A new collection of essays from Marilynne Robinson: The Givenness Of Things

Tue, 01/19/2016 - 1:52pm by eapearce

Marilynne Robinson is known for her award-winning series of Iowa-set novels Gilead, Home and Lila, which are underpinned by questions of religion and faith. In her latest collection of essays, which follows her 2012 collection When I Was a Child I Read Books, Robinson dives fully into intellectual and moral queries.

Titled The Givenness of Things, the themes of this philosophical collection are diverse. Robinson discusses neuroscience and metaphysics, and analyzes the affect of the Reformation on how humans learn. She also makes clear her disillusionment with contemporary society, yet cautions readers and humans in general not to give in to “joyless urgency.” Her deep love and reverence for humanity, and for what we as humans can produce and create, permeates her writing. The essays in this collection total seventeen in number, many of which investigate and reference the work of philosophers of old: Calvin, Locke, and Shakespeare to name a few. Robinson manages to weave political opinion into these pieces too, denouncing “unashamed racism,” “incarceration for profit,” and gun violence, along with “cynicism and vulgarism.” Despite the vast array of subjects touched on in this collection, it flows naturally and well from one essay to the next, and Robinson’s strong voice is clear, composed and slightly witty for all three hundred pages. Booklist gives The Givenness of Things a starred review, commenting “These… profoundly caring essays lead us into the richest dimensions of consciousness and conscience, theology and mystery, responsibility and reverence.”

Always Lost: A Meditation on War

Friday December 11, 2015: 11:55am to Wednesday February 24, 2016
Downtown Library: 3rd Floor Exhibit

NPR's Best Books of 2015

Fri, 12/11/2015 - 6:17pm by eapearce

NPR recently released its Best Books of 2015 list, an in depth yearly endeavor where critics and NPR staff choose their favorite books of the year and compile them into a genre-spanning list of several hundred titles. I love that, along with the expected books on the list that are getting accolades from numerous publications and organizations, NPR’s list always contains more obscure titles that many readers likely missed over the course of the year.

You can view all of the titles from the list that we have available in our catalog here.

So what’s on this list of nearly 300 books? Here’s a preview:

In Speak, by Louisa Hall, a young Puritan woman travels to America with her unwanted husband, while in other time and place Alan Turing writes letters to his best friend’s mother and a Jewish refugee tries to reconnect with his distant wife. Elsewhere in time and space, a lonely young girl speaks with an intelligent software program and a formerly celebrated Silicon Valley entrepreneur is imprisoned for making illegal lifelike dolls. How does Hall tie all these characters together? As they all try somehow to communicate across gaps, Hall connects their stories, creating an amazing book that is a blend of historical fiction, science fiction and fantasy.

V is for Vegetables offers more than 140 simple recipes for cooking vegetables in unique and unexpected ways at home. Author and chef Michael Anthony has cleverly divided the chapters of the book by vegetable, so if you ever find yourself staring at kohlrabi or tomatillos in the grocery store, curious about how one cooks such things, this is the book for you! And even expert cooks will be refreshed by Anthony’s new ideas for ways to use common vegetables like broccoli, tomatoes, carrots and squash.

The Battle of Versailles tells of a little-known event that took place at the Palace of Versailles: as a fundraiser for the restoration of the palace, the world’s elite gathered in the grand theater there for a “fashion competition” of sorts: five American designers (including Oscar de la Renta and Anne Klein) faced off against five French designers considered to be the best designers in the world—Yves Saint Laurent, Hubert de Givenchy and others. The American clothes were expected to be a laughingstock but instead, the garments and the energy of the models who wore them wowed the crowd. By the end of the evening, American fashion in the world had transformed from a footnote to an enormous influence, not only on style itself but also on the way race, gender, sexuality and economics were treated in fashion in the years to come.

$2.00 a day

Mon, 11/09/2015 - 2:18pm by Lucy S

In $2.00 a day: living on almost nothing in America, Kathryn J. Edin and University of Michigan professor H. Luke Shaefer, illuminate a population of America that endeavors to survive, out of necessity, on little to no cash, $2.00 per day per person, or less, “what many of us spend on a cup of coffee each day.” Alex Kotlowitz, There are no children here.
This alarming narrative weaves together personal stories and recent economic history to show how these Americans got to this point, and who, exactly is suffering. Edin and Shaefer narrow their focus on four areas of America; one that represents the "typical" American city, one a rural locale that has been deeply poor for more than half a century, the third, a place where deep poverty is a newer phenomenon, and finally, a place that had been very poor in recent decades but is experiencing economic recovery. Their book takes us to Chicago, Cleveland, Johnson City, Tennessee in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, and several small, rural hamlets in the Mississippi Delta, to get at the heart of what daily life is like for individuals struggling with deep poverty, and the means they go through to survive. The first hand accounts of children going without food for weeks at a time and parents who sell whatever they can (rides in their cars, plasma, social security numbers) to alleviate this hunger are unforgettable. This is an eye opening and important read.

“Affluent Americans often cherish the belief that poverty in America is far more comfortable than poverty in the rest of the world. Edin and Shaefer’s devastating account...blows that myth out of the water.” Barbara Ehrenreich author of Nickel and dimed

It's Banned Books Week! Sept. 27 - Oct. 3

Sun, 09/27/2015 - 10:03am by badwolf

What is Banned Books Week, you may ask? It's an event put on by the American Library Association every year to celebrate the freedom to read! The ALA does not believe in censorship, and celebrating banned or challenged books draws attention to the harm potentially caused when access is restricted. If you haven't already, come check out our Banned Books Week display in the Downtown Youth Department and take a peek at the books we've chosen to highlight - some of them may surprise you!

What does it mean if a book is challenged or banned? Well, it simply means that someone doesn't like it! It could be a parent who doesn't agree with their child's assigned reading list for school, or a teacher who doesn't believe a particular title should be allowed in his/her district's curriculum. Books are challenged with the best intentions - to protect others, most commonly children, from difficult ideas and information. However, banning a book goes far beyond simply expressing a point of view or exercising beliefs. Removing material from a school's curriculum or the public library restricts the access of others who may not hold those same beliefs.

If you've had a chance to look at the display or check out the list of titles that are in it, you're probably wondering why some great books have been challenged or banned. Well, hold onto your hats and find some pearls to clutch, because we're about to tell you!

Here’s a list of the books in our display case in the same order in which you'll see them. Underneath each title are the reasons that were listed on formal complaints filed against them and basic summaries of the content that prompted these complaints.

- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

- promotes disobedience, too violent

- Katniss defies President Snow's authority, and there is a lot of bloodshed in the Hunger Games.

- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

- promotes witchcraft and Satanism

- Magic is a normal part of everyday life in Harry's world.

- Drama by Raina Telgemeier

- sexually explicit

- There is an openly gay character, and two boys kiss in the school play when one plays a female character and the other a male character.

- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

- anti-family, cultural insensitivity, drugs/alcohol/smoking, gambling, offensive language, sex education, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group, violence, depictions of bullying

- A Native American boy is sent to an all-white high school, where he faces racism and bullying.

- Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

- gambling, offensive language, political viewpoint, “politically, racially, and socially offensive,” “graphic depictions”

- The main character grows up in the middle of a war and witnesses violence and death, and since the book is a graphic novel, there are illustrations of these events.

- Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

- racism

- Native Americans are depicted as “terrible savages.”

- A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein

- promotes violence, disrespect, and disobedience

- There are poems about disobeying parents, being selfish or lazy, and lying.

- King & King by Linda deHaan

- homosexuality, anti-family, undermines religious freedom, considered “pornography” for showing a family situation that is different from traditional marriage

- The prince wants to marry another prince instead of a princess.

- Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey

- offensive language, violence, sexually explicit, implied nudity

- Captain Underpants flies around in just his underwear and a cape.

- Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig

- socially offensive

- The police characters are pigs and are depicted as inept.

- The Rabbits’ Wedding by Garth Williams

- socially offensive

- A black rabbit wants to marry a white rabbit.

- Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola

- promotes witchcraft

- Strega Nona is the loveable town witch to whom everyone turns in their time of need.

- And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell

- anti-family, homosexuality, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group, “promotes the homosexual agenda”

- Two male penguins are given an egg to raise together.

- Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

- promotes/glorifies dangerous behavior (tantrums), child abuse

- Max throws a lot of tantrums and is “deprived” of food as punishment.

- Nappy Hair* by Carolivia Herron

- racially insensitive

- A little African-American girl's hair is described as "nappy" and "knotted up" by her family.

- Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman

- pro-homosexuality, anti-family, unsuitable for children

- The main character has two moms instead of a mom and a dad.

So there you have it! If you're feeling a little rebellious, go ahead and check these titles out. We won't tell.

*Are you looking for Nappy Hair in our catalog, but can't find it? Never fear! We only have one copy in the system, and since it's currently in the display case, it has to be marked as "unavailable." Check back in a few weeks!

City Of Ann Arbor 2016 Sustainable Ann Arbor Forum: Looking to the Future: Ann Arbor in 2025

Thursday April 7, 2016: 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room

Opiates & Medicine: Where are we, America?

Tue, 09/08/2015 - 2:29pm by Beth Manuel

Dawn Farm kicks off their Education Series this year by presenting on the topic of opiates & medicine which has been deemed an "epidemic" by CDC Director Thomas Frieden. Local and national leaders and media headlines echo & highlight this concern. How did we get this way? What drives this “epidemic?” This presentation will be a historically based look at the medical use of opiates, especially in American society. It will focus on the development and use of narcotic medications against the background of the three opiate epidemics in America. The presenter will discuss the history of opiates in medicine, opiate addiction as a brain disease, issues in the use of opiates to treat chronic pain and the medical treatment of addiction. The session is September 22 from 7:30-9:00 PM at the SJMH Education Center.

Money Smart Week: Creative Crafting

Sunday April 24, 2016: 2:00pm to 3:00pm
Traverwood Branch: Program Room
Grades K-6

A Back to School Story Worth Watching

Tue, 09/08/2015 - 7:50am by oldnews

There's "back to school" and then there's Cody High and the Cody Rouge community comeback. Cody High: A Life Remodeled Project, an award-winning documentary that focuses on the efforts to remake Detroit's Cody High School and the blighted neighborhood surrounding it, is now available for online streaming through AADL.

Cody High students and their families, neighbors, and over 10,000 volunteers remodeled three schools, tore down three burned-out houses, remodeled 25 homes of students and their families, boarded up 254 vacant houses, and removed blight on 303 blocks of Detroit. The film follows struggles that are universal to all teenagers and unique to the Cody Rouge community, providing new perspectives on commitment and courage in a complex world.

Blackout: a moving portrait of alcoholism and recovery

Mon, 08/31/2015 - 1:15pm by eapearce

Sarah Hepola writes of her experiences with both alcoholism and sobriety in the deeply personal, relatable, and relevant new book Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget. With so many college activities now focused around drinking, it's often difficult after graduation has occurred for young people to shed the mentality of making-everything-more-fun-with-alcohol. Alcohol-fueled events and parties extend into our twenties, thirties and beyond, and the line between normal alcohol consumption and alcoholism is increasingly blurred for many young people. Hepola calls alcohol the “gasoline of all adventure” for her when she was in her younger years. She spent fun nights at cocktail parties and at bars, drinking til last call… but the frivolity didn’t come without a price. She blacked out often and was left spending entire mornings trying to piece together what she had done the night before, making self-deprecating jokes to cover her shame. As with many alcoholics, her career flourished during this time, but as the blackouts continued, Hepola was forced to admit the truth: the alcohol she thought she needed to lift her spirits was depressing her and negatively affecting her health and relationships. Thus, she embarks on a new and unexpected adventure: that of sobriety.

This memoir is simultaneously hilarious and heartbreaking, and always unfailingly honest. A highly recommended read for anyone who has been forced to reinvent themselves or cope with necessary change, Blackout reveals how sometimes giving up the thing we cherish the most can allow us to truly find ourselves.

For other excellent stories about women and alcoholism, try Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood by Koren Zailckas, Note Found in a Bottle, by Susan Cheever, and Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol, by Ann Dowsett Johnston.