Following around 12 different characters through past and present, “There There” introduces dynamic and complex characters as they come from different lives, experiences and histories to arrive at the Big Oakland Pow Wow. Although difficult to follow at times with the wide range of characters, I loved this book as it is so necessary to make Native stories known and to seek out and amplify their voices and perspectives. It explores historical trauma and reveals how these characters grapple with their identity as urban Natives all while confronting erasure of that identity.
Three words that describe this book: shattering, poignant, important
You might want to pick this book up if: you would like to further understand and recognize urban Native identity and challenge your own perceptions by listening to Native voices
-Anonymous
“The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms” follows Yeine, the young leader of a small, matriarchal nation, who is unexpectedly becomes a contender to take over as head of the family that controls the Hundred Thousand kingdoms — in other words, the whole mortal world. N.K. Jemisin uses all the best parts of fantasy while also deliberately challenging the failings of the genre — namely, the sexism, the lack of nuance, and the dearth of characters of color — creating something new and vital, and extremely readable.
Three words that describe this book: Groundbreaking, unflinching, engrossing
You might want to pick this book up if: You’re a fan of mythology. Lots of great lore and incredible world-building to be found here.
-Anna
Here is a new DVD list highlighting various titles recently added to the library’s collection.
“Us”
Website / Reviews
From Academy Award®-winning director Jordan Peele comes another original nightmare. Haunted by trauma from her past and compounded by a string of eerie coincidences, Adelaide grows increasingly certain that something bad is going to befall her family. When darkness falls, the Wilsons discover the silhouette of four figures holding hands as they stand in the driveway: doppelgangers of themselves. Continue reading “New DVD List: Us, Patrick Melrose & More”
Summer time is a great time to travel, even if it’s only in your mind. The Read Harder Challenge Task #8 is “an #ownvoices book set in Oceania” and can help you to explore a part of the world that many of us will never get to visit in real life. I have tried to find a few books that were not already on DBRL’s list for this task. Continue reading “Read Harder 2019: An #Ownvoices Book Set in Oceania”
We love to anthropomorphize. If we see something that looks even vaguely human, we rush to assign our own traits to it. It starts when we are kids reading about cats named Pete, rabbits on a pilgrimage and codependent trees while holding stuffed animals on whom we’ve bestowed names, personalities and 
affection. While these tendencies fade away, we never seem to outgrow them completely. We name inanimate objects like our cars and we speak to our pets as if they know English as well as we do. I like to believe this stems from an innate sense of empathy, a desire to relate and connect with everything around us. We try to see from a different perspective. Consequently, there is a long list of books that satisfy Task #6 by taking on the point of view of non-human characters.
People bond closely to their pets, so naturally there are many books narrated by them. “The Art of Racing in the Rain” and “A Dog’s Purpose” are told from the perspective of dogs who love the humans that own them. I will give no further detail because I avoid Sad Dog Books at all costs. In a similar vein, “Laika,” a graphic novel, tells the story of the first dog in space. Abandoned as a puppy, Laika learns to trust the scientists preparing her to be launched out of Earth’s orbit. If you’re more of a cat person, “The Traveling Cat Chronicles” takes you on a road trip through Japan through the eyes of a cat. My childhood favorite, “Black Beauty,” follows a horse through his life as he encounters owners ranging from gentle and kind to cruel and abusive. Continue reading “Read Harder 2019: A Book in Which an Animal or Inanimate Object is a Point-of-View Character”
“The Four Seasons of Marriage” explores the idea that a marriage is always going through a season; Summer being the warmest and happiest and winter being the coldest and saddest. Gary gives real-life examples of couples he has worked with and tips for how to improve your marriage, or at least try to get it back into either Spring or Summer. I really liked it. I have loved all of his books that I have read so far. He encourages us to be honest, caring, thoughtful, and lets us know it is okay to screw up as long as you are taking the steps to repair the damage that has been done in the past.
Three words that describe this book: Love, Communication, Relationships
You might want to pick this book up if: You want to learn ways to brighten your partner’s day, week, month or season.
-Veronica
A refugee takes great risks to get control of her toaster. A superhero makes a misguided attempt to address racism and police corruption. A husband’s frustrations with health insurance coverage for his sick wife lead him down an internet rabbit hole to radicalization. A wealthy finance-bro retreats to his underground bunker when civilization gets unstable. These are the plots of the four novellas comprising Cory Doctorow’s “Radicalized.” They are all extremely timely — they practically scream, “TOPICAL!” The subtitle is in fact, “Four Tales of Our Present Moment.” Subtle messaging isn’t the goal here, but the stories are told with the nuance that complex issues deserve, and the characters are given a depth that makes you care about them.
The first story, “Unauthorized Bread,” is the strongest of the collection. It deftly explores themes of a refugee crisis, stark income disparities, exploitation of vulnerable populations and how much proprietary technology dictates our lives. When the main character learns how to hack the software in her toaster so it will make any kind of bread she wants, she soon ends up liberating appliances throughout her apartment building. As the risks of these actions become apparent, she is faced with difficult decisions. Continue reading “Know Your Dystopias: Radicalized”
Here is a quick look at the most noteworthy nonfiction titles being released this July. Visit our catalog for a more extensive list.
Top Picks
“Crisis in the Red Zone: The Story of the Deadliest Ebola Outbreak in History, and the Outbreaks to Come” by Richard Preston
This time, Ebola started with a two-year-old child who likely had contact with a wild creature and whose whole family quickly fell ill and died. The ensuing global drama activated health professionals in North America, Europe, and Africa in a desperate race against time to contain the viral wildfire. By the end — as the virus mutated into its deadliest form, and spread farther and faster than ever before — 30,000 people would be infected, and the dead would be spread across eight countries on three continents. In this taut and suspenseful medical drama, Richard Preston deeply chronicles the outbreak, in which we saw for the first time the specter of Ebola jumping continents, crossing the Atlantic, and infecting people in America. Preston writes of doctors and nurses in the field putting their own lives on the line, of government bureaucrats and NGO administrators moving, often fitfully, to try to contain the outbreak, and of pharmaceutical companies racing to develop drugs to combat the virus. The more we discover about the virosphere, the more we realize its deadly potential. “Crisis in the Red Zone” is an exquisitely timely book, a stark warning of viral outbreaks to come. Continue reading “Nonfiction Roundup: July 2019”
There were several big events that occurred in 1969. I will be doing a series of posts that focus on these important events and share some library materials about these events for library patrons to check out!
The Stonewall Riots occurred on June 28, 1969. New York City Police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar, in Greenwich Village. This raid sparked push back from the gay community of New York City and beyond. The Stonewall Riots help strengthen the Gay Liberation Front and lead to the formation of the Gay Activists Alliance. It also lead to the first Gay Pride March that occurred one year later on June 28, 1970.
Books
“The Stonewall Reader: Edited by the New York Public Library” by New York Public Library, Edmund White (Foreword)
June 28, 2019 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, which is considered the most significant event in the gay liberation movement, and the catalyst for the modern fight for LGBTQ rights in the United States. Drawing from the New York Public Library’s archives, “The Stonewall Reader” is a collection of first accounts, diaries, periodic literature, and articles from LGBTQ magazines and newspapers that documented both the years leading up to and the years following the riots. Most importantly the anthology spotlights both iconic activists who were pivotal in the movement, such as Sylvia Rivera, co-founder of Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries (STAR), as well as forgotten figures like Ernestine Eckstein, one of the few out, African American, lesbian activists in the 1960s. The anthology focuses on the events of 1969, the five years before, and the five years after. Continue reading “50th Anniversary: Stonewall Riots”
“The Secrets We Bury” is a good mystery/suspense book that doesn’t make the main character seem like an idiot. I prefer this genre but this is the only book I’ve read so far that’s actually had moments that creeped me out. It flowed perfectly so there was never a time I felt bored, which I personally find rare. I can usually predict how a book is going to end or who will be the main culprit but this actually surprised me a little. If you like murder mysteries or the suspense genre, I recommend this book for sure.
Three words that describe this book: Good suspenseful read
You might want to pick this book up if: You like murder mysteries.
-Courtney
