Where Iguanas Still Live, by Colleen McElroy
Colleen McElroy, “Where Iguanas Still Live” from Queen of the Ebony Isles © 1984 by Colleen McElroy and reprinted by permission of Wesleyan University Press
(For Kevin)
This is what is important
A first birthday picture
The rubber bathtub toy
Clutched in your fat fingers
You giggly and myopic
How important it was
When you locked all the doors
Three years old
And instant master of the house
Outside I danced to your amusement
A black Natasha snowbound
And twirling in a web
Of my own desperation
How fragile it seems when years
Cannot release us
The mystery of time
Is not important
One night you said Mama
I can hear the whistles blowing
Then still asleep
You walked away from me
Your are out there now
A man walking quickly
To another shore
I am here where
Knights and their ladies still romp
Through your storybooks
You helped your sister
Learn the alphabet
Tracing the mystery of each letter
Now your posters of African kings
Curl like delicate petals
In the corner of the closet
They are still strong and willing
To hunt lions in the tall grass
It is here we keep time
The carefully measured ticking
Like watching buds grow
We planted corn seeds
Inside freezer bags
Experiments in temperature you said
Quietly proud and so serious
I enrolled you in a club
An animal a month delivered by mail
Fish lizards mice
Jelled dehydrated beheaded
Laced with ink from overdue bills
And letters from your grandmother
Later you stood on the abyss of my anger
While baby snakes nested warm
Inside half-filled cosmetic jars
It is important that even now
Though you are not here
I remember how we groped
Hand in hand in the dark
Softly calling the iguana
Lost forever
Inside the pattern of the Persian rug.
James Alexander Thom Wins the Indiana Author Award, National Author Category
Congratulations to James Alexander Thom, winner of the National Author category of the Eugene & Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Award. For more information, visit the Indiana Authors Award website.
Warrior Woman by James Alexander Thom and Dark Rain Thom
Sign-Talker: The Adventure of George Drouillard on the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Books at the library by James Alexander Thom
Book Discussions at the Library July 2009
As of this morning (6/26) Southport’s June book discussion is still coming our way:
Hannah’s Dream by Diane Hammond will be discussed at the Southport Library on Monday, June 29 at 7:00 p.m.
On the animal kingdom’s 10-point scale of adorable critters, golden retriever puppies regularly come in on top, while aging gray elephants rarely make it onto the list. But when it comes to lovability, Hannah, the sole elephant at Seattle’s dilapidated Max L. Biedelman Zoo, is off the charts. Rescued as a baby by the zoo’s founder while on safari in Africa, Hannah has been cared for by Samson Brown for her 41-year captivity. Theirs is an empathetic, symbiotic relationship as Samson transfers all the love deflected by the death of his only child into caring for this slightly needy, somewhat neurotic, but always affectionate creature. But Samson is aging and his health is failing, and the zoo needs a plan. Enter Neva Wilson, an energetic young zookeeper whose creative ideas for Hannah’s well-being immediately put her afoul of Harriet Saul, the zoo’s petty, tyrannical administrator. To save Hannah’s life, Samson and Neva scheme to transfer her to an elephant sanctuary, though their plan comes with great personal risk. Irresistibly touching, delectably uplifting, Hammond’s understated yet gargantuan tale of devotion and commitment poignantly proves that love does indeed come in all shapes and sizes. — Booklist
The July discussions begin at Warren on the 2nd.
Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris will be discussed at the Warren Library on Thursday, July 2nd at 10:30 a.m.
Joanne Harris returns to the small-town, postwar France of Chocolat. This time she follows the fortunes of Framboise Dartigan . . . The proprietor of a café in a rustic village [who] recalls the days of her childhood, which coincided with the German occupation. Back then, she and her brother and sister traded on the black market with the Germans, developing a friendship with a charismatic young soldier named Tomas. This intrigue provided a distraction from their grim home life–their father was killed in the war and their mother was a secretive, troubled woman. Yet their relationship with Tomas led to a violent series of events that still torment the aging Framboise. — Claire Dederer on BookMooch
Carol Faenzi’s novel The Stonecutter’s Aria will be discussed in the Goodrich-Houk Meeting Room at Central Library on Tuesday, July 7th at 6:00 p.m.
The Stonecutter’s Aria is a novel in the unique format of an opera program narrated in first-person perspective, based on the true stories of an Italian marble carver and opera tenor during the beginning of the twentieth century. Aristide, the protagonist, immigrated to America where his skills in gothic architecture led him to carve some of this nation’s most distinguished landmarks, including the National Archives, Duke University, and the University of Chicago. Over a century later, his spirit reaches out to help his troubled great granddaughter. A vigorous and attention- catching narrative about an artist’s passion, adventures, regrets, and remembrance. — Midwest Book Review
The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, will be discussed at the Fountain Square Library on Thursday, July 9th, at 1:30 p.m.
Post-World War II, London author Juliet Ashton strikes up a correspondence with a Guernsey native and learns about the oddly named book club–see the book’s title–the islanders quickly established to explain to German occupiers why they were breaking curfew. — Library Journal
Chaim Potok’s novel The Chosen will be discussed at the Irvington Library on Thursday, July 9th at 1:30 p.m.
The Chosen is the story of two young men who form a friendship that changes both their lives. Reuven, an orthodox Jew, and Danny, a Hasidic Jew, struggle to understand each other, though to the outside world they are simply both Jews. Through their relationship Potok teaches us about Hasidism, the ultra-conservative sect that originated in Poland in response to the persecutions suffered by Jews hundreds of years ago. Each group of Hasidic Jews is led by a Tzaddik; a mystical leader who is rabbi, prophet and even a Messianic figure to his followers. They dwell in a world closed even to other Jews, and as Reuven enters this world through his friendship with Danny, we have the rare opportunity to experience a fascinating culture within a culture. — Marilyn Green Faulkner at MeridianMagazine
The Year of Living Biblically a memoir by A. J. Jacobs, will be discussed at the East 38th Street Library on Monday, July 13th at 6:00 p.m.
[Jacobs] tried for a year to observe the Bible’s 700-odd rules for righteous behavior. He let his beard grow, wore only garments made of unmixed fibers, prayed regularly, essayed biblical disciplining (short of the physical) of his two-year-old son, and practiced the purity laws: no sex for awhile after his wife menstruated; no shaking hands; lots of washing . . . he became the father of twins during the long experiment, which he reports in a continuum of journal-like summaries. If he starts out sounding like an interminable Ira Glass monologue, smarmy and name-dropping, he becomes much less off-putting as the year progresses, for he develops a serious conscience about such quotidian failings as self-centeredness, lying, swearing, and disparaging others. He may not be, he may never become, a moral giant, but he certainly seems to be a nicer guy. — Booklist
J. D. Mason’s novel That Devil’s No Friend of Mine will be discussed at the Flanner House Library on Monday, July 13th at 6:30 p.m.
Despite the assumptions associated with his first name, Bishop Fontaine is not an official of the church. He is, however, a successful and influential undertaker, and his death causes a ripple effect. His best friend and partner, Lamar Brown, has always desired Bishop’s daughter, Kristine. With Bishop gone, so is the only roadblock keeping Lamar from pursuing his obsession. Tragically, Lamar’s wife, Rhonda, knows her husband’s intentions. Bishop mentored Cole, who’s up for his second middleweight-boxing championship fight. He warned Cole against his wife, Nora, a sadomasochistic supermodel, and his predictions have come true. Singer Fitzgerald knew Bishop as her sugar daddy, but she is also the object of unrequited love. Mason has become a major name in African American fiction. — Booklist
Ava’s Man by Rick Bragg will be discussed at the Spades Park Library on Thursday, July 23rd at 6:00 p.m.
America’s favorite Southern author returns with a delightfully down-home look at the life of his ornery grandfather, Charlie Bundrum, a tough-as-nails moonshiner and roofer who, along with his equally ornery wife Ava, raised seven children in the backwoods of Alabama. Bragg, who never knew his grandfather, interviewed a slew of relatives about Charlie, a man admired for his family loyalty, his honesty and his unabashed courage (he once stood up to a passel of drunks armed with an ax, a hammer and a shotgun). A moving collection of stories inspired by Charlie, this wistful memoir captures a long-gone era in rural America. — BookPage
Jan Karon’s novel Home to Holly Springs will be discussed at the Southport Library on Monday, July 27th at 7:00 p.m.
When he receives a letter postmarked Holly Springs, Miss., that contains a cryptic two-word message written in a precise, old-fashioned hand, Father Tim decides to answer its call and return to his birthplace for the first time in 38 years. On the long drive, he faces unanswered questions and half-forgotten memories . . . In this setting away from home, we see Father Tim in a new light as he wrestles with his past and explores the origins of his religious convictions. — Kirkus Reviews
The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak will be discussed at the Pike Library on Tuesday, July 28th, at 6:30 p.m.
This poignant and compelling read is by an Australian author who uses Death as the protagonist during the Holocaust, observing astute young Liesel Meminger and her foster family, neighbors, and the Jewish man they hide for months in their basement . . . Zusak . . . notes on his Web site that he was inspired by stories of his parents’ youth when he began to craft The Book Thief . . . an engrossing read for young adults through adult age range.
–Diane Palguta, College Avenue Branch
The Airmen and the Headhunters by Judith M. Heimann will be discussed at the Franklin Road Library on Thursday, July 30th at 6:30 p.m.
Using detailed research and new interviews with all the surviving players, including the tribal Dayaks of Southeast Asia, diplomat and author Heimann presents the story of two B-24 crews, one U.S. Army Air Corps and one U.S. Navy, shot down over Borneo in November 1944 and January 1945, respectively. With the help of a local District Official and Lun Dayeh tribesmen, the airmen survived several months in uncharted interior jungles, avoiding capture by occupying Japanese forces. The book gives great insight into the Lun Dayeh, a thriving culture that uses few tools and almost no knowledge of modern machinery, best known for their practice of headhunting. Surprisingly enough, they prove kind, welcoming and very generous with what provisions they have; meanwhile, the Japanese plunder native resources and subject opposition to torture and worse, proving the terms “savage” and “civilized” to be quite subjective. — Publishers Weekly
Reading in Indianapolis July 2009
Our library has been named "Library of the Future" by the American Library Association, and there’s an article about that in this month´s issue of the library’s newsletter. Central Library´s Learning Curve was the winning initiative.
There´s also information about some of our recently added online databases: Ancestry Library Edition (Geneaology), Small Business Resource Center, Standard & Poor´s NetAdvantage and Testing and Education Reference Center.
Click on the image at the left to open an e-copy of the newsletter. Paper copies of Reading in Indianapolis can be picked up at any library location, and at the locations listed at the bottom of page 10.
Planning a Picnic for the Fourth?
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The Deen Brothers Y’All Come Eat by Jamie & Bobby Deen
Picnics and Tailgates: Good Food for the Great Outdoors by Diane Rossen Worthington
Country Living, Eating Outdoors: Sensational recipes for Cookouts, Picnics and Take-Along Food
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A Return to Family Picnics by Russell Cronkhite
Picnics by Hilary Heminway
A Good Day for a Picnic: Simple Food that Travels Well by Jeremy Jackson
Festive Picnics: Recipes, Crafts & Decorations for Outdoor Occasions by Pamela Sheldon Johns
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The Great American Cookout by Gregg R. Gillespie
Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meals: Gettogethers
Picnics: Easy Recipes for the Best Alfresco Foods by Robin Vitetta-Miller
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