Tag Archives: Card Catalog Display

Card Catalog Display: For the Love of Dogs

Dog lovers, rejoice: this month’s card catalog display is all about man’s best friend. Anyone who’s owned a dog knows that the bond is like no other. Dogs become our most loyal and trustworthy friends, our confidantes, our family. Owning a dog can bring so much comfort and joy to a person, and truly complete a family. You give them a happy home, and in return they’ll give you endless love. A dog will not complain or talk back, and they will listen without judgment or interruption. And they’re always happy to see you – whether you’ve been gone for ten minutes or two weeks.

The Dog Days of Summer

Dogs have this incredible ability to help humans both emotionally and physically. There are stories from September 11 of guide dogs leading their blind owners down tens of flights of stairs in the World Trade Center as the buildings collapsed. I’ve seen families with children who suffer from seizures who own service dogs that alert both the child and parents of seizures before they occur. Comfort dogs visit hospitals and rehabilitation centers to provide hope and support to patients – in fact, Massachusetts’ first comfort dog, Lydia, visited the West Branch this past winter. There are also search and rescue dogs who are able to find missing people or victims of natural disasters in ways humans cannot, and there are police and military dogs who help protect us.

After a bad day at work, coming home to a dog is the best. They shower you with love, always seem to know how you’re feeling, and have this innate desire to make you happy. Even after they eat your new shoes or poop on the expensive carpet, they pull out those puppy-dog-eyes and look so guilty and remorseful that it’s hard to stay upset long. The love of a dog is undying and pure in a way humans can only try to emulate. Personally knowing a dog’s love, it’s not surprising that so much literature exists on dogs.

These are just a few of my favorite rescue tales, but there are also mysteries about dogs, such as those by Shannon Conant or David Rosenfelt, and various memoirs by dog owners such as the touching tale of Oogy, or the popular book-to-movie Marley and Me.

 

The Rescue at Dead Dog Beach by Stephen McGarva

Adrenaline junkie moved with his wife to Puerto Rico in search of adventure and a break from their every-day life at home. While relaxing at a beach called Playa Lucia, McGarva finds an emaciated, bloody dog who he initially believes is dead, until the dog starts wagging his tail. In his mission to rescue this pup, he learns that the beautiful Playa Lucia, also known as “Dead Dog Beach” to the locals, is a popular place to dump unwanted dogs, or satos. McGarva begins a two year journey in which he would come to save hundreds of dogs, all while putting his marriage, sanity, and life at risk. Inspirational yet heartbreaking and occasionally morbid, this memoir is ideal for any animal lover.

The Lost Dogs: Michael Vick’s Dogs and Their Tale of Rescue and Redemption by Jim Gorant

The world was shocked in 2007 to learn that football player Michael Vick was the leader of a dog fighting ring. As Vick’s trial progressed, people questioned what would come of these pitbulls. Many thought the animals should be euthanized, as their brutal upbringing showed they were past rehabilitation – even PETA thought these animals would never be capable of love! Yet the ASPCA and public support saved these dogs, and they went on to live happy, love-filled lives, many in families and one even as therapy dog. This book exposes the horrors of dog fighting, chronicles the lives of these loveable pitbulls, and offers beautiful insights into the power of love and redemption.

 

Going Home: Finding Peace when Pets Die by Jon Katz

The hardest part of having any pet as a family member is saying goodbye. It’s so unfair that our companions’ lives are so much shorter than our own. I recently lost my chocolate lab, Chewie, who’d been with me since adolescence, and I found it comforting to hear others’ experiences regarding their pets and loss. Katz encourages readers to accept their grief and celebrate the lives of our pets. You’ll find yourself realizing that you gave your dog the best life you could have, that you made the right decisions in the end, and that though your dog isn’t with you any longer, you’ve experienced love and companionship in one of its most innate and beautiful forms. I miss Chewie every day, but I’m so grateful that I got to spend 12 amazing years with such a loving and devoted dog, and proud that his life was one most humans only dream of. If you are grieving the loss of a beloved pet, Katz, a renowned writer on dogs, provides comfort and hope through the stories he shares.

 

Card Catalog Display: Self Help

helpyourself

Self-help books sometimes get an undeserved bad rep, making readers feel embarrassed for reading one and causing people to not want to check them out. Personally, I think we should put this negative perception to rest. No matter the reason – divorce, grief, trauma, illnesses both physical and mental– everyone feels lost and in need of advice at some point or another. And sometimes it really feels like no one gets it.

Here is where books come in! (Don’t they always save the day?)

The authors on our card catalog display carry all different types of experience: some have degrees affirming that their advice is helpful and constructive, others have the life experience and relativity you need, and many just want to offer inspiration or courage to readers by recounting their own struggles and triumphs. There are also CD’s recommended for meditation and audiobooks.

mindfulwaythroughdepressionThe Mindful Way Through Depression by Mark Williams, John Teasdale, Zindel Segal, and Jon Kabat-Zinn

Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses in the United States, and we consistently see advertisements for pills and treatments to cure depression. But these authors offer a different approach: mindfulness. With a supplemental CD, this book offers anyone who suffers from depression methods to cope and exercises to find internal peace. Sharon Salzberg, author of various books on seeking happiness, describes this book as “an invaluable resource not only for those who suffer from depression, but for anyone familiar with the downward spiral of negative thinking and self-doubt. The authors of this book explore the reasons for depression and give us guidance and support, along with useful tools to find a way through it.”

To anyone who struggles with depression or suicidal thoughts: you don’t have to do this alone. Call the suicide hotline at 1-800-273-TALK  or visit their website if you ever need someone to talk to.

 

practicallyperefectPractically Perfect in Every Way by Jennifer Niesslein

For two years, Jennifer Niesslein – a successful magazine editor and parent – tried various self-help books and methods to see which, if any, made her feel more fulfilled. Niesslein didn’t just read the books, she really dedicated herself to these programs (much more wholeheartedly than I can safely say I would assert myself).  She attempted everything from feng-shui-ing her home, to following the advice of Dr. Laura Schlessinger and Dr. Phil, to Dale Carnegie and “Dear Abby,” to Oprah and Cosmo magazine. Her writing is thoughtful and funny, covering topics such as finances, marriage, parenting, health, spirituality while making readers laugh and think. If you’re unsure where to start, Practically Perfect offers second-hand insight into some of the most well known self-help methods, so you can try a taste through Niesslein’s experiences to decide which sounds right for you.

 

palmerThe Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer

Indie musician Amanda Palmer’s best-selling book is the memoir of an eclectic artist’s journey towards success. A continuation of the inspirational TED talk Palmer gave in 2013, this book teaches readers that it is okay, even advisable, to ask for help. “Whether it’s in the arts, at work, or in our relationships, we often resist asking not only because we’re afraid of rejection but also because we don’t even think we deserve what we’re asking for,” Palmer explains. But this isn’t your typical self-help book. Palmer details her younger days as a statuesque street performer in Harvard Square dressed as a white-faced bride – her first experience in the art of asking others for help – as well as some other quirky jobs she held prior to her success in music: stripper, ice cream shop attendant, and dominatrix. She goes onto explain how she ditched her major record label and asked her fans for help in kick starting her own album, which soon became Kickstarter’s most successful music launch to date. This book will not give you a day by day “happiness” regimen, but Palmer’s personal tone and wild stories will continue to inspire and motivate you long after you’ve finished reading.

 

(Re-) Considering the Card Catalog…

One of my favorite displays at the Main Library is just past the circulation desk, set up on our former card catalog cabinet, not only because I have a long-standing adoration for card catalogs in general, but because our cabinet is always a source of fascinating books and ideas.

Our beloved assistance reference librarian, Alison, is responsible for dreaming up the theme for these displays and stocking those tiny little shelves, and here, she shares her thoughts on her current display, which you can explore by paying us a visit, or checking out the links in this post

card-catalog

Civil Rights in 2015

Inspired by the recent protests in Baltimore, Maryland, our current front book display is centered on the theme of “Civil Rights: Then and Now.” In order for any society to progress, it must remember and reflect upon its past to refrain from repeating its mistakes. Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior’s words exemplify the display’s meaning: “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”

American Race Riots through History

One of the first known racially motivated riots in the United States occurred in Washington D.C. in 1835, thirty years before slavery was abolished. Jefferson Morley chronicles this riot and its effects in his book Snow-Storm in August: Washington City, Francis Scott Key, and the Forgotten Race Riot of 1835. As the novel explains, after a 19-year-old slave came into his mistress’s room with an axe and was consequentially imprisoned, a crowd of white men angrily mobbed around the jail where he was contained. Next, in fear of a slave rebellion due to the growing abolition movement, whites stormed the city and destroyed a well-known free black man’s popular restaurant – the first restaurant to open in Washington D.C. These riots quickly escalated and black schools and homes went down in flames. Morley constantly reminds readers of how history books have skewed perception of American history in regards to race, such as the disregard for our national anthem’s author’s favor towards slavery. He begs the question, are we as Americans afraid to discuss how slavery impacted, and continues to impact, our society?

Free blacks were beginning to outnumber slaves in 1830s Washington, but the slave trade was still booming.
Free blacks were beginning to outnumber slaves in 1830s Washington, but the slave trade was still booming.

Next we look at Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Tulsa Race Riots of 1921 occurred after a black man was accused of assaulting a white woman. Thousands of white residents rampaged through the black section of the racially segregated town: they looted stores, burnt homes and hospitals, and killed black men and women. The National Guard was sent in, and began arresting blacks rather than the white rioters. The number of blacks that died is estimated to be anywhere between 25 and 300, and 20 whites were killed. These riots lay hidden for decades, only coming to light in the past fifteen years. Check out Riot and Remembrance: The Tulsa Race War and its Legacy by James S. Hirsch and The Burning: Massacre, Destruction and the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 by Tim Madigan to learn more about this forgotten riot.

riot003

Fast forward to 1991 in Los Angeles, CA. A black man named Rodney King was beaten by police officers after a high-speed chase. Despite video evidence of using excessive force, the four white officers were acquitted in April 1992 and riots erupted in the city: over 50 people died, more than 2,000 people were injured, and upwards of 1,000 buildings destroyed. Almost ten thousand National Guard troops were dispatched to restore order, and Rodney King himself pleaded publicly for peace, asking “Can we all get along? Can we stop making it horrible for the older people and the kids?” The riots and looting ended after five days. The case was re-opened, and in August 1993, a U.S. District Court Judge sentenced two of the officers to 30 months in prison, and King was awarded $3.8 million of the $56 million he pursued in a civil lawsuit against the LAPD.  Featured books include Official Negligence: How Rodney King and the Riots Changed Los Angeles and the LAPD by Lou Cannon and A Gathering of Heroes: Reflections on Rage and Responsibility.

Civil Rights & Racism Today

Other books on display look at famous leaders of the civil rights movement, such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X, and Rosa Parks, and some focus on their legacies today. Malcolm X’s autobiography is available for checkout, as well as a Martin Luther King biography, King: A Biography by David Levering Lewis. Donnie Williams’s The Thunder of Angels: The Montgomery Bus Boycott and the People who Broke the Back of Jim Crow offers a look at those who helped desegregate Montgomery, Alabama, the violence and abuse suffered on city busses, and Martin Luther King’s court trial. Author David L. Chapell discusses the struggle for civil rights after King’s assassination in his novel Waking from the Dream: The Struggle for Civil Rights in the Shadow of Martin Luther King, Jr.

index

Many of the books on display serve as a reminder of the reality of racial tensions and inequalities that still exist in the United States today. For example, Charles Barkley, a former NBA MVP and current sports announcer, uses the cheeky title Who’s Afraid of a Large Black Man? to draw readers towards his book that features interviews with well-known Americans such as Bill Clinton and Morgan Freeman about race.

Touching on another taboo American subject, A Hundred Little Hitlers by Elinor Langer examines the Nazi-inpsired racist movement in the United States, examining the 1988 brutal murder of Mulugeta Seraw, an Ethiopian immigrant who was murdered by the East Side White Pride skinhead group in Portland, Oregon. Finally, we have Sons of Mississippi: A Story of Race and its Legacy by Paul Hendrickson.

sonsofmiss

In 1962, a photo appeared in Life magazine featuring seven smiling white sheriffs out to stop integration at the University of Mississippi, and one of the men is swinging a billy club. Hendrickson speaks to the two remaining men from the photograph and their grandsons, tracing the progression of Mississippi racism through three generations. The novel exemplifies how deeply rooted racial problems are in the South and offers insight into the ignorance still held by many. But moreover, he inspires hope through his evidence of changing times.