frequent contributions to the New York Times, Guardian, Financial Times and others. She talked with passion about social justice as she exposes political maneuvering, caste systems and codes of honor in a village in northern India.

The ALAMW is when the leading awards for children’s literature are presented. Here are some of the big winners this year:

Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children:

We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom, Illustrated by Michaela Goade

It affects and connects us all.

Water is sacred.

My people talk of a black snake that will destroy the land,

Spoil the water, wreck everything in its path.

They foretold that it wouldn’t come for many, many years.

                                            Now the black snake is here.

   Told from the perspective of a Native American child, this bold and lyrical picture book written by Ojibwe/Métis author Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Tlingit artist Michaela Goade is a powerful call to action to defend Earth’s natural resources—inspired by the Dakota Access Pipeline protests and similar movements led by Indigenous tribes all across North America.

John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature: 

When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller
   Would you make a deal with a magical tiger? This uplifting story brings Korean folklore to life as a girl goes on a quest to unlock the power of stories and save her grandmother. Some stories refuse to stay bottled up…
   When Lily and her family move in with her sick grandmother, a magical tiger straight out of her halmoni’s Korean folktales arrives, prompting Lily to unravel a secret family history. Long, long ago, Halmoni stole something from the tigers. Now they want it back. And when one of the tigers approaches Lily with a deal—return what her grandmother stole in exchange for Halmoni’s health—Lily is tempted to agree. But deals with tigers are never what they seem! With the help of her sister and her new friend Ricky, Lily must find her voice…and the courage to face a tiger.

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults: 

Everything Sad Is Untrue: (a true story) by Daniel Nayeri
   "A patchwork story is the shame of the refugee," Nayeri writes early in the novel. In an Oklahoman middle school, Khosrou (whom everyone calls Daniel) stands in front of a skeptical audience of classmates, telling the tales of his family's history, stretching back years, decades, and centuries. At the core is Daniel's story of how they became refugees—starting with his mother's vocal embrace of Christianity in a country that made such a thing a capital offense, and continuing through their midnight flight from the secret police, bribing their way onto a plane-to-anywhere. Anywhere becomes the sad, cement refugee camps of Italy, and then finally asylum in the U.S. Nayeri deftly weaves through stories of the long and beautiful history of his family in Iran, adding a richness of ancient tales and Persian folklore.

More about the rest of the top children’s books can be found here

                 One final note, the new Read poster, The Child is my favorite!

 

This Week's Distractions

It has been another interesting week. The many books I have stacked up to read, is ever-changing: what library book arrived, what happened in the news, what new publications tempted me.

New releases read included: 

The Eagles of Heart Mountain: A True Story of Football, Incarceration, and Resistance in World War II America by Bradford Pearson
   In the spring of 1942, the United States government forced 120,000 Japanese Americans from their homes in California, Oregon, Washington, and Arizona and sent them to incarceration camps across the West. Nearly 14,000 of them landed on the outskirts of Cody, Wyoming, at the base of Heart Mountain.
   Behind barbed wire fences, they faced racism, cruelty, and frozen winters. Trying to recreate comforts from home, many established Buddhist temples and sumo wrestling pits. Kabuki performances drew hundreds of spectators—yet there was little hope.
   That is, until the fall of 1943, when the camp’s high school football team, the Eagles, started its first season and finished it undefeated, crushing the competition from nearby, predominantly white high schools. Amid all this excitement, American politics continued to disrupt their lives as the federal government drafted men from the camps for the front lines—including some of the Eagles. As the team’s second season kicked off, the young men faced a choice to either join the Army or resist the draft. Teammates were divided, and some were jailed for their decisions. 

The Center of Everything: A Novel by Jamie Harrison
   For Polly, the small town of Livingston, Montana, is a land charmed by raw, natural beauty and a close network of family that extends back generations. But the summer of 2002 finds Polly at a crossroads: a recent head injury has scattered her perception of the present, bringing to the surface long-forgotten events. As Polly’s many relatives arrive for a family reunion during the Fourth of July holiday, a beloved friend goes missing on the Yellowstone River. Search parties comb the river as carefully as Polly combs her mind, and over the course of one fateful week, Polly arrives at a deeper understanding of herself and her larger-than-life relatives. Weaving together the past and the present, from the shores of Long Island Sound to the landscape of Montana, The Center of Everything examines with profound insight the memories and touchstones that make up a life and what we must endure along the way.

My travel friends started talking about Egypt in 2022, so my library hold arrived in time to explore: 

The Book of Two Ways: A Novel by Jodi Picoult
   Everything changes in a single moment for Dawn Edelstein. She’s on a plane when the flight attendant makes an announcement: prepare for a crash landing. She braces herself as thoughts flash through her mind. The shocking thing is, the thoughts are not of her husband, but a man she last saw fifteen years ago: Wyatt Armstrong.
   Dawn, miraculously, survives the crash, but so do all the doubts that have suddenly been raised. She has led a good life. Back in Boston, there is her husband, Brian, her beloved daughter, and her work as a death doula, where she helps ease the transition between life and death for her clients.
   But somewhere in Egypt is Wyatt Armstrong, who works as an archaeologist unearthing ancient burial sites, a job she once studied for, but was forced to abandon when life suddenly intervened. And now, when it seems that fate is offering her second chances, she is not as sure of the choice she once made.
   As the story unfolds, Dawn’s two possible futures unspool side by side, as do the secrets and doubts long buried beside them. Dawn must confront the questions she’s never truly asked: What does a life well-lived look like? When we leave this earth, what do we leave behind? Do we make choices…or do our choices make us? And who would you be, if you hadn’t turned out to be the person you are right now?
   This book was not what I thought it was going to be, it was much better! Dawn’s past and present lives revolve around ways to view death. As a death doula, she helps patients and families with end of life issues which balances wonderfully with the Egyptology and the ending begs to be discussed.

I am attending the virtual American Library Association Mid-Winter conference, where Ruby Bridges was interviewed about her recent book. 

This Is Your Time by Ruby Bridges
   Written as a letter from civil rights activist and icon Ruby Bridges to the reader, This Is Your Time is both a recounting of Ruby’s experience as a child who had to be escorted to class by federal marshals when she was chosen to be one of the first black students to integrate into New Orleans’ all-white public school system and an appeal to generations to come to effect change.
   This beautifully designed volume features photographs from the 1960s and from today, as well as stunning jacket art from The Problem We All Live With, the 1964 painting by Norman Rockwell depicting Ruby’s walk to school.
   I was shocked to learn some of the facts of six year old Ruby’s experience. She talked about meeting her teacher, who was white—she had never spoken to a white person. The most shocking fact is that she was in a classroom by herself, is that really integration? The book is written for young adults but every age should know this story.

Finally, I watched The Inauguration this week and among the many inspiring moments was the poetry reading by 22 year old, Amanda Gorman. Not surprisingly, a special edition of her poem will be released in April. 

The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country by Amanda Gorman
   A special edition of the poem “The Hill We Climb,” read at the inauguration of the 46th president of the United States, Joe Biden, on January 20, 2021
   On January 20, 2021, Amanda Gorman became the sixth and youngest poet, at age twenty-two, to deliver a poetry reading at a presidential inauguration. Her inaugural poem, “The Hill We Climb,” is now available to cherish in this special edition.

Available for pre-order from your favorite independent bookseller 

 Fact & Fiction  or  Bookshop                                                          
 

 

Moving on to 2021

2020 was a hard year for publishers, bookstores and libraries as they dealt with pandemic shutdowns, diversity issues, and cancellations of conferences and book releases. Virtual book talks helped but there is no replacement for people gathering to renew friendships, hear discussions, meet authors and attend readings. Let’s hope 2021 can bring us together again. Here are some January releases: 

Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance by Nikki Grimes

In this poetry collection, Nikki Grimes uses “The Golden Shovel” method to create wholly original poems based on the works of women poets of the Harlem Renaissance. Each poem is paired with unique art from African-American women illustrators to create a thought-provoking book with timely themes for today’s readers. The idea of a Golden Shovel is to take a line or stanza of a poem, write the words down the right margin and build your own poem around the words.
  This page spread gives you a hint of the delights inside.  Note the bold words going down the right side of the poem, that's The Golden Shovel:

The Liar's Dictionary: A Novel by Eley Williams
  One word to know at the beginning of this novel is: mountweazel: a noun that refers to the phenomenon of false entries within dictionaries and works of reference. Often used as a safeguard against copyright infringement. The Swansby House Encyclopedic Dictionary is being edited and updated. What has changed from the Victorian age to the present?
   Peter Winceworth, Victorian lexicographer, is toiling away at the letter S for Swansby’s multivolume Encyclopaedic Dictionary. His disaffection compels him to insert unauthorized fictitious entries into the dictionary in an attempt to assert some sense of individual purpose and artistic freedom.
   In the present day, Mallory, a young intern employed by the publisher, is tasked with uncovering these mountweazels before the work is digitized. She also has to contend with threatening phone calls from an anonymous caller. Is the change in the definition of marriage really that upsetting? And does the caller really intend for the Swansby’s staff to ’burn in hell’?
   Wonderful word fun throughout! 

Unsolaced: Along the Way to All That Is by Gretel Ehrlich
    From the author of The Solace of Open Spaces, this collection of memories, observations, and narratives on how water, light, wind, mountain, bird, and horse have shaped her life and her understanding of a world besieged by a climate crisis.
   “Since Solace was published thirty-six years ago, everything and nothing has changed. Ecosystems are crashing. Terrorism sprouts and vanishing with devastating effect. Coronavirus is on a rampage, reminding us that that roulette wheel still spins. As the pandemic spreads, animals wander through empty cities as if to say that we humans have been in the way all this time. Finally, the sharp lessons of impermanence I learned while writing Solace still hold true: that loss constitutes an odd kind of fullness, and despair empties out into an unquenchable appetite for life.”

Two titles from 2020, it was not that long ago! 

A Burning: A novel by Megha Majumdar
   A novel about three characters who seek to rise—to the middle class, to political power, to fame in the movies—and find their lives entangled in the wake of a catastrophe in contemporary India.
   Jivan is a Muslim girl from the slums, determined to move up in life, who is accused of executing a terrorist attack on a train because of a careless comment on Facebook. PT Sir is an opportunistic gym teacher who hitches his aspirations to a right-wing political party, and finds that his own ascent becomes linked to Jivan’s fall. Lovely—an irresistible outcast whose exuberant voice and dreams of glory fill the novel with warmth and hope and humor—has the alibi that can set Jivan free,
but it will cost her everything she holds dear.
   It’s never too late to discover this debut novel that came out in June and was on many of The Year’s Best Books lists. Book groups take note there is much to think about and discuss. 

The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again by Robert D. Putnam, with Shaylyn Romney Garrett
   Deep and accelerating inequality; unprecedented political polarization; vitriolic public discourse; a fraying social fabric; public and private narcissism—Americans today seem to agree on only one thing: This is the worst of times.
   But we’ve been here before. During the Gilded Age of the late 1800s, America was highly individualistic, starkly unequal, fiercely polarized, and deeply fragmented, just as it is today. However as the twentieth century opened, America became—slowly, unevenly, but steadily—more egalitarian, more cooperative, more generous; a society on the upswing, more focused on our responsibilities to one another and less focused on our narrower self-interest. Sometime during the 1960s, however, these trends reversed, leaving us in today’s disarray.
   Robert Putnam analyzes the confluence of trends that brought us from an “I” society to a “We” society and then back again. He draws lessons for our time from an earlier era, when a dedicated group of reformers righted the ship, putting us on a path to becoming a society once again based on community.   This is not a quick read, but does give much to think about and a bit of hope.

Stay well.  Find something to look forward to everyday.  Reach out to friends.  

Open a book.  Escape to another time.  Dream of the places you will go!

Books worth discussing

The need to read and discuss dates back to early Greek and Roman times. Now during a pandemic many book clubs are using Zoom to meet. While sitting at home is not perfect, at least you can see your friends (without a mask) and escape into books. Here is a mix of recent and older paperback editions worth talking about.

The Dutch House: A Novel by Ann Patchett
   At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves.
   The story is told by Cyril’s son Danny, as he and his older sister Maeve, are exiled from the house where they grew up by their stepmother. The two wealthy siblings are thrown back into the poverty their parents had escaped from and find that all they have to count on is one another. It is this unshakeable bond between them that both saves their lives and thwarts their futures.

A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II by Sonia Purnell
   This well researched book tells the story of Virginia Hall who changed the course of the Second World War. In 1942, the Gestapo sent out an urgent transmission: “She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her.”
   The target in their sights was Virginia Hall, a Baltimore socialite who talked her way into Special Operations Executive, the spy organization dubbed Winston Churchill’s “Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.” She became the first Allied woman deployed behind enemy lines and—despite her prosthetic leg—helped to light the flame of the French Resistance, revolutionizing secret warfare as we know it.
   Virginia established vast spy networks throughout France, called weapons and explosives down from the skies, and became a linchpin for the Resistance. Even as her face covered wanted posters and a bounty was placed on her head, Virginia refused order after order to evacuate. She finally escaped through a death-defying hike over the Pyrenees into Spain, her cover blown. But she plunged back in, adamant that she had more lives to save, and led a victorious guerilla campaign, liberating swathes of France from the Nazis after D-Day. 

Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder
   In February, a new film starring Frances McDormand will be released based on this book. A book not about the homeless but those who have no house.
   From the beet fields of North Dakota to the campgrounds of California to Amazon’s CamperForce program in Texas, employers have discovered a new, low-cost labor pool, made up largely of transient older adults. These invisible casualties of the Great Recession have taken to the road by the tens of thousands in RVs and modified vans, forming a growing community of nomads.
   Nomadland tells a tale of the dark underbelly of the American economy—one which foreshadows the precarious future that may await many more of us. At the same time, it celebrates the exceptional resilience and creativity of these Americans who have given up ordinary rootedness to survive, but have not given up hope. 

Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World by Laura Spinney  
   The Spanish flu of 1918-1920 was one of the greatest human disasters of all time. It infected a third of the people on Earth -- from the poorest immigrants of New York City to the king of Spain, Franz Kafka, Mahatma Gandhi, and Woodrow Wilson. But despite a death toll of between 50 and 100 million people, it exists in our memory as an afterthought to World War I.
   Laura Spinney traces the overlooked pandemic to reveal how the virus travelled across the globe, exposing mankind's vulnerability and putting our ingenuity to the test. As socially significant as both world wars, the Spanish flu dramatically disrupted -- and often permanently altered -- global politics, race relations and family structures, while spurring innovation in medicine, religion and the arts. It was partly responsible, Spinney argues, for pushing India to independence, South Africa to apartheid, and Switzerland to the brink of civil war. It also created the true "lost generation."
   Are there lessons to be learned for 2021? 

Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington by Ted Widmer
  Lincoln on the Verge tells the dramatic story of America’s greatest president discovering his own strength to save the Republic.
   As a divided nation plunges into the deepest crisis in its history, Abraham Lincoln boards a train for Washington and his inauguration—an inauguration Southerners have vowed to prevent. Lincoln on the Verge charts these pivotal thirteen days of travel, as Lincoln discovers his power, speaks directly to the public, and sees his country up close. Drawing on new research, this riveting account reveals the president-elect as a work in progress, showing him on the verge of greatness, as he foils an assassination attempt, forges an unbreakable bond with the American people, and overcomes formidable obstacles in order to take his oath of office. 

Twenty-one Truths About Love: A Novel by Matthew Dicks
   This is for all the list makers. A story told through lists. As a list maker I loved it! Daniel Mayrock's life is at a crossroads. He knows the following to be true:

1. He loves his wife Jill... more than anything.
2. He only regrets quitting his job and opening a bookshop a little (maybe more than a little)
3. Jill is ready to have a baby.
4. The bookshop isn’t doing well. Financial crisis is imminent. Dan doesn't know how to fix it.
5. Dan hasn’t told Jill about their financial trouble.
6. Then Jill gets pregnant.

Dan is also an obsessive list maker; his story unfolds entirely in his lists, which are brimming with Dan’s sense of humor, unique world-view, and deeply personal thoughts. When read in full, his lists paint a picture of a man struggling to be a man, a man who has reached a point where he’s willing to do anything for the love (and soon-to-be new love) of his life. 

While I was trying to make sense of the events of the past week, I came across a new children’s book. The title made me curious, the story and illustrations made me smile. If you stay a child at heart, there is always a smoothing message in the children’s section of every bookstore and library. 

It Will Be OK: A story of empathy, kindness, and friendship by Lisa Katzenberger, illustrated by Jaclyn Sinquett (on sale February 2)

  Sometimes the best thing we can do for our loved ones is listen and be there for as long as they need us
   Giraffe and Zebra meet every day under their favorite tree to walk to the watering hole. But today, Giraffe isn't there! Where could he be? Zebra spots him hiding in the tree; Giraffe has seen a spider and is scared silly. Zebra patiently talks to Giraffe and does the very best thing: supports Giraffe for as long as Giraffe needs it.
   A story about the power of friendship, kindness, and empathy that helps us face our fears no matter how silly they may seem. At the end of the book are these tips:

Feeling worried?
   Do you ever feel scared, worried of anxious? Most people feel anxious or afraid sometimes. When someone feels that way, it can help to share those worries with a friend
   What can you do when you feel anxious?
   Express your feelings. Take Deep breaths. Imagine a positive outcome. Ask for help, or maybe just company

Having empathy
   That means trying to understand what another person is feeling.

How can you help a worried friend?
   Listen. Stay with them until they feel better. Don’t try to solve the problem for them. Keep listening. If your friend is still struggling, it’s ok to get a trusted adult to help you. 

Stay well.  Stay safe.  Support local independent bookstores!