Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives

The month of May offers many landmark days of remembrance for our country.  May 1st is "Loyalty Day", a day in which we declare our loyalty to our country.  It was first officially observed in 1959 and was a reaction to workers' celebrations being held in communist countries on that day.  May 8th is "V-E Day" (Victory in Europe Day) the offical date of Germany's surrender signaling the beginning of the end of World War II.  The third Saturday in May is known as "Armed Forces Day" (from 1950) when we recognize all the branches of the military.  The day of remembrance that people are most familiar with is Memorial Day (Decoration Day) which honors the fallen and dates back to the end of the Civil War. 

It has been over 65 years since the end of World War II which means that those who have first hand knowledge of that era have dwindled significantly.  Thankfully, many of them wrote down their experiences to share with us.  This was a time like no other in our country and should not be forgotten.  One of the most memorable life stories from that time is that of Louis Zamperini.  He was an Italian boy from the wrong side of the tracks whose older brother helped him to channel his excess energy (street fighting and wild behavior) into long distance running.  He became world famous when he went to the Olympics in Berlin in 1936 and although he did not win a metal, people were amazed by his performance at such a young age.

Louis went on to collegiate track glory until 1941 when he signed up with the United States Air Force.  He was sent to Hawaii as a bombardier on a B-24.  On a search for a lost plane, Zamperini's B-24 went down.  He survived with another crew member only to be captured and tortured by the Japanese.  Unfortunately for Louis, his name was still known throughout the world.  His Japanese captors were thrilled to have a celebrity that they hoped to use to help demoralize American troops.  The Japanese were soon to learn that this would be no easy task.  Laura Hillenbrand has turned Louis Zamperini's life into an exciting armchair adventure for the reader.  This Memorial Day, take a veteran's memoir off the shelf.  Find out what ordinary people will do under extraordinary circumstances.  (You might even call them....heroes.) 
Thank you to all veterans and service members who are courageously serving our country.  We honor you.

Mom's Gift



"So sad"

When I was a little girl, she took care of me.  She fed me.  She washed my clothes.  She made me take baths.  She took time off of work and stayed home with me when I was sick.  She even cleaned my room. 
I'll never forget the time that Mom was spring cleaning behind the beds and found an old apple core.  The sound of my name being shouted echoed through the house and outside to our cul-de-sac.  I came running.  It's foolishness to try to escape THAT tone of voice.  I was told to hold out my hand.  Not knowing what treasure might be awaiting me, I did.  YUCK.  Never has one apple core done so much to change someone's bad habits.  I learned that if I wanted to have a snack in bed on those occasions when I stayed up all night reading, apple cores and other leftovers should be stored under my pillow where I would retreive them in the morning and dispose of them properly.  I dare not attempt this at night because my mother ALWAYS woke up when there was noise at night and I didn't want her to take my book away.

"Oh, is that fiction?"

Mom is a reader.  An avid reader who loses track of time and becomes deaf and blind when she has a book in her hand.  It doesn't even matter WHAT she's reading.  She goes into her "mom is reading now" zone and doesn't resurface for anything except "Dancing With the Stars".  Whenever she plans a visit, I stock up on titles that I think might keep her occupied while the rest of us are frantically running our ordinary lives.  Recently, she gave The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin by Gordon S. Wood an "it was interesting" which is probably a three and a half star rating for her.  Michael Oher's I Beat the Odds was given a "his early life is so sad" which is mom-speak for she couldn't put it down.  I am trying to decide whether or not to hand over Two Rings: a story of love and war by Millie Werber to her.  (It's currently at the top of MY reading pile and I won't get it back until she finishes it.)  I would like her to preview Margot Livesey's The Flight of Gemma Hardy for me.  I am a big believer of encouraging others to break out of one's reading comfort zone and she needs to shake that non-fiction addiction.

Mom, thank you for sharing your love of reading with me.  I know that at times you've called it a curse.  It is a treasure that I can share without fear of it ever running out.  This is a gift that grows and expands and is life-long.  It is common gound that we can share even when you are thousands of miles away.  Every time I have a book sharing moment, I think of you.  I am so glad I will always have this part of you to share with others.  Happy Mother's Day, Mom. 

"Interesting"

The Zen of Snoopy

The sun finally made a brief appearance in Manitowoc yesterday and I found myself thinking of one of my favorite childhood characters, Snoopy.  Remember the Snoopy dance?  The dance that all the Peanuts' characters did when things (finally) went their way?  They would throw back their heads, stick their noses in the air, and dance on their toes until the credits stopped rolling.  No character conveyed joy more completely than Snoopy.  If a day could feel like a Snoopy dance, yesterday was that day.

The best Peanuts' adventures (in my humble opinion) featured Snoopy and Woodstock with an occasional cameo by Snoopy's brother Spike.  Despite their inability to talk, or maybe because of it, these characters with their rich fantasy lives epitomized the reality of childhood.  Woodstock and Snoopy's friendship rang true.  They would argue and Woodstock would fly off in his haphazard fashion while Snoopy gave him an unintelligible tongue-lashing while shaking his fist.  Or Woodstock would end up in a scrape, often because of his size, and Snoopy would run to the rescue (after laughing that dirty Snoopy laugh at his predicament).  One always believed that some day Snoopy would get the Red Baron because Snoopy would never give up.  Who of us a child didn't wish that we would go for a walk and find a pet just like Snoopy?  We reveled in the joy of Snoopy and his adventures.

 

I suppose a character like Charlie Brown had to have a dog like Snoopy.  Even as a child, we recognized him as the biggest loser we had never met.  We would not have been able to bear reading his adventures if he hadn't had a dog like Snoopy or a philosophical friend like Linus.  (Kind of like when the Brady Bunch formed a singing group, went on the road, and became THE most embarrassing show to watch.)  Snoopy, Charlie and the gang have managed to stay relevant and relatable despite having lost their creator over twelve years ago.  Spring is the time to stop and smell the flowers, and do the Snoopy dance.  Snoopy would want you to.  Stop by the library and check out The Complete Peanuts (1950-1985).  We might even let you practice the dance.

Rain, rain, go away, come again when it's convenient to me...

Yesterday, we enjoyed our first tornado drill.  Today, we considered putting on our winter coat instead of a lighter jacket.  Looking out the window, one expects to see Mary Poppins sailing by with her umbrella and bottomless carpet bag.  Expect the unexpected, it's spring in Wisconsin. 


Spring calls to mind that it's time to do some cleaning, or maybe CLEARING of unused household items.  It's not just the "rummage sale" or "yard sale" signs that bring it to mind.  Everyone knows that spring is graduation time and you have to get your house in order before you have everyone over.  You may even need to sell some items in order to help with the next step in your child's life...college.  (We have many books that will help your prospective student find ways to secure financial aid if you don't want to sell the farm.)

If you're going to have a family reunion, neighborhood barbecue or any type of gathering or celebration, you will also want to beautify the outside of your home.  You may have a small space to work with so container gardening may be the thing for you.  It may be the first of many projects to share with your family which means you'll need a plan or fresh ideas.  Whatever the case may be, the library has the books to keep you growing and prospering in the great outdoors.  Thanks to our community partners, we also offer programming featuring local businesses like Hartman's Towne and Country Greenhouse which can be very helpful to the beginning gardener.

Checking out books from the library won't make your flowers grow better nor will your home organize itself. It won't make the weather behave itself or keep you from wishing for summer while it rains and rains and rains.  However, it will give you something to do as you anticipate another season of riding your lawn mower listening to Bob Uecker while the KIDS weed the garden. 





Milwaukee - Home of the Brave(s)

I didn't grow up in the 50's or 60's but author Lesley Kagen took me there with Whistling in the Dark.  I didn't grow up in Milwaukee (or even in the Midwest), but I have heard of Samson and now I feel like I've met him.  (Samson is Sally's favorite exhibit at the zoo and she visits him frequently.)  In this book, the author has captured the sights and sounds of a Milwaukee neighborhood and a midwest summer in the city perfectly.  The people you meet in this book seem real.  This is not the Milwaukee of "Happy Days" or "Laverne and Shirley" where everything works out perfectly fine in the end after a heart to heart talk with Mr. Cunningham or "The Fonz".  These people have PROBLEMS and young Sally O'Malley and her sister "Troo" are in the middle of them. 

Samson

Sally made promises to her dying father that she is having trouble keeping.  She promised her dying father that she would look after her little sister.  However, Troo is a wild one and difficult to manage.  There are neighborhood bullies to stand up to, an abusive step-father who has gone on a drinking binge, a mother in the hospital fighting for her life and a teenage sister who is too busy with boys to look after two little girls properly.  As if this wasn't difficult enough, there is a murdering molester on the prowl and Sally's over-active imagination has thrown her (and the reader) completely off the trail of the real killer.

What I enjoyed most about this book is the relationship between Sally and her little sister.  At times, Troo's shocking behavior may lead you to believe that she is the older sister.  The authenticity of the lost little girls (and Sally's point of view) as they struggle to take care of themselves one long hot summer will immerse you in the story.  Similar to Emma Donoghue's Room, this book pulls you into the mind of a child trying to deal with life's unusual situations.  The interactions between the sisters takes me to Lorna Landvik's book, Patty Jane's House of Curl.  Most of all, I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel, Good Graces.  Perfect reading as we wait for summer and a visit to the City of Festivals.



The United States 1940 census has been made public!

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) released the United States 1940 census on April 2, 2012. They will provide free access to the 1940 census digital images. There is no name index for the 1940 census (yet), so you will have to look through the scanned images.

How do you know on which census image your family will be located? 

You might think knowing the address will be enough, but the 1940 census records are not organized by address. They are organized by enumeration district numbers (ED). Knowing the ED number will make your census search faster and less frustrating.

What is a ED number? 

 a ED number on a
enumeration district map

An ED number consists of two parts.

The first part is a region (usually a county) within each state and the second part is a district within that region. Once you have the ED number, you will be able to access the census pages. The ED number will get you to the image of the first census page for that enumeration district. You will need to go through the other images within that particular district to look for your family. 


The Unified 1940 Census ED Finder is one way to search for an ED number. Simply enter state, county, and city. (If you do not know the city or your family did not live in a city, just leave that part blank.) Then click Get 1940 ED number. Under the heading 1940 ED numbers corresponding to your location a list of ED numbers will appear. Then click on more details. Another window will load and on that screen there will be a list that looks like this:

Year	Series	Roll	State	County	ED	Description	Details
1940	T627	4494	WI	Manitowoc (36)	36-1	CATO TOWN OUTSIDE VALDERS VILLAGE, CATO, CLARKS MILLS, GRIMMS, WHITELAW	view	1930
1940	T627	4494	WI	Manitowoc (36)	36-2	CENTERVILLE TOWN, CLEVELAND, HIKA	view	1930

Click on the roll number. The census image should load on a separate screen.  Happy Hunting!!

Readers' Advisory for Everyone

My all-time favorite is a classic

Do you have a favorite book or author?  Remember how you felt the first time you read something by them and how desperately you wanted to share that reading experience with someone else?  Do you understand how it feels when your your pile of "must-reads" dwindles to NOTHING????

You might say something like this:
"I need a book.  My favorite author isn't coming out with their next book for three months and I'm out of books to read.  I'm DESPERATE.  Help me.  I want something just like......"

The librarian at the reference desk can help you through your reading drought.  Like all reference transactions, it will start with questions in order to determine where YOU want to go.  Do you like mysteries?  Romance?  Suspense?  Do you prefer a particular type of setting like the midwest?  What is the title of the last book you read?  What kinds of books do you dislike?  This is called readers' advisory and anyone at the reference desk should be able to help you.  You might also refer to this as a read-alike.

If you like Nora Roberts, you might want to try-

LaVyrle Spencer

Jennifer Blake

Sandra Brown

Elizabeth Lowell

Phyllis Whitney

Julie Garwood

If you like John Grisham, give these authors a try-

Scott Turow

Richard North Patterson

Steve Martini

William Bernhardt

Lisa Scottoline

If you just love that Nicholas Sparks, try-

Richard Paul Evans

Kristin Hannah

Lorna Landvik

Nicholas Evans

Annie Garrett





If you can't get enough of Janet Evanovich's quirky Stephanie Plum, here are some other authors with fun characters-

Carl Hiassen

Sharon McCrumb

Jan Burke

Jennifer Crusie/Bob Mayer

Stephanie Bond

Reader's advisory is a service we offer to anyone in need of a good read.  Recently people have been looking for anything similar to The Hunger Games.  There are several similar books that we can help you find (or read my previous post about dystopias).  We want to help you find those books that make you stay up until 3am reading.  The advent of eReaders has not diminished interest in reading, it has increased it due to the fact that they make books available 24/7.  One of the most rewarding experiences we share as readers is inviting others into our experiences so that they can get excited about an author or book that we love.  Next time, don't hesitate to stop at the reference desk and ask us, "What good books have YOU read lately?"