Monday, December 29, 2008

Lincoln Bicentennial in 2009


Here's the famous sculpture on Abraham Lincoln's grave monument in Springfield, IL. Probably every last person who visited the gravesite has rubbed Lincoln's nose to make it so shiny. This is a likeness of Lincoln that I love. You can see the sadness and compassion in that beautiful homely face.

Lincoln was born on Feb. 12, 1809. On Feb. 11, the night before his 200th birthday, PBS will show "Looking for Lincoln," a documentary hosted by noted Harvard scholar, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. You can see lots more about the year-long celebrations at the Lincoln Bicentennial website, including details of the release in 2009 of new Lincoln pennies with 4 different designs for the reverse sides.

I never tire of reading about Lincoln. There are more books published about him every year, so I'll never run out of possibilities. The more I read about him, a man both reviled and loved, the more I admire his deep understanding of people and all their foibles. He was probably one of the most emotionally intelligent people who ever lived. Nonetheless, his profound humanity did not prevent his willingness to subject the country to the horrors of war in order to preserve the United States first, and end slavery second. This makes for an endless supply of literary assessments! I'm giving myself a break from Lincoln biographies for a little while, but there'll be plenty to think about this next year, even if it's not from a book.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Walking in the Air


Thanks to Daughter #1 who reminded me today of one of my all-time favorite songs, "Walking in the Air" by Howard Blake. Her daughter has been learning the song from the video version of Raymond Briggs' The Snowman, for which Blake wrote the music. It's lovely and haunting - and you can see and hear it on YouTube.

YouTube has many other versions of the song, and the Choirboys cover is pretty good, but the original is still the best.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Poisoned Politics and Paranoia


Is there anyone in the world who doesn't know that the esteemed governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich (we all learned how to say and spell that one years ago), is in the hot seat for allegedly attempting to auction off the vacant Senate seat of the President-elect? People I know tell me that their friends and relatives from around the world (!) have been asking them about it this week. How come my distant family and friends are all strangely silent? The local family members have been heehawing and congratulating each other that the end is in sight!

All the talk of wiretaps and secret surveillance have added to my paranoia, however. Especially after I read this post on the Top 10 Tips for Avoiding ID Theft. I do use "remember me" on my library account login, but who cares? I don't do it on the important stuff. And I certainly don't walk around with my S.S. card. But who would have thought that you should keep your hotel key card and shred it when you get home? Or remove and destroy an old computer's hard drive - not just erase it? Take a look.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Historical Fiction on Film



I'm just about finished reading Time and Chance by Sharon Kay Penman, one of a trilogy she's written about Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitane, and Thomas Becket. Her writing got me to completely accept her version of the medieval way of life and thought, passion and intrigue. These people had such an amazing history that it's no wonder that they have inspired many authors, including Shakespeare.

I'm now ready to compare Penman's story with the two film versions of James Goldman's play, The Lion in Winter. The first from 1968 with Katharine Hepburn as Eleanor, and Peter O'Toole as Henry; the second from 2003 with the formidable Glenn Close and Patrick Stewart. Luckily, the two films were both popular and award-winning, so my library has both!

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Retailers Running Scared

Today's paper has the headline,"Stores Offer Steep Discounts To Lure Skittish Shoppers." I can attest to that after my husband's trip to buy a new winter jacket yesterday. Trying to get him to buy any new clothes in the first place calls for a major campaign, but the fact that he failed to find an acceptable replacement for his old jacket last year gave me some added ammunition in getting him to shop early for one this year.

So I had cut out the big full page Macy's ad for 50% off all men's winter jackets and taped it to our kitchen phone last Sunday. When he picked me up from work yesterday, he gleefully told me how he had bought a new jacket for one-third the original price! I was immediately suspicious that, being a clueless shopper, he had been suckered into buying a total reject jacket. But when we got home and he showed me a what appeared to be a stunning Calvin Klein black leather jacket, I was speechless!

In addition to the 50% off from the original price of $240 (which I thought was low for Calvin Klein and leather, but I postponed my skeptical comments), the sales clerk told him that there was an additional one-day $100 promotion on that jacket. On top of that, my husband had noticed signs in the store saying that Macy's cardholders could get an additional 20% off any purchase during the sale. He didn't have his old card with him, but asked if he could still get that discount too. Well, I had cancelled our credit card account there when Marshall Field's changed to Macy's some years ago - but that didn't matter! The clerk checked to see if they had records of our account, pronounced it still available, and gave him another $20 off. So the final bill was $80 plus tax!

An additional happy surprise was that, after he tried it on for me and duly accepted my compliments on his choice, we looked at the fabric label and discovered it is NOT leather! That explains the original low price, but not how they can make polyester look just exactly like weathered black leather. I was really fooled! This jacket is completely washable - do not dry clean - ha ha ha ha ha!

So, I have new repect for my husband's shopping abilities and bargaining smarts - and a realization that if you need to buy ANYTHING, do it now! Forget waiting until the after Christmas sales at 75% off - the stores are doing that now. Doesn't that make you wonder what their profit margin is on a $240 jacket - like $200!!! Sigh.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Elder Brother



I'm the oldest in my family of 7 siblings, and I've read my share of "birth order" studies, but I never expected to learn something about my position in the family from a book called The Prodigal God (see side bar). The author quotes a line from Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor (one of my favorite writers), "...there was a deep, black wordless conviction in him that the way to avoid Jesus was to avoid sin."

The elder brother has an attitude toward parents/society/God that has him saying, in effect, "Since I am obedient and respectful, you owe me. I am my own savior." This conformist has allowed herself a certain superiority. Much to think about.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Amazing Recipe: 3 Ingredients + 3 Minutes!

I just finished reading the cookbook, The Food You Crave, by Ellie Krieger. I found a half dozen recipes worth copying, but one was perfect: Maple-Glazed Walnuts. I made some for a friend who gave me a ride to a weekend seminar. We ate them there, and when several people asked, I was able to rattle off the recipe without looking - so simple!

2 cups walnut halves (no chopping!)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/8 t. salt

Cook walnuts, salt, and maple syrup in a heavy skillet over med. high heat for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the syrup bubbles and is almost all absorbed by the nuts. Turn out onto some waxed paper, breaking up any clumps. Cool and serve or store in an air-tight container. Eat as is, or sprinkle on salads, mashed sweet potatoes, etc. This has Christmas gift written all over it!

Monday, November 10, 2008

Cellphone Guilt

A week or so ago, I watched as my daughter set her cellphone to wake her up the next morning and decided to learn how to do that with my phone. Once again, I forgot how to get to "Tools" and had to find my little phone handbook (buried under a stack of Stuff To Do in my bedroom) to figure out how to do it. In the course of all this, I realized I had 17 messages waiting for me on the phone. When I finally figured out where I wrote down my password, I was able to listen to stuff starting from last January! Two from Aunt M.E. - forgive me!

My penance is:
5 Hail Marys (with my password on the end) every day.
Learn how to send text messages and send one to my son every week.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Electioneering - Up Close and Personal

Got up in the dark at 5 am today to post signs and station myself at the polling place for my precinct. I had volunteered to take the 6-9 am shift there to encourage people to vote in favor of calling a new constitutional convention in Illinois. (See my previous post.) Luckily, it is warm (70s) and sunny today - and I only had to run back down the block once for a bathroom break!

Despite the predictions of long lines to vote on Election Day, there was only a slow but steady trickle of voters in the morning. Most voters only nodded when I made my pitch, but a few told me they were definitely going to vote Yes. A few said, "No way," but that's no surprise since my precinct has a lot of teachers, police and fire fighters - all of whom were told by their unions to vote against it. They're afraid that a new Con-Con would be used to cut their pensions - not true! Only one guy wanted to talk about it - AFTER he voted. When he asked me why I was in favor of a new Con-Con, I began my talking points (I had done my reading!) and he wanted to debate them, but some of his neighbors came out and he got distracted. End of debate. At any rate, most people were nice even if they figured out ways to avoid walking by me so I couldn't hand them a voting card. I still called after them anyway.

The big surprise? There were NO other poll watchers or electioneers standing around with me within our legal space limits. Where were the Republicans and the Democrats?? They're always there at every other election! They must have decided Illinois was a done deal. I thought I would have to fight for my fair share of the lawn space for signs, and outshout the other guys when voters came by, but this was a cakewalk. Our cause is a longshot, but the great weather today and lack of "distractions" at the polling place have given us our best chance.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Politicking with United Power

One of the best things about my neighborhood church is the fact that it supports United Power for Action and Justice, a coalition of local churches/synagogues/mosques and community action groups. Two weeks ago, middle daughter and I went to a political rally, sponsored in part by UP, in support of a new constitutional convention in Illinois. UP hopes that a new Con-Con will provide a remedy to the stalemate that prevents so much needed legislation in the state capitol.

Other United Power events we've attended:
1. A scheduled political debate between the candidates for U.S. Senator from Illinois four years ago - our first up close look at Barack Obama (the other candidate didn't show up - later we heard he had dropped out of the race).

2. A meeting between members of local mosques and anyone else who wanted to meet them. It was great to pray together, talk one-to-one, and hear the Muslim leaders encouraging their members to "get out there and make yourself known" by joining school boards, running for local offices, etc. Not easy for them in the year or two after 9/11 when Muslims anywhere were vulnerable to hate crimes.

3. A meeting two years ago with the now embattled governor to ask for his support for state-funded health insurance for children in low-income families, among other things. My son jumped from his seat in the high school auditorium where we met on a Sunday afternoon and disappeared as soon as the last speaker started his closing remarks. When he turned up in the parking lot later on, he said he wanted to speak to the governor in person to tell him about the pressing need for state funding for public transportation in Chicago - and did so! How he got past security is unknown.

In addition to working for many excellent causes to benefit forgotten people, UP brings together a wonderful mix of people! It's always good to be part of it.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Family Relationships Formula

In the course of sending out invitations to local, but distant, relatives for a family birthday this month, I found myself trying to explain how some of us are related. "Second cousin, once removed," is usually beyond the comprehension of most of us.

Luckily, the reference librarian in me discovered a nifty website that explains it all. Try out What Is a First Cousin, Twice Removed? from Genealogy.com. They have a table that you can use to plug in yourself and the person to whom you are somehow related to see where you intersect with the exact degree of your kinship.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Little Poop

Now that I've read two of the Agatha Raisin mysteries by M.C. Beaton, I'm reminded of how much fun it is to read about nasty people. Vicarious pleasure, I'm sure. Agatha has been described as "Miss Marple, on a bad day."

When I started first grade, my family moved to a small house (large - to a 6-yr-old) in Bismarck, ND. My next youngest sister and I shared a room and a double bed, which allowed us to entertain ourselves in whispers after lights out with stories. Using the naughtiest word we knew, we named our very favorite story heroine, "Little Poop." She did all the things we wished we could get away with, but never could - calling the mean neighbor bad names, peeing in the alley so she wouldn't lose her turn in a game, etc. If the story got really good, our giggling got out of hand and one of our parents would start warning us to cut it out - or else. Sometimes we got the "or else," but those stories were great fun. It makes me smile to remember.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Cubs Lose Again - Life Goes On



Once again, the Cubbies have remained true to their tradition of leaving fans crying in their beer steins (or vats). #1 son won a lottery for an opportunity to buy playoff tickets and by the time he got the money together, was able to buy only 1 ticket for the Tuesday game. He could have sold it for a nice profit, but no, he had to use it himself to be fully immersed in the tragedy.

My husband grew up not far from Wrigley Field - one of the few remaining outdoor stadiums (stadia?) left in major league baseball, I think. Back in the day, he would gather with other penniless youngsters on Waveland Avenue hoping for a homerun ball to clear the fence. Catch the ball and you got in to see the rest of the game for free.

Since we are "northsiders," our entire family is part of Cubs fandom. One son-in-law, who was a left-handed pitcher for the U. of Illinois baseball team, had a condo a few years ago within a few blocks of Wrigley. It was always fun to visit there when the team was playing - you could hear the cheers for base hits from their front window.

In a perverse way, I'm sort of glad the Cubs failed again. We wouldn't know how to be true fans if our team really earned the championship. Back to loving the losers.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Hurricane Ike Devastates My Garden



The remnants of Hurricane Ike dumped 6.64 inches of rain - the all-time record here for a single calendar day - right on my lovely garden. On Sept. 14, the bean plants were still producing a quart bag of beans every 7-10 days and the tomatoes were in full production mode.

The pictures show the aftermath. Within 2 days of the downpour, the beans and their leaves were wilting despite ample sun. The tomatoes remained plump, but the leaves withered and the fruit stayed the same size. I can only guess that the plants drowned in the water-logged clay soil that couldn't drain it away soon enough.

This photo was taken yesterday (2 weeks later). Note that the hardy kale plants right next to the bean poles are still a healthy green! The first frost is still probably a few weeks away, but this garden is mostly history. I'll pull the rest of the beets and keep cutting Swiss chard and kale as long as we can. Free food!

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Riding the Bus with My Sister


This is a really important book! A tragicomic true-life account of the often difficult relationship between a single career woman and her mentally retarded adult sister. I missed seeing the Hallmark Hall of Fame adaptation a few years back, but it must have made a great movie.

Rachel Simon's youngest sister suffered brain damage during a difficult birth, but Beth grows up full of life and determined to live on her own terms. She insists on living in her own apartment, has a long-time boyfriend, refuses to work, wear a bra or eat vegetables, and drives her family to distraction.

Beth's daily occupation is riding buses around town and she asks - dares - Rachel to spend time with her by riding with her. Whether from guilt over past neglect or exhaustion from her own harried life, Rachel agrees to ride with her several days each week - for a year.

What Rachel learns about Beth, about life for the mentally retarded, about bus riders and drivers - good and bad, and about herself is by turns fascinating, sad, and funny.

With a young nephew facing the same issues for the mentally retarded, I found this to be a real eye-opener. I have new respect for the courage needed to navigate the world today when you're "different."

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Summer in the City



This week we went to hear The Planets at Millennium Park on a beautiful summer night. This is what summer in the city can be like: sitting on the lawn with other picnickers, kids, the occasional siren on a street nearby, listening to gorgeous music, surrounded by the city skyline and lights from the skyscrapers and stars overhead (I could actually see one). And it's all free! A true multimedia event - sight, sound, smell, taste.

Friday, August 15, 2008

First Woman Hog-Calling Champ in Illinois!

The Illinois State Fair is going on right now and I found this amazing video of the 2008 hog-calling champeen - the first woman to win this contest in the Fair's history. So, turn up your speaker volume and be prepared for your family to come running in to see if you are ok (or just crazy). Yee-haw!

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Cousin Matt in the Olympics

It's been really interesting looking up info on Matt Schnobrich, who will be in the 8-man rowing final for the USA on Sunday, Aug. 17, 2008. I just saw that he has his own Wikipedia article! And one of the resources listed for the article was a link to his own blog from St. John's University in Collegeville, MN, where he earned his undergrad degree. The blog has some posts that he didn't write himself, but were put in just to keep everyone up to date on his Olympic adventures. Other posts he wrote from China and, I must say, he is a very thoughtful person and excellent writer!

I'm sure I must have seen Matt at family gatherings in the distant past when he was a kid, but he probably doesn't even know who I am - ha ha! Luckily, one of his grandpas is my uncle and godfather, who is now in China to watch the rowing events. I intend to hear all about it on his return!

Thursday, August 7, 2008

The First Tomato of Summer

Tonight we ate the first tomato from our garden - with basil, salt and pepper, and a little olive oil. Perfect!

The garden is really crazy now - I picked a half dozen beets yesterday, some as big as softballs. The green beans and cucumbers have to be checked daily lest monsters grow under the leaves. The cilantro went to seed weeks ago, but I'm keeping the basil in check - barely - by pinching off the seed heads as fast as they can make them. Kale and swiss chard are green (and red) and glossy. Since I got smart and only planted one short row of each, we only have to eat them once a week so far. The 5 tomato plants are ready to start full production - bruschetta parties are planned.

And little peppers are growing at last on just 3 plants. This is my first attempt at those, so whatever we get will be a bonus.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Google Walking Directions - Works in Chicago!

I just tried out the new Google Walking Directions. Supposedly, Chicago is a walker's paradise - pretty flat, pretty safe in the daytime in most areas, lots to see and do by foot, etc. So, I just went to Google Maps and asked for directions from Union Station to Water Tower Place (doesn't matter at this point whether you want driving or walking directions). After you verify the two end points of the directions, you get the choice for driving or walking. The end results give you the directions, a map with the path plotted for you, and an estimated time - 42 minutes for this walk. Pretty nice!

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Popcorn - after 10 months!

This is the lone ear of popcorn that I got from an organic farm coop late in the summer of 2007. Somehow I let it sit around on a kitchen windowsill all year until last week. I ate the end result on Friday night. It was still good! Here's what I did.

Shucking the ear was the easy part. The corn kernels were dry as a bone and really tough to get off.

First I tried using a dinner knife to scrape the kernels off, but it was very hard. The kernels flew all over the kitchen and I banged my knuckles on the sides of the bowl with disappointing regularity. Pioneers must have had some sort of special scraper for this!

Next I tried using a dishtowel to keep them (well, most of them) in the bowl.

I'm missing the picture of sifting the kernels to remove all the wispy chaff particles. Finally, the popcorn measured just about 1/2 cup. Perfect for one serving.

A little oil for the microwave popper.

In goes the popcorn....

and into the microwave for about 5 minutes.

Ta-da! Excellent popcorn for my movie night!
(but I don't plan to do it the hard way again)

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Day of Rest

Today was a good day to stop and think about how good my world can be. Today the heat and humidity took the day off, the air and sky were clean, little rabbits came out in the middle of the day (!) to munch on clover blossoms in the backyard, daughters and grandchild stopped in for lunch, had a brief but happy phone conversation with my parents, we ate green beans and cucumbers from the garden for dinner. A blessed day.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Addictive reading!

Just finished Cut and Run by Ridley Pearson. The guy is some kind of suspense genius! I just can't read this kind of book any more - it takes too much out of me. When you have to put it aside with your heart pounding and thoughts racing until you can get finished in the bathroom and pick it up again - too much. Just realized that maybe I like to be in control of my reading instead of feeling it control me!

Monday, June 30, 2008

Libraries as Homeless Shelters

If you ever wondered why public libraries have so many homeless people, read this article by the former asst. director of the Salt Lake City Public Library. Strange to think that chronic homelessness is found even in Mormon territory. His thoughts at the end on how homeless people are a symptom of a broken society are worth considering.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

The Call for Deep Reading

One of my favorite librarians, online as well as in person, is Karen Schneider, author of the Free Range Librarian blog. Last month she posted an excellent essay on the value of concentrated reading for kids - and everyone. (Skip the first paragraph next to the photo.)

This is a great response to the current discussion on library blogs about the recent Atlantic Monthly article - Is Google Making Us Stupid? by Nicholas Carr. See what you think.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Dropping the Ball


I knew this would happen. I was going to post at least once a week since I started this blog back in January, but.... I felt better after I checked a niece's blog and saw that she hasn't posted in over a month. OK, so she has a toddler and an infant, but still!

Meanwhile, my reading list grows longer, the next title on my Lincoln biography list has arrived from the Carlinville Public Library (where's Carlinville?), and my garden is starting to require regular upkeep.

I must tell about the lovely book, Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell. I am enthralled - and if I weren't so dang tired every night, I'd be able to read more than 1 or 2 chapters before the "yawn/tears" syndrome makes me give up. I started this book after enjoying the recent Masterpiece program, "Cranford," adapted from her book by the same title. Both books follow life in English country towns just before and during the coming of the railroad which changed rural life forever. Sort of like Jane Austen during the Industrial Revolution. Women still have to marry to survive, but the heroines possess a bright inner spirit that leads them to difficult personal decisions. I marvel at the author's ability to show weak women and mean women with her words.

I did think that I already knew about all the great English women authors, but Elizabeth Gaskell escaped me! How great to find a book written in 1866 that has so much truth about human relations.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

Meanwhile, back at TED.....

Here's another really interesting TED film clip of Yochai Benkler from Harvard Law School speaking on the new world of networked human communication - and this blog is a part of it! Listen to him tell why Wikipedia, Skype, etc., will take over the world.

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Book Notes

Well, I read the introduction to Liberal Fascism and then gave it to my husband who is more interested in it than I am. Jonah Goldberg is a decent writer and makes the point about liberals today (read Democrats) that they are direct descendants of the classical fascism of old, whatever that is - and even he can hardly define it. I leave it to him to figure it out.

Next, I finished off another book from the Read for a Lifetime list, Cage of Stars by Jacquelyn Mitchard - story of a Mormon teenager who is an eyewitness to a horrible family tragedy and how she deals with it in subsequent years. Mitchard writes like a few other women popular fiction writers these days (Jodi Picoult, etc.) - takes a compelling story from current news and turns it into a novel. Although the sampling of titles I've read are all pageturners, I always feel manipulated by the authors at the end. There are always surprise plot twists, but everything is too neatly tied up at the end.

Finally, I feel like I have to explain why I'm reading Sandra Brown's romantic suspense novel, Ricochet. I'm actually reading my way through a list of suggested titles for self-education in adult fiction genres from the Adult Reading Round Table (ARRT), a group of Illinois librarians who are interested in improving their readers advisory skills. Sandra Brown is up next. I've also heard from reader's advisor librarians that no one should ever apologize for their reading tastes, so I'm going to read it and might even enjoy it! And I promise not to quibble about it if I do.

Friday, May 23, 2008

In the Enemy Camp

Note that I am now reading Liberal Fascism by Jonah Goldberg. I heard about this author from a relative, who shall remain nameless - hee hee. Ever since William Buckley died, I've been hearing more about how Goldberg has inherited the conservative publishing throne. So, I'm going to see for myself. His editorials appear occasionally in our local paper (alternating with Garrison Keillor - how's that for an odd couple?), but the book should reveal more.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Strange but True Story

No. 5 on the Read for a Lifetime list is Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant by Daniel Tammet - another glimpse into a new world, which is the best kind of reading for me. He has lived in a world of numbers that have definite personalities for him, but also in a world that has little connection to anyone else's world. That he was able to find a way to bridge the gap is an amazing story.

I had a chance recently to meet another young person with Asperger's Syndrome who also has high intelligence and many developed social skills that made it easy and fun to talk to him. Not sure what the future holds for him, but Daniel Tammet shows the immense possibilities.

Interesting brief sidelight to the story is Tammet's account of how he decided to become a Christian in his twenties (!), despite his inability to sit in a church for any length of time. This book is a trip!

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Dinner in Cougar Country

Last week the family gathered for dinner at Piazza Bella, a little Italian restaurant in Roscoe Village. Somebody said that it was only 1/2 block from the place where the wild cougar was shot and killed by police last month. So, after dinner, we were taken on a trip through the neighborhood to see where this happened.

Houses in this area have only the legal minimum of 5 feet between them and the area is very busy with adults, kids, and pets around and about. It's amazing to think that a very large wild carnivore was on the loose here - and even more amazing that police would be able to corner it and shoot in such a crowded alleyway. Sad outcome.

Monday, May 5, 2008

Jesse White: IL Secretary of State/State Librarian - and Tumbler!

About 10 years ago at a high school fundraiser, I bid on and won a free lunch for 2 with Jesse White, the Illinois Sec'y of State and State Librarian (see 4/24/08 post). Many people know him for founding the Jesse White Tumblers, the group of kid/teen gymnasts who perform at sports event halftimes, state fairs, etc. See a YouTube clip of Jesse White doing his thing with the Tumblers here. He's the one driving the bus. The man is over 70 and truly amazing!

My library director and I (I invited her for brownie points at work) had a nice lunch with him at an upscale restaurant, but it was a very political affair. He was gladhanding lots of people at other tables and then showered us with pins, cards, bumper stickers and other promotional giveaways. A Chicago pol at work!

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Teen Reading List Treasure

Last week I happened to see a small notice at the bottom of the weekly Illinois State Librarian newsletter about the latest annual Read for a Lifetime teen reading list. Just to see what is recommended for teens these days, I checked the list and was astounded to see that I have read 6 of the 25 books fairly recently as a card-carrying adult. And I've been wanting to read most of the others. So, this list is definitely not limited to "young adult" books, thank heaven!

After I saw a few of my favorites there, like Persepolis and A Thousand Splendid Suns, I decided to read the whole list myself. First up - the graphic novel version of The 9/11 Commission Report. After I saw how thick the original version was, I couldn't bring myself to wade through the 567 pages, but the 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon was another matter. I couldn't say it was enjoyable to read, but I was fascinated by the presentation and appalled at the conclusions drawn.

Next up - The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, one of my favorite authors. If you saw the movie, Smoke Signals, it was adapted from his book, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. The Absolutely True book is from my library's teen collection and when the teen librarian saw that I was reading it, she raved that it was the "funniest and saddest" book she had read in a long time.

The list even has a book about Lincoln, so that was the clincher. Stay tuned as I read my way through the list, blogging all the way.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Marlee Matlin TV Movie Tonight

I just saw that CBS has a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie tonight, Sweet Nothing in My Ear, about a couple arguing "about having surgery for their deaf son." Jeff Daniels and Marlee Matlin star in this adaptation of a play by Stephen Sachs - and be prepared for lots of weepy commercials for Hallmark cards. In my family, we always try to make plans for the women to get together to watch these. Let's blog about it later!

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Life Stories


Just finished Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression, a memoir by Mildred Armstrong Kalish. She spent summers on her grandparents' farm, where food was plentiful and came from your own work on your own land.

I always like to read accounts of a hard life from my own comfy bed! This was similar to listening to an old-timer's stories of walking to school five miles in 10-below weather - uphill both ways. My mother-in-law has a million of these stories. Fortunately, her granddaughter thought to get one of those memory books with questions to answer about how your life was lived. Most of the stories are written down there - good material for a book someday.

Here's one: One summer day on her homestead farm in North Dakota around 1915 when she was barely grown, M was sent to retrieve a food scale lent to a neighbor a few miles away. She rode a horse bareback to get the scale and began to ride home carrying the scale. Along the way, the horse was startled and reared, throwing M and the scale to the ground. She knew she was seriously injured, because she was in pain and couldn't stand. The horse calmed down and began to browse the prairie grass next to a nearby fence. M managed to grab the scale and crawl to the fence where she finally was able to get to the top rail so that she could call the horse and shift herself onto its back. Then she slowly rode home with the scale. When she got to her farmyard, white-faced and slumped on the horse, her mother got her into the house. No doctor was sent for, and she spent several weeks in bed. Eventually, she was able to go back to her farm chores where she was sorely needed. Since there were no boys in the family, and she was the oldest and ablest girl, M was her father's main helper with the cattle and horses. For the rest of her life, she remained in robust health, and is still living today at age 108.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Earthquake!

Got up this morning as usual and decided to check my e-mail before heading to work. What do you know - a message from #1 son saying that he was up watching a DVD around 4:30 am (!) and noticed his building shaking. Not a semi on his street - it was an honest-to-gosh earthquake! Several miles away, we were dead to the world and didn't notice a thing.

Even though we Midwesterners like to think that quakes only happen to people on the west coast (who probably deserve them - after all, they don't have tornadoes or hurricanes), they happen to us, too. The first earthquake recorded in Chicago was more than 200 years ago.

This has been an exciting week in this town. First, a wild cougar is shot to death in a city neighborhood full of kids and pets, then a 5.2 earthquake. Can't wait to see what's next!

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Plastic, Plastic, Plastic

I'm remembering the movie, The Graduate, when somebody gives career advice to Dustin Hoffman as the new college grad, "Just one word. Plastics." (see it on YouTube here).

Environmentalist daughter just dropped off some Ecobags to use for produce when shopping. Another way to eliminate the ubiquitous plastic bags that make their way even into "green" stores like Whole Foods.

But here's the question: how can I stop depending on plastic bags for things like wet garbage, drippy spinach leaves from the produce mister at the store, etc..

How did people in the olden days dispose of wet, smelly garbage not fit for the compost pile? What do you do with vegetables or fruits that need to stay in the fridge for days or weeks, but are too large or bulky for airtight containers (most of which are also plastic but reusable)? Readers, what do you know about this?

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Kale is the New Zucchini

We all know the health benefits of kale, the dark green leafy vegetable that belongs to the cabbage family. I have grown kale in my garden for the last couple of summers, but my husband and I are almost the only people I know who actually eat the stuff.

Kale is amazingly hardy and grows abundantly without much attention. If you cut it, it just grows back - like leaf lettuce. So, once the kale is ready in July, I go out with a couple of plastic grocery store bags, cramming them full of only the very biggest kale leaves from the two half rows I planted, and repeat every two weeks until AFTER the last frost, which is supposed to make the leaves even more tasty. A bag or two of kale leaves, after washing, stripping the stems, and cooking to wilt in just the water left on the leaves, gives you enough kale to fill most of a quart-size ziplock bag for the freezer. I've still got half a dozen of these bags in my freezer now, and I just planted kale again - only one half row this year.

I try to convince others in my family of the benefits of kale, but can only get one daughter to take a little bunch once in awhile for her great minestrone soup. Just like gardeners with tons of zucchini in August and September will thrust a bag of free veggies (!) on friend and foe alike, I want to do the same with kale, BUT..... Zucchini is fairly tasteless on its own and can even be used for muffins and quick breads. Kale, on the other hand, has a "robust" taste - not for the timid - and has to stand mostly on its own. Here's the formula (note that I don't say "recipe") for some good potato-kale soup, similar to Caldo Verde:

1. Saute a bunch of chopped onions and 1-2 minced garlic cloves with some leftover small ham cubes (or in olive oil) in a soup pot until wilted.

2. Peel 3 large or 4 small all purpose potatoes and cut into small chunks.

3. Throw the potatoes into the pot and add a quart or so of some kind of stock.

4. Bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are almost soft.

5. Add 1 1/2 - 2 cups of chopped cooked kale and simmer another 10 minutes.

6. Season to taste and serve. This is good topped with grated parmesan cheese.

Does anyone have any other good recipes for kale? I'm desperately interested!

Friday, April 4, 2008

Trip to Bountiful

Last night we went to a performance of the Horton Foote play, Trip to Bountiful. I've loved that story every since I saw the movie version with Geraldine Page some years back. One of my sisters even got me a cd of the movie soundtrack autographed by the music composer, bless her!

So, the Goodman Theatre in town put on a series this year: the complete Horton Foote plays. A friend at work knew I wanted to see Bountiful, which had gotten rave reviews, but is almost at the end of its run. She gave me an Internet code for half-price tickets if you log on to buy after 10am on the day of performance. I got two tickets and off we went, up to the back of the mezzanine, but still excellent seats.

The mean ol' daughter-in-law was played by the playwright's daughter, Hallie Foote, and she was good at being bad. Since I knew the story, I wasn't expecting to be surprised by anything, but Lois Smith as Momma/Miz Watts built the character up to the final scene that left me in tears. I know I've been thinking about my mother-in-law who is now in a nursing home at a very great age. She often asks when she can "go home." Sometimes she means her old apartment in our 2-flat, but sometimes she means the homestead farm in North Dakota where she grew up. Seeing Miz Watts walking around her old broken down Texas farmhouse in Bountiful for the last time, saying goodbye to the place where she felt really alive and loved was just ...too much. Sometimes you're glad to be sad.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Slackers on Film and Slacker Theory

Today at work I had to come up with a theme of materials related to the film we were showing. The film was (wince) Knocked Up, so I decided to see what else was available on slackers. Then I remembered how Extreme English said she really laughed at Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle. Apparently slackers have been a very rich source of comedy!

The Free Dictionary had a nice slacker film list to add to what I already found. So, if you're in the mood, try one of these:
Wayne's World
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
The Breakfast Club
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
School of Rock
Back to the Future
The Simpsons
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure

I also like the Free Dictionary's description of slacker theory:
managing to survive by doing things at the last possible moment improves intellect as a compensatory way to cope, fashioning a wily yet lazy person. Similarly, a disorganized lifestyle may be superior to an organized one from the pragmatic perspective that a slacker will adapt to disorderliness by improving skills at memorization and at effortlessly rummaging, whereas actively organizing would require serious effort.

If that's the case, I was definitely a slacker all through school daze. Interesting how I've reformed and become a professional organizer of information - a librarian!

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Manga and Jane Austen

I was going to start reading another graphic novel of some type, so a title on one of the library shelves caught my eye: Emma, Vol. 1, by Kaoru Mori, with a cover drawing of a young maid in a Victorian English scene. It turned out to be my first venture in manga, the Japanese comics. At first I had to continually remind myself not only to read the book from back to front, but use that same direction inside each comic strip frame - otherwise the conversations don't make sense!

The story is sort of a takeoff on the old BBC tv drama, Upstairs, Downstairs, but not really too interesting to me. But I am enjoying seeing how the Japanese author conveys that time and place.

And, speaking of things English, a young niece just asked me for a copy of Pride and Prejudice to take along on a 17-hour drive to New York. Besides my vintage bound copy (autographed by my Irish grandmother), I also had a little paperback version. Always snap up those garage sale bargains - you never know when they'll come in handy!

Saturday, March 22, 2008

"Lord, you have seduced me. And I am seduced."

Back when I was young, amidst the chaos of life at some point then, I considered how the life of contemplation set apart from the world was a beautiful one. Since then, I've changed to thinking that a life in the thick of things - messy, ever-changing - is, perhaps, more holy. So I thought of this again last week when I watched a new film on DVD that had gotten such good reviews from newspaper film critics that I ordered it for the library where I work.

Into Great Silence is the work of a single filmmaker who, after 16 years, was granted permission to spend six months solo filming the monks at the Grande Chartreuse, a Carthusian monastery in the French Alps. I was expecting the usual documentary, interviews with the monks, etc., but realized almost immediately that it's almost all visual. You do hear birds, footsteps, bells, but almost no talking! After 15 min., I was going to skip it, but kept watching for a few more minutes until I was thoroughly entranced. This is really a spiritual art film. I loved how the filmmaker, Philip Groning, had each of the monks spend about one whole minute just looking into the camera. Many had a completely open, calm, and peaceful face, while a few could only look for 15 seconds, blinking rapidly all the while - and one had eyes that were like wild birds in a cage!

The Carthusian monks live "one of the most austere" monastic lives - more like hermits - but they do have community and fun! Seeing them using boots as skis down a small snowcovered hillside, laughing as they rated each one's performance, was wonderful. The film follows the monks through several seasons, and the outdoor scenery is magnificent. But most of the scenes are of mundane activities - praying, eating, getting a haircut, working in the garden. It is all so quiet and filled with that beautiful mountain light.

Each of the main sections is preceded by a Biblical quotation, and one from Jeremiah 20:7 that was repeated often is the title of this post. These men must be in love with God and this silent life, but what is its meaning for the world?

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Garrison Keillor, Lovable Pagan

Today's paper had another great column on the editorial page from one of my favorite humorists, Garrison Keillor, a person with Minnesota roots like me. Today he talked about singing in the church choir while doubting the whole experience of church and faith. I often feel the same, but can never write about it with such juice!

Hope the link stays live, but from a commercial paper, who knows?

Monday, March 17, 2008

German Grandfather on St. Patrick's Day


Today is St. Patrick's Day - and also my maternal grandfather's birthday. He was born in Wisconsin in 1870 - just a few months after his parents came over from Germany. I guess his only observance of his St. Patrick's Day birthday was his marriage to a woman born in Ireland!

I think that most of their six children resembled their father, so the Irish looks were somewhat diminished, but the resulting combination produced 5 striking daughters and 1 son. A handsome man!

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Graphic Novels

Ever since I took a course on "young adult literature" in library school and read Maus I, I've loved to find good graphic novels. I mentioned one recently here, Persepolis, and now someone recommended another, The Arrival, by Shaun Tan.

This one is about the process of leaving your home and family to seek fortune in a new country where you don't know the language, the buildings and customs are altogether different - even the animals (pets and wildlife) are unrecognizable. The universal experience of immigration, voluntary or otherwise. I haven't even finished it yet, but am finding myself going over the pages again and again. Love that!

Friday, March 7, 2008

The Bishops and Movies

Back when I was a teenager, I can remember greedily looking for the "C" (for CONDEMNED) movies on the list posted in the church vestibule. Not that I - a first child/A-student/"good girl" - would even know how to see one, much less dare to do it, but I always enjoyed seeing the titles of the supposedly hellish films.

Now I find myself looking at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Website for their list of good films to see. The Ten Best of 2007 list starts with this interesting comment, "Though on-screen violence, like sexuality, can often be gratuitous, 2007 saw a surfeit of major films in which it played a strong -- but dramatically essential -- part. Each of them was artistically outstanding and has already been widely honored by many of the awards competitions and in top-10 lists." Things have changed! No longer do you get only films like Song of Bernadette and Sound of Music. I actually like most of the films they recommend, although some are so hard to find that even I can't get hold of them. But take a look.

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Cookbooks for Entertainment

There always seems to be a new cookbook in the stack of books next to my bed - and it's usually the one I save for my nightly book dessert. Not that I'm a fabulous cook or even have the time/energy to try out more than an occasional recipe, but I just love to imagine the food. Thanks to all the food photographers who make these imaginings more colorful! Cookbooks these days are rather short on content but big on readability and photos.

I like the one I'm reading now - Nigella Express. Since I don't have cable tv, I've never seen Nigella Lawson's show on the Food Channel and didn't really know anything about her. But this cookbook is excellent - tart comments on the recipes for simple, but interesting food ideas. (The book says that Nigella has a sister, Hortensia. Doesn't this make you think that their parents may have been named John and Mary?) Apparently, Nigella is such an interesting person, that she has already deserved her own biography. I hope she didn't write it, but I may have to read that next.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

View from the Jewish side

Ever since the New Catholic Encyclopedia came out (in 15 volumes) in 2003, I have used it as a sort of general purpose encyclopedia of religion - looking up articles on Buddhist holidays, the differences between Lutheran synods, etc. Then last year the library got the latest edition of Encyclopaedia Judaica (in 22 volumes!), but I never thought to use it in the same way - until last week. My eyes are opening!

Just out of curiosity, I decided to look up "Church, Catholic" in the Jewish encyclopedia. It was a respectful article, but very painfully factual about centuries of the Church's mistrust, prejudice, hatred, and violence toward Jews. It ends with information about current attempts at apologies and reconciliation, but I was left feeling deep shame. This was a watershed moment in my personal education. I had always had a vague notion that the Catholic Church had not treated Jews well, but never knew the particulars. Once again, I realize how much I have left to learn! A lifetime is never enough for the important things.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Through Deaf Eyes

Last week I watched a really interesting DVD I checked out from my library that was originally a PBS program produced last year by WETA (Washington, DC) and Gallaudet University. Through Deaf Eyes tries to show the history of deaf persons in the U.S. - from weird "cures" for deafness (like being taken in an airplane for looping dives) to deaf parents who don't believe their children's deafness requires any cure.

I was already aware of some of the issues facing deaf people in the last few years, since our intrepid aunt decided to get a cochlear implant to regain some of the hearing she lost decades ago as an unwanted consequence of taking an antibiotic. The implant works! But some deaf people think that deafness, and using only American Sign Language to communicate, are perfectly fine - and not really a handicap. It's a huge conflict between those who want to be fluent in ASL and English (spoken and written) and those who want only ASL (which doesn't always have English equivalents).

Thanks, M.E., for helping us get started in learning more about what this all means! I think we still have a ways to go.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Sold on Yaktrax!

Today I tried out my new Yaktrax Walker snow and ice grippers. Why didn't I get these before?? For the last week, my commute to the train stations has been treacherous - the snow is glazed hard with a layer of ice - some of it melted on the streets and sidewalks into an ice sheet, etc. I had to walk in the streets to avoid the worst parts where people didn't shovel and it added so much to my commute time avoiding street traffic. Amazon is sold out of the black ones, so I ordered from cozywinters.com. They arrived in 5 days and I wore them home from work - what a difference!

These are so cool - you stretch them on over your shoe or boot soles, walk wherever you want (except inside on ceramic tile floors), take them off in a jiffy, stick them in their handy little nylon envelope and stuff them in your jacket pocket. No, I am not getting paid for this, but hats off to the person who invented these! I am a total convert.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

February 17, 2008 - 108 years old!!



Today is the 108th birthday of my mother-in-law, Mary. The picture shows a sample of the four generations she begins: Mary (1), Dan (2), Helen (3), Mia (4). On Thursday, there was a Valentine/birthday party for everyone at her residence, complete with musicians and refreshments. The musicians were prepared to play, "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling", etc., and were thrown for a loop when told that she is not Irish, but 100% Slovak! She had a great time and had an increasingly rare, but welcome, good day from morning to night.

Our family party was this afternoon, with all four grandchildren, spouses, and 3 great-grandkiddies, plus a North Dakota cousin, and 2 priests from our parish, where she is the oldest parishioner in their history. She may be the oldest person in Chicago but we don't know how to find out.

Today I was telling her about all the family who were expected for the party, naming everyone, and concluding by saying that her family is growing. She replied, "So are cabbages." Is she a smart-aleck, or what? She is definitely an amazing woman, tested by adversity over many decades and made of very strong stuff. Here's to next year!

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Skip this if you don't care about Lincoln


In honor of Lincoln's birthday today, I'm posting the list of selected biographies I mentioned in my last post. I wish I had had a nifty link, but I just couldn't find it on the Web, so had to resort to typing.

Abraham Lincoln: Selected Biographies

Herndon's Lincoln: The True Story of a Great Life (3 vols.), c. 1889.
William H. Herndon and Jesse W. Weik (Herndon was Lincoln's last law partner in Springfield, IL)

The Life of Abraham Lincoln (2 vols.), c. 1900.
Ida M. Tarbell (her two brothers knew Lincoln)

Lincoln the President: Springfield to Gettysburg (2 vols.), 1945.
Lincoln the President: Midstream, c. 1952.
Lincoln the President: Last Full Measure, c. 1955.
James G. Randall

Abraham Lincoln: A Biography, c. 1952.
Benjamin Thomas

With Malice Toward None: A Life of Abraham Lincoln, c. 1977.
Stephen B. Oates

Last Best Hope of Earth: Abraham Lincoln and the Promise of America, c. 1995.
Mark E. Neely, Jr.

Lincoln, c. 1995.
David Herbert Donald

Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President, c. 1999.
Allen C. Guelzo

Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America: A Biography, c. 2002.
William E. Gienapp

Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power, c. 2004.
Richard Carwardine

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Abraham Lincoln - and Steven Spielberg

As you can see by my current book list on the right, I've been indulging my long interest in Abraham Lincoln. A few years ago, my husband and I took a trip to Springfield, IL, and stayed at a B&B just down the block from the Lincoln family home there. Our room overlooked the street and, in the early morning with no one around, you could look out and pretend that you were seeing the neighborhood as it was in those days - with fences to keep out stray animals around each restored house.

While we were there, we visited the marvelous Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum. In a room designed for kid visitors, complete with a wall height chart to show how tall Lincoln was compared to his wife, etc., a curator gave me a list of selected Lincoln biographies (there are hundreds, maybe thousands) arranged in chronological order by publication date. So, the first one was by his law partner, Wm. Herndon, and written within a few decades of his death. I'm reading through the list and am now only on the third one - a lifetime project.

Meanwhile, Spielberg bought the film rights to Team of Rivals, a recent book on Lincoln by historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, that tells how he incorporated many of the men who ran against him for president into his Cabinet, then got them to work together. Wouldn't that be interesting with this year's candidates!! Spielberg has cast one of my all-time favorite actors, Liam Neeson, as Lincoln - with rumors that Sally Field will play Mary Lincoln. Film production has been delayed until after the next Indiana Jones movie and may not be out until 2009 (sigh), but I will be first in line to see it!

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Francis Thomas Dwyer, Feb. 5, 1894 - Jan. 3, 1968



This is a photo, c. 1898, of Grandpa Dwyer as a child with his little brother, Edgar, and older sister, Ellen (later Sr. Mary Mark), at their home in Ann Arbor, MI. He is a beautiful child with dark wavy hair and fine features. From the fancy sailor suit he is wearing, it looks like his mother liked to dress him up!

Francis was the second child of John William and Alicia (Hogan) Dwyer. He graduated from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and eventually worked for Northwestern Bell Telephone Company as an accountant in Omaha, NB, and Fargo, ND. He married a lively German-American girl whom he had met in Iowa near his Irish immigrant grandfather's homestead farm. They raised four sons and, at long last, a daughter.

He loved baseball, golf, fishing and hunting, and was a cracker-jack bridge player. He died very suddenly in the middle of a conversation with his wife at their beloved lake home on Lake Sallie near Detroit Lakes, MN.
Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Gardening Thoughts in February

For the last few years, I've heard that gardeners should start planting tomato seeds in February in order to set out some sturdy seedlings by Mother's Day. I've never done it yet and always ended up standing in line over at the local garden shop in May. Let's see if I get my act together and get some on the windowsill this month!

Last summer, Environmentalist Daughter convinced a couple of us to go in with her for a share of weekly summer organic produce from a local farm. The farm had drop-off points all over the city with one conveniently near her, so she would get our box of fruits and veggies on Saturday, divide it up, and the rest of us would get ours later that weekend.

What I liked was trying new items, including some I'd never heard of, like Asian melon. What I didn't like was that some veggies were already limp by the time I got them. Meanwhile, I had already set out my own backyard garden, and was ready for tomatoes, green beans, kale, spinach, beets, peas and radishes. Luckily, you can never have too many tomatoes, so I was still able to use everything. But this year, I'm sticking to the backyard garden.

I'm a child of North Dakota and Minnesota, and grew up thinking everyone ate strawberry-rhubarb sauce for breakfast. Unfortunately, my two rhubarb plants have withered and died, and it takes at least one year of growing uncut to give a plant a good start. So no sauce for us this year.

If anyone else is looking at the seeds in the drugstore now, you might want to read an account by novelist Barbara Kingsolver, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Tells how she moved from the Southwest to Appalachia with her husband and two daughters and they decided to eat only food grown or raised within 40 miles or so (locavores?). How they did it, what they had to do without, etc., is mighty interesting.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Free 411 Business Service from Google!

Getting lost on your way to a restaurant or theater in an unfamiliar area? Wish you didn't have to pay that 411 charge to the phone company for the number to call them? Google's got this very convenient business 411 service available to anyone who calls their special number. Here's how it works:

1. Call 1-800-GOOG-411 (800-466-4411) to get a virtual operator.
2. Say the city and state you want.
3. Say the name of the business OR the type of business you want.
4. Get connected to their phone number right away or ask for details to hear the business address and phone number.

Try it out when you're safely at home. Ask for the number of your local public library to see how it works like a charm! Who knew?

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

5 Dangerous Things for Kids

Watch this! (You might need to wait half a minute for it to load.) 5 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Kids Do is a brief, but terrifically interesting talk by Gever Tulley, founder of the Tinkering School where kids "play with power tools!" I found this on the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) site with really fascinating stuff from their annual conference - somewhere in California, of course.

The part that got me, even though I don't have any kids in grade school at my house, is thinking about whether I would let those kids (if I had em) do this stuff. Even better, is thinking about whether you ever did any of this stuff yourself before you got to high school - not counting the Internet stuff if you were born before, say 1985.

Question at the end: does this really teach kids to be safer and more self-reliant in today's scary world?

Sunday, January 27, 2008

"Persepolis" and our family connection

My first post! Here goes:
Hope you have heard that the film version of Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi's marvelous graphic novel about growing up in Iran at the time of the overthrow of the Shah, is in movie theaters across the country. This memoir has particular interest for all of us, since there were some of our very own family members in Iran at that time. They experienced the Iranian people's friendliness to Americans back then, as well as the anxiety and disruption of the overthrow.

The book had a sequel, Persepolis 2, which follows young Marjane as she is sent out of Iran to Europe for her own safety. This definitely has more adult content, but is also well worth reading. The movie version combines material from both books, so get the book(s) at your library or book store, then let's compare notes on the movie!