Highlights from Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad
Normally,I’m not a fan of historical fiction. I can watch a television show that’s centered around a certain time period, but I can’t stand reading it. Weird, I know. The furthest I went with it was reading Dear America and American Girl books as a child. However, I decided to give The Underground Railroad a chance because I read the description and thought it was interesting. Also, this book is one of Oprah’s Book Club picks and I knew it would gain popularity; so I wanted to see what the hype was about.
Kids’ Books for Grown-Ups
Because I work with children, I read a lot of children’s books. Most of the time, I enjoy them just as much as books written for adults. We all know what a hit Harry Potter was with people of all ages. Here are some more books my fellow adults might love.
The Prolific Career of Patricia Highsmith
Starting in the 1950s, Patricia Highsmith made waves in the world of fiction with her numerous novels and literary works, many of which were adapted into both films and stage … Continued
Making Informed Food Decisions
Fall, in particular, always gets me thinking about food: where it comes from, how it gets to me, what’s been done to it, whether or not it’s “good” for me. The food we eat today is very different from the food we ate even 100 years ago. It’s grown differently, processed differently and available year-round thanks to global shipping.
The Oral Tradition of Storytelling
Storytelling, the oral tradition of sharing stories, has been a long tradition at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. You can learn more about storytelling by attending The Art of Storytelling for Educators on Sunday, October 23, 2016 in the Children’s Department, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Oakland.
Less Censorship, More Unicorns
I hate Banned Books Week. There. I said it. Well, not the week itself, obviously. As a lifelong supporter of the freedom to read, though, I hate that Banned Books Week is still necessary in 2016. You’d think we’d be a bit further along by now.
Mobilization Through Movies: Get Out the Vote!
This film series highlights policy, the implementation of policy, and our political process. After each film, there will be a short discussion that will center on the “why” of the … Continued
I hated this Banned Book
Habibi by Craig Thompson is an epic, sweeping graphic novel. Set in a mythical, Middle Eastern-inspired country, it tells the interweaving stories of two characters who live much of their lives as slaves. The book contains absolutely fantastic illustrations, allusions to the Quran and the Bible, and themes of love, loss, hope and storytelling; it’s one of the top-ten most frequently challenged books in the United States. And I really didn’t like it.
Playtime at the Library’s Family PlayShop
At Family PlayShop babies, toddlers, preschoolers and their parents or caregivers learn and grow during playtime.
When Kissing Scares People
When I read Two Boys Kissing three years ago, I knew I was holding a banned book. A reader gets an immediate sense of what acclaimed young adult author David Levithan’s novel is about; however, as with so many great books, Two Boys Kissing is much more than its title and cover.