Category: Book of the Day

Crashing the Party?

One can track a shift in the Republican Party as some members started to focus on issues like homosexuality, Christianity, abortion, abstinence education, or any combination of the aforementioned. Many turned to evangelical church figureheads to be leaders for the party.  The schism this may have created and the reasons why it may have occurred are posited in Max Blumenthal’s Republican Gomorrah: Inside the Movement that Shattered a Party. Though it is an examination of many facts, it is also strongly opinionated: Blumental suggests that sexual abuse may have shaped certain key leaders in the movement, and he also works for Media Matters, an organization that montiors the media for bias, but has been accused of leaning left on the political spectrum.

With all the talk on the news about the Republican Party being in what sports teams might call “a rebuilding year,” Republican Gomorrah is an interesting hypothesis about what may have led to it.

Feel-Good Football: You Probably Need It

If you’re a Chiefs fan, which this demographic likely is, you probably need something good related to football. I’m a Bears fan, so I need it, too.

Michael Oher with his adopted parents

Which is why everyone should read The Blind Side (The Evolution of Game), the story of Michael Oher‘s tragic childhood, his adoption by a family in his teen years, and his eventual rise to play in the NFL. It’s a true story that, were it not so publicly documented, would be hard to imagine.

This is why you’ll love this book:

  • The book doesn’t have Sandra Bullock like the movie does
  • The author, Michael Lewis, wrote many other amazing books you’ll become a fan of
  • It is easily the most humbling story to come out of sports recently
  • There are zero mentions of Brodie Croyle

Stories that reflect compassion in sports are always touching, but this really is something even non-sports fans should check out.

If Nicholas Cage Can Do It, So Can You

Acting, directing, producing… gaffing? Do gaffers gaffe? I have no clue.

But you know how you can find out? Check this book we just added: Careers in Media and Film: The Essential Guide by Georgina Gregory and friends.  This book aims to expose readers to all of the different film and media occupations out there, and how to prep yourself to get into these often competitive roles.  A well-rounded resource for all aspiring for jobs in the entertainment field, and also available for check out.

But certainly there’s a career for you if this guy gets work:

I mean, seriously.

Thinking Before You Talk

One thing I noticed in the burbs of Chicago amongst older white teenagers and younger college students was a complete ignorance of latent racism in many comments they would make.  Chicago’s not the only guilty suburban area, and I’m not about to predict what area in the country (or beyond) is the worst. Nor am I going to predict if the blatant racism and prejudice I saw in my rural upbringing is any worse than the hidden or oblivious kind. What I can do is direct you towards and expert person who has written an expert book on the subject: The Everyday Language of White Racism by Jane H. Hill. This book helps identify ways in which social exclusion still occurs, and also provides suggestions on how to help eliminate some of the problem.  It is worth a read, and is, as is everything we feature, available in the JCCC Library.

Get Cooking, JCCC: It’s Almost Thanksgiving

We’ve got a lot of cookbooks here to help you through your Thanksgiving and holiday season. Check them out here. Among our new books, we’ve got Baking by James Peterson, which promises you 300 recipes to guide you in your pursuit of baked goods.

Here at the library I offer you a secret family recipe:

Royal Thanksgiving Turkey

  1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
  2. Take thawed turkey, rubber glove, and begin removing the Pile of Nasty lodged inside it.
  3. Baste turkey, using brush, with mixture of 2 quarts bourbon, 1 stick of butter.
  4. Apply a seasoning mix of garlic, pepper, chives, and questionable spice found in cabinet when reaching for the garlic powder.
  5. Place stuffing inside. It doesn’t really matter if its cooked or not, surely something magical will happen. Turkey’s a mystery, you know.
  6. Remember that you forgot to take the center rack out of the oven: using an oven mitt (DO NOT FORGET THIS STEP [again]). When you realize you have nowhere to set rack, throw it outside. If you rent, prepare excuse for landlord explaining grid-shaped burn mark in grass.
  7. Take battery out of smoke detector.  Actually, you shouldn’t really do this step; I’m guessing it’s illegal. For law-abiding citizens, grab noise-cancelling headphones.
  8. Place turkey, in pan, on the bottom rack, and set the timer for what seems like an eternity. No really, just make up a time. How bad could it be?
  9. Apply one (1) full contents of fire extinguisher to inflamed bird. Use foot to hold back Labrador retriever. Curse yourself for falling asleep. (In your defense, it isn’t your fault that the Detroit Lions insist on playing every freaking Thanksgiving.)
  10. Apologize to appropriate neighbors and civil service employees.
  11. Place keys in ignition, proceed to nearest International House of Pancakes. Pancakes taste better than turkey, anyway, and your vegetarian family members will show visible relief. Turns out, they don’t actually like tofurkey!

Have a good break, folks. We’ll be back Sunday.

The Apollo Program Was (Almost Certainly Not) a Hoax…

… but these literature events were!  In Literary Hoaxes : An Eye-Opening History of Famous Frauds by Melissa Katsoulis, you’ll find out about fake Shakespeare notes, an imposter Hitler diary, ancient Roman tomfoolery, and some recent shannanigans pulled by authors trying to make a quick buck off of forgery and lies.  This isn’t really a book for conspiracy theorists, but is perfect for those interested in proven fakes in literature.

As for this post’s title?  I just really like Refused.

Waiting on the Cy Young Announcements?

We are, too. Some of us are White Sox fans, but if Greinke pulls off winning the Cy Young, that would be pretty cool for the KC area.  Aside from getting the All-Star Game in 2012, there hasn’t been much positive baseball news around here.

But if you’re curious about the man behind the Cy Young Award, we recommend JCCC students, faculty, and staff check out one of the services we offer with this electronic book called Cy Young: A Baseball Life. Afterwards, feel free to peruse the rest of our electronic books, readable for JCCC members anywhere with an Internet connection

Tweets in the Workplace

The library has a Twitter feed, and you should follow it!  Provided, you have a Twitter account of your own (or you are RSS savvy).

But maybe you’re curious about Twitter, or maybe you have horrid Twitter etiquette:  I’m looking at you, ladies who retweet everything @diablocody posts! But as with all social networking, there’s professional “rules” on top of the basic ones. For that check out Twitter for Business: Twitter for Friends. It is a fantastic guide for not just how to avoid upsetting people, but also how to reach out to the avenues you’re interested in, broadcast to a larger base, and even a little bit about different applications and APIs. So check it out, hit us up, and see what it’s all about.