Staff Review: Barkskins by Annie Proulx

Barkskins, the new, multi-generational epic by Annie Proulx, won't be for everyone. For one thing, it's over 700 pages long and covers over 300 years of history, specifically the history of the de-nuding of the American landscape by woodchoppers (or barkskins) large and small, individual and corporate. Yes, it's a lengthy tale of the destruction of the great North American forests -- not exactly the feel-good read of the year. At the same time, it's brimming with vitality: lovely, lively writing; gorgeous descriptions of nature; wild and colorful characters. I loved it.

Barkskins opens with the 1697 arrival in New France (now Canada) of indentured servants Charles Duquet and René Sel, both indebted to the same boorish master. The two men quickly part, one dutifully working off his indenture and the other escaping into the woods before losing any more teeth to his master's crude dentistry pliers.

The novel proceeds to tell Duquet's and Sel's stories, following each man's line of descent through multiple generations. Start to finish, they all make their livings from the trees of the vast northern woods, widely considered to be inexhaustible.

René Sel marries into the Mi'kmaq tribe of Nova Scotia and through his line we see the fate of America's indigeneous people as white immigrant families flood into the new country, extirpating the wildlife and appropriating all the land, relentlessly chopping, burning, and laying waste to the woods exactly as they had done in the countries they fled. Think The Lorax writ large. Charles Duquet, he of the bad teeth, founds a timber dynasty, amassing enormous wealth and passing on his rapacious greed to his offspring.

Proulx's characters are rarely two-dimensional, never all good or all bad. A number are even quite sympathetic, and plenty of the rascals come to highly undesirable ends.

If you're into American history -- natural history, Native American history, the history of the timber industry, the settling of North America, the French and Indian Wars --  just to name a few areas, this may well be the book for you. Characters roam the globe as well, travelling to China, New Zealand, Europe, and other vividly-wrought locales. The novel is extremely well-researched and very well- written. It's a lively and rollicking tale, and, in parts, very funny. A live-wire herself, Proulx peppers the book with forceful, intelligent women. And as a added bonus, just by reading it, you'll compile an extensive list of the many graphic and gruesome ways people met untimely ends in the good old days.

~Ann, Adult Services

Staff Review: An Atlas of Countries that Don't Exist by Nick Middleton

From ethnically-divided separatist states to absent-minded libertarians taking over uninhabited islands, you'll find this and more in An Atlas of Countries that Don't Exist: a Compendium of Fifty Unrecognized and Largely Unnoticed States by Nick Middleton.

This short book presents fifty would-be countries and a brief description of how each came to be. And I really do mean brief -- only 1-2 paragraphs are devoted to each selection, leaving it up to the reader to do further research on how each separatist movement was formed. Each selection includes stunning visuals: maps, diagrams, and official flags.

The book serves as a nice primer on 20th-century history. The quasi-countries include former communist strongholds, areas forgotten during post-colonial independence, and ethnic divides that continue to simmer.

I'd recommend this book to any lover of history or geography and perhaps to certain readers who need a short nonfiction book to submit for their Great Reading Challenge. 😉

~ Mark, Circulation

Staff Review: The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

It's hard to do justice to Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad in a quick review. I was leery of reading it because I knew it was going to be emotionally wrenching -- and it was -- but it's also sublime and wonderful: beautifully written, compelling, imaginative, even fantastical in parts, yet it rings so true. Whitehead obviously did a vast amount of research for the novel, but there's not a word of dialogue that breaks the story's spell.

In the second sentence of her New York Times review of the book, Michiko Kakutani calls The Underground Railroad "a potent, almost hallucinatory novel that leaves the reader with a devastating understanding of the terrible human costs of slavery." That it does. 

The novel tells the story of Cora, a slave on the Georgia cotton plantation of an especially brutal man, a drunkard and a sadist. Circumstances and a fellow slave convince Cora to attempt an escape and what follows is the wild narrative of her long journey to freedom, with an ever-changing cast of accomplices, comrades, and brutes. Sadly, lots and lots of brutes; slave-catching was a lucrative pursuit and particularly attractive to the lowest of the low. 

Cora travels via a literal underground railroad, to South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and then further west. We observe the topography of slavery from myriad, awful angles. It's a rough journey in every possible way, but thankfully it leads in the direction of redemption. 

I thought, going in, that I was well aware of the depths of the slavery horror but, come to find out, I'd barely plumbed them. It's a terrible thing confronting the fact that man's inhumanity can exceed one's wildest imaginings. The challenge is not to hate back. 

Reading The Underground Railroad was an experience I won't soon forget. It deepened my compassion and increased my understanding. The novel has occupied the bestseller list for over 30 weeks now, which is heartening. Maybe compassion and understanding will start to go viral.

~Ann, Adult Services

Staff Review: Brothers Sinister series by Courtney Milan

Historical romance novels are my go-to escape reading. Whenever I'm stressed or burned out, they give me the pick-up I need. The reassurance that this story at least will end with Happily Ever After makes them a safe refuge in a world of books and TV shows that seem to relish killing off our favorite characters.

That said, the promise of a happy ending doesn't stop romance authors like Courtney Milan from exploring some of the darker parts of the human experience or confronting some of today's challenging issues through the lens of the past. While some of the romance I read is all fluff and happiness, the Brothers Sinister series by Courtney Milan has a depth I really appreciate.

The series consists of 4 novels and 3 novellas, and while most of the stories stand well on their own, they do share characters and will be more rewarding if read in order. The series is set in the Victorian era, with the exception of the first novella, which is set 30 years earlier (a few years before Queen Victoria took the throne). That first novella, The Governess Affair, was one of only two books that I gave a 5-star rating to in 2014. I wish I'd realized then that it was the start of a larger series.

One warning: historical purists will find themselves annoyed by some of the author's choices, but Milan is very up front in her decisions to veer from historical fact. I don't want to spoil things too much here, but if you want to know which book to read for frank discussions of reproductive and sexual health, which books feature incredibly intelligent women who meet men who appreciate them for their intellectual accomplishments, or which book has the virgin hero, just ask in the comments!

The Governess Affair (novella)
The Duchess War
A Kiss for Midwinter (novella)
The Heiress Effect
The Countess Conspiracy
The Suffragette Scandal
Talk Sweetly to Me (novella)

~Sarah, Adult Services

Staff Review: The Pioneers by James Fenimore Cooper

For the Great Reading Challenge, I’ve chosen to read a book over 100 years old. I read James Fenimore Cooper’s The Pioneers in part because I’ve had a worn dusty edition sitting on my coffee table for the past year, but also (and the reason it’s been taking up table space) because it is set during a time in American history I’ve wanted to better understand. Particularly I’ve been curious about who these settlers were, some of the events that happened in the country before they came, their aspirations, and their continuing effect on the modern world. Basically, I wanted a deeper understanding than the bits I remember from grade school.

The Pioneers is the first book in Cooper’s five stories about his character Leatherstocking. It has a common narrative style of the 19^th century: richly detailed with descriptions of the setting and characters, and it strolls along at a leisurely pace. With the book being over 400 pages, it takes some time to get into the rhythm of plot and language. That being said, this style isn’t for everyone. I was a little skeptical when Cooper warned in the introduction that the book is a “descriptive tale” and that he wrote it solely for personal satisfaction. I figured it could go one of two ways: a directionless rambling with explanations of every type of tree he encountered and a long geological survey of the area; or, since it was inspired by personal passion, it might be a unique glimpse into that time period. I was happy to discover that my second speculation was closer. Although the descriptions at the beginnings of chapters (mostly in the first half of the book) can be quite long before any action happens, I feel they add depth to the story and help place the reader into that world.

The Pioneers is loosely based on Cooper’s own life: his father founded Cooperstown, New York, with the parallel in the story being the fictional town of Templeton, founded by Judge Marmaduke Temple (possibly bearing some resemblance to Cooper’s actual father). This character is treated with fairness – he believes in the justness and fairness of the law, but also believes the land is his because of the document given to him from his country. We find a constant conflict with Temple's beliefs in the character of Nathaniel (Natty) Bumppo, also known as Leatherstocking (the Davy Crockett-like hero of Cooper’s novels).

Even though much of the book is descriptive, Cooper introduces an engaging storyline and scenes of suspense.  The reader is introduced to threatening wild animals, hunting mishaps, wild fires, and blossoming romance. The descriptions and narrative serve the bigger part of pushing forward Cooper’s beliefs. The book is written with much reverence toward the Native Americans' lifestyle, but also pathos toward the settlers (well, some of the settlers). He’s highly critical of the settlers, but makes his characters very human and relatable. The character of Leatherstocking, who fought in the French and Indian War and adapted a loner lifestyle with a Native American friend, represents the wisdom that comes from knowing how to live off the land.  Judge Templeton is an intelligent person and understands the need to be conservative with the environment, but coming from a different background also believes in the fairness of the law invented by civilized men. Although presenting opposing philosophies, Cooper is fair with both these characters and paints them as some of the most reasonable in the book, although Leatherstocking is more clearly the hero. 

Some of the settlers represent what we might recognize as our least admirable qualities. Richard, Templeton’s cousin, amplifies this position in his boastfulness and lavish attitude toward the land and animals. His extravagance is displayed when he wheels in a cannon to shoot at pigeons. Not content with the settlers shooting down as many as they can get, he wants to prove that he can get it done in one “fell swoop of destruction.” Cooper’s environmentalist philosophy is displayed in many of the character interactions in the novel.  These early reflections of our impact on the environment remain especially powerful today.

For those ready to invest themselves in this book, The Pioneers acts as a meditation on our American way of life. Although history already took the course the settlers set in motion, these early insights into the minds of the pioneers help us to connect with a larger picture of what it means to be an American, forcing the reader to think critically about our relationship with the natural world. Besides the strong message, the action and drama set up with Cooper’s characters keep the story fun. All five stories starring Natty Bumppo can be checked out from the library under the title The Leatherstocking Tales, containing perhaps the most famous story The Last of the Mohicans.

~Ben, Adult Services

Staff Review: Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell

Anyone who has read one of Sarah Vowell's books knows how funny she is. Laugh-out-loud funny at times. But when it comes to American history, she knows her stuff. Hers is a fresh take on what we all learned in school: the Puritans on the Mayflower, our past presidents, the Salem witch trials, the Civil War. Sometimes she goes farther afield: in one book, Unfamiliar Fishes, she explores the events leading up to the U.S. annexation of Hawaii. Vowell is snarky, irreverent, and a whole lot of fun. Always droll, never dull, often remarkably astute, she breathes new life into old stories.

In Lafayette in the Somewhat United States, her most recent book, she really shows off her chops. I can't imagine how much reading, research, and travel must have gone in to writing this book. Vowell seems at ease with all the major battles of the Revolutionary War, which went on for eight long years, and with all the key players, from military leaders like George Washington and Benedict Arnold to members of the Continental Congress. Her focus is on Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier, better known as the Marquis de Lafayette, a 19-year-old French aristocrat who crossed the ocean in 1776 to take up the cause of American liberty. Swashbuckling and debonair, he became not only a highly capable general but a sort of surrogate son to Washington, who was crazy about him.

The book opens with Lafayette's return to the U.S. in 1824, at age 67, for a grand tour of all (by then) 24 states. Americans still adored him for his contributions to the cause of freedom and he was greeted by cheering crowds everywhere he went. By that time, he had not only survived the American Revolution (he was wounded at the Battle of Brandywine) but also emerged neck intact from "the Terror" -- the bloody chaos of the French Revolution, with its flames, pitchforks, and flashing guillotine. Vowell then turns back in time to the trajectory of the American Revolution, interspersing her own clever assessment of historical events with anecdotes about people she meets and sites she visits while conducting her extensive research.

She is so amiable in her snarkiness that I always finish her books wishing I could hang out with her. I also laugh and learn a lot along the way. By the close of this one, I understood for the very first time just how much the French helped us win the War of Independence (something we might have done well to remember during the Freedom-fries fiasco of 2003) and I had a much better appreciation of the reason so many American cities, towns, counties, hills, rivers, bridges, parks, schools, boats, and buildings were named in honor of Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette.

Cautionary Note: I better add a note about the audio version. When you hear Vowell for the first time (she narrates her own books), you may well be a bit turned off, especially if you're just coming off a super-fine audiobook narrator. For all that Vowell's such a big radio personality and has done so much voice and acting work, her high-pitched, lispy, little-kid voice can be dismaying, but I promise if you power through the first chapter or two, you'll cease to notice. It won't bother you at all. You may even come to find it endearing.

~Ann, Adult Services 

Staff Review: Free Men by Katy Simpson Smith

Free Men by Katy Simpson Smith is a fine tale, though not one I would normally patronize. In this book, there were no ghastly hauntings, no demonic possessions, no black blood trickling down macabre halls, no gallivanting knights riding down dissidents, no rampaging Vikings, and there was certainly a marked absence of marauding mercenaries, bloodthirsty space pirates, and buxom maidens awaiting a daring rescue. That being said, this story piqued my interest. I think it was the cover. Despite what you may have learned in school, one can sometimes judge a book by its cover. Take a peek at the screenshot of the cover that I assume is portrayed right next to this missive. You can see thick, leafy foliage providing shelter to what appears to be a dry creek bed scattered with leaves and with an air of tranquility descending over all of the above. In fact the whole narrative is infused with picturesque scenery that makes one yearn for a virgin forest and an open schedule. But I digress.

            
 Free Men unfurls shortly after our great nation won its independence and tells the story of an escaped slave, a white simpleton, and an American Indian seeking allies who stumble upon one another while on their individual paths to freedom. Upon meeting on their separate roads to redemption, this unlikely trio forges an instantaneous bond that transcends each of their individual prejudices and throws them into a situation where they are faced with a difficult decision. When an opportunity to seize an unimaginable amount of wealth from men who are certainly affluent enough presents itself, these men struggle to ascertain whether the ends justify the means. Is it a sin for these wronged individuals to seize what has long been denied to them or do they tread the dark path toward both their damnation and their salvation? 

               
The three protagonists’ journey is stalked from its inauguration by a bloodhound of a Frenchman with a sense of justice as well as an encompassing need to understand the motivations of these three disparate men. His need to bring a group of wrongdoers to justice becomes increasingly sidetracked by his fascination with his prey and his need to scrutinize the spirit of freedom these men present.  

This novel was an unexpected treat that, as I unwrapped it, presented layer after layer of depth and complexity. From the point of view of either the predator or the prey, this story vividly portrays the grey areas of life and makes the reader ponder what it truly means to be free.   

~Ryan, Circulation Department 

Staff Review: Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart

What fun this book was! We had a lovely and animated discussion of Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart for August's Book Club.

I chose this book in particular because it was a mystery and very much outside of my normal reading habits. I do like to stretch my reading boundaries and it also happens to fulfill the "Read a Mystery" challenge for the Great Reading Challenge! The premise seemed intriguing too: The year is 1915, the location: New Jersey, USA. There are three sisters living on a farm and taking care of themselves just fine, thank you very much. The story begins as the sisters are out shopping. Along comes a newfangled automobile which quite suddenly and rather rudely smashes into the ladies' horse-drawn buggy.

What starts as a simple quest to recoup the cost of a demolished buggy turns into an all-out war with the corrupt factory owner (and errant automobile driver) who refuses to pay and in fact, insists on harassing and taunting these ladies with threats and bullets until they feel they are trapped in their home and under siege. But even as we can feel their fear and worry, and the unfairness of the general treatment of women at this time, we also see their strength and fortitude.

Constance, Norma and Fleurette Kopp just wanted to go about their own business, but as they are thrust into an unwanted struggle, they grow to meet the challenge and then some. All three end up being a hero in their own way in this story. As we watch them take on the corrupt boss and his henchmen (as well as some of the gender norms expected during this era), we get to savor some sweet justice. The best part of the whole story, to me, is the fact that it is based on a true story. The Kopp sisters were real and they were actually involved in a story much like this one! It is great that this tale of three incredible women is finally being told.

This mystery isn't a whodunit, not really. But it does keep us on the edge of our seat wondering how all the pieces fit and how things happened the way they did. I recommend this for anyone who can appreciate sharp and capable main characters who are up against a society that doesn't really respect them, but who do what needs to be done regardless. There are some great one-liners in this book and a general sense of playfulness, even as there are some more serious and thoughtful elements that pin the story together. A great read overall! And it's a series too - Book 2 will be out in September and it is called Lady Cop Makes Trouble.

~Angie, Adult Services

Staff Review: My Brilliant Friend and The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante

The publication of Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan novels (a quartet) has been one of the biggest literary events of the century (granted, we're only sixteen years in, but still). To say Ferrante has gathered brilliant accolades, that she's garnered the wildest acclaim, would be an understatement. The publishing industry and the media have already inducted her into the literary pantheon. For this reason, and because the slim Europa paperbacks that embody her U.S. translations are so attractive, I finally took the plunge. At this point I'm two books in.

Ferrante herself is a mystery woman. No one knows who she is, what she looks like, or where she lives. This in itself, in an age of massive media attention to every big new thing, is remarkable and might reasonably be perceived as a sort of media blitz of its own (search "Elena Ferrante's identity" and you get over 100,000 results). Everyone is speculating, guessing, even claiming to have found her. If she remains elusive, it will be a marvel.

So, what do I think of the quartet halfway in? I'd have to say I like them, I dislike them, and I can't seem to put them down. Ferrante creates an exquisitely detailed world that spans decades and brings Naples to life politically and culturally. The story line follows the friendship of two Neapolitan girls born just after World War II. They're five or six as My Brilliant Friend begins and about twenty as the second novel, The Story of a New Name, concludes (they'll be going on seventy by the end of the series).

Elena and Lila were born in the same poor, violent neighborhood in Naples, where husbands beat wives, brothers beat sisters, parents beat kids, and the typical hissed threat is "Do that again and so help me God I will kill you." At that time in Italy, feminism wasn't a concept nor was divorce legal; the lives of many Italian women were bleak. Many men's lives weren't so great either.

Elena, the studious good girl, and Lila, the rebel, are both unusually bright but only Elena completes high school and even goes on to college. Over the years the girls' friendship waxes and wanes, sometimes breaking off tumultuously. Events play out within a large cast of neighborhood characters: family members, schoolmates, boyfriends, teachers, parents, shopkeepers, and the notorious Solara family, linked to the Camorra (Neapolitan organized crime), whose members control the neighborhood through loansharking, extortion, threats, beatings, and even murder.

It's not the novels' gritty setting with its violence and corruption that, at times, turns me off. It's the wildly unpredictable nature of Elena and Lila's friendship. At times Lila's a true-blue friend and at other times she behaves in unpredictable, despicable, and cruel ways. She hurts Elena again and again. Of course, it can certainly be said that she hurts herself more. Elena gets in a few licks too, at one point dumping a box of Lila's journals, painstakingly written over the years and entrusted to Elena's care, into the Arno River. Their breaches can make for tough reading. 

Reviewing this series in the Financial Times, the novelist Claire Messud wrote, "I end up thinking that the people who don't see Ferrante's genius are those who can't face her uncomfortable truths: that women's friendships are as much about hatred as love . . . ." I guess I can't -- or don't -- accept that particular "truth," but I also can't stop reading the novels; I'm just about to start book three, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay. Ferrante has created a series that's powerfully compelling. And, in the end, maybe my love/hate relationship with it is fitting. After all, Lila and Elena love and hate each other for over sixty years. Maybe I'm just not Neapolitan enough to get it.

~Ann, Adult Services

Staff Review: Valiant Ambition by Nathaniel Philbrick

I have this thing for Benedict Arnold. I've been fascinated by him for years, primarily because of his amazing and heroic slog to Quebec through the wilderness of Maine and Canada at the start of the Revolutionary War (you can read all about that difficult and dangerous journey in Through a Howling Wilderness by Thomas Desjardin). By the time Arnold finally reached Quebec, his force of 1,100 troops had been reduced to 600 starving men.

Back then Arnold was well on his way to becoming the brightest star in the American military firmament, a reputation he continued to build with brilliant feats throughout the first battles of the war. I just hate that after amassing all that well-earned glory, he wound up committing treason. His name is now synonymous with "dirty, rotten scoundrel," the worst in U.S. history.

The highly-readable popular historian Nathaniel Philbrick tackles Arnold's tragic trajectory from "American Hannibal" to despicable traitor in his new book, Valiant Ambition. Philbrick juxtaposes Arnold's career with that of his commander, George Washington, who, unlike Arnold, made quite a few tactical mistakes and bad judgment calls in his early days as leader of the Continental army, but over the course of the war grew into a brilliant leader of the highest character. Arnold's character, on the other hand, had its flaws.

While Philbrick can't redeem Benedict Arnold, Valiant Ambition does help us to understand (and maybe even sympathize with) his eventual treason by relating how shabbily Arnold was treated by the Continental Congress and by other politicians and military leaders seeking their own advantage at his expense. Arnold poured his own fortune into the American cause and was never compensated by Congress. He was passed over repeatedly for promotion. He was seriously wounded twice in the service of his country, while many, many others sacrificed nothing, seemed indifferent to the outcome of the war, and were more concerned with grandstanding, profiteering, and personal advancement. Readers soon learn that there's a whole lot more to our founding story than we learn in school and much of it is pretty unsavory.

Ironically, Arnold's loss of faith in the integrity of the American effort and his ultimate act of treason united the country, forcing people to shake off their lethargy and take note of the fact that the greatest threats to the nation were likely to come not from without but from within. It might even be said that had Arnold not committed treason, we might well have lost the Revolutionary War.

~ Ann, Adult Services 

Nine Books for Hamilton Fans

If Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ron Chernow, and Alexander Hamilton have sparked your interest in the history of the United States' founding and its early days, you're not alone. The Tony Award-winning musical has inspired enthusiasm and curiosity among many, which is why we've invited Dr. Eugene Tesdahl to give a presentation on the life and times of Alexander Hamilton. Dr. Tesdahl, an Assistant Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, will be presenting at Carnegie-Stout Public Library on Monday, July 11 at 6 p.m. (the 212th anniversary of Hamilton and Burr's duel).

Dozens of books have been written about our nation's earliest days, but we've narrowed the list down to nine suggestions below (we assume you've already checked out Hamilton: The Revolution and Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow).

You might also enjoy reading some of the same books that our Founding Fathers borrowed from the New York Society Library, which included such notable members as George Washington, Aaron Burr, and Hamilton himself. You can browse their ledgers of borrower records online!

The Quartet: Orchestrating the Second American Revolution, 1783-1789 by Joseph Ellis
(973.3 ELL) The triumph of the American Revolution was neither an ideological nor political guarantee that the colonies would relinquish their independence and accept the creation of a federal government with power over their individual autonomy. The Quartet is the story of this second American founding and of the men responsible, men who shaped the contours of American history by drafting the Bill of Rights.

Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell

(973.33 VOW) On August 16, 1824, an elderly French gentlemen sailed into New York Harbor and giddy Americans were there to welcome him. Or, rather, to welcome him back. It had been 30 years since the Revolutionary War hero the Marquis de Lafayette had last set foot in the United States, and he was so beloved that 80,000 people showed up to cheer for him.

Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Jon Meacham
(Biog Jefferson) Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power gives us Jefferson the politician and president, a great and complex human being forever engaged in the wars of his era. Philosophers think; politicians maneuver. Jefferson's genius was that he was both and could do both, often simultaneously. Such is the art of power.

Washington and Hamilton: The Alliance that Forged America by Stephen Knott & Tony Williams
(973.41 KNO) From the rumblings of the American Revolution through the fractious Constitutional Convention and America's turbulent first years, this captivating history reveals the stunning impact of this unlikely duo that set the United States on the path to becoming a superpower.

The Struggle for Sea Power: A Naval History of the American Revolution by Sam Willis
(973.35 WIL) Sam Willis traces every key military event in the path to American independence from a naval perspective, and he also brings this important viewpoint to bear on economic, political, and social developments that were fundamental to the success of the Revolution. In doing so Willis offers valuable new insights into American, British, French, Spanish, Dutch, and Russian history.

Valiant Ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the Fate of the American Revolution by Nathaniel Philbrick
(973.3 PHI) The focus is on loyalty and personal integrity, evoking a Shakespearean tragedy that unfolds in the key relationship of Washington and Arnold, who is an impulsive but sympathetic hero whose misfortunes at the hands of self-serving politicians fatally destroy his faith in the legitimacy of the rebellion. As a country wary of tyrants suddenly must figure out how it should be led, Washington's unmatched ability to rise above the petty politics of his time enables him to win the war that really matters.

The Washingtons: George and Martha, "Join'd by Friendship, Crown'd by Love" by Flora Fraser
(Biog Washington) This is a remarkable story of a remarkable pair as well as a gripping narrative of the birth of a nation--a major, and vastly appealing, contribution to the literature of our founding fathers . . . and founding mother.

Washington's Immortals: The Untold Story of an Elite Regiment Who Changed the Course of the Revolution by Patrick O'Donnell
(973.33 ODO) In August 1776, General George Washington's army faced off against over 20,000 British and Hessian soldiers at the Battle of Brooklyn. It was almost the end of the war. But thanks to a series of desperate bayonet charges by a single heroic regiment from Maryland, known as the "Immortal 400," Washington was able to retreat and regroup.

Revolutionary Mothers: Women in the Struggle for America's Independence by Carol Berkin
(973.3 BER) The American Revolution was a home-front war that brought scarcity, bloodshed, and danger into the life of every American, and Carol Berkin shows us that women played a vital role throughout the struggle. Berkin takes us into the ordinary moments of extraordinary lives.

Staff Review: The Man Who Loved Only Numbers by Paul Hoffman

A video posted by Carnegie-Stout Public Library (@carnegiestout) on Mar 21, 2016 at 12:46pm PDT

I come from a family of book lovers, but it isn't often that we all love the same book. The Man Who Loved Only Numbers happens to be one of the few. Paul Hoffman's biography of the prolific and eccentric mathematician Paul Erdős is a fascinating read, even for someone like me who finds math a less than engaging topic. Reading about Erdős and his colleagues in this book, I was able to understand how a person could devote their life to a pursuit of mathematical truth.

I also recommend checking out Feynman by Jim Ottaviani and Leland Myrick, a graphic novel biography of the equally eccentric physicist Richard Feynman.

~Sarah, Adult Services

Victorian Survival is Just Weird

I enjoyed the article "125 years of a LEGACY: Local artists, aficionados celebrate Grant Wood" by Tia Carol Jones in yesterday’s Telegraph Herald. Here's some more info.

On February 18, 1942, a few days after Grant Wood died, the TH described how years earlier the Carnegie-Stout Public Library Board purchased The Appraisal for $350 and Victorian Survival for $800.

At that time in 1934, the article says, the library board also had the opportunity to purchase Wood's satirical painting, Daughters of Revolution, but they decided it was too controversial, and actor Edward G. Robinson ended up buying it.

While The Appraisal below doesn't seem controversial, the library board might not have known that the woman holding the chicken in the painting was actually a man, Cedar Rapids gallery director Ed Rowan.

The other painting, Victorian Survival, was one of Grant Wood's favorites. He would only sell it to the library board if they agreed in advance to lend it back to him for future exhibitions. Thankfully, they agreed.

There are different theories about Victorian Survival. The main one seems to be that the old-fashioned lady resents the new-fangled telephone. But could it be the other way around? Is she trying to hide her fondness for it?

Art professor R. Tripp Evans puts it this way in his 2010 biography of Grant Wood:

Lying in shadow behind Aunt Tillie, whose concealed right hand itself indicates a note of treachery, the telephone is more accomplice than opponent--an offstage voice, whispering something salacious (and apparently mortifying) into Aunt Tillie's overscaled ear.

I agree with Tim Olson's assessment, "Victorian Survival is just weird." Weird and cool! And we're so lucky to have it in Dubuque!

~Mike, Adult Services

---

Note:

Grant Wood visited Dubuque several times. Here's an announcement of one visit from the TH arts column, "'Mid Pallettes and Clefs," from March 6, 1932:

I wonder if this irregular column, which sometimes was signed by "Be-Be," might have been written by John Mulgrew, the original "Jazbo of Old Dubuque."

Read the 2015 Oscar Nominees

Several of the films nominated for a 2015 Academy Award (or 12) found their origins in books. Books which you can check out from Carnegie-Stout Public Library!

Room by Emma Donoghue

A fast-paced and suspenseful novel told from the perspective of five-year-old Jack, who has lived his entire life in one small room with his mother, held captive by the whims of her kidnapper. Though this novel is somewhat disturbing, it might appeal to some older teens.

The Revenant by Michael Punke
A story of survival and vengeance in the Dakota wilderness of 1820. Andrew Henry's adventurous life prepared him well for the day he was abandoned to die by the men tasked to care for him after a vicious bear attack.

Brooklyn by Colm Toibin
Eilis Lacey left Ireland for a chance of a better life in America, but discovers much more when she meets the handsome Tony. A lyrical and richly detailed look at life in 1950s Brooklyn, and the growing pains of a young woman torn between home and new opportunity.

The Martian by Andy Weir
A suspenseful story of survival in extreme conditions that has appeal for readers who might normally avoid science fiction. No one expected astronaut Mark Watney to be abandoned on Mars, least of all Mark or he would've packed an MP3 player.
This title is also available as an eBook.

The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith
This romantic 1952 novel by Patricia Highsmith was originally published under a pseudonym due to the scandal and controversy of a story about two women falling in love. The 2015 film was released as Carol.

The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff
This thoughtful story of love and change is based on the lives of a historical couple, Einar and Greta Wegener, and the challenges they faced as Einar transitions to life as Lili.

The Big Short by Michael Lewis

(330.973 LEW) A thought-provoking, yet accessible look at the complicated economics and plain old greed that led to the housing market bubble and resulting recession. Author Michael Lewis is also responsible for two other notable movies based on nonfiction titles: Moneyball and The Blind Side.

One of the Best Books I Read in 2015: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr both is and isn’t about World War II.  It is set in the years leading up to and during the war, but it’s as much about each character’s intense longing for the people and things they are most passionate about.  There are two main characters, a German boy and a blind French girl.  Marie-Laure is blind since early childhood, and her father loves her so much he builds her an intricate scale model of their Paris neighborhood to help her learn it.  She perceives the world in vivid detail, “seeing” colors everywhere.  With the Germans on their way to Paris, her father tries to take her away to safety.

Werner is an orphan in a German mining town with nothing to hope for but a life in the mines.  He is exceptionally gifted with technology and builds a radio out of scraps.  He wants more than anything to learn science, and the Nazi regime offers him this opportunity.  Will his love for his sister be enough to keep him grounded as he becomes a German soldier?  How will these two stories become connected?

As soon as you open this book, you’ll feel the danger, and the love, in these people’s lives.  There are hints of the more horrifying aspects of Nazi Germany, as well as caring and tenderness from the most unexpected people.

~Laura, Circulation

Staff Review: Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner

Published in 1987, Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner somehow escaped my notice all these years until it was recommended by author Will Schwalbe in The End of Your Life Book Club. It is strange that this book eluded me both because it has become a modern classic and also because the story is set in part at my alma mater, the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

This is a lovely, heartwarming, and heartbreaking story of two young couples whose lives become intertwined in 1937 and remain so for decades. When Larry and Sally Morgan and Sid and Charity Lang meet, the men are just beginning their careers as teachers and aspiring writers at the University of Wisconsin. The married couples are enthralled with each other, despite their different backgrounds, and they appear inseparable. Life inevitably intervenes, though, both with its joys and disappointments. It is moving to watch the marriages and friendships wax and wane as time marches on.

Crossing to Safety drew me in from the start with its nostalgic tone and beautiful prose. It would appeal to readers who love smart writing and enjoy following characters and relationships throughout a lifetime. Those looking for rich geographic and historical settings will also not be disappointed, as Stegner brings to life Depression-era Madison, Wisconsin, and rural Vermont, where the couples’ lives play out.

~Abbey, Technical Services

Staff Review: Circling the Sun by Paula McLain

Circling the Sun is an exhilarating novel -- author Paula McLain has done it again. Her second book, The Paris Wife, published in 2011, told the novelized story of Ernest Hemingway's ill-fated first marriage, to Hadley Richardson, a story that played out among the brilliant ex-pat community known as the Lost Generation in Paris in the 1920s. The Paris Wife quickly became a bestseller.

This time round, McLain tackles the life of aviator Beryl Markham, who told her story herself in her marvelous memoir West with the Night, a book that Hemingway, incidentally, referred to as "bloody wonderful." 

Beryl Markham was born in England in 1902 and moved to Kenya (then British East Africa) as a tiny girl. Her mother was unable to handle life in Africa and soon fled with Beryl's older brother, leaving Beryl in her father's care for good. This unusual and tragic abandonment had a silver lining: it seems to have liberated Beryl from most of the rigid restrictions and tiresome conventions placed upon girls in affluent British families. Instead Beryl literally ran wild, which makes for one invigorating story.

When small, Beryl played freely in the African wilderness with her close friend Kibii of the Kipsigis tribe and received almost no formal education. She hunted warthogs barefoot with a spear, attended tribal dances, and was mauled by a lion. Her father bred and trained horses at their farm in Kenya, and horses became Beryl's passion too. Before she was 20, she became the first licensed female racehorse trainer in Kenya, and at age 34 she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic and the first person to do so nonstop east to west.

Have I mentioned yet that Beryl was also beautiful and loved to party? She hobnobbed with all the British colonials, including the uber-hedonistic Happy Valley set, whose drinking, drug use, and promiscuity have become the stuff of legend. Beryl herself married three times, disastrously, and had countless lovers throughout her life. The love of her life was Denys Finch Hatton, the aristocratic big-game hunter and not-so-secret paramour of the writer Isak Dineson (played by Meryl Streep to Robert Redford's Finch Hatton in the 1985 film Out of Africa).

This review cannot even begin to describe the adventurous, ambitious life of Beryl Markham. My only quibble with the novel is that it airbrushes some of Beryl's less admirable qualities. In real life she suffered for them though: she was often embroiled in scandal, she never received her due acclaim, and her final days saw her living in poverty. My caveat to readers is that references to safaris, lion hunting, ivory expeditions -- indeed to so many things decadent, exploitative, and colonial -- can be hard to take. But this was the (waning) age of imperialism and of the Great White Hunter (in the U.S. Teddy Roosevelt had recently been president) and it must have seemed at the time that Brittania still ruled and that Africa's wildlife was endless.

~Ann, Adult Services

Staff Review: The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman

Ouch! This book hurts. It’s also dazzlingly beautiful, but the more you succumb to the beauty of the prose and of the remote island setting where the story unfolds, the more the plot rips your heart out. At least this was my experience.

But let me back up. The Light Between Oceans is a 2012 debut novel by Australian author M. L. Stedman. Many people read it; most loved it (approximately 156,000 reviews on GoodReads at last count). Then, DreamWorks acquired the film rights and a movie was made, starring Michael Fassbender and Rachel Weisz among others. The movie’s set for release in 2016. I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle the story again.

The main characters are Tom Sherbourn, a stalwart and upstanding but emotionally ravaged young World War I vet, and his free-spirited, newlywed wife, Isabel, who set up house (or lighthouse, to be precise) on isolated Janus Rock off the west coast of Australia, where Tom has signed on as light-keeper.

The book’s opening chapters are idyllic. Janus is the perfect place for these starry-eyed lovers to hole up and for Tom to heal. They both love the sea, the solitude, the silence. Some of the novel’s most gorgeous passages capture the fluctuating water, altering sky, and shifting light. But Isabel yearns for a baby. Over several years she suffers two miscarriages and an agonizing stillbirth.

Then one day a small boat washes up on the island’s remote side, carrying a dead body and a tiny living infant. Tom’s position requires that he record and report every happening on Janus Rock, but, very reluctantly, he allows Isabel to persuade him that the infant is now likely an orphan and might just be a gift bestowed by the universe after all the heartbreak they’ve suffered in their attempts to make a child. So, Tom buries the dead man and sets the boat adrift while Isabel begins caring for the infant, who instantly wins their hearts and completes their family.

The chapters that follow continue the idyll: Tom, Isabel, and Baby Lucy compose a near-perfect happy family who thrive in their exquisite life on Janus Rock. Only Tom suffers pangs of conscience -- over what he has allowed to take place, what he has omitted from his reports, an omission that could end his light-keeping career and lead to formal charges. And indeed Tom’s misgivings bear fruit. The idyll ends and the pain begins.

The moral of the story (and this is quite courageous on the author’s part) seems to be that we inhabit a moral universe, the truth will out, and wrong acts will have their full repercussions. Stedman unfolds the rippling consequences of the Sherbourns’ wrong act in a slow and meticulous way that is absolutely wrenching for the reader, who watches in horror as the family on Janus Rock is slowly ripped asunder. Sure, justice is ultimately served – and I’m 100% for justice – but in this instance I’m afraid I was rooting for the wrong: for Tom, Isabel, and stolen Baby Lucy in their island paradise rimmed by dolphins and whales.

~Ann, Adult Services

ThrowbackThursday The Cholera

"The health of the city of Dubuque was never better. While neighboring cities have been visited by that enemy of our race, the Cholera, Dubuque, with the exception of two or three strangers who died of it, has thus far escaped unharmed."

Dubuque Weekly Observer

July 22, 1854

"The health of our city still continues excellent - with the exception of occasionally a case of Bilious derangement, our citizens are enjoying absolute immunity from sickness and pain."

Dubuque Weekly Observer

July 29.1854

"There have been a few cases of Cholera in Dubuque, confined principally, to the floating population - and some few have died. To our knowledge there has been no panic or excitement whatever in regard to it, and we have not heard of any of our citizens flying from it - if any have done so, we can assure them, that they can, with perfect safety, return to the bosoms of their anxious families, and expectant friends, as there has not been a case of Cholera in Dubuque for several days past. Our friends at Hazel Green, who have been thrown into such a state of excitement about the ravages of Cholera in Dubuque, may rely upon the truth of our statement as avoe given."

Dubuque Weekly Observer

August 18, 1854

Dubuque Weekly Observer, July 29, 1854

In 1854, 1424 people died of cholera in Chicago, and in fact, thousands would die across the nation during the nineteenth century cholera pandemics. Cholera is a bacterial infection that causes intestinal distress and can lead to death from dehydration or other complications. Over the centuries it has killed millions of people throughout the world, and is still a significant danger in many parts of the world today. Thousands have died from cholera infections in Haiti since the earthquake in 2010.

You can read more about the history of cholera and its impact on the world in The Ghost Map: the story of London's most terrifying epidemic--and how it changed science, cities, and the modern world by Steven Johnson. Johnson tells the story of Dr. John Snow whose research led to our modern understanding of how cholera and other diseases spread, and what we can do to help stop them from becoming devastating outbreaks.

Throwback Thursday "Our Dubuque is hard to beat in the picture line."

Dubuque Weekly Observer, October 27, 1854

We are happy to learn that our fellow townsman, McKinney, the Daguerreotypist took the first premium at the State Fair held last week at Fairfield. His specimens having been pronounced by the Judges the best they had ever seen. Our Dubuque is hard to beat.

Can't Be Beat
Dubuque Weekly Observer

November 3, 1854

Dubuque Daily Observer, November 3, 1854 

The first Iowa State Fair was in October of 1854 in Fairfield, Iowa. You can read more about the history of Iowa State Fair on the official website. The 161st Iowa State Fair begins today in Des Moines, and lasts until the 23rd. If you can't make it to Des Moines this year, check out some of our books on the State Fair for readers of all ages.

If you're interested in learning more about the history of photography and daguerreotypes, check out Capturing the Light: the birth of photography, a true story of genius and rivalry by Roger Watson and Helen Rappaport.