Book of the Day

BotD’s Not Gonna Take It Anymore!

Long before the emo, the goth kids, the grindcore/hardcore/heavy metal, the rap, the meth, but leading into the stealing your parent’s car, the toilet-papering of houses, the drinking and driving, and listening to the rock’n’roll, kids found ways to rebel. I mean, come on: even in the 1800s, parents were parents, and kids were always able to make problems for them.

As someone who was only grounded once for crossing state lines in the vehicle of a friend under the age of 18 for a meal, you can tell that I’m not all that rebellious. If you’re interested in what kids did to piss off their parents in the past, check out Teenage: The Prehistory of Youth Culture (1875-1945) by Jon Savage. Or, if you’re a parent, compare your struggles to the struggles of your parent’s parents, and see if you’ve gotten off easy or just in deeper.

Book of the Day Ain’t Afraid of No Ghosts

Starting in Medieval times (the period in history, not the restaurant) and continuing on through present day, Owen Davies explores how the belief in ghosts has shaped history in The Haunted: A Social History of Ghosts. From scandal to war, from entertainment to religion: the belief in ghosts and been an explanation, excuse, and a source of fear which has shaped the actions of many. By examining the beliefs of generations and cultures, Davies attempts to explain some of our modern day superstitions and convictions.

It is interesting to think about all of my favorite sources of entertainment and their inclusion of ghosts. Doom metal. Ghostbusters. One could argue Six Feet Under.

My favorite ghost of all time? As seen below, The ghost of Stephen Foster.

Book of the Day: Coming to America

Perhaps its the allusions of an immigrant (though not entirely immigrant) story that has created this historic presidential nominee that has me reflecting on the “Only in America” aspect of the self-made person. The prejudices against an outsider, the fear of the unknown, and ultimately the integration so instilled that it is typically a non-issue. Irish Americans by Jay P. Dolan is often hailed as the most complete and/or accurate retelling of the Irish American story. Unless someone you’ve grown up around someone who held onto some prejudices, its easy to forget that Irish Americans were once considered a distinction from what is now a broad dinstinction of “white”. I’m not going to compare one person’s struggle to the next, but it is the idea that there was a struggle that this nation has over time moved past that should give excitement, hope, and pride to Americans everywhere.

Because you’ll probably ask for it:

Call Number: PN147 .G444 2008

First Floor, Reference Section.

… …

In other books:

Capital punishment is the eye-for-an-eye of our legal system, as handed down by a jury of peers. This book is Execution’s Doorstep: True Stories of the Innocent and Near Damned by journalist Leslie Lysle. This chronicle of five men put on death row, only to later be proven innocent, shows the hardships, stigma, fear, and degredation any innocent person convicted would feel or endure, yet with the added layer of knowing that meet their end early and in a predetermined fashion.

Book of the Day

The Wisdom of Whores by Elizabeth Pasini may focus on prostitutes and their profession, but there is a deeper subtext. Pasini and her colleagues are known for pushing governments across the globe to beef up on AIDs awareness and prevention. However, in examining the behavior of prostitutes, Pasini gets a deeper insight into how their actions, choices, and selection of clientele help them protect themselves in regards to health, but also other issues such as physical safety. How times have changed for the World’s Oldest Profession. But, given that the job often comes without health insurance, they’ve probably had a lot of time think through these things.

Book of the Day: Post-Election

Stare, see, take in, grasp
Comprehend, assimilate, behold your reflection

Its framing – gold plated lies
The canvas – hurting souls caught and weaved
The artist – the human dream
Incinerated, devoured, deceived

-Meshuggah, “Combustion” from Obzen

I was once convinced the band Meshuggah were afraid of robots (Cylons specifically), but I think what they’re really afraid of is the idea that people ingest what they hear and become complacent or accepting of it without questioning the source. This election has engrossed me, and I’ve always been cognisant of the fact that I’ve watched it primarily on MSNBC. Sometimes, I tuned into Fox, and occasionally, Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer (what a name!) would join me from CNN.

Why? Because like Meshuggah, I have to remind myself that everything I see is tinted by a point of view. That processing what the media gives me means understanding the filters my information has been put through. Today’s book, Media Literacy: Keys to Interpreting Media Messages applies to news, advertisements, print, electronic, online, on television: everything. This book by Art Silverblatt examines the weight and influence leveraged by what we are shown, what we aren’t, and how it is presented to us. The book gives media students and enthusiasts a framework for analysis as well as a guide for specific media outlets and how to properly scrutinize sources of information.

…This doesn’t mean you don’t have to worry about Cylons…

Book of the Day Returns to Children’s Books (Kind Of)

Dear Kansans: Vote. Before the end of tomorrow, if you have not already, please vote.

Dear Members of the Show Me State: Vote tomorrow.

In order to distract most from the political overload that all comes to a head tomorrow evening or Wednesday morning, I’m falling back on what will become the classic diversion here: children’s books.

It’s a celebration! Well, of art. A Caldecott Celebration by Leonard Marcus is an in-depth look at the history of the award, and seven of its most acclaimed winners. It goes into the stories and studios of these honored artists and shows why and how they do what they do. Included are the artists Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are) and Mordicai Gerstein (The Man Who Walked Between The Towers), plus five other famous folks. Quick reads are good distractions for the next 48 hours. You may want to check it out.

Book of the DISBELIEF!

I whole heartedly disbelieve that Out of the Labyrinth: Setting Mathematics Free by Bob and Ellen Kaplan is entertaining. BUT, there are math scholars and people who don’t care about math that tell me their work is phenomenal. This cannot change the fact that it is about math, but it does prove that I am constantly wrong about math. I am not good at it. Therefore, if people who are right about math can recommend this to me, then I can strongly recommend this book to you.

It is sort of aimed at educators, but it is recommended for anyone who would like math to be interesting. Like me. So I’m going to peruse some of their other work with the Math Circle (these Kaplans are way famous). If the Math Circle in practice or concept catches your attention, you might want to grab Out of the Labyrinth and turn some pages.

BotD Goes to Sweet Home Chicago

If you think 9/11 didn’t have a direct impact on the Midwest, you might have an argument. But if you think post-9/11 Midwest isn’t shaped differently than before, you’re quite wrong. Taking the setting to my home state, the novel Chicago by Alaa Al Aswany paints the climate of the Windy City by examining several Middle-Eastern descendants at the University of Illinois Chicago and their relationships with each other, those of different backgrounds, and their connection to the ebb and flow of Chi-Town. When ethinicity is brought to the forefront, the characters in this book are displayed, examined, and challenged to illustrate the emphasis on diversity, customs, traditions, and traits that each tries to rid themselves of or hold on to.

BotD Takes a Break From Politics

… sort of.

Are you stressed about the election? Are you fatigued from American politics and all its laborious processes? Are your eardrums hurt by Kieth Olbermann, Bill O’Reilly, or anyone else?

Maybe it is time to turn to foreign political families. Speaking for Myself: My Life from Liverpool to Downing Street is the autobiography of Cherie Blair, barrister and (more famously) wife of former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair. This is the full biography, not just her life in the British spotlight. Her childhood was unique and she was established long before Blair’s rise to leadership. An interesting story worth a read.