Tulsa
event guide
INSIDE! February 2016
Book Review 5 7 12 14
VOLUME 5, ISSUE 4
F R E E
NEW AND OF INTEREST
C H E C K
Art in the Blood
I T
After You
Holmes as an everyman is curiously compelling. Page 5
What every reader wonders after the last page is turned Page 7
O U T
The Hands-On Home
Basic housekeeping tips, recipes, and more! Page 12
A Call to Action The Covenant With Black America: Ten Years Later Compiled and edited by Tavis Smiley Hay House, Inc., $15.99, 281 pages February is African-American History Month. Check the February Event Guide for related events. In 2006, the first edition of The Covenant With Black America was published. A New York Times best seller, the book was a compilation of papers written by noted civil and human rights advocates who enumerated the social, political and economic inequities; educational disparities; and continuing struggle for progress faced by African-Americans. The book included ideas and examples of successful programs and procedures designed to remedy the dire situation of Blacks in America.
Now, Tavis Smiley returns with his latest compilation, The Covenant With Black America: Ten Years Later, a sobering reminder that, while progress has been made, African-Americans are still disenfranchised, undereducated and economically challenged. In the opening chapter, entitled “Statement of Purpose,” Marian Wright Edelman describes a “cradle-to-prison-to-death pipeline for many Black children.” Edelman also states: “Imprisonment is the new slavery for the Black community.” At the end of each chapter are segments entitled “What Works Now.” These include examples of communities across America wherein residents decided to “take matters in their own hands.” See The Covenant, cont’d on page 8
Martha Stewart’s Appetizers It’s a good thing. Page 13
Out on the Wire The art of storytelling Page 15
69 Reviews INSIDE!
Book Reviews
Category
Speculative Fiction SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (A Song of Ice and Fire) By George R. R. Martin, Gary Gianni (illustrator) Bantam, $30.00, 368 pages Check this out! In addition to the main events in his Song of Ice and Fire series, George R. R. Martin also has written a couple of novellas set a century before the events of the series about a fledgling hedge knight. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a compilation of the first three novellas. In The Hedge Knight readers get to meet Dunk who spends his days traveling from town to town in search of jousting tournaments in an effort to earn
some coin as well as notoriety as a mystery knight. Along the way he gains a most unusual squire in Egg; he also belongs to a very interesting family. The Sworn Sword features the unlikely duo dealing with an issue involving a river during a very hot summer where Dunk meets a vivacious young redhead. In The Mystery Knight Dunk and Egg once again find themselves at a jousting tournament, but there is a lot more going on here than just a number of knights titling at one another. In some ways, these stories are on par and perhaps a little better than the lengthy books, for they are simpler, more straightforward, and Martin seems to be having more fun in this world when it’s not tied up with the giant, overwhelming series. Reviewed by Alex Telander
Radiance: A Novel By Catherynne M. Valente Tor Books, $24.99, 432 pages Check this out! Severin Unck may – or may not – be dead. Regardless, her absence fills the pages of Radiance and the hearts of those who loved her. Raised by her father, filmmaker Percy Unck, Severin grew up under the watchful eye of the camera. Her father staged many of her childhood moments, so Severin grew up wishing to tell the truth. She filmed documentaries. In her final documentary, Severin hopes to uncover the mystery of a vanished city on the planet Venus. Unfortunately, she disappeared herself, leaving behind a motley crew to tell her story. Radiance takes place in an alternate universe, in which the planets have been colonized for generations. The moon houses the moguls of the movie industry, and entertainment is coveted throughout the solar system. Severin’s story cannot be separated from the story of her world. Catherynne M. Valente tells it out of chronological order, with movie clips, diary entries, recorded conversations, magazine articles, outtakes and more, while visiting colonies on most of the planets. At first, this method of narration is disorienting; the reader must acclimate to a new world while getting to know the principal players. Once the vertigo dissipates, however,
Radiance becomes a wonderful whodunnit and an immersive reality. Reviewed by Tammy McCartney Battlefront: Twilight Company (Star Wars) By Alexander Freed LucasBooks, $28.00, 416 pages Check this out! In a galaxy torn by war, few have seen more death and destruction than the troops of Twilight Company. Twilight has its fair share of ideologues, same as any unit in the Rebellion, but that’s not Sergeant Hazram Namir. Namir doesn’t fight because he believes in the Rebellion; he’s not even sure he believes the Rebellion is fundamentally different from the Empire. Namir joined Twilight because fighting was all he’d ever known, and the Rebellion was as good a cause as any. Now he fights for his brothers in arms, his adopted family. Lately, however, Namir can’t shake the feeling that Twilight deserves better than he can give it. This is not your average Star Wars novel. Instead of mythic heroes waving lightsabers in the face of Evil, Alexander Freed offers up a tale of ordinary men and women wrestling with that ageold question that eventually occurs to every soldier: just what is worth fighting—and dying—for? If you’re more interested in an examination of the cost of war on those who fight and die in the mud, then this is well worth the cost of admission. Reviewed by Jordan Binkerd
CELEBRATE AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH
2016
history bowl
African-American Heritage
Monday, Feb. 22 6-8:30 p.m.
Rudisill Regional Library Ancestral Hall 1520 N. Hartford Ave. 918.549.7645
Designed around the national African-American History Month theme “Hallowed Grounds: Sites of African-American Memories,” the trivia bowl is open to all high schools, sororities, fraternities, social and business organizations, churches, teams, schools, book clubs, groups and families to enter. There is a High School Bowl and Community Bowl. Trophies will be awarded for first, second and third place in each bowl. All ages are welcome to attend. To participate or
friends of theRudisill Regional Library
for more information, call 918-549-7646.
Tulsa
Book Review
IN THIS ISSUE
FROM THE PUBLISHER Dear Reader,
Tulsa City-County Library 400 Civic Center Tulsa, Oklahoma 74103 Ph. (918) 549-7323
Speculative Fiction.........................................2
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ross Rojek ross@1776productions.com
Crime Fiction.............................................. 4, 5
EDITOR/COORDINATOR Jackie Hill Tulsa City-County Library GRAPHIC DESIGN/LAYOUT Steph Rodriguez COPY EDITORS Michelle Baker Michael Julian Heather Osborne
Fiction.....................................................6, 7, 8
Kids’ Books.....................................................9
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Christopher Hayden Faith Lewis WEBSITE TulsaBookReview.com
Picture Books.................................................9
Teens............................................................10
Tweens.........................................................11
February is upon us along with one of my favorite holidays – Valentine’s Day. Growing up in my family, Valentine’s Day was as much about the love my parents had for one another as it was about familial love: the love my parents had for my siblings and me, the love we had for our parents and the love between each of us. It also was about the affection we had for schoolmates (exchanging Valentine’s Day cards), our teachers, our house of worship, and our community and its respective institutions, including the public library. At the Tulsa City-County Library our mission statement is “Libraries change lives.” When this statement is displayed, it usually is written on a ribbon atop a heart. That’s because we truly believe libraries are at the heart of the community. This summer we plan to open a beautiful and highly useful renewed Central Library. It is a gift to the community from Tulsa’s philanthropic community, the City of Tulsa, Tulsa County, the Tulsa Library Trust, the Tulsa City-County Library Commission and people just like you – people who believe the public library is at the heart of the community. While libraries are essential in the 21st century as places where people may convene, collaborate and create, many library resources and books can be accessed from anywhere one has the Internet and an Internet-enabled device. Libraries still contain countless physical books, but now they also offer access to a multitude of digital resources too, including thousands of eBooks, including many of the books found in this issue of the Tulsa Book Review. We live in amazing times, where the world’s information seemingly is at our fingertips. Much of this information can be accessed for free through the public library. Isn’t it wonderful that at the heart of every community is a great library? Happy Valentine’s Day, Tulsa! Warmest regards,
The Tulsa Book Review is published monthly by City Book Review. The opinions expressed in these pages are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Tulsa Book Review or City Book Review advertisers. All images are copyrighted by their respective copyright holders. All words ©2016, City Book Review
Cooking, Food & Wine............................ 12, 13 Gary Shaffer Tulsa City-County Library CEO
Nonfiction.............................................. 14, 15
Book Reviews
Category
Crime Fiction SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
In a Dark, Dark Wood By Ruth Ware Scout Press, $26.00, 320 pages Check this out! Nora hasn’t been in touch with anyone from her past for 10 years. She sticks to writing and seldom leaves her London flat. But the door to her past is flung open by an insistent invitation to her former best friend’s “hen” or bachelorlette party. She hasn’t spoken to Clare in 10 years and didn’t know about the wedding. Finally, Nora agrees when mutual friend Nina talks her into going. The place is out in the country, surrounded by woods. When Clare finally arrives, she tells Nora the groom is the man Nora had been terribly in love with and who had dumped her all those years ago. Some odd things happen and suddenly Nora feels a bit like she is caught in an Agatha Christie novel. Then death comes calling. Ruth Ware has written a dark, complex mystery that will bring to mind Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train to those who have read them. The twists and turns are abrupt and many, but like any good mystery, it all comes together in the end. This is a true enigma inside a mystery wrapped in a riddle and not for those faint of heart. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck Darkness the Color of Snow: A Novel By Thomas Cobb Thomas Cobb, $25.99, 304 pages Check this out! In a 2004 interview, novelist Thomas Cobb said, “There is this deep human need to tell and be told stories. But the reason we write fiction is to figure stuff out. You don’t write because you know stuff; you write because you want to find something. That’s what keeps writers going, and it sort of works for readers too.” From the open-
ing paragraph of the tense and powerful Darkness the Color of Snow, Cobb’s most recent novel, the reader is compelled to keep going, to figure it out. The story begins on a winter night just outside of Lydell, a fictional rural town in an unnamed state, where patrolman Ronny Forbert stops a driver for speeding on a highway coated with black ice. He attempts to arrest Matt Laferiere for drunk driving, but a scuffle ensues on the roadside. Matt is fatally struck by a hit-and-run driver. As Ronnie sits out a five-day suspension for failing to call for backup, tensions and anger about the death grow. Ronny’s police chief and fellow officers, as well as three witnesses, are behind him—until one of the witnesses is coerced into changing his story. Politics, secrets and old grievances take hold, and the town’s citizenry decides that Ronny must pay the price for Matt’s death. Darkness the Color of Snow is a beautifully written and unsettling story about greed, criminal agendas, morality and decency—and the devastation that can occur when these collide. Reviewed by Molly Culbertson Move Your Blooming Corpse: An Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins Mystery By D. E. Ireland Minotaur Books, $26.99, 320 pages Check this out! In an inventive continuation of George Bernard Shaw’s beloved play “Pygmalion,” Eliza Doolittle’s father is now the proud co-owner of a prize racehorse, Donegal Dancer. However, disaster ensues on the racetrack when a political radical runs out onto the track and is trampled, and meanwhile, a body is discovered in the stable. Between rubbing elbows with the English gentry at lavish picnics and afternoon teas, Eliza and her mentor, Henry Higgins, strive to solve the strange series of murders that seems to be centered around the racetrack. Can they find the culprit before Eliza’s father and friends come to harm? This book is a total delight to read. It contains several throwbacks to the beloved classic “Pygmalion” as well as advancing into
new territory, including the spread of the British suffragette movement and English racing culture in the early 1900s. The characters are remarkably true to Shaw’s original depiction— Eliza Doolittle is just as plucky as ever, and with the ever-irascible Henry Higgins in tow. Move Your Blooming Corpse is an adaptation that was begging to be written. The story keeps you guessing at every step and provides endless entertainment all along the way. Reviewed by Jackie Bussjaeger Corridors of the Night: A William Monk Novel By Anne Perry Ballantine Books, $27.00, 288 pages Check this out! In this 21st installment of Perry’s successful William Monk series, Hester is filling in at the local hospital for a fellow nurse who has fallen ill. Her expectations of nursing sick men are quickly shattered when she finds three children who are ill but with no satisfactory explanation. A couple days later she is chosen to help Mr. Rand, a chemist, do a strange procedure on a man dying of white blood
disease. This requires inserting a needle into his vein and pumping in what suspiciously looks like blood. Hester, being an intelligent and inquisitive woman, figures out where the blood is coming from and refuses to be a party in the deception any longer. When she next wakes up, she realizes she must do all she can to protect herself and the children while helping Mr. Rand keep the patient alive. While some authors may fizzle out by the time they reach this many installments, Perry is still going strong. In this one, she mixes a medical thriller with science fiction, all set to her historically accurate but fictitious London world. While her books build upon previous events, Perry does very well sharing enough with readers so that they won’t feel confused. Reviewed by Rebecca Williams The Big Book of Sherlock Holmes Stories Edited by Otto Penzler Vintage, $25.00, 816 pages Check this out! What writer hasn’t dreamt of adding a story to the legendary canon of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson? Whether in parody or in homage, in jest or in deep reverence, hundreds of writers have put pen to paper, offering their own unique spin on the Great Detective. And never before has there been a collection of so many worthwhile efforts that comes close to The Big Book of Sherlock Holmes Stories. Starting off with Doyle’s own tongue-in-
Circle of Honor Ceremony HONORING
Sam Proctor Saturday, March 5 • 10:30 a.m. Hardesty Regional Library Connor’s Cove • 8316 E. 93rd St. Tulsa City-County Library will induct Sam Proctor into the Circle of Honor. The ceremony recognizes an American Indian for his/her achievements and contributions that have enriched others’ lives. Proctor, a distinguished Muscogee (Creek) tribal elder, has dedicated his life’s mission to preserving the heart of the Muscogee (Creek) culture and keeping the traditions alive. Visit www.TulsaLibrary.org/AIRC for additional American Indian Festival of Words events scheduled in March. Sponsored by the Maxine and Jack Zarrow Family Foundation, Dr. Frank and Mary Shaw, Friends of the Helmerich Library, Cherokee Builders Inc., American Indian Resource Center and the Tulsa Library Trust.
Tulsa Book Review • February 2016 • 4
Book Reviews
cheek examinations of his most famous creations and running through literary icons and genre masters of the modern day, this collection features dozens of stories either featuring Holmes or inspired by the character. This is almost like a history of Sherlockian fandom, and it’s amazing to read so many glimpses of Holmes through the eyes of fellow fans and renowned writers alike. What other collection has the likes of Stephen King, P.G. Wodehouse, James M. Barrie, Neil Gaiman, A.A. Milne, Poul Anderson, Loren D. Estleman, Tanith Lee and John T. Lescroart all between the same covers? For the casual Doyle fan or the devoted Sherlock reader alike, this is a can’t-miss collection. Penzler has outdone himself once again. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas Tiny Little Thing By Beatriz Williams G.P. Putnam’s Sons, $26.95, 368 pages Check this out! Beatriz Williams is back with another novel jam-packed with secrets, tension, hidden desires and a twisty plot that will keep readers turning pages. Williams has become well known for her fast-paced narratives and well drawn characters. While Tiny Little Thing is a bit slower to unfold in comparison to Williams’ previous works, it still features vivid historical detail and sympathetic characters who dare to dream outside of the roles life has dealt them. Christina “Tiny” Hardcastle is the perfect politician’s wife. She was selected by the scheming Hardcastle family for their rising star of a son, Frank. Fated to storm the White House, Tiny’s destiny is lashed to Frank’s even though she is attracted to someone else entirely. The novel is told from Tiny’s point of view in 1966, while scenes from 1964 are narrated by Hardcastle cousin Caspian Harrington, who shares a hidden past with Tiny. As the plot unfolds, well-kept secrets are revealed and Tiny must make hard decisions with far-reaching consequences. Tiny Little Thing is an intriguing historical fiction novel, so don’t expect a daring thriller. However, readers who enjoy family intrigue, nuanced characters and a riveting plotline must read Tiny Little Thing. Reviewed by Caroline Wilson The Muralist By B. A. Shapiro Algonquin, $26.95, 352 pages Check this out! In 1940, Alizee Benoit, a Works Progress Administration artist, is doing everything in
Crime Fiction her power to obtain visas for her Jewish family trapped in France. The emotional upheavals in her life fuel her artistic creativity, influencing one of the most powerful American art movements. As events coalesce around her, Alizee is overwhelmed by her present and past, leading her to take drastic actions that reverberate through her family and the progressive art world. In 2015, Alizee’s great-niece stumbles across portions of a painting hidden behind newly discovered Abstract Expressionist artwork. As she investigates the origins of the artwork, she uncovers secrets her family has kept hidden for almost three-quarters of a century. More than another fictionalization of history, The Muralist examines one of the most tumultuous periods in U.S. history. Delving into multiple issues of the time, B.A. Shapiro explores the emotional and psychological toll great art can wreak. She personalizes the plight of European refugees as they flee the encroaching Nazi Germany as well as the families in the U.S. struggling for their safe passage. The real and fictional characters are well-developed and engaging. I was more than a little disappointed to learn not only is Alizee completely fictional, but so is her art. Anyone who enjoys art, history, politics and mystery will enjoy The Muralist. Reviewed by TJ Speidel The Bangkok Asset: A novel By John Burdett Knopf, $25.95, 320 pages Check this out! John Burdett has been writing about his half-Thai, half-American Buddhist homicide detective, Sonchai Jitpleecheep, since 2003. Sonchai is the son of a former Bangkok bar girl and an American Vietnam War soldier that he’s never met. In The Bangkok Asset, Burdett’s sixth and newest crime novel, we find Son- chai at the scene of a particularly gruesome crime: A schoolgirl has been decapitated, and as implausible as it seems, it appears that her killer removed her head with his bare hands. What’s more, on a mirror in the same room, someone has written in blood, “Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep, I know who [smudge] father is.” Soon after, Sonchai and a female inspector named Krom are called to witness a demonstration in the middle of a horrific rainstorm. What they watch is the deadly performance of a man with apparently superhuman strength. The superhuman is in fact an “enhanced’ human, created by the Chinese and Russians in an effort led by the CIA.
And, before the night is through, Sonchai and Krom watch through the storm as two men each throw a woman to her death. In a weird and creepy and sometimes convoluted work, Burdett weaves the crimes and plots together, and the reader is carried along, rushing from one page to the next. In an interview published in South China Morning Post, Burdett said, “People are so stressed, you really do have to find ways of nailing them to their chairs with a compelling story.” This reader certainly felt nailed to the chair—not just by the complicated plot, but also by the evocation of Bangkok and some of its 8 million people. Opening the book is like walking into a movie set: You hear the buzz of the city, feel the congestion and traffic jams, smell the tantalizing aromas of street food. And you root for Sonchai’s and Krom’s success. Reviewed by Molly Culbertson Zer0es: A Novel By Chuck Wendig Harper Voyager, $25.99, 432 pages Check this out! Five hackers from across America are coerced into meeting with a government agent and given the choice between serving as an elite hacking unit for the government or going to federal prison. Which would you choose? But when the hackers arrive at The Lodge and begin their assignments, they discover there’s something insidious lurking behind the scenes. Something called Typhon that connects disparate threads across the globe, and these hackers— the Zeroes—might be the only ones who can uncover the secret before catastrophe strikes. Zer0es covers a lot of ground in 400 pages. It makes hacking accessible, spawns several government conspiracies, deftly marries actionadventure with techno-thriller, offers a few unexpected punches to the gut and delivers a half-dozen believable, richly drawn characters to boot. And even when things get dire, it never stops being a fun, unexpected treat. The only hitch is the framing device which opens and closes the novel, making the ending feel like a pause button has been pressed instead of a conclusion landing solidly. But, that gives me hope for a sequel, since I’d thoroughly enjoy spending time with some of the Zeroes again. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas The Best American Mystery Stories 2015 By Edited by James Patterson and Otto Penzler Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $28.00, 432 pages Check this out! Unexpected consequences haunt a lawman who tries to make a case go away quietly. A school shooting is deconstructed piece by piece. Two legendary crime solvers team up to save a young woman. A Sherlock Holmes fanatic consults on a real case. A pearl diver suspects
Tulsa Book Review • February 2016 • 5
foul play in her sister’s death. A war widow moves into a new neighborhood and makes waves. A sniper shares his story with a counselor. Mystery stories can be intimate or global, a cast of one or a cast of thousands. They can involve robbery, murder, treason or crimes of the heart. And for a story to be counted as one of the best of the year, it has to offer something truly striking, something that sticks with the reader long after the last page is turned. The Best American Mystery Stories 2015 is one of the best editions yet in the series. Many of these short stories are little sticks of lit dynamite, full of tension and armed with an explosive conclusion. Even the stories I didn’t particularly enjoy were well-crafted and had something to say about crime, justice or both. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas Art in the Blood: A Sherlock Holmes Adventure By Bonnie MacBird Collins Crime Club, $25.99, 320 pages Check this out! Holmes and Watson’s latest investigation takes them to France, where a cabaret dancer has been attacked and her son kidnapped. As the layers of the onion unfold, and it’s revealed that the boy’s father may also be involved with the theft of a major work of art, Holmes finds himself under the watchful eyes of both his brother, Mycroft, and a French investigator, romantically involved with Holmes’ client. Can Holmes unravel these twisted threads, save the boy and capture the perpetrators? Art in the Blood is not your typical Sherlock Holmes story. Not only do we find Holmes despondent after his previous case’s failure, but he has very few moments of impressive Sherlockian deduction. This is not a story where Holmes overwhelms or impresses you. Instead, this is a story about nose-to-thegrindstone evidence gathering, investigation and police work, which gave it a very real-world feel, despite the antics of Holmes’ French rival. Holmes is less of a mythic figure here, and it’s to MacBird’s credit that he remains a singularly engaging character, without his largerthan-life traits. Holmes the Man proves to be just as compelling as Holmes the Legend, and it makes Art in the Blood an interesting experiment. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
Book Reviews
Category
Fiction SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
The Lake House: A Novel By Kate Morton Atria Books, $28.00, 512 pages Check this out! On a forced break from her job as a detective in London, Sadie Sparrow is staying with her grandfather in his new home in Cornwall and runs across an abandoned estate that piques her curiosity. She learns that seven decades earlier, a baby went missing, and his family was never the same. Sadie sets about to solve the mystery, a convenient way to avoid facing what made her take leave from work. Alice Edevane grew up at the lake house, but the tragedy of her missing baby brother has kept her from her childhood home. She has spent decades as a prolific mystery writer, but doesn’t welcome Sadie asking questions about this very personal mystery. The stories of Alice and Sadie in the present and of Alice; her mother, Eleanor; and her family decades earlier alternate throughout The Lake House, bit by bit filling in the truth of what happened. Secrets are revealed, characters and motives are fleshed out, and the mystery slowly is solved. It’s satisfying as a mystery, but, even more, is also a sweet and poignant look at families and the ties that bind imperfect but loving people together. Richly drawn and fully rewarding, this is Morton’s best so far. Reviewed by Cathy Carmode Lim The Best of Enemies By Jen Lancaster New American Library, $25.95, 320 pages Check this out! Jackie Jordan is a fearless journalist making her way through war-torn countries to report the truth and living on next to nothing. Kitty Carricoe is a busy mother of three married to a dentist, who runs the PTO and shares the best ways to hide veggies on her income-generating blog. The only thing the two have
in common, besides an intense, almost violent, dislike of each other, is their best friend, Sarabeth. They can’t even agree on a nickname for her (Sars! No, Betsy!). However, when the worst happens, and Sars’ husband dies, they each promise to behave, which is much more difficult than they expected, and they find being supportive is easier individually. Things get interesting when questions come up about the crash, and Jackie and Kitty must work together to uncover the truth. Lancaster has brought together a fun, crazy cast of characters that are well-developed and thoroughly (un)likeable, although the shift in chapters from past to present can be confusing. This effort puts her up there with Sophie Kinsella and Liane Moriarty as one of the best writers of chick lit and will have readers busting out in laughter repeatedly and often. Reviewed by Rebecca Williams The Gilded Life of Matilda Duplaine By Alex Brunkhorst Mira, $26.99, 352 pages Check this out! Every so often, a book comes along that keeps me burning through pages deep into the early morning, putting off sleep in order to dive deeper into its tangled web. Books like this are few and far between, but none so recent as Alex Brunkhorst’s The Gilded Life of Matilda Duplaine. The Gilded Life of Matilda Duplaine follows Milwaukee-born, Harvard-educated Thomas Cleary, a heartbroken 26-year-old journalist at the Los Angeles Times who moved west after a plagiarism incident while at the Wall Street Journal. Thomas was raised
poor, but, due to tremendous fortune in the form of a work assignment, begins to rub elbows with Hollywood’s elite. Thomas is, essentially, Nick Carraway without the binge drinking and unreliability; Cleary is more earnest and sympathetic, to boot. Thomas covers the death of a heavyweight Hollywood producer, interviewing his daughter, Lily Goldstein, still striking in her middle age. Lily takes a shine to him and begins inviting Thomas to fundraisers and functions where tickets cost more than his factory-working father back in Wisconsin makes in a year. After an address mixup one evening, Thomas arrives at the $100 million estate of producer David Duplaine, empty and desolate … save for a mysterious and beautiful blonde twentysomething, playing tennis alone at dark. She introduces herself as Matilda, but asks Thomas to promise to never tell anyone they’ve met. She also seems to not understand everyday colloquialisms and has never heard of “astrology” before Thomas mentions it. Despite the ramifications—Thomas’ new friends, including Matilda’s father who seems to have hidden her existence, are the Hollywood elite who make or break careers and lives with snaps of fingers—Thomas falls for Matilda Duplaine. He finds himself sneaking back to the estate just to catch a glimpse of her. Thomas begins to suspect there’s something strange about her and that with Matilda lies a secret more topsy-turvy than Mulholland Drive. The Gilded Life of Matilda Duplaine reads as The Great Gatsby meets Citizen Kane if it were directed by Daphne du Maurier. Brunkhorst, a Los Angeles-based real-estate agent by trade, is as adept at creating page-turning mystery—written exquisitely—as she is writing descriptive imagery which breathes life into the hills, estates and streets of Hollywood. Though it’s at times bittersweet, it makes the end result even more enthralling. A shimmering joy to read—a brilliant book about power, control, love and the lack thereof of all three, at times. Reviewed by Dan Hajducky Sit! Stay! Speak! By Annie England Noblin William Morrow Paperbacks, $14.99, 384 pages Check this out! Sit! Stay! Speak! by Annie England Noblin is one of the most delightful, heartfelt, sweet and touching stories that I have read. Ms. Noblin captured my heart as she tugged all the right amount of emotions. She douses her readers with intrigue, charm, romance, and a four-legged animal that will have us barking with excitement and love. What
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captured my attention the most while reading this charming book was that it was layered with raw emotions with undertones of second chances and finding a love at unexpected moments in our lives. This book was filled with quirky characters, small-town charm, and a budding unexpected romance that will keep readers like myself entertained with laughter, quirkiness, and sweet and adorable moments. With Noblin’s beautiful prose and lively characters, she will delight readers with a story brimming with so much hope, love and an adorable pit bull who will steal our hearts. What is there left to say but go Sit! Stay! And Speak! of this terrific and heartfelt book! Reviewed by Michelle Tan Undermajordomo Minor: A Novel By Patrick deWitt Ecco, $26.99, 336 pages Check this out! Undermajordomo Minor is the story of Lucien “Lucy” Minor, a young man neither exceptionally good nor bad, as he enters employment at a nearby castle as an under m ajordomo minor. There he encounters a mad baron, a disgruntled cook, gentleman thieves and all manner of unsavory characters. He also falls for the lovely Klara and has to contend with the heroic Adolphus for her heart. Before the end of a dark and surreal fable, Lucy has to face inner demons, fix the mad baron and survive a “Very Large Hole” before he can get the girl. Lucy’s tale is an interesting one, rife with strange characters and even stranger circumstances. Somehow supernatural yet plausible, Lucy enters a world where nothing is safe, not even his love for the beautiful Klara. While it would be fair to describe Undermajordomo Minor as a fairy tale, that would not do it justice. This dark and twisted, but dryly humorous, fable has no moral. It is a scathing indictment of a fictional rural community seemingly out of time. The writing is crisp and will often lead readers to bursts of uncomfortable chuckling. Witty and engaging, this is a surreal page-turning read. Reviewed by John Murray And West Is West By Ron Childress Algonquin Books, $26.95, 320 pages Check this out! And West Is West brings together two characters with very Western problems. Jessica Aldridge is a sergeant in the Air Force, the first enlisted personnel to fly unmanned aerial vehicles. On her first mission, her commanding officer orders her to fire on a convoy. She hesitates be-
Book Reviews cause there are women present, but follows orders. Afterward she can’t stop thinking about the women, and writes to her pr ison-bound father about her guilt. The Air Force considers this a security breach and discharges her. Ethan Winters is a squint, a programmer for United Imperial Bank. His programs trace terrorist events in the news, and use that information to buy and sell currency. He is taking an unheard-of personal day when one of his programs fails, losing the bank large sums of money. Ethan loses his job but refuses to pay back his bonuses, instead choosing to sue the company. Both characters have difficulty making ethical decisions when so far removed from the people the decisions affect. Was Jessica wrong to follow orders? Is it right to profit from the losses of war? Childress has created characters unique to this moment in history, when war is far away and vague in its goals. How is it best to behave in this political climate? Reviewed by Tammy McCartney After You By Jojo Moyes Pamela Dorman Books, $26.95, 368 pages Check this out! Louisa suffered tragically upon the death of her employer and great love, Will Traynor. After visiting Paris and traveling throughout Europe, she ends up outside London, working at a bar in the airport. She joins a support group, where she meets Sam, the paramedic who saved her. Then a young girl shows up on her doorstep, claiming to be Will’s daughter, Lily. Louisa cannot remember any mention of a child, but convinces herself Lily is indeed a relation of Will’s. Lily is wild and unruly, and her mother has no idea what to do with her, so Lou steps in as temporary guardian. Feeling like she had failed Will, she tries to help Lily as best she can, while dealing with a new boss, finding work in New York and trying to build a relationship with Sam. Moyes’ sequel to Me Before You cannot match the emotions and energy of the first, but will help find resolution and hope in the face of great sadness. Several situations will invoke laughter, which helps to break through Louisa’s heartbreak, not only with Will’s death and the daughter he
Fiction didn’t know he had, but also with a new love after such loss. Reviewed by Rebecca Williams The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto: A Novel By Mitch Albom Harper, $25.99, 512 pages Check this out! Mitch Albom has a true gift for storytelling, weaving even the driest of tales into magical, fable-like stories. The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto, narrated by Music, spins the biographical tale of a Spanish singer and guitarist into an illuminating story about life, death and how to make the most of the gifts we are given on Earth. Frankie, born in the middle of a Spanish war, endures struggle after struggle in his childhood and learns to channel his pain into his music. His saga, full of love and heartbreak and joy, tightly interwoven with the interests of Music, shows how even the brightest of talents depend upon a little magic. Though not quite as compelling as his previous works, Albom’s latest story does not disappoint in its touching and delightful plotline. Music makes an insightful narrator, and though his voice is not always entirely original or convincing, his telling of Frankie’s story allows for an interesting perspective. The story itself requires a bit of suspended disbelief, but in a tale centered around magical guitar strings, I suppose that is a fair enough demand. It’s no Tuesdays With Morrie, but Albom’s latest is a perfect read for the holidays. Reviewed by Bailey Tulloch Bream Gives Me Hiccups and Other Stories By Jesse Eisenberg Grove Press, $26.00, 256 pages Check this out! I’ll admit that though I’ve enjoyed Jesse Eisenberg’s performances in several movies, I still sort of thought of him as a standin for Mark Zuckerberg from his star turn in The Social Network. Until now, that is. With this collection of short stories, Eisenberg unveils his funny side ... also his anxious side, his academic side, and an uncanny ability to pin down what’s wrong with society and humanity itself. Each of these witty stories lets us look at ourselves with skepticism and a good dose of self-effacing
humor, though Eisenberg varies his style throughout. He starts innocently enough, with fairly traditional fictional stories about a young boy rating restaurants, for instance. (Fuddruckers gets 1062 stars out of 2000, while the Healthy Choices school cafeteria lunch gets a rather less overwhelming show of support with only 256 stars.) Later, though, he turns to a hilarious, and very adult-themed, series of thought pieces on the vagaries of dating (“A Post-Gender-Normative Woman Tries to Pick Up a Man in a Bar” is followed by “A Guy on Acid Tries to Pick Up a Woman at a Bar,” and so on.) All the while, Eisenberg strikes a satisfying balance, asking you to get a little bit worried about what it all might mean, but not so worried that you don’t laugh at least once during each tale. Reviewed by Sheila Trask Ally Hughes Has Sex Sometimes: A Novel By Jules Moulin Dutton, $26.95, 288 pages Check this out! For fans of the chick-lit genre, this strikes all the right chords. Ally Hughes Has Sex Sometimes is, at its heart, a very sweet, enjoyable love story. Ally is a single mom and a professor at Brown University when she spends an illicit weekend with Jake Bean. Unfortunately for Ally, Jake was a student in her class, and she has her job and her daughter to worry about. So when Jake makes clear his feelings for Ally, she pushes him away, unable to open herself to love despite how she feels. Lucky for her, she may have a second chance when she and Jake meet again 10 years later in her home; but this time he’s here as her daughter’s date. The path of the story is a little unexpected, which was refreshing. I don’t think it follows the story line one would predict, given the synopsis. The plot is not what it seems so don’t judge this book by it’s jacket summary copy! All of the characters are likeable, and the love story between Jake and Ally definitely has magic. The writing was funny, and I appreciated that it tackled a more complicated and otherwise tabooed relationship. Reviewed by Lenna Stites Crooked By Austin Grossman Mulholland Books, $26.00, 368 pages Check this out! The prestige of the American presidency took a huge hit when Richard Nixon resigned from office after the Watergate scandal. But little did you know, Nixon had just saved not only America, but the entire world from an occult threat. He sacrificed
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his career, his reputation and his dream, and his reward was decades of disdain and mistreatment. But, finally, Nixon breaks his silence and tells us the true story of his presidency’s darkest days. Crooked gives us a twisted, occasionally funny, and utterly bizarre alternate history of Richard Nixon. This book covers his rise to power and the curious ups and downs of his political career, all cast against a supernatural threat spanning decades, leaving Nixon unsure of who is friend and who is foe. Ambitious, provocative and uneven, Crooked veers wildly between horror, paranoia and comedy, presenting Nixon as a pawn in a much greater game he doesn’t entirely understand. And while I can’t say that I enjoyed the novel exactly, I did find it to have a delightful insidiousness to it, like a David Cronenburg film. When I turned the last page, I was definitely looking at the world with a bit more suspicion. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas Speak: A Novel By Louisa Hall Ecco, $27.99, 336 pages Check this out! Speak, Louisa Hall’s portentous novel, offers a riveting commentary on artificial intelligence. With lyrical writing, Hall explores five fictional accounts of people’s lives that have shaped the history of A.I. over a few centuries. Stephen Chinn is in a correctional institution for creating an illegal, exceptionally lifelike doll. Gaby White is paralyzed from separation from her banned babybot. Karl Dettman’s creation of MARY leads to his crumbling marriage. Alan Turing is writing letters to his best friend’s mother, describing his pursuit of a thinking machine. On a ship to America, Mary Bradford is concerned about her beloved dog and strained marriage. The lives portrayed in Speak are frustratingly unconnected throughout most of the book; however there is a similarity that weaves through every account: humans harbor a strong desire for love and friendship and will look for acceptance anywhere to escape their loneliness. Hall offers only a few vague details of the future 2040 America; however, she does not spare any details on the thoughts
Book Reviews
and feelings of each of her beautifully imagined characters whose voices are powerful and captivating. Though the novel lacks action and suspense, Speak does pose a number of provocative questions. Those interested in the subject will enjoy Hall’s stimulating perspective. Reviewed by Mandy Nevius Cowboy Take Me Away (A Texas Kings Novel) By Soraya Lane St. Martin’s Paperbacks, $7.99, 320 pages Check this out! Cowboy Take Me Away by Soraya Lane is an excellent read for those who love a romance with sexy, challenging characters that come to life. I chose this novel because the cover drew my eyes into reading what the story was about. This romance has a deep, complex plot like no other and irresistible scenes that will tug at readers’ hearts. Lane definitely knows how to leave her readers breathless and in suspense. Cowboy Take Me Away is exactly that: one cowboy who got under one woman’s skin and has never once left her thoughts. Now, many years later, Hope Walker carries the greatest secret of all. How does one keep the fact that one very hot cowboy has a child? A child he’s never known about? But that’s not the only complication that heads into Hope and Chase King’s lap. Somebody has stolen the special high-quality sperm for the King Ranch herd. But who? Daring, bold and beautifully written, Lane has brought together one unforgettable masterpiece that will stick with readers forever. I loved reading this romantic novel and following the family as their journey begins. I highly recommend this to readers worldwide. Reviewed by Danielle Urban Passion Ignites (Dark Kings) By Donna Grant St. Martin’s Paperbacks, $7.99, 368 pages Check this out! The seventh book in the Dark Kings series does not disappoint. Like all the other Dragon Kings, Thorn is not looking for and does not want a mate, but there’s something about Lexi that he can’t ignore. Unlike how most humans follow the Dark Fae in a haze of desire, Lexi is following them to find the one who killed her friend to exact revenge. However, Lexi quickly finds herself the newest target in the burgeoning war between the Kings and the Dark Fae.
Fiction The Dark, Ulrik and Mikkel finally seem to be a step ahead of the Kings. The Kings walked right into a trap in the installation of the series and the ramif ications could be dire. Donna Grant has outdone herself with this book. There are so many agendas among the characters that its hard to keep up, in a good way. The best part about this series is that it gives the writer time to develop the characters and have the adapt changes, and it gives the readers time to really bond with them. Reviewed by Jennifer Moss Secret Pleasure (Bound Hearts) By Lora Leigh St. Martin’s Griffin, $14.99, 368 pages Check this out! From the moment Alyssa, Sebastian and Shane met, their lives were changed forever. None of them could have ever predicted the pain, suffering and death that would shadow and threaten them for almost 10 years. When she met the cousins at 18, Alyssa was filled with dreams of a life full of a husband ’s love and lots of children. By the age of 26, she has lost the will to live and is drowning in despair from everything that has been taken from her. Someone is out to get her, and she has no idea why or who it is. When Shane and Sebastian reappear in her life, so does her nameless, faceless enemy who seems more determined than ever to destroy her. Lora Leigh always delivers on steamy romance and love scenes, but this time there was also a heavy element of suspense. There are some gaps in the plot, and the book ends with readers finding out who but not really understanding why. However, Secret Pleasure remains a solid installment to The Bound Hearts series. Reviewed by Jennifer Moss Susana and the Scot (Untamed Highlanders) By Sabrina York St. Martin’s Paperbacks, $7.99, 368 pages Check this out! Andrew Lochlannach travels to Susana Dounreay’s estate to help her
protect her lands from other clans intent on taking advantage of her aging father. Little did he know that he’d find his longlost soul mate. I’d be spoiling the story if I gave away how Susana and Andrew remember one another. It’s the cornerstone to most of the conf lict in the story. Susana is feisty and abrasive. In many romance novels, a scorching, firebrand of a heroine is softened by the presence of a man. I was hoping Susana wouldn’t lose her edge, but she did. By working with her to defend her father’s land, Andrew melded her into a sweet, marriageable, feminine woman. Susana’s precocious daughter, Isobel, filled in the void of female assertiveness, but also served to highlight how stubborn and childish Susana was being the whole time. Andrew was a decent hero. Susana and the Scot was full of intrigue, f lying arrows and clashing swords. The only thing missing was a female presence with a bit more bite. You won’t regret picking up this steamy page-turner. Reviewed by Caryn Shaffer The Sparrow Sisters: A Novel By Ellen Herrick William Morrow Paperbacks, $14.99, 384 pages Check this out! The Sparrow family has resided in Granite Point for many generations, and Patience and her sisters, Sorrel and Nettie, are the only ones left. Patience is known around town as the local healer, helping friends and neighbors with ailments of all kinds by creating rem- edies with the plants grown in the nursery the sisters run. The townspeople depend on Patience, and the new doctor can’t resist her charms either. But when a local boy dies and some of Patience’s plants may have been involved, much of the town turns on the sisters … and then nature seems to turn on Granite Point. Will the town be able to save itself before it’s too late? Ellen Herrick ’s new novel The Sparrow Sisters is a fantastic story depicting a modern-day witch hunt. The men of Granite Point quickly turn on Patience, but eventually the women band
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together to try to change things. These two reactions help the novel show how people can be ugly or supportive and unconditionally loving to one another. The viewpoint changes throughout the book, with Patience and Dr. Henry Carlyle being the primary storytellers. With an indescribably compelling story, believable characters and an intriguing setting, The Sparrow Sisters is a great novel to get lost in. Reviewed by Holly Scudero The Covenant cont’d from cover Throughout The Covenant With Black America, statistics show the important role education plays in alleviating social ills related to health care, including disease-related risk factors, infant mortality and unhealthy living. Communities and individuals are advised to become actively involved, take personal responsibility, engage leaders and hold public officials responsible by demanding that current policies change. In an essay entitled “Correcting the System of Unequal Justice,” James Bell describes a “…cradleto-prison superhighway (CPS)- a legal network that fosters … Blacks being incarcerated at unconscionable levels at increasingly younger ages for increasingly minor acts.” The chapter addresses bias in the juvenile justice system, as well as evidence that “women are the fastest-growing population in the penal system.” Bell indicates that a preponderance of women’s primary offenses are nonviolent and economically motivated and that “Black women are eight times more likely to be incarcerated for similar offenses than are their white counterparts.” The chapter calls for accountability for the outcomes of the justice systems at every level of government, including reformation of drug policies and restructuring of mandatory sentencing. Actions such as reinstatement of voting rights to ex-felons, strengthening the Voting Rights Act, and eliminating voter suppression and intimidation are listed as crucial for forward movement. An essay entitled “Closing the Digital Divide” by Tyrone D. Tabor focuses on the gap between Blacks and whites in computer ownership and Internet access, as well as business development and content creation. Smiley’s Covenant With Black America: Ten Years Later is truly an eye-opener. While readers may have been exposed to these issues through various media, having a compendium of essays increases the emphasis on solutions. Additionally, the ideas of ways to affect change and examples of how communities have come together to create solutions to serious problems provide a road map to nationwide change. Reviewed by Alicia Latimer, coordinator, Tulsa City-County Library’s African-American Resource Center
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FEBRUARY 2016
A FREE MONTHLY GUIDE TO YOUR COMMUNITY LIBRARY, ITS PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH PROGRAMS ARE MARKED WITH THIS SYMBOL.
adults & all ages BIXBY LIBRARY A-Book-A-Month Discussion Group Wednesday, Feb. 24 • 2-3 p.m. Read any book by Sandra Dallas and then join us for this lively discussion. For adults.
BROKEN ARROW LIBRARY Open Book Discussion Tuesday, Feb. 2 • 6:30-7:45 p.m. Location: Meeting Room Read "Dear Life" by Alice Munro and then join us for this lively discussion. For adults.
BROKEN ARROW LIBRARY/SOUTH Great Decisions: Middle East Wednesday, Feb. 10 • 12:30-2:30 p.m. Great Decisions is America's largest discussion program on world affairs. Join the Broken Arrow chapter as we discuss the situation in the Middle East and what the U.S. can do to secure its interests in the region without causing further damage and disruption.
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Great Decisions: The Rise of ISIS Wednesday, Feb. 24 • 12:30-2:30 p.m. Born out of an umbrella organization of Al Qaeda in Iran, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) burst onto the scene in December 2013 and has since seized control of various sites and declared itself a caliphate. Join the Broken Arrow chapter of the Great Decisions discussion series as we delve into what ISIS is and what danger it poses to U.S. interests.
BROOKSIDE LIBRARY Book-A-Librarian Feb. 1-29 • Need individualized instruction on a library service? Whether you want to learn how to download eBooks or improve your job skills, we are here to help. Appointments are available on a firstcome, first-served basis and last 30-60 minutes. Call 918-549-7507 to Book-ALibrarian. Brookside Book Discussion Monday, Feb. 8 • 1:30-2:30 p.m. Read "Girl in Translation" by Jean Kwok and then join us for this lively discussion. For adults.
COLLINSVILLE LIBRARY All Thumbs Knitters Wednesdays, Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24 12:30-2:30 p.m. All levels of knitting expertise are
All Tulsa City-County Library locations will be closed on Monday, Feb. 15 for Presidents Day.
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welcome to join us for this fun and instructional afternoon. Collinsville Book Discussion Tuesday, Feb. 9 • noon-1 p.m. Read "The Hot Kid" by Elmore Leonard and then join this fun group of readers for a lively discussion. For adults. Patchworkers Tuesday, Feb. 9 • 6:30-8 p.m. If you want to learn to quilt or are already an experienced quilter, join us for a fun and informative evening. For all ages.
COMMUNITY VENUES Travels With Tulsans Wednesdays, Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24 12:10-12:50 p.m. LOCATION: University Village Retirement Community, Stovall Theatre, 8555 S. Lewis Ave. Featuring: Feb. 3, “Madagascar” by Dale Wilkerson; Feb. 10, “India and Nepal in 1995” by Gary Mailes; Feb. 17, “A Visit to Antarctica” by Howard Barnett; and Feb. 24, “Panama Canal Plus” by Tom Campbell. Coffee provided by University Village. Sponsored by Friends of the Tulsa City-County Libraries. Interfaith Trialogue Series Sundays, Feb. 21, 28 • 2-4 p.m. LOCATION: Wilson Learning Center, 1127 S. Columbia Ave. The Interfaith Trialogue Series will
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explore the theme "Lift Every Voice," featuring stories of a dark past and the hope for a brighter future. Visit www.occjok.org for more details. Sponsored by the Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice, and funded in part by the Tulsa Library Trust's Alfred E. Aaronson Lecture Series Endowment.
GLENPOOL LIBRARY Second Saturday Fiber Arts/ Radical Home Green Cleaning Saturday, Feb. 13 • 1-3 p.m. Bring a fiber project to work on and/ or join us for making safe home cleaning products. All materials will be provided. Please call 918549-7535 to register for Radical Home Green Cleaning so we will have supplies for you. For adults.
HARDESTY REGIONAL LIBRARY Exploring Genealogy Databases Wednesday, Feb. 3 • 1-3 p.m. Location: Maple Room In this overview of Ancestry Library Edition, we will discover databases, indexes and records that can provide clues and answer questions as we discuss census land, military and other resources pertinent to your family history research. For adults.
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Simple Steps for Starting Your Business: Start-Up Basics Thursday, Feb. 4 • 6:30-8:30 p.m. Location: Pecan Room Learn the essentials of business start-ups, get action steps for your business and receive one-to-one mentoring. SCORE is a nonprofit association of volunteer business experts. Registration is required. Go to www.tulsa.score.org to register. DIY for Adults: Wedding Planning Saturday, Feb. 6 • 2-4 p.m. Location: Frossard Auditorium Wedding planning can be expensive and overwhelming. Learn where to begin, what you can make yourself and resources to help create a day to remember. Mardi Gras Mosaics Tuesday, Feb. 9 • 6-7 p.m. Location: Maple Room Celebrate Mardi Gras by creating a unique work of art using Mardi Gras beads and glitter! Why do kids get to have all the fun? This workshop is for adults! Beadmaster Michael Parrish will guide you through the process. Supplies are furnished. Class size is limited.
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Brain Storms Saturday, Feb. 20 • 7 p.m. Location: Connor's Cove Watch as short plays by young writers ages 10-18 are brought to life by Professor Michael Wright of the University of Tulsa and his students. Brain Storms features the winning short plays from Tulsa City-County Library's Young People's Creative Writing Contest. Every playwright wants someone to produce their play, and Brain Storms is a unique opportunity for our winners to see this happen and to be part of Tulsa’s artistic landscape. For all ages. Sponsored by Tulsa Library Trust.
HELMERICH LIBRARY Book-A-Librarian Feb. 1-29 • Need individualized instruction on a library product or service? Whether you need to learn how to download eBooks or improve your job skills, we are here to help. Book-A-Librarian appointments are available on a first-come, first-served basis and generally last 30-60 minutes. Call 918-549-7631 to reserve your time.
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Helmerich Library's 25th Birthday Celebration Saturday, Feb. 13 • 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Bring the whole family and enjoy refreshments, balloon animals and lots of fun activities! For all ages. Books People Are Talking About Wednesday, Feb. 17 • 12:15-1:15 p.m. What does it take to make it in Hollywood? Is it possible to have an authentic life while working in a world dedicated to illusion and make-believe? Beginning with Nathanael West's "Day of the Locust," novelists have tackled these questions, including Adriana Trigiani in "All the Stars in the Heavens," Jenny Hollowell in "Everything Lovely, Effortless, Safe" and Laura Moriarty in "The Chaperone." Join us for a lively discussion!
JENKS LIBRARY Jenks Library Book Discussion Group Thursday, Feb. 18 • 1:30-2:30 p.m. Join us for an informal and lively discussion of great books. Participants should read the selected book prior to the program. For adults.
JUDY Z. KISHNER LIBRARY Kishner Read-a-thon Tuesday, Feb. 16 • noon-7 p.m. Cozy up by our fireplace to enjoy another fantastic Read-a-thon! This year we're making it a "Rock & Read" event. Sign up for 15 minutes or more to use our rocking chair while you read. There will be book giveaways, special activities and refreshments. For all ages. An adult must accompany children ages 5 and younger.
RUDISILL REGIONAL LIBRARY What? Can You Touch My Hair?! A Black Hair Affair Thursday, Feb. 11 • 6-8:30 p.m. Location: Ancestral Hall Join the African-American Resource Center for this communitywide discussion of the topic "Is there a tactile fascination regarding black women's hair?" Wear your hair in locks, kinks, naps, straight, bald, curly, long, short, or however you wish. We will discuss the short film “You Can Touch My Hair” by Antonia Opiah, founder of the blog Un'ruly. Learn the basics about black hair care and the feelings associated with the question "Can I touch your hair?" For teens and adults. 2016 African-American Heritage History Bowl Monday, Feb. 22 • 6-8:30 p.m. Location: Ancestral Hall Designed around the national African-American History Month theme “Hallowed Grounds: Sites of African-American Memories,” the trivia bowl is open to all high schools, sororities, fraternities, social and business organizations, churches, teams, schools, book clubs, groups and families to enter. There is a High School Bowl and Community Bowl. Trophies will be awarded for first, second and third place in each bowl. All ages are welcome to attend. To participate or for more information, call 918-549-7646. Sponsored by the Tulsa Library Trust, African-American Resource Center and Friends of the Rudisill Regional Library. For all ages.
SKIATOOK LIBRARY
Funded in part by the Tulsa Library Trust’s Alfred E. Aaronson Lecture Series Endowment.
www.TulsaLibrary.org
Osage Language Class Thursdays, Feb. 4, 11, 18, 25 • 6-7 p.m. A representative from the Osage Nation Language Program will teach participants the basics of the Osage language. For all ages. Sponsored by American Indian Resource Center.
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SUBURBAN ACRES LIBRARY "I Have a Dream" Mobile Activity Saturday, Feb. 6 • noon-2 p.m. Stop by and create your own "I Have a Dream" mobile. Completed mobiles will be on display during February as inspiration to all to dream big. For all ages. Seating is limited. Black Classics Movie Day Saturday, Feb. 13 • 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20 • 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Join us for a showing of classic black films, with discussion afterward if time permits. For all ages. Martin Luther King Jr. Board Game Day Saturday, Feb. 27 • noon-2 p.m. Play the MLK Jr. board game and try to make it to the special monument! For all ages.
ZARROW REGIONAL LIBRARY Osage Language Class Wednesdays, Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24 6:30-7:30 p.m. A representative from the Osage Nation Language Department will teach participants the basics of the Osage language. For all ages. Sponsored by American Indian Resource Center.
teens & tweens BROKEN ARROW LIBRARY BATAB Presents: Life Skills 4 Teens (Schedule Management) Tuesday, Feb. 9 • 5:30-6:30 p.m. Always wanted your parents to stop treating you like a kid? Learn to manage your own schedule (in a way that works for you) and stop forgetting your parents' birthdays, while also figuring out how to attend that movie with your bestie AND get your homework done. Bring your creativity to build a personalized schedule that keeps you on track and on time. Sponsored by the Friends of the Helmerich Library.
Read or Die Anime Club Saturday, Feb. 20 • noon-2 p.m. Come in cosplay or as you are. We will watch anime, eat snacks and hang out together. For ages 12-18.
book we'll be discussing. "Catherine, Called Birdy" by Karen Cushman is a lively, fascinating look at the medieval historical period, but with a lot more laughs than you might expect. We'll have door prizes and refreshments too!
Name That Bug Monday, Feb. 22 • 3-4 p.m. Get up close and personal with a variety of different bugs and insects to see if you can match each bug with its name. For ages 10-18.
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Sukikyo! Anime Club Wednesday, Feb. 10 • 3-4:30 p.m. Meet up with other manga and anime fans to discuss your favorite books, movies, characters and plot twists. For ages 12-18.
Teen Lounge Wednesdays, Feb. 10, 24 • 4-5 p.m. Join us for games and good conversation! For ages 12-16.
In the Middle Book Group Monday, Feb. 22 • 6:30-7:30 p.m. "In the middle" kids ages 9-12 meet "in the Middle Ages" Catherine, the 13-year-old daughter of an English country knight in 1290 and heroine of the hilarious yet thought-provoking
TULSA CITY-COUNTY LIBRARY EVENT GUIDE
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HARDESTY REGIONAL LIBRARY Minecraft Gaming Thursday, Feb. 4 • 6-8 p.m. Location: Computer Lab Put your imagination to the test building your own world in the popular game Minecraft. For ages 12-18. Hardesty Teen Anime/Manga Club Saturday, Feb. 13 • 1-2:30 p.m. Location: Digital Lounge Discuss favorite manga characters and books while making a craft. For ages 12-18.
HELMERICH LIBRARY Post-Valentine's Day Lament Tuesday, Feb. 16 • 4:30-6:15 p.m. Make an antivalentine or a schmalentine. Drop in for crafts, snacks and more! For teens. h-tag# Tuesday Tuesday, Feb. 23 • 4:15-6 p.m. Join us for our monthly Teen Advisory
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Board meeting. We will share books, conversation and snacks, plus make locker magnets.
HERMAN AND KATE KAISER LIBRARY Family Fun Friday Friday, Feb. 5 • 2:30-4 p.m. Enjoy valentine stories, poems, songs and crafts, plus exciting science demonstrations. For ages 5-14. Knitting for Teens Tuesday, Feb. 9 • 6-7 p.m. Learn the basics and get advice and materials for future knitting projects. Also, learn about arm knitting, a fast and easy way to create your own handmade, wearable projects. For ages 12-17.
MARTIN REGIONAL LIBRARY Teen Time Wednesday, Feb. 3 • 4-5 p.m. Location: Auditorium Come and challenge yourself
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against other Wii players. For ages 10-18. Class size is limited. Minecraft Night Wednesday, Feb. 10 • 6-8 p.m. Location: Computer Lab Come to the online frontier, build a cabin and survive against marauding zombies! For ages 10-18. Class is limited to 12 on a first-come, first-served basis. LEGO Time Wednesday, Feb. 17 • 3:30-4:30 p.m. Location: Lecture Room Come and pit your LEGO skills against our bricks. Join other TFOLs (Teen Fans of LEGO) and see what the fuss is all about. LEGO is not just for kids anymore! For ages 10-18 only. Manga-Ai! Manga/Anime Club Saturday, Feb. 27 • 2:30-3:30 p.m. Location: Conference Room Come and watch Japanese anime, sketch and discuss Japanese animation with others of your kind. Do you love manga? Then you are in the right place! For ages 12-18.
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RUDISILL REGIONAL LIBRARY What? Can You Touch My Hair?! A Black Hair Affair Thursday, Feb. 11 • 6-8:30 p.m. Location: Ancestral Hall Join the African-American Resource Center for this communitywide discussion of the topic "Is there a tactile fascination regarding black women's hair?" Wear your hair in locks, kinks, naps, straight, bald, curly, long, short, or however you wish. We will discuss the short film “You Can Touch My Hair” by Antonia Opiah, founder of the blog Un'ruly. Learn the basics about black hair care and the feelings associated with the question "Can I touch your hair?" For teens and adults.
SCHUSTERMAN-BENSON LIBRARY The Craft Connection Thursday, Feb. 25 • 6-7 p.m. Take a break from school work and make a craft at the library. For ages 8-15.
ZARROW REGIONAL LIBRARY Pixel Bead Art Saturday, Feb. 20 • 1-3 p.m. Learn how to design and make your own pixel art. Create characters from your favorite fandoms using plastic beads and an iron. For ages 10-18. Minecraft Night Thursday, Feb. 25 • 6-7 p.m. Location: Computer Lab Put your imagination to the test building your own world in the popular computer game Minecraft. For ages 10-18. Seating is limited.
computers, devices &
digital services HARDESTY REGIONAL LIBRARY MS Excel 1 Tuesday, Feb. 2 • 6-8 p.m. Location: Computer Lab This class shows how to create formulas, use automatic fill and change basic formatting. You should take MS Word 2 and have some experience using
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c o m p u t e r s , a mouse prior to taking this class. For adults. Class size is limited. Email 101 Thursday, Feb. 4 • 2-4 p.m. Location: Computer Lab This class teaches you how to set up a free account and use it to send and receive email. You should take an Internet @ the Library class or have a familiarity with the basic functions of navigating the Internet prior to taking this class. For adults. Class is limited to 18 on a first-come, first-served basis. 3-D Printer Demonstration Saturday, Feb. 6 • 10-11 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24 • 7-8 p.m. Location: Digital Lounge See what 3-D printing is all about with a demonstration of the Ultimaker2 3-D printer. For all ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult. MS Excel 2 Tuesday, Feb. 9 • 6-8 p.m. Location: Computer Lab This class shows how to create and edit formulas, and apply functions and advanced formatting to your spreadsheets and workbooks. You should take MS Excel 1 prior to taking this class. For adults. Class size is limited. MS Excel 3 Tuesday, Feb. 16 • 6-8 p.m. Location: Computer Lab This class shows how to create charts, apply conditional formatting and control the appearance of printed spreadsheets. You should take MS Excel 2 prior to taking this class. For adults. Class size is limited. MS Publisher 101 Tuesday, Feb. 23 • 6-8 p.m. Location: Computer Lab This class shows how to create fun and colorful signs and fliers. You should take MS Word 2 prior to taking this class. For adults. Class size is limited.
MARTIN REGIONAL LIBRARY MS Word 1 Saturday, Feb. 6 • 10 a.m.-noon Location: Computer Lab This class shows how to use toolbars and menus, set margins, apply spell check, and preview, save and print documents. You should have some experience using a computer keyboard and mouse prior to taking this class. For adults. Class size is limited.
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MS Word 2 Saturday, Feb. 13 • 10 a.m.-noon Location: Computer Lab This class shows how to create and format tables, use bulleted and numbered lists, and apply and format columns in a document. You should take MS Word 1 prior to attending. For adults. Class size is limited. MS Word 3 Saturday, Feb. 20 • 10 a.m.-noon Location: Computer Lab This class shows how to create and use borders and shading, headers and footers, page numbering and drawing tools. You should take MS Word 2 prior to taking this class. For adults. Class size is limited. MS Word 4 Saturday, Feb. 27 • 10 a.m.-noon Location: Computer Lab This class explores mail merge, and shows how to use tables to perform calculations and create onscreen forms. You should take MS Word 3 prior to taking this class. For adults. Class size is limited.
RUDISILL REGIONAL LIBRARY Really Basic Computer Class Friday, Feb. 5 • 9:30-11 a.m. Location: Computer Lab This class is designed for new computer users who have little or no previous experience using computers, Windows, a mouse or the Internet, and little or no knowledge of basic computer terms. For adults. Registration is required. Class size is limited. Call 918-549-7645 to register. MS Word 1 Friday, Feb. 12 • 9:30-11 a.m. Location: Computer Lab This class shows how to use toolbars and menus, set margins, apply spell check, and preview, save and print documents. You should have some experience using a computer keyboard and mouse prior to taking this class. For adults. Registration is required. Class size is limited. Call 918-549-7645 to register. Internet @ the Library Friday, Feb. 19 • 9:30-11 a.m. Location: Computer Lab This class is designed for people with little or no experience using the Internet. You will learn to navigate the World Wide Web and use the library's catalog system and online resources. For adults. Registration is required. Class size is limited. Call 918-549-7645 to register.
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Email 101 Friday, Feb. 26 • 9:30-11 a.m. Location: Computer Lab This class teaches you how to set up a free account and use it to send and receive email. You should take an Internet @ the Library class or have a familiarity with the basic functions of navigating the Internet prior to taking this class. For adults. Registration is required. Class size is limited. Call 918-549-7645 to register.
children PRESCHOOL STORYTIME The best in children's literature, songs, games, finger plays, rhymes and other reading-related activities are shared with your preschooler. MY FIRST STORYTIME Learn and enjoy songs, stories and activities that are just right for your little one at this lapsit storytime. PAWS FOR READING Registered therapy dogs are excellent listeners. Kids are invited to read their favorite books to a furry, four-pawed friend. Each reader will receive a free book provided by the Tulsa Library Trust.
BIXBY LIBRARY Preschool Storytime Mondays, Feb. 1, 8, 22, 29 11-11:30 a.m. For ages 2-5. PAWS for Reading Tuesday, Feb. 9 • 4:30-5:30 p.m. For ages 5-12. Registration is required. Call 918-549-7514 to register.
BROKEN ARROW LIBRARY Preschool Storytime Mondays, Feb. 1, 8, 22, 29 10:30-11 a.m. For ages 3-5. My First Storytime Tuesdays, Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23 10:30-10:50 a.m. For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers. Explore and Play Thursdays, Feb. 4, 11, 18, 25 10:30-11 a.m. For babies and toddlers, playing
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is learning! Join us for games, toys and activities that foster critical early literacy skills. For ages 1-5 and their caregivers. PAWS for Reading Wednesday, Feb. 10 • 4-5 p.m. For ages 5-12. Registration is required. Register in person or by calling 918-549-7500, beginning Feb. 3. Elementary, My Dear Book Club Thursday, Feb. 25 • 5:45-6:30 p.m. Join us for a book discussion, craft activity and fun. For ages 5-10. You should read the selected book prior to the program. Registration is required. Call 918-549-7500 to register.
BROKEN ARROW LIBRARY/SOUTH Preschool Storytime Tuesdays, Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23 10:30-11 a.m. For ages 2-5. Stay and Play Tuesdays, Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23 11-11:30 a.m. For babies and toddlers, playing is learning! After our regularly scheduled storytime, join us for games, toys and activities that foster critical early literacy skills. For ages 2-5. My First Storytime Wednesdays, Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24 10:30-11 a.m. For newborns to 3-year-olds and their caregivers. Show-and-Tell: Meet My Pet Saturday, Feb. 6 • 2-3 p.m. Join us for animal crafts, games, songs and stories. We'll end with a show-and-tell: bring a picture of your pet (real or imaginary) and tell other kids about it! For ages 2-5 with their families. Tommy Terrific's Wacky Magic Show Presents "Black Cowboys of the Old West" Thursday, Feb. 18 • 1-2 p.m. In this fun, interactive, educational magic show, children ages 5-12 will learn about Bill Pickett, Nat Love, Mary Fields, Bass Reeves and many other black Americans of the Old West. Sponsored by Tulsa Library Trust.
BROOKSIDE LIBRARY Preschool Storytime Wednesdays, Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24 10:15-10:45 a.m. For ages 2-5.
TULSA CITY-COUNTY LIBRARY EVENT GUIDE
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My First Storytime Wednesdays, Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24 11-11:20 a.m. For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers. PAWS for Reading Friday, Feb. 19 • 3:30-4:30 p.m. For ages 5-12. Registration is required. Call 918-549-7507 to register.
CHARLES PAGE LIBRARY Preschool Storytime Tuesdays, Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23 10:30-11:20 a.m. For ages 5 and younger with a caregiver.
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COLLINSVILLE LIBRARY Stories From the Rocking Chair Tuesdays, Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23 10:30-11 a.m. For ages 2-4 and their caregivers. PAWS for Reading Wednesday, Feb. 17 • 3-4 p.m. For ages 5-12.
GLENPOOL LIBRARY Ms.Tatiana's Family Storytime Wednesdays, Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24 10:30-11 a.m. For babies and toddlers, playing
is learning! Enjoy storytime and then stay after for games, toys and activities that foster critical early literacy skills. For ages 4 and younger with their caregivers.
HARDESTY REGIONAL LIBRARY My First Storytime Mondays, Feb. 1, 8, 22, 29 Tuesdays, Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23 10-10:20 a.m. For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers.
tulsa city-county library locations 25 Bixby Library 20 E. Breckenridge, 74008 • 918-549-7514 M-W, 10-6; Th, 12-8; Fri., 12-6; Sat., 11-5 19 Broken Arrow Library 300 W. Broadway, 74012 • 918-549-7500 M-Th, 10-8; Fri., 10-6; Sat., 10-5 23 Broken Arrow Library/South 3600 S. Chestnut, 74011 • 918-549-7662 M-Th, 10-8; Fri.-Sat., 10-5 17 Brookside Library 1207 E. 45th Place, 74105 • 918-549-7507 M-Th, 10-8; Fri., 10-6; Sat., 10-5 9 Central Library Closed for renovation 400 Civic Center, 74103 • 918-549-7323 8 Charles Page Library 551 E. Fourth St., Sand Springs, 74063 918-549-7521 • M, 10-6; T, 10-8; W-Fri., 10-6; Sat., 11-5 2 Collinsville Library 1223 Main, 74021 • 918-549-7528 M, 10-6; T, 12-8; W-Th, 10-6; Fri., 11-6; Sat., 10-5 24 Glenpool Library 730 E. 141st St., 74033 • 918-549-7535 M, 10-6; T, 12-8; W-Th, 10-6; Fri., 12-6; Sat., 11-5 22 Hardesty Regional Library and Genealogy Center 8316 E. 93rd St., 74133 • 918-549-7550 M-Th, 9-9; Fri., 9-6; Sat., 9-5; Sun., 1-5 21 Helmerich Library 5131 E. 91st St., 74137 • 918-549-7631 M-Th, 10-8; Fri.-Sat., 10-5 18 Herman and Kate Kaiser Library 5202 S. Hudson Ave., Suite B, 74135 918-549-7542 • M-Th, 10-8; Fri., 10-6; Sat., 10-5 20 Jenks Library 523 W. B St., 74037 • 918-549-7570 M-W, 10-6; Th, 10-8; Fri., 10-6; Sat., 11-5 3 Judy Z. Kishner Library 10150 N. Cincinnati Ave. E., Sperry 74073 • 918-549-7577 M, 10-6; T, 12-8; W-Th, 10-6; Fri., 12-6; Sat., 11-5
11 Kendall-Whittier Library 21 S. Lewis, 74104 • 918-549-7584 M-Th, 10-6; Fri., 11-6; Sat., 10-5 10 Librarium 1110 S. Denver Ave., 74119 • 918-549-7349 M-Th, 9-7; Fri.-Sat., 9-5 15 Martin Regional Library and Hispanic Resource Center 2601 S. Garnett Road, 74129 • 918-549-7590 M-Th, 9-9; Fri., 9-6; Sat., 9-5; Sun., 1-5 7 Maxwell Park Library 1313 N. Canton, 74115 • 918-549-7610 M-Th, 10-6; Fri., 11-6; Sat., 10-5 14 Nathan Hale Library 6038 E. 23rd St., 74114 • 918-549-7617 M-Th, 10-6; Fri., 11-6; Sat., 10-5 4 Owasso Library 103 W. Broadway, 74055 • 918-549-7624 M-Th, 10-8; Fri., 10-6; Sat., 10-5 12 Pratt Library 3219 S. 113th W. Ave., Sand Springs, 74063 • 918-549-7638 M-W, 10-6; Th, 10-8; Fri., 10-6; Sat., 11-5 6 Rudisill Regional Library and African-American Resource Center 1520 N. Hartford, 74106 • 918-549-7645 M-Th, 9-9; Fri.-Sat., 9-5; Sun., 1-5 13 Schusterman-Benson Library Closed for updates Feb. 8-21 3333 E. 32nd Place, 74135 918-549-7670 • M-Th, 10-8; Fri.-Sat., 10-5 1 Skiatook Library 316 E. Rogers, 74070 • 918-549-7676 M-W, 10-6; Th, 12-8; Fri., 11-6; Sat., 10-5 5 Suburban Acres Library 4606 N. Garrison, 74126 • 918-549-7655 M-Th, 10-6; Fri., 12-6; Sat., 11-5 16 Zarrow Regional Library and American Indian Resource Center 2224 W. 51st St., 74107 • 918-549-7683 M-Th, 9-9; Fri.-Sat., 9-5; Sun., 1-5
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Toddler Time Tuesdays, Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23 11-11:20 a.m. Wednesdays, Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24 10-10:20 a.m. Enjoy stories, action rhymes, fun flannels, music, bubbles and meeting other toddlers in the neighborhood. For ages 2-3 and their parents/caregivers. Mr. Paul's Preschool Storytime Wednesdays, Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24 11-11:30 a.m. • For ages 3-5. Mr. Paul's Family Storytime Thursdays, Feb. 4, 11, 18, 25 6:30-7 p.m. • For all ages.
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JUDY Z. KISHNER LIBRARY
Mr. Adam's Family Storytime/ Stay and Play Tuesdays, Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23 10:30-11:30 a.m. For children of all ages, playing is learning! Enjoy storytime and then stay after for toys and activities that foster critical early literacy skills. For newborns to 8-yearolds and their caregivers.
Monsters in My Mouth! Tuesday, Feb. 23 • 6-7 p.m. Oh, no! What can they be? Come and find out. You'll smile with glee! For ages 5-10.
HERMAN AND KATE KAISER LIBRARY Preschool Storytime Tuesdays, Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23 10:30-11:30 a.m. For ages 2-5. My First Storytime Thursdays, Feb. 4, 11, 18, 25 10:30-11:30 a.m. For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers. Family Fun Friday Friday, Feb. 5 • 2:30-4 p.m. Enjoy valentine stories, poems, songs and crafts, plus exciting science demonstrations. For ages 5-14. PAWS for Reading Wednesdays, Feb. 10, 24 • 3:30-5 p.m. For ages 5-12. Registration is required. Call 918-549-7542 to register. Sensory Storytime Saturday, Feb. 27 • 10:30 a.m.-noon Does your child have difficulty sitting through storytime? If so, this inclusive, interactive program of stories, songs and activities may be just what you are looking for! Sensory Storytime focuses on learning with all five senses and is especially designed for children with a variety of learning styles or sensory integration challenges. Registration is required. Register online at http://kids. tulsalibrary.org/sensorystorytime or by calling 918-549-7542. For ages 2-9.
JENKS LIBRARY My First Storytime Wednesdays, Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24 10-10:15 a.m. For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers. Preschool Storytime Wednesdays, Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24 10:30-11 a.m. For ages 3-5.
KENDALL-WHITTIER LIBRARY Bilingual Storytime/Cuentos Bilingües Tuesdays, Feb. 2, 9, 23 3:30-4:15 p.m. Enjoy adventures through reading in both English and Spanish. For ages 3-12 and their families./ Cuentos, canciónes y actividades en inglés y español. Para las edades 3-12.
MARTIN REGIONAL LIBRARY Bilingual Storytime/Cuentos Bilingües Tuesdays, Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23 11-11:45 a.m. Enjoy stories, songs and activities in English and Spanish. For ages 5 and younger./Cuentos, canciónes y actividades en inglés y español. Para las edades 0-5. Family Play Date Wednesdays, Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24 10-10:45 a.m. Toddlers love to explore and learn. Join us for imaginative play and discovery with toys and activities designed to foster young ones' early literacy skills. For ages 1-3 and their caregivers. Siblings up to age 5 may also attend. LEGO Lab Saturday, Feb. 20 • 2-3 p.m. Location: Storytime Castle Learn new building ideas, partner with other children during team building and explore free building. Leave your LEGOS at home and come play with ours. For ages 6-12. Registration is required. Class size is limited. Registration begins Tuesday, Feb. 16. Call 918-549-7590 to register. Sponsored by Tulsa Library Trust.
OWASSO LIBRARY My First Storytime Tuesdays, Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23 Wednesdays, Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24 10-10:25 a.m. For newborns to 2-year-olds and their caregivers. Preschool Storytime Tuesdays, Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23 Wednesdays, Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24 10:30-11 a.m. For ages 3-5.
c o n t i n u e d Stay and Play Tuesdays, Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23 Wednesdays, Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24 11-11:30 a.m. For babies and toddlers, playing is learning! After our regularly scheduled storytime, join us for games, toys and activities that foster critical early literacy skills. For ages 5 and younger with their caregivers. Homeschool Storytime Tuesdays, Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23 2-2:45 p.m. Join us as we read stories and make a craft. For ages 5-9.
PRATT LIBRARY Miss Connie's Storytime Thursdays, Feb. 4, 11, 18, 25 10:30-11:15 a.m. For ages 5 and younger with an adult.
RUDISILL REGIONAL LIBRARY Preschool Storytime Tuesdays, Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23 Wednesdays, Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24 10-10:30 a.m. For ages 2-5. Tommy Terrific's Wacky Magic Show Presents "Black Cowboys of the Old West" Wednesday, Feb. 17 • 1-2 p.m. Location: Ancestral Hall In this fun, interactive, educational magic show, children ages 2-10 will learn about Bill Pickett, Nat Love, Mary Fields, Bass Reeves and many other black Americans of the Old West. Sponsored by Tulsa Library Trust.
The Craft Connection Thursday, Feb. 25 • 6-7 p.m. Take a break from school work and make a craft at the library. For ages 8-15.
SKIATOOK LIBRARY Storytime in Skiatook Wednesday, Feb. 3 • 11-11:30 a.m. For ages 6 and younger.
SUBURBAN ACRES LIBRARY Tommy Terrific's Wacky Magic Show Presents "Black Cowboys of the Old West" Wednesday, Feb. 17 • 11 a.m.-noon In this fun, interactive, educational magic show, children ages 6-12 will learn about Bill Pickett, Nat Love, Mary Fields, Bass Reeves and many other black Americans of the Old West. Sponsored by Tulsa Library Trust.
ZARROW REGIONAL LIBRARY Stay and Play Storytime Wednesdays, Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24 10:30-11:30 a.m. For babies and toddlers, playing is learning! Enjoy storytime and then stay after for games, toys and activities that foster critical early literacy skills. For ages 5 and younger. PAWS for Reading Saturday, Feb. 27 • 2-3 p.m. For ages 5-12.
SCHUSTERMANBENSON LIBRARY Preschool Storytime Tuesday, Feb. 2 • 10:30-10:50 a.m. For ages 3-5. My First Storytime Wednesdays, Feb. 3, 24 10-10:20 a.m. • 10:30-10:50 a.m. For newborns to 3-year-olds and their caregivers. LEGO Block Party Friday, Feb. 5 • 2-3 p.m. We'll build space-themed constructions and play LEGO games on the Wii. For ages 5-10. Bilingual Preschool Storytime Tuesday, Feb. 23 • 10:30-10:50 a.m. Enjoy stories and songs in Spanish and English. For ages 3-5.
TO SEARCH FOR EVENTS, SCAN THIS CODE USING YOUR MOBILE DEVICE AND QR SCANNER APP.
Free and Open to the Public If you are hearing-impaired and need a qualified interpreter, please call the library 48 hours in advance of the program. The Tulsa Book Review and Tulsa City-County Library Event Guide are printed on partially recycled paper.
The Tulsa City-County Library Event Guide is produced by the Public Relations Office of the Tulsa City-County Library. For questions or concerns, call 918-549-7389.
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Book Reviews
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Category
Kids’ Books Picture Books SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Flying Cars: The True Story By Andrew Glass Clarion Books, $17.99, 128 pages Check this out! The 30th anniversary of Back to the Future was a few weeks ago, and everyone was lamenting the lack of hoverboards in 2015. And I rarely go too long without hearing someone complain that jetpacks aren’t yet a common means of conveyance. But where, I ask you, is the outcry for f lying cars? Is there no desire to be able to f ly somewhere at a moment’s notice, and then drive right off the landing strip and onto the road? Flying Cars: The True Story has answered my prayers, exploring the hits and misses (and even greater misses) from this curious part of automotive and aeronautical history. Rich with photos and drawings of the numerous attempts to marry the car and the airplane, Flying Cars is part history book and part shrine to industrious lunacy. It astonishes me that so many of these designs actually took f light at some point, and Glass’ clear enthusiasm for the subject only adds to the joyfulness of the read. These are pipe dreams made real, and Flying Cars celebrates even the most ludicrous efforts. What great fun. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
we are destined not only to walk on Mars, but to build sustainable colonies there. Welcome to Mars is a perfect introduction for younger readers to why we’re going, what needs to happen before we go, the challenges we will face and what it will take to be successful. The science is solid and easily understood, and Aldrin never overloads the reader with too much information. Plus the facts never overwhelm the wonder of the project itself, and that’s a crucial detail. Not only that, but Aldrin and his co-author Dyson have concocted several interesting experiments to drive home aspects of the Mars experience. From understanding the differences in atmospheric conditions and how long a day on Mars is to building their own mini-Martian dome, these experiences bring these lofty concepts back down to Earth in practical, vision fashion. Welcome to Mars recognizes not only the incredible complexity of the task ahead of us, but how important it is to get young minds invested. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
Welcome to Mars: Making a Home on the Red Planet By Buzz Aldrin and Marianne Dyson National Geographic Children’s Books, $18.99, 96 pages Check this out! Most people know Buzz Aldrin as one of the few men to have walked on the surface of the moon, but for the last few decades, he has adopted a new role: ambassador to Mars. Aldrin believes
Tulsa Book Review • February 2016 • 9
SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Two Mice By Sergio Ruzzier Clarion Books, $12.99, 32 pages Check this out! Created for toddlers, Two Mice features two mischievous friends who set out for a full day of adventures. Bouncing along, they discover boats and take one out for a ride. One of the mice cleverly tricks the other to do the rowing! They shipwreck, but survive, until they are captured by an eagle and taken to her babies as food. But, ever so clever, they escape. All ends well and they return home. Author/illustrator Sergio Ruzzier sprinkles humor throughout the story in both words and illustrations. Fun, freedom-seeking illustrations are beautifully done in pen and ink with soft pastels. The beauty of this book for toddlers is that it introduces counting! Up to three and back again. The book is small, a mere about 6”x7”, that fits perfectly in a toddler’s hands.Two Mice is a great vehicle to encourage the child to tell the story in her own words. Reviewed by Susan Roberts
Job Wanted By Teresa Bateman, Chris Sheban (illustrator) Holiday House, $16.95, 32 pages Check this out! When the old farm dog trudged down the road and marched up to the farmer, the dog did not look ready for hard work. With his head hanging low and his tongue out, he looked anything but useful. Maybe that’s why the farmer rebuffed the dog’s offer to be his pet. Disappointed but undeterred, the dog comes up with a plan. The farmer has an opening for a cow; the dog corrals the cows into the barn ready for milking. The farmer has an opening for a chicken; the dog cleans the chicken coop and, with fresh straw, the chickens comfortably lay eggs. For every opening the farmer has, the clever old dog has an idea how to fill the role. When the chickens fall prey to a fox, the farmer begins to really see the usefulness of a dog. Young readers will enjoy the humor and repetition in Job Wanted. There is a bit of anticipation as readers wonder just how the dog will fill the opening of another farm animal. This is balanced by soft, hazy watercolor illustrations evoking a feeling of calm sometimes associated with farm life. The dog’s determination will appeal to children and adults. He makes himself indispensable to the farmer, proving that a dog can pay for his keep just as well as the other animals. Reviewed by Africa Hands
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Book Reviews
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her mission, expecting nothing to come of it. However, several students are receiving what they’ve requested, but their tasks are increasingly disturbing and dangerous. As she comes closer to learning the truth, she also gets closer to losing her life. The alternating viewpoints in each chapter make for a richer reading experience, as each character reveals his place in the overall scheme hatched by the creators of the NEED website. A great social commentary on social media, especially among high-school students, Need is top-notch thriller, with twists and turns that will surprise and terrify. Reviewed by Rebecca Williams
Teens SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Mosquitoland By David Arnold Viking, $17.99, 352 pages Check this out! After her parents’ divorce, Mim, age 16, is forced to move with her father and stepmother a thousand miles away. She is having trouble adjusting to all the changes. Her father thinks she is suffering from mental illness, and doctor-shops until he finds one who will medicate Mim. She gets in some trouble at school. When the principal calls her parents in for a meeting, Mim is called to the office. She overhears part of their conversation, and what she hears sends her on a journey to try to get back to her mother. Along the way, she meets some strange characters and forms something of her own family with Walt, a teenage boy with Down’s Syndrome, and Beck, a handsome college guy. Author David Arnold has created a compelling story with realistic, well-developed characters that will grab teen readers and others. It is cleverly written in first person and through a journal Mim keeps that is really a letter to someone named Iz. This method allows Arnold to fill in all the backstory without resorting to information dumps. The voice is pitch-perfect for a highly intelligent, but confused, young woman. This is a winner. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck Another Day By David Levithan Knopf Books for Young Readers, $17.99, 336 pages Check this out! Depressed, Rhiannon had considered who might attend her funeral. But that changed when she made friends and started dating Justin. She was comfortable in their relationship: comfortable making excuses, comfortable swallowing her pride, comfortable in silence. Then, one magical day, he seems to let go of his anger and resentment, and they spend one unguarded glorious
day at the beach. However, the next day, Justin returns to the same brooding, angry boyfriend who doesn’t seem to remember the beautiful day before. A few days later, Amy, a prospective student who wants a tour of the school, seeks out Rhiannon’s help, and then Nathan, a friend’s cousin, approaches her at a party. She soon learns that for a day, Justin, Amy and Nathan were actually A, a soul, spirit or otherworldly presence that jumps bodies day after day after day. When A contacts Rhiannon, she is torn between her comfortable world and the promise of something better. Levithan released this companion novel to Every Day told from Rhiannon’s point of view. Rhiannon’s journey from her comfortable but demeaning relationship with Justin to hope and belief in A’s world will have readers falling in love with Levithan’s story again. Reviewed by Rebecca Williams Need By Joelle Charbonneau HMH Books for Young Readers, $17.99, 352 pages Check this out! Kaylee Dunham has become an outcast at her high school, but for good reason. Her younger brother, DJ, needs a kidney, but a match can’t be found within the family, so she makes it her mission to ask as many people as possible to get tested. This does not earn her popularity. Then, a social media website offering to fulfill any need pops up – they are asking for phones, computers and good grades in exchange for small tasks. She decides to request a kidney for her brother and expects a task to complete as well. To her surprise, no task is requested, so she continues with
Lizard Radio By Pat Schmatz Candlewick, $16.99, 288 pages Check this out! Following the camp experience of 15-year-old Kivali Kerwin, Lizard Radio takes a new spin on the teen dystopian novel. For die-hard dystopian fans, this book is probably not the one they should pick up next: the futuristic setting Pat Schmatz created with its intimidatingly rigid gender norms is overwhelming at first. It takes the reader almost 100 pages to understand the rules of this society as put forward by the SayFree Gov, including why these teenagers are at CropCamp, attending Cleezies and fearing that their piemates will vape —yeah, we hesitated, too. Nevertheless, for readers intrigued enough by the nonbinary identifying main character and their (seemingly) bisexual love interest, Schmatz creates a complex critique of the dangers of forcing young teens into rigid binaries, specifically in terms of gender, sexuality and morality, that will inspire conversations of youthful identities, families of choice and bravery despite the seduction of assimilation. For those intrigued by critical conversations around gender and societal norms, Lizard Radio should be the next addition to your bookshelf. Reviewed by Xany Moore The Rest of Us Just Live Here By Patrick Ness HarperTeen, $17.99, 336 pages Check this out! A lot of adventure stories are about the “chosen one” falling in love and saving the world. In the background of those stories are the regular people trying to get through whatever everyday hardship they’re facing. Patrick Ness’ The Rest of Us Just Live Here follows the story of one of those people, Mikey Mitchell, as he nears graduation and the relationships he has with his friends and family begin to change. The world might be ending and something is definitely going wrong,
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but that’s for the “indie kids”—the chosen ones—to figure out. The adventure plot takes a backseat to the everyday dramas of Mikey, his sister Mel, and their friends Henna and Jared. The Rest of Us Just Live Here is page-turning and heartfelt, championing friendship and emphasizing the importance of the everyday without sacrificing an engaging plot. Ness’ characters come alive. His characters who are gay or mentally ill are not defined by their sexuality or illness, and the way they interact feels authentic. In a genre full of romantic adventure stories, The Rest of Us Just Live Here is refreshing in its emphasis on the love between friends, the love within families and the thrilling quest that simply living can be. Reviewed by Emma McGorray I Crawl Through It By A.S. King Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $18.00, 336 pages Check this out! Gustav is building an invisible helicopter. Lansdale’s hair grows when she lies. China is a walking stomach. Stanzi wears a lab coat and dissects frogs and feels as though she is split in two. In A.S. King’s novel I Crawl Through It, Gustav, Lansdale, China and Stanzi confront the moments and memories that haunt them by traveling to invisible places, writing poems and speaking with the mysterious man who lives in the bush and sells lemonade and letters. King deftly turns intense feeling into evocative imagery that communicates the vivid emotions of her characters to the reader. The book is puzzling, and at times it’s hard to understand entirely what’s going on, but the novel’s main virtue lies in its surrealism. The strange and perplexing moments are also the most emotional and the most meaningful—at the moments when a character’s understanding of the world or an experience within it changes, the surrealist image often alters to reflect that epiphany. King’s surrealism makes the world she creates at once foreign and known, new and bizarre but viscerally understandable. Redemptive and powerful, I Crawl Through It challenges and rewards the reader with moments that inspire and confound. Reviewed by Emma McGorray
Book Reviews
Category
Tweens SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Nightfall By Jake Halpern, Peter Kujawinski G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, $17.99, 368 pages Check this out! Marin lives on the island of Bliss, where 14 years of day will soon lead to 14 years of night. With the setting sun, the townspeople are frantically getting ready to leave, but following some strange rituals. They have maps of their houses so they know where everything should be, and how all furniture must be arranged. Marin, her twin brother, Kana, and their friend, Line, don’t remember anything else but continuous daytime, and think the adults are ridiculous. When the boats arrive, the siblings head down to the docks to leave with the others, but realize that Line has gone missing. Marin and Kana know where he is and must risk missing the boats to bring him back. However, the sun has almost set, and the furriers who bring the community to safety wait for no one. Halpern and Kujawinski have taken the primal fear associated with night and darkness and crafted a terror-filled race to beat the clock where losing means certain slow death. The fact that the world of Bliss transforms from beautiful and safe to horrific and dangerous will haunt nightmares for many. A perfect read for those who love Mary Downing Hahn or Dan Poblocki. Reviewed by Rebecca Williams Nightmares! The Sleepwalker Tonic By Jason Segel, Kirsten Miller, Karl Kwasny (illustrator) Delacorte Books for Young Readers, $16.99, 368 pages Check this out! Charlie already has beaten his nightmares once and now sleeps like a baby. While in town with his friend Alfie, they see a sight that might give him nightmares again – a zombie! Because Charlie
has had some contact with Nightmares – those creatures that haunt our worst dreams – he and Alfie go investigate. However, they surprise the man, who runs into a post. When he starts bleeding, they realize he can’t be a zombie at all, but are completely lost as to what his problem may be. When Charlie visits the next town over in his dreams, he finds out something is very wrong in Orville Falls and it’s connected to the zombie. Worse yet, it’s moving toward his hometown of Cypress Creek. To complicate matters, his family may lose their home, which houses a portal to the Nightmares. Segel and Miller have done a superb job both on this sequel to Nightmares and keeping readers who haven’t read the first book informed. The story is a perfect thriller for younger readers, with illustrations that will enthrall but not terrify. The scariest thing about this book is that the third book called The Lost Lullaby is not available until fall 2016. Reviewed by Rebecca Williams Took: A Ghost Story By Mary Downing Hahn Clarion Books, $16.99, 272 pages Check this out! Hard times have fallen on Daniel and Erica’s parents, so they move from Connecticut, where they attended private school and ate at gourmet pizza joints, to West Virginia, where the living costs are lower. The house they found is nestled in the woods outside of town, but has a sinister history. Once, 50 years before, a young girl lived there, but she disappeared. All the locals know Old Auntie, a con-
jure woman, took her, but Daniel cannot believe that nonsense. However, when his sister starts acting strange, going to the woods and talking about secrets, Daniel starts listening to the rumors circulating about town. Soon, he’s afraid for her, but his parents, busy with their crumbling lives, won’t listen, so he must find out what he can on his own. When his sister is “took,” he must keep his wits about him to beat the conjure woman and her evil, razorback hog. Hahn is a master of scary stories for middle-grade readers, and this has to be one of her best. This spooky story ventures into most children’s nightmares, involving talking dolls and spooky woods. It is a perfect read for a dark, winter night. Reviewed by Rebecca Williams The Goblin’s Puzzle: Being the Adventures of a Boy With No Name and Two Girls Called Alice By Andrew Chilton Knopf Books for Young Readers, $16.99, 288 pages Check this out! The Duke’s plan was simple: summon a dragon to kidnap the princess, then rescue her, marry her and take over the kingdom. Of course, he didn’t expect the dragon to abduct the wrong Alice, or a slave boy to interfere, or everything to hinge on a goblin’s riddle. But then again, nobody ever expects things like that. The Goblin’s Puzzle offers a wonderful twist on the classic story of “hero defeats dragon to rescue princess,” breathing fresh life into many overwrought cliches. And, in doing so, Chilton manages to make everyone involved more engaging. Unlike many heroic tales that end with sword swinging or spell casting, it’s smarts that win the day; a diabolical plot is foiled by quick wit and guile, instead of luck or brute force. The boy has moments of cleverness, Plain Alice is absolutely brilliant, Princess Alice is far more capable than the archetypal princess, and Mennofar, the goblin, ties words into knots with staggering ease. As such, the morals underpinning this story feel appropriate for the modern world, especially the recurring theme of the importance of what you say versus what you mean. A multilayered logic puzzle cloaked in adventure trappings, The Goblin’s Puzzle is an unexpected treat. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas
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The Seventh Most Important Thing By Shelley Pearsall Knopf Books for Young Readers, $16.99, 288 pages Check this out! Arthur Owens loses his father the same year Kennedy is killed. Life isn’t easy. His mother works two lousy jobs to keep things going. Arthur, 13, is angry when his mother gets rid of the last of his dad’s things, but when he sees an old junk picker wearing his father’s hat, without even knowing what he is doing, Arthur picks up a brick and throws it at the old man. Facing a long time in juvenile hall, he tells the judge what set him off. The old man he had hit stands up in court and asks to speak to the judge. The next thing he knows, Arthur is working for the junk picker with very strange assignments to find particular junk each week. Still, it’s better than going back to juvenile hall. Then, something extraordinary happens, and Arthur’s life is changed. This amazing coming-of-age story will enthrall middle-grade readers and anyone else lucky enough to come across it. Shelley Pearsall’s writing is lovely, and her story compelling. All the characters are fully formed and relatable. And what a delight to discover there is a strong connection to a real person with a most interesting history. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck
Book Reviews
Category
Cooking, Food & Wine SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
Voracious: A Hungry Reader Cooks Her Way Through Great Books By Cara Nicoletti, Marion Bolognesi (illustrator) Little, Brown and Company, $28.00, 304 pages Check this out! Nancy Drew may seem old hat to modern kids, but, for sure, they still crave the double chocolate walnut sundae treats they read about. So does Cara Nicoletti. And she remembers just what the kids devoured in all the books she enjoyed, the ones she curled up with as a teenager, even the more sophisticated, complex ones in recent years. Her gloriously evocative book draws together some 50 books that left her with mouth-watering memories. She shares her delight in the foods with a disarmingly witty, perceptive narrative, and by adapting recipes as varied as Laura Ingalls Wilder’s breakfast sausage, the challenging white garlic soup in Pride and Prejudice, and her adaptation of the ornery daughter’s hot cheese sandwich in Philip Roth’s American Pastoral. Even when life sounds dismal, Nicoletti’s ebullience and witty family and workplace tales style reveal unrequited optimism. Bucking the trend of healthy diets, she tells of favorite dishes she has not forsaken, and how a smoked cow’s tongue sandwich on Wonderbread was an especially delicious after-school snack from her butcher grandfather. His legacy has brought her to butchering today, with time-out in restaurants and pastry making. It’s a joy to find an unpretentious foodie drawing us into her guilt-free pleasures of eating and reading. Reviewed by Jane Manaster The Hands-On Home: A Seasonal Guide to Cooking, Preserving & Natural Homekeeping By Erica Strauss, Charity Burggraaf (photographer) Sasquatch Books, $35.00, 416 pages Check this out! In these days of modern conveniences, the art of basic housekeeping has fallen by the wayside for many. Many younger adults
(and some older adults, too!) feel like their routines are missing something, and a book like The HandsOn Home by Erica Strauss is here to fill in those gaps. If you have no idea how to actually keep your home clean, Strauss offers tips for creating a routine – daily, weekly, seasonally – that works for you, along with recipes for making cleaning products to replace the harsh, chemical-laden ones found in stores. If you’ve been wanting to start eating more seasonally, Strauss offers recipes, including plenty of ways to preserve foods via canning or lactofermentation. If you want to freshen up your personal care routines, this book has you covered there, too as there are recipes for tooth powder, soaps, moisturizers and more. The recipes are clearly written, and many include pictures. Readers also will love learning about the basics of canning and fermentation. The seasonal chapters are great for the recipes, but some readers will prefer to have all of the personal and home care recipes lumped together for ease of reference. Overall, this is a great book for anyone looking to make their home more natural. Reviewed by Holly Scudero Besh Big Easy: 101 Home Cooked New Orleans Recipes By John Besh Andrews McMeel Publishing, $25.00, 211 pages Check this out! If you don’t yet have a cookbook of New Orleans cuisine, this is a perfect addition to your bookshelf, and if you already have one, this is still a good purchase. Besh Big Easy is an excellent regional cookbook of Louisiana cooking. The book is a beautifully designed, trade paperback filled with beautiful, professional-quality photo illustrations of foods, cooked dishes and local city scenes. A brief explanation and author John Besh’s personal notes of
the city photos are at the end of the book, which is a nice addition. Recipe layout is great, for none do you have to flip pages back and forth while following recipes. Besh’s cooking is more influenced by French instead of the Cajun cuisine, but you’ll find recipes of the Cajun style as well. They are not difficult recipes, and most ingredients you’ll find anywhere with the exception of local foods (e.g. American shrimp). All the common Louisiana dishes are represented: grits, corn pudding, dirty rice, gumbo, as well as somewhat more exotic items. Each recipe is accompanied by a few paragraphs, labeled “Easy Apps,” as sidebars. These are more like recipe headnotes. Index is nicely cross-referenced. Here is a good cookbook to have. Reviewed by George Erdosh 100 Recipes: The Absolute Best Ways to Make the True Essentials By America’s Test Kitchen America’s Test Kitchen, $40.00, 368 pages Check this out! Gorgeous photographs are the first impression, followed quickly by the awareness of how huge this book is, both in size and content. One hundred “essential” recipes, but in the hands of America’s Test Kitchen, that runs to over 300 thick, glossy, detailed pages that are a pleasure and a revelation. Each recipe is written with a care you’d expect if it were the only one, with why the recipe works, and then the recipe itself, in clear, accessible, friendly language that is easy to follow. Potential pitfalls are addressed (“butter should not brown”), and, of course, multiple variations are included. Each has been tested extensively to ensure you have the best, tastiest, most reliable way to create the dish. Readers will love learning the science behind the recipes, which will inform all their cooking and baking as they apply the lessons learned here. Sections are Absolute Essentials; Surprising Essentials; and Global Essentials; learn the ideal way to make scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, grilled cheese; roast beef to banana bread; Chicken Tagine to Spanish beef stew. Mastering even a few of this list of 100 will put you well on the way to becoming a serious, accomplished home cook. Reviewed by Gretchen Wagner Dinner Solved!: 100 Ingenious Recipes That Make the Whole Family Happy, Including You! By Katie Workman Workman Publishing Company, $17.95, 384 pages Check this out! Wouldn’t it be nice to have lots of recipes that are not only interesting and delicious and fun, but also easy to adapt to those
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who are more adventurous, or maybe have a need for something more bland? This cookbook answers those needs and more. The 20 chapters in this book cover everything from breakfast foods, sandwiches, salads, meat, fish, poultry, pastas, desserts and more. There is a vegetarian section as well. The recipes have the usual instructions, but also have suggestions about what the kids can do to help. What a nice touch! There is a list of ingredients in the introductory section that lists things that will “jack up the flavor or interest” in the foods in this book. The layout in the book is beautifully clean and easy to navigate. Gorgeous photographs, while not there for every recipe, are plentiful, and engender the desire to try the recipes. Recipes have a personal anecdote to go with them, in which author Katie Workman tells bit about how the recipe came about. The writing is crisp, clean and, best of all, fun and interesting. If you can only have one cookbook, it should be this one. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck Kitchen Hacks: How Clever Cooks Get Things Done By America’s Test Kitchen Cook’s Illustrated, $19.95, 368 pages Check this out! The word “hack” has taken on a very negative connotation. However, in the case of this book, it doesn’t mean an unauthorized use, but rather using something in a way that is different from its intended use. The book is organized in 12 chapters, covering such topics as cleaning, organizing, food preparation, food storage, last-minute problems fixes, basics, substitutions and much more. Tired of having trouble getting strips of bacon apart? There’s an answer for that. Only have one loaf pan, but you are making three loaves of bread? There’s a hack for that. Do your sausages curl during grilling and don’t fit into the bun? There’s an easy way to keep them from making a curve. There are hundreds of clever ideas in this little book, and, for those who enjoy time in the kitchen, it is just plain fun to read through. The sheer number of clever ideas is mind-boggling. Every hack has a short, simple write-up, and many of them are accompanied by nice line drawings to clarify the written instructions. The index in the back is very complete and easy to use. This book is really a must-have for every kitchen. Reviewed by Rosi Hollinbeck
Book Reviews
Martha Stewart’s Appetizers: 200 Recipes for Dips, Spreads, Snacks, Small Plates, and Other Delicious Hors d’Oeuvres, Plus 30 Cocktails By Martha Stewart Clarkson Potter, $27.50, 256 pages Check this out! Martha Stewart wows her fans once again with her updated Hors d’ Oeuvre’s book, Appetizers. With more than 200 recipes, Martha Stewart elevates the old style of entertaining, reflecting the casual approach in current social circles. It’s broken down into five simple sections of: snacks, starters, small plates, stylish bites and sips of joy. Every avenue of entertaining is explored with full-color pictures, make-ahead tips and serving pairing guides. Whether your style is chicken wings and sliders, or the elevated flair of potatoes with caviar and crème fraiche, you can top off your party with spectacular sips in coordinating glassware, making any event memorable. Embracing the change through the decades, from formal cocktail parties to the new relaxed environment of sharing good food with friends, Martha Stewart’s Appetizers guides anyone to prepare great food with delightful cocktails. Reinvent your own personal style while revisiting some of the older classic recipes and sample some of the new ones, opening the door to delicious bites and aromatic sippers. With the addition of notes and serving suggestions, this truly is a one-stop book for entertaining. Reviewed by Amy Shane Beans and Field Peas By Sandra A. Gutierrez The University of North Carolina Press, $19.00, 136 pages Check this out! Author Sandra Gutierrez has compiled a book of more than 50 delicious recipes featuring beans and peas. Southern peas, by the way, look more like dry beans – black-eyed peas are a good example. The beans here include long, green string beans as well as navy, kidney and others. Gutierrez educates readers on just a small sampling of the prolific varieties and multitude of flavors that beans and peas support, and makes you want to try them all. Her enthusiasm is infectious, and her descriptions of her dishes are mouth-watering. The recipes are easy to follow, although a basic competence in the kitchen is assumed. But none are difficult, and anyone interested in expanding their legume repertoire will have no problem with any of these recipes. Classic Southern dishes such as Hoppin’ John and Southern
Cooking, Food & Wine Caviar snuggle with new Southern dishes such as Bean Burgers (really!) with Chipotle Mayo. There is even a great section on international dishes, like Puerto Rican Rice and Pigeon Peas. With Beans and Field Peas, you can eat your fill of this amazing Southern staple and enjoy every bite! Reviewed by Gretchen Wagner Lidia’s Mastering the Art of Italian Cuisine: Everything You Need to Know to Be a Great Italian Cook By Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, Tanya Bastianich Manuali Knopf, $37.50, 461 pages Check this out! Authors Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali published Lidia’s Mastering the Art of Italian Cuisine as a huge volume with hundreds of recipes from appetizers, soups, sauces and main dishes through sweets. The first author has some half-dozen Italian cookbooks published, and if you own any, you may not need her latest. The authors start with a very extensive (75 pages) section, virtually a mini cooking class, on detailed discussion of ingredients and preparation techniques. This is very useful for both beginner and experienced cooks. Another equally helpful section at the end is a huge glossary (45 pages) on everything in Italian cooking and cuisine. The index is just as broad and well cross-referenced. The recipes are well-written and range from easy to complex, but most are relatively accessible to beginner cooks. With many recipes, the authors include a little note at the end related to the recipe or possible variations. The recipes are written for American cooks, but a well-stocked market with extensive Italian ingredients is a must. Only occasional little black-and-white sketches are the illustrations, otherwise the text and recipes run through without break— a huge inconvenience to cooks when following recipes. Reviewed by George Erdosh Vegetarian India: A Journey Through the Best of Indian Home Cooking By Madhur Jaffrey Knopf, $35.00, 416 pages Check this out! Vegetarian India is such a beautifully produced book that you would hate to tuck it away on a shelf. An excellent cookbook by Madhur Jaffrey, it should definitely be used. This is a large volume, with a huge number of recipes, almost overwhelming in number, for the cook to choose from. It is profusely illustrated with full-page photographs, many de-
picting the listed recipes, and also food-related photos from India. Although the author claims none of the recipes are overly complicated, if you are familiar with Indian cooking, you can expect a long list of ingredients, containing many spices and herbs in almost all the recipes. Indian cooking is time-consuming, and you must have a good market with full stock of Indian ingredients before you can start. The book’s main drawback (besides having too many recipes) is recipe layout. Many spill over on the next page, and you will find yourself paging back and forth to follow them. Recipe headnotes are extensive and very good, relating to both the recipes and Indian cooking. In addition, the author included special sections on items such as puffed rice, poriyals and dahls. The index is complete, and complements this cookbook well. Reviewed by George Erdosh The Whole Grain Promise: More Than 100 Delicious Recipes to Jumpstart a Healthier Diet By Robin Asbell Running Press, $20.00, 200 pages Check this out! By now, everyone knows they should be eating more whole grains, but not everyone is quite sure of the best way to proceed. Author Robin Asbell is here to show you whole grains go far beyond whole wheat bread and brown rice pasta! The Whole Grain Promise is packed full of delicious recipes that will help any reader include
more whole grains in the dishes they serve to themselves and their families. There is also basic cooking information, as well as a detailed description of a wide variety of grains, both familiar and less so. Readers will enjoy sweet and savory breakfast dishes (Egg Curry Breakfast Bowl), breads (Cherry-Almond Quick Bread), main dish salads (Middle Eastern Freekeh Salad with Sesame-Yogurt Dressing), nourishing soups (Millet-Corn Chowder with Chipotle) and more. Some of the grains are more obscure and might require a trip to the nearest health food store, but many can easily be found in a well-stocked, regular market. Recipes are clearly written, and many are accompanied by photographs that will leave readers eager to start cooking. With a book like this on your kitchen shelf, there’s no excuse not to be eating more whole grains! Reviewed by Holly Scudero
Traveling the Mother Road this Winter?
Download the Guide to Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives for diners on this route and many others.
Tulsa Book Review • February 2016 • 13
Book Reviews
Category
Nonfiction SNAP IT for additional book summaries.
A Numerate Life: A Mathematician Explores the Vagaries of Life, His Own and Probably Yours By John Allen Paulos Prometheus Books, $17.00, 200 pages Check this out! Biographies – and autobiographies – can be tricky things to read or write. Biases and prejudices color what is included (and what is left out); the benefit of hindsight or of a longer historical perspective assigns a more dramatic arc to a person’s life than the person may have felt while living it. In this book, John Allen Paulos muses on this from the viewpoint of a mathematician, as he touches on certain events and periods of his own life. Although biography and mathematics seem to have little in common, Paulos brings his training and proclivities to bear on such problems as the number of baseball cards he would have needed to buy to complete his set (before his mother sold them all); why everyone is completely bizarre in some way or another (very true!); and whether the toilet seat should, to maximize efficiency, be left up or down. The writing is wry, sometimes funny, often insufferably arrogant, but always intriguing. You don’t learn a lot about Paulos’ life (although you learn a little, like his love for his grandmother), but you do learn a lot about the mathematics that maybe underpins his life and perhaps yours as well. Reviewed by Gretchen Wagner The X-Files FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About Global Conspiracy, Aliens, Lazarus Species, and Monsters of the Week By John Kenneth Muir Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, $24.99, 368 pages Check this out! The X-Files is a cultural touchstone at this point, a show that represented the ‘90s zeitgeist, and tapped into our most primal fears, doubts and feelings at the time, while instill-
ing dual senses of mystery and a spirit of community with our fellow X-philes. The universe of Mulder, Scully, Skinner, Doggett and Reyes was full of horrors and threats, but it also was seeded with magic, wonder, companionship and the indomitable power of the truth. The X-Files FAQ comes off a bit more fanboyish nature than some of the other FAQ entries in the Applause series – giving a pass to weaker episodes, like “Detour, for instance” – but for the most part, this is a deeply pensive book about the strong themes, storytelling and visual style that made The X-Files the larger-than-life pop culture influence it became over nine seasons of television. From a season-by-season breakdown of major story lines, recurring themes and minor (but still key) moments in the show’s evolution, the book takes new readers into the world, unlocking the show’s secrets for them, while offering a thoughtful trip down memory lane for the die-hard fans who already know so much of this by heart. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas Paper Goods Projects: Coffee Filter Flowers, Doily Butterflies, Cupcake Paper Cards, and 57 More Crafts Made With Supermarket Finds By Jodi Levine, Amy Gropp Forbes (photographer) Potter Craft, $16.99, 112 pages Check this out! Paper Goods Projects will set your crafting creativity alight with its broad array of simple, fun, entertaining projects that look fantastic! Jodi Levine is the master of finding new uses for everyday paper goods. Projects using coffee filters and cupcake papers include a garden of flow-
ers for dressing up all sorts of things. The section on paper plates, bags and doilies includes not only the familiar animal masks, but a tiara and dress-up collar for children, house- and animal- themed favor bags, party hats and butterflies. You’ll find instructions for a complete balloon circus (okay, it is not strictly paper), an entire toilet-paper roll menagerie, even a recycled-box city. Instructions are clear and easy to follow, with necessary tools and supplies easy to identify. Most projects can be done with children, who will certainly enjoy them! Others, like the gold-leaf napkin rings and dessert stand, look quite elegant, even though the work required is minimal. Included templates and patterns ensure success with minimal stress. All the projects are accompanied by full-color photographs. If you like to craft, this is the book for you. If you think crafts look fun, but are intimidated, this is definitely the book for you! Reviewed by Gretchen Wagner Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War By Steve Sheinkin Roaring Brook, $19.99, 384 pages Check this out! Daniel Ellsberg would strike fear in the hearts of the power players in the United States government, the fear resulting in paranoia and dirty tricks. Most Dangerous begins with one of the first counterstrike measures implemented by the Nixon White House: The attempt to steal Ellsberg’s psychiatric files by the White House plumbers. Daniel Ellsberg believed in his country and in his country’s response to the upheaval in Vietnam. He would clash with his girlfriend and later second wife, Patricia, about US policy toward the North/South struggle and intervention that had been straining US resources for more than 15 years. Ellsberg’s work and exposure to the escalating Vietnam War would span stints in the State Department and the Rand Corporation, as well as Pentagon. Ellsberg would be witness and occasional participant in combat operations, hearing the stressing of body count/kill ratio in combat operations utilized to emphasize success in battle. Ellsberg would work with the State Department and attempt to win the hearts and minds of the people, particularly those susceptible of aiding the North Vietnamese or Vietcong. As this was happening, a secret project was begun to track and analyze the Vietnam War, which would eventually become the Pentagon Papers. In 1969, disillusionment set in on Ellsberg, and the one time hawk became a dove. With his friend Tony Russo, he would initiate a dangerous operation: The
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copying of the Pentagon Papers for release to the public. This action would leave him a marked man to the powers that be, and an icon to the Peace Movement. Steve’s Sheinkin’s biography of Daniel Ellsberg is poignant and moving. His look into the whistleblower’s life is paralleled by the horrors of the men who would become prisoners in Vietnam, men like Admiral James Stockdale, John McCain and others. Ellsberg’s dangerous action is also one of the first dominoes to fall in the chain that eventually will result in President Richard Nixon’s resignation in 1974. Ellsberg is portrayed with his flaws, but is shown to be a good man who overcame conflicts within his soul and wanted to help for the greater good. Reviewed by Philip Zozzaro M Train By Patti Smith Knopf, $25.00, 272 pages Check this out! There is a distinctly dreamlike quality to M Train, Patti Smith’s beautiful new memoir. Smith is a musician, poet, photographer and memoirist. Her earlier book, Just Kids, about her relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe, won the National Book Award in 2010. Accepting the award, she said, “There is nothing in our material world more beautiful than the book.” Smith is also a wanderer, a pilgrim. Her lyrical phrases take us back and forth from her dreams to reality, from present to past and back again. She takes us to Mexico to visit Frida Kahlo’s Casa Azul, to French Guiana, to Berlin, Morocco, and Madrid. We visit the Greenwich Village café where she has coffee every day. She takes us along as she visits the homes or graves of some of the writers she’s loved and admired. At the grave of Sylvia Plath, just outside of London, Smith remarks, “I hadn’t factored in all the snow. It reflected the chalk sky already infused with murky smears.… I was numb with cold, but couldn’t bear to leave. It was such a desolate place in winter, so lonely. Why had her husband buried her here? …Why not New England by the sea, where she was born, where salt winds could spiral over the name PLATH etched in her native stone?” And finally, she brings us to her home: “Home is the cats, my books, and my work never done. All the lost things that may one day call to me, the faces of my children who will one day call to me. Maybe we can’t draw flesh from reverie nor retrieve a dusty spur, but we can gather the dream itself and bring it back uniquely whole.” M Train is a meditation, elegiac and elegant. It is lovely work, a friend, to be read again and again. Reviewed by Molly Culbertson
Book Reviews
Out on the Wire: The Storytelling Secrets of the New Masters of Radio By Jessica Abel Broadway Books, $17.00, 240 pages Check this out! We’re accustomed to experiencing modern storytelling coming in one of two forms: visual (movies, television, theater, comic books) or written; the act of sitting down and listening to a speaker has largely fallen by the wayside. But in public radio, the art form isn’t just evolving, it’s thriving in the hands of dedicated craftspeople and writers with their own inventive takes on storytelling. Jessica Abel sought out the creators behind “This American Life,” “The Moth” and more narrative radio shows in order to explore the resurgence in radio storytelling, but she went well beyond mere interviews with Out on the Wire. She’s added deep visual touches by incorporating her distinct comic-strip style, bringing both the creative process and key metaphors behind that process into focus with her art. Although this is a slow read due to the massive amount of text in every frame, it’s a very worthwhile read, discussing not just what makes a great story, but how to craft one out of hours and hours of background information, research and interesting nuggets. Out on the Wire isn’t just a fascinating look at new radio, it’s a tremendous glimpse into the art of storytelling as a whole. Reviewed by Glenn Dallas Religion: A Discovery in Comics By Margreet de Heer NBM Publishing, $17.99, 120 pages Check this out! This short comic book is a personal look at the author’s explorations through various religions. Readers will be exposed to a (very) brief history and explanation of the five major world religions of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. The author is very open, being careful to explain that this is her personal experience, which, as she reminds readers, is the only possible experience we can have (our own). Refreshing in her honesty and openness, the author shares her religious roots (both parents are Christian ministers) and her journey exploring the different religions after questioning her family’s faith. For a time she embraced Buddhism, but now she calls herself agnostic; she advocates searching, questioning and becoming aware of what you believe and why, and even embracing aspects of many different faiths. The author is
Nonfiction perfectly aware she is walking on eggshells (she even illustrates this, humorously) but tries to be open about her biases while presenting a balanced assessment. The colorful, comic illustrations are respectful and will appeal to all ages; this book would be especially good for parents to use in introducing younger readers to the controversies and contrasts in different religions. Reviewed by Gretchen Wagner The Doctors Are In: The Essential and Unofficial Guide to Doctor Who’s Greatest Time Lord By Graeme Burk, Robert Smith ECW Press, $22.95, 275 pages Check this out! After 50 years, The Doctor remains one of science-fiction’s most iconic characters, despite his annoying habit of changing his appearance and mannerisms! With hundreds of episodes to his credit, many bending time and space and challenging our perceptions of storytelling, morality and time itself, The Doctor and his oeuvre provides ample fodder for analysis, fanboying and debate. The Doctors Are In is an in-depth look at all 12 doctors so far, highlighting choice episodes that helped each Doctor define his own particular brand, be it humorous, adventurous, sinister, haughty or condescending. To be fair, there are many MANY other unofficial guides that have covered this same territory. So what makes this one different? Dueling contributors! The back-and-forth of Burk and Smith is not only thoroughly entertaining, but brilliantly represents a fan base that is constantly comparing favorite episodes and favorite Doctors, and favorite everythings and least favorite everything elses. Their banter elevates the book, providing thoughtful points and counterpoints to several issues of fanboy contention. I’m sure their debates will fuel plenty more debates from readers (for instance, I wouldn’t be nearly as kind to “Into the Dalek” as they were). What more could you ask from an unofficial guide? Reviewed by Glenn Dallas World Without End: Spain, Philip II, and the First Global Empire By Hugh Thomas Random House, $35.00, 496 pages Check this out! The subjugation of the New World involved far more than just conquistadors. Spain sent administrators of every stripe: governors, soldiers, priests, missionaries, each of these had a key role to play in running the far-flung colonies of the Spanish empire. World Without End covers these various roles in exacting detail. It is a fascinating tale, and like all history, it is made up individuals. The problem is the scope – there are so many actors here that you feel dizzied by their frenetic dance into and out of the administrative
picture. It is impossible to keep them straight, and the necessarily brief mentions leave you feeling lost in the meaningless tangle of names and dates – like your worst nightmares from high-school history. However, this exhaustive compilation is easy to read, extremely informative, and, if you don’t worry too much about keeping everyone straight, you can see the important philosophical and ideological arcs that informed this era, and which still have relevance to Latin American culture and politics today. This is an important book that is well worth reading; just be glad there won’t be a test at the end. Reviewed by Gretchen Wagner Death in Florence: The Medici, Savonarola, and the Battle for the Soul of a Renaissance City By Paul Strathern Pegasus Books, $29.95, 464 pages Check this out! Death in Florence is a dual biography of two vastly different personalities: Lorenzo de Medici (aka Lorenzo the Magnificent) and Girolamo Savonarola. Lorenzo is introduced as the new leader in Florence, the latest in a long line of Medicis who wield power and influence. He ushers in the Renaissance with his enthusiastic patronage of the arts. He also oversees the vast banking empire that has been bequeathed to him. His power is unchecked, his authority questioned with the direst of consequences. He intends to use his influence with the Papacy to ensure one of his sons, Giovanni, a spot as Cardinal, and he dabbles in financial chicanery with the government treasury to keep his bank afloat and have something to pass on to his eldest son, Piero. Medici’s reign has its bumps, but is smooth until the preachings of Dominican friar Savonarola. Savonarola had forsaken his family’s wealth and chosen the path to God. Savonarola’s influence would grow, and his preachings would become apocalyptic as he saw the collapse of Florence and the Italian kingdom. Medici would try to check his influence, but would ultimately respect Savonarola. Savonarola would allegedly be summoned to Medici’s death bed and promise not to besmirch Lorenzo’s successor, Piero. Piero’s reign would be marred by his failed attempt to extend his sphere of influence along with the rapidly diminishing government treasury. Piero’s drive into exile, while Savonarola’s attempt at independence for his mission would be met by excommunication by the corrupt machinations of Alexander VI (of the Borgia family). Savonarola would buck the suffocating control of the Vatican, and this would eventually lead to his ar-
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rest, torture and execution in 1498. His visions would come true, but some would discount him as being more mad than prophetic. Paul Strathern’s history reads akin to really good fiction. The protagonists and antagonists are never dull, their trials and tribulations keep the reader wanting to turn the page to find out the resolution. The power of religion is seen as corruptible but also dangerous. The book is entertaining and seems timely. Reviewed by Philip Zozzaro Showdown: Thurgood Marshall and the Supreme Court Nomination That Changed America By Wil Haygood Knopf, $32.50, 416 pages Check this out! Showdown by Wil Haygood is not just one story about the harrowing days of the Civil Rights Era, when President Lyndon Johnson nominated Judge Thurgood Marshall to the Supreme Court. It is a story within a story looking into Marshall’s life, as well as his fiercest opponents for that nomination. Thurgood Marshall faced tough odds for most of his life, growing up Black in Baltimore, Maryland, where racism and segregation still reared its ugly head. His parents were hard-working intellectuals who wanted the best for their sons; the boys Aubrey and Thurgood made their own way to get to their goals, showcasing their mettle and stubbornness. Marshall would pave his way through to his eventual nomination with the debate team at Lincoln University, then Howard University Law School. He would pass the bar exam in 1933, eventually become associated with the NAACP and make a name for himself winning many cases against segregation in the divided South. Paralleling the story of his growth, the hearings for his nomination are detailed with a fierce reality, his opponents ranging from Senators John McClellan, Strom Thurmond, James Eastland, Sam Ervin, all segregationists who would drag out the proceedings painstakingly in order to take down this historic nomination. The book’s background changes from LBJ’s White House to The Hearing Room of the Senate Judiciary Committee to the streets of the US which were burning in some spots. All leads up to the dramatic unveiling of the new Supreme Court Justice. Will Haygood’s book is described before the conclusion as not so much a history book, but a historical thriller. I believe that judgment is succinct. The prejudices of the senators threatens to derail a nomination, but learning the senators’ backgrounds adds to the drama that enfolded in 1967. Justice Marshall is shown, warts and all, but was and is a good man who made history. A few errors here in there (date-wise) keep this book from being perfect, but in the end, its a minimal issue with the story being told and how it was told. Reviewed by Philip Zozzaro
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