Volume 1, Issue 3
Winter 2008-2009
Library Matters The Official Newsletter of the Dearborn Public Library
T H I S I S S U E ’ S Q U O T E :
Do give books — religious or otherwise — for Christmas. They’re never fattening, seldom sinful, and permanently personal.
It Itwas wasaavery verygood goodyear… year...
— Lenore Hershey
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Book club / reading program 2009
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Classic books discussion group
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Foreign film collection
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December Children’s programs
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Movies we love
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Music we love
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Staff adventures
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Paul Newman essay
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A and healthy 2009 to Ahappy happy and healthy all our and faithful 2009 to patrons our patrons and readers!
faithful readers!
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The 2009 Metro Detroit Everyone’s Reading program begins on February 1st. This year the featured book is the highly acclaimed non-fiction title “Finding My Voice” by Diana Rehm. There will be two book clubs kits of this book available to our Dearborn Public Library Book Club patrons. Keep an eye open for the spring issue of Library Matters for further information on Everyone’s Reading program events taking place during March and April. Review – Finding My Voice:
A fetching, straightforward account of the struggles and successes of a respected radio personality. Rehm, host of an F r o m
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eponymous National Public Radio show, offers an intimate look into her childhood, marriage, career, and battle with a rare neurological disorder that has affected her speech and thus nearly destroyed her career. Scarred by a vitriolic mother who disciplined her both physically and with icy silence, Rehm suffered from low selfesteem and guilt. Raised in a traditional Arab-American household to be a dutiful mother and wife, she broke out of a brief, disappointing marriage and sought more independence in a second one. Motherhood besieged her with loneliness and overwhelming responsibility. While her husband was absorbed in his State Department work, Rehm found solace in playing the piano, sewing, and gardening. It was only when she volunteered at a local radio station that she blossomed and filled the intellectual void in her life. Eventually landing a
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job as a talk-show host, Rehm both found her voice and got to interview major figures like Hillary Rodham Clinton and Carl Sagan. Ironically, at the height of her career, she had to flit from doctor to doctor desperately seeking to identify the mysterious affliction ruining her voice. When it was finally diagnosed and treated, heroic rehabilitation work was required. Returning to host her show after months of absence, Rehm became a national spokesperson for spasmodic dysphonia, contending that her disability has given added meaning to her life. Told with honesty and simplicity. An articulate and inspirational travelogue of one woman’s remarkable journey. -Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. For information about starting a book club please contact Robert Rea at The Henry Ford Centennial Library @ 943-2806.
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Another year has come and gone! Everyone at the Dearborn Public Libraries wishes you the very best for the new year and a safe and happy holiday season. In the new year, we here at Library Matters will continue to keep you up-to-date on the latest library news as
well as provide you with reviews, essays and recommendations we hope you will enjoy. Here’s hoping the new year brings us many further adventures in reading, films and music that touch us and enhance our lives
in some special way. — JL
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C l a s s i c n o v e l d i s c u s s i o n b e g i n s i n J a n u a r y Beginning in January, the Henry Ford Centennial Library will host “Classics Revisited,” a monthly reading group dedicated to the discussion of some of the greatest novels ever written. The group will meet on the first Wednesday of each month in the training room on the third floor (mezzanine) of the Henry Ford Centennial Library. Discussions will take place from 6-7:30 PM. The sessions are free and open to the public. Registration is not required. Discussion will be moderated by a member of library staff. Copies of the selected books are available through the library, or simply bring your old dog-eared copy from
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home! Discussion handouts for each work will be available as well. The novels selected for January —May 2009 are as follows:
Au hasard Balthazar A donkey named Balthazar nobly suffers the sins of man in director Robert Bresson’s heartbreaking 1966 masterpiece.
If you have any questions about the “Classics Revisited” program, please contact Henry at (313) 943-4091 or Jeff at (313) 943-2017.
January 7 Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte February 4 Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison March 4 The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka April 1 The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton May 6 Oedipus Rex by Sophocles
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The Henry Ford Centennial Library now offers an International Cinema Collection for foreign film lovers. The new collection, existing separately from the regular DVD collection, is organized according to language.
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Films in a foreign language that contain an option for an Englishlanguage dubbed track will remain in the regular DVD collection; only DVDs exclusively offering the film in its original language will be found in
Hard-Boiled For my money, John Woo’s 1992 film is the greatest action movie ever made, with one unbelievable set piece after another.
c o l l e c t i o n the new collection. In honor of the new International Film Collection, below are some foreign film favorites that can be found in either the new collection or the library’s standard DVD collection:
In the Mood for Love Beautifully photographed and scored, Wong KarWai’s bittersweet romance will send you swooning with its simple grace.
La Dolce Vita Marcello Mastroianni is super-cool in Fellini’s classic on the decadence of Rome’s rich and famous. — JL
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STORYTIME MOTHER GOOSE STORYTIME
Rhymes, stories and playtime for the youngest ones. One adult per child is recommended for this hands-on fun. Registration required. Fridays, Feb. 13-27 10:30 am Henry Ford Centennial Library Tuesday, Feb. 17 6:00 pm Snow Branch Library TOT TIME—Ages 2-3 Children with a caregiver are invited for stories, songs and fun. Registration required. Wednesdays, Feb. 4–Mar. 6 10:35 am Snow Branch Library STORYTIME—Ages 2-5 Children with a caregiver can join us for fingerplays, stories, songs and a simple craft. Tuesdays, Feb. 3-17 11:00 am Henry Ford Centennial Library PRESCHOOL STORYTIME—Ages 3-5 Children can join us for fingerplays, stories, songs and a simple craft. Registration required. Wednesdays, Feb. 4-25 11:00 am Esper Branch Library Wednesdays, Feb. 4—Mar. 6 1:30pm Snow Branch Library
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PRESCHOOL STORYTIME - Ages 3-5 Come in from the cold for some stories and activities that will “warm your heart”. Tuesdays, Feb. 3-10 2:00pm Bryant Branch Library Wednesdays, Feb. 4-11 10:45am Bryant Branch Library LEGO DESIGN CHALLENGE Ages 2-Adult. Build your own creation at home out of Legos, Megablocks or other plastic bricks and bring it to the library during the entry dates. Join us for refreshments at the Awards Reception where all entries will receive an award. Pick up a flyer with rules and entry form at the library beginning January 12. Submit Lego project with completed entry form anytime from February 2-7.
Awards Reception Saturday, Feb. 14 2:00pm Snow Branch Library
CRAFTS POP-UP VALENTINE CARDS—TWEENS— Ages 8-12 Valentine cards that open to reveal 3-D surprises will be the craft for this month. Registration required. Saturday, February 7 3:00 pm Henry Library
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YARN PLAY — Ages 8 and up Come for weaving, knitting, and other yarn crafts. Needles, yarn, and looms will be available for use during the program, but feel free to bring in your W.I.P.* *This is knit speak for “work in progress”. Fri., Feb. 20 2:00-4:00 Henry Ford Centennial Library THIRD THURSDAY CRAFT—ALL AGES Make a craft honoring a president. Younger children will need adult assistance. Thursday, Feb. 19 11:007:00 pm Henry Ford Centennial Library LOVABLE ART — ALL AGES Valentine’s Day is coming. Drop-in and make decorative “art with a heart”. Saturday, Feb. 7 12:303:00pm Bryant Branch Library VALENTINE CRAFT — ALL AGES Valentine fun! Registration required. Thursday, Feb. 12 4:005:00pm Esper Branch Library (cont’d on next page)
EVENTS CRAZY KAZOOS —Ages 6-12 Celebrate Black History Month by making your own simple kazoo, which was invented by African American inventor Alabama Vest in the 1840's. Registration required. Monday, Feb. 2 4:00-5:00pm Esper Branch Library H A P P Y 2 0 0 T H BIRTHDAY ABRAHAM LINCOLN —Ages K-6 President Abraham Lincoln was born February 12, 1809. We will join with the rest of America to celebrate his birthday with stories, games, songs and a craft. Everyone will take home a chocolate penny. Thursday, Feb. 12 4:155:00pm Snow Branch Library BOOK BASH — Ages 6-8 Too old for storytime, but not too old for fun? Read a book by the selected author and then join us for a snack, craft, games and reading. Registration required. February - Biscuit Stories by Alyssa Satin Capucilli. (Registration begins Feb. 11) Tuesday, Feb. 24 4:30pm Henry Ford Centennial Library
HAPPY 200TH BIRTHDAY ABRAHAM LINCOLN —All Ages Listen to a story, make crafts and enjoy some activities. Thursday, February 12 6:00 pm Henry Ford Centennial Library NO SCHOOL GAME DAY — All Ages Games out during open library hours. No registration is required. Monday, Feb. 23 ALL DAY Esper Branch Library
AUTHOR VISIT! Brandon Mull, the author of the "Fablehaven" series will be visiting the Bryant Branch Library. His presentation will be suitable for children in Grades 4-8 and their parents. Monday, Feb. 2 7:00pm Bryant Branch Library This visit is sponsored by the Bok-Stratton Family of Dearborn.
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l o v e pursue theirs. But Jimmy Stewart's George Bailey doesn't suffer nobly like some selfless saint. He just plain suffers- - he's a mass of boiling frustrations that Stewart brings to dynamic, full-blooded life, shucking aside (for the most part) his goodnatured country bumpkin star persona. His George is not happy about his lot in life; he's bitter, he's angry, and profoundly dissatisfied.
It’s a Wonderful Life There are a number of ways of looking at Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life. Its detractors say it is cloying and sentimental, that it is unrealistic Hollywood claptrap, sappy as all get out. When I hear that (and I've heard it often), I sometimes wonder if they saw the same movie I did. It's a Wonderful Life is about failure. It's about a man who constantly puts his own dreams and desires on hold so that others -- his father, his brother, his town -- can
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And then the bottom falls out. His uncle and business partner loses a sizable chunk of cash just as the bank inspector comes to town. The books won't balance. George faces jail time and ruin. And the worst of it, of course, is that this wasn't the life he wanted, it wasn't the path he chose. He's been stuck here all his life, and now the noose is tightening. It's not just the specter of prison and ruin that drives him to that bridge, contemplating the end of his own life. It's all these years of pent-up frustrations and deferred dreams. It's a Wonderful Life, then, is a movie about a man driven by his inner
A Charlie Brown Christmas Vince Guaraldi Trio Most people who celebrate Christmas have something—a film, piece of music, a particular place to go—that epitomizes the holiday for them. Without this special symbol of the season the holidays would simply not be the same. That is exactly how I feel about the classic television special A Charlie Brown Christmas. always
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The film manages to be optimistic and life-affirming without dismissing or glossing over the difficulties, frustrations, and reality of life as it is lived. It's the very opposite of sentimental. That's what makes it such a powerful film-- not just for the season, but for all time. - Tom Russell
l o v e particularly moving about Charlie Brown’s ill-fated attempt to direct the Christmas pageant and his kind-hearted rescue of the most pathetic Christmas tree on the lot. The effectiveness of this relatively simply story owes in no small part to Vince Guaraldi’s legendary score, considered risky at the time due to its jazz inspiration, hardly the usual type of accompaniment for animation.
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demons to suicide. What's sappy or sentimental about that? It's the film's next and arguably most famous sequence-- in which George's guardian angel, Clarence, shows him what life in sleepy Bedford Falls would be like if he had never been born-- that takes the brunt of the film's opponent's ire. But the film earns this bit of magical realism by virtue of the pain and suffering of the last couple hours. It doesn't give George what he wants like an actual Hollywood wishfulfillment fantasy does, but rather shows him the value of what he has. It doesn't change the fact that he didn't succeed on the terms he set for himself; it says that it's okay to be a failure. That some things matter more than success.
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Is there any more beautiful, sentimental piece of music than “Christmas Time is Here” that so perfectly captures the heart and spirit of this most melancholy of holidays? Guaraldi’s take on “O Tanenbaum” has a great deal to do with the audience’s response to the pathetic Christmas tree, a symbol of all that is possible with some love and good will. Tracks like “Skating” and “Linus and Lucy” are joyous, bouncy tunes that bring back memories of snowball fights, sledding or catching snowflakes
with your tongue, as Lucy demonstrates in the show itself. By the time we reach the end of the story and Charlie Brown’s sad little tree has been transformed into something beautiful, the entire Peanuts gang shouts a joyful “Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!” and launches into a gorgeous vocal of “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.” I assure you there will not be a dry eye in my house. Near the end of A Charlie Brown Christmas, Linus takes the stage and explains to Charlie Brown the true meaning of Christmas. For me, nothing captures the spirit and beauty of the season like the sublime music found here. — JL
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Hello again from the traveling librarians! Please enjoy a few photos taken during our visit out West to some of the country's crown jewels, our National Parks! Your Dearborn Library has a great selection of books and DVDs to help you plan your next trip. We'd like to suggest: National Parks USA (DVD video recording) Call #: 917.3 Frommer’s National Parks with kids By Kurt Repanshek Call #: 917.3049
Old Faithful
Frommer’s Yellowstone & Grand Teton National Parks By Eric Peterson Call #: 917.8752 And, if you'd prefer staying closer to home then we'd suggest: Michigan state and national parks By Tom Powers Call#: 917.7404 Hope you catch the travel bug! - Don and Laura Litterio
Mt. Rushmore Interesting animal!
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Submitted by: Veronica Susalla, HFCL Circulation supervisor Wanting to spend our tourism dollars in Michigan, my boyfriend and I spent our October vacation traveling the state. The fall colors were spectacular and the weather couldn’t have been better—never more than a sweatshirt needed. We spent a day on Mackinac Island, a picture perfect day. Starting out with lunch at Mary’s Bistro, we then rode 19 miles wandering around the island trails. We finished the day browsing the shops and picking up some tasty Ryba’s fudge.
Gorgeous deer
The second day of our trip we spent at Tahquamenon Falls. Although the day was overcast and misty, the magnificence of the falls and the autumn color was not diminished in the slightest. This is truly one of Michigan’s gems. The next 3 days were spent biking and fishing in the Tawas area. We spent time exploring the Kirtland Warbler nesting grounds. There were plenty of deer and abundant wildlife enjoying the early days of fall. The bass were biting on Big Island Lake and it was pleasant just enjoying the beautiful weather and tranquility of being away from the city for a little while.
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By Jeff Lelek I recently came across a message board discussion online where movie fans were discussing their all-time favorite actors. I pondered this question and struggled to come up with a fitting answer: was it Robert DeNiro or Al Pacino, who star in a number of my favorite films? Someone like Eastwood or Harrison Ford, whose movies I’ve been watching since I was a kid? Then I thought I had my answer: it had to be Jack Nicholson, especially the Nicholson of the 1970s in classics like Five Easy Pieces, The Last Detail, Chinatown and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. But there was one actor who I thought nudged out even Jack, someone whose films I seem to always have been aware since childhood: Paul Newman. Newman passed away on September 26, 2008, and it has been a while since I’ve felt a celebrity death hit quite so hard. I went back and reviewed some of my favorite Newman performances (and some I had not yet seen) as my own personal tribute.
The Sting (1973) This is a film I remember seeing at a very young age; my parents were huge Newman fans and films like The Sting were frequently on. At that age I didn’t understand the absolute
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brilliance of the script’s construction but I completely got Newman’s effortless cool as Henry Gondorff. My dad’s favorite scene is always the poker game on the train, where Gondorff out-cheats the intimidating mobster Doyle Lonnigan in order to set “The Hook” for the con to follow. The absolute sly glee with which Newman plays this scene, especially against Robert Shaw’s scowling Lonnigan, is incredibly fun to watch, as is the entire film. It remains one of my favorite movies, one that has always revealed new and interesting angles over the years, and Newman’s performance has never lost a bit of its joy.
Hud (1963) Newman could play seemingly irredeemable louts as well as fun-loving free spirits, and none was more soulless than Hud Bannon. I had not seen this film until recently, and it is stunning: Newman’s immoral, hard-drinking, womanizing son versus his father’s steadfast ideals and principles set against the bleak blackand-white backdrop of a Texas cattle ranch. Brilliant stuff.
Slap Shot (1977) This is one of the funniest films you will ever see, regardless of whether you like hockey or not. Newman plays Reggie Dunlop, an over-the-hill playercoach for the failing Charlestown Chiefs who tries to save the team by instituting a brand of hockey that relies exclusively on pummeling the opposition into defeat. You can tell that Newman is having a ball delivering some of the incredibly vulgar dialogue, my favorite bit being when Reggie tries to get in the head of an opposing goalie by skating around him and yelling out (how to put this?) insults about his wife. Absolutely classic.
Nobody’s Fool (1994) We save the best for last as this is quite possibly my favorite Paul Newman performance. It remains a criminally under-seen film but it is a wonderful, funny, sad portrait of a small New England town and its chief screw-up, “Sully” Sullivan, played by Newman. His character is completely charming while hiding years of regret and frustration, and he makes it look so effortless. Newman was nominated but lost the Academy Award to Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump (of all things) that year. Newman should have won, but to me this performance remains the essence of what I will always remember about him.