Thursday, April 20, 2017

Two Or Three Things I Know For Sure Annotation

Two or Three Things I Know For Sure by Dorothy Allison
Image result for two or three things i know for sure
Summary: In this lyrical yet approachable book-length essay, Dorothy Allison examines her childhood in the rural South, where she was born into a poor white family from which she eventually sought to escape after experiencing sexual abuse and beatings at the hands of her stepfather. Allison ruminates on learning to love her body, coming into her own as a lesbian, and eventually understanding what it truly means to love and be loved. Along the way she investigates class identity, the complexities of familial bonds and wounds, and the human ability to heal.


Appeal Terms
-Moving: After experiencing and working through many hardships, Allison’s philosophical realizations on love and family strike an emotional chord.
-Conversational writing style: While Allison writes of heavy subject matter, her conversational writing style makes this book accessible and even gently funny at times.
-LGBTQ: While only one aspect of her identity, Allison’s discussion of her experience as a lesbian is equal parts amusing, frank, and deeply human.
-Women’s Lives & Relationships: From the female bonds found in her family of origin to her later friends, lovers, and community as a whole, Allison’s memoir centers around both the pains and joys of female relationships.


> Extra! Extra! < Want more Dorothy Allison? Her books  Trash, Skin, Cavedweller are all Lambda Literary Award Winners. Her books Bastard Out of Carolina was a National Book Award Finalist.


Readalikes:

The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson
The Argonauts is a genre-bending memoir, a work of "autotheory" offering fresh, fierce, and timely thinking about desire, identity, and the limitations and possibilities of love and language. At its center is a romance: the story of the author's relationship with the artist Harry Dodge. This story, which includes Nelson's account of falling in love with Dodge, who is fluidly gendered, as well as her journey to and through a pregnancy, offers a firsthand account of the complexities and joys of (queer) family-making. (NoveList)

My Dangerous Desires by Amber L. Hollibaugh
Presents over twenty years of the author's work examining such themes as the relationship between activism and desire, sexuality and class identity, and the author's own political development as a response to her unique personal history. (NoveList)

Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward

Recounts the loss of five young men in the author's life to drugs, accidents, suicide, and the misfortune that can follow those who live in poverty, sharing her experiences of living through the dying as she searches through answers in her community. (NoveList)

Week 15 Prompt


One way to market my library’s fiction collection is by making more effective use of social media. By asking librarians to post their current reads on a library instagram or by taking a leaf out of New York Public Library’s incredible pinterest--I mean, book-- library patrons would not only be able to find reading recommendations in the visually attractive, modern format that is more and more mediating people’s media intake, they could also share their own thoughts, opinions, and readalikes.

Another way to market my library’s fiction collection is to borrow Sarick’s excellent idea of putting together a “Good Fiction You May Have Missed” cart. I particularly liked this idea not only because it’s simply a clever, effective marketing technique, but because of the opportunity it affords for amplifying books that may have been marginalized by the white supremacist/capitalist/patriarchal nature of our society. Because it is not as overtly political as a specially-themed display, the Good Fiction cart has the benefit of offering for readers’ consideration books that they might shy away from usually. At the same time, readers could just as easily choose to avoid books not to their taste.

Finally, as I’ve demonstrated before on this blog, I really have a taste for reader’s advisory which ties into programming. I think a library’s fiction collection can be marketed in concert with virtually every program. Offering a lunch-time concert series? Display fiction at the back of the room which features a musical theme. Hosting a knitting club? Put together a booklist of recommended audiobooks for patrons to listen to while they craft. Technology workshops, lectures, and even financial literacy workshops could all be productively tied in to fiction collection marketing--maybe put out a display of gentle reads to accompany that financial workshop, for example!

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Week 14 Prompt

The library in which I will be working is in a small town in the deep South. This being the case, I would handle the LGBTQ+ collection and the African American fiction collections differently. Given that LGBTQ+ people are statistically more likely to be the targets of hate-motivated violence than any other group of people (Park), I would be unwilling to flag this collection in any way. If bigoted community members were able to note those frequenting an LGBTQ+ section and then target those patrons with violence or discrimination, a separate section would have the potential to lead to far greater harm than good. That being the case, I would create other forms of passive reader’s advisory to help guide readers interested in LGBTQ+ fiction to this collection--a “recommended diverse fiction” leaflet, for example, which would list many books representing diverse communities and tag the various books with appropriate tags (i.e. “LGBTQ interest” after a Sarah Waters novel). Such a leaflet could be picked up much more unobtrusively, especially if it didn’t even advertise itself as specifically listing LGBTQ+ reads.
In considering an African American fiction collection, however, I would take a different tactic. African American people make up more than half the population of the town in which I will be working (“American FactFinder”), indicating that interest in this collection will likely be high. As a librarian I would like to make sure that this collection is as easily accessible as possible, but would wish to avoid separating the collection entirely given the South’s history of segregation. In order to strike a balance between facilitating access and remaining politically correct/historically sensitive, I would go with the tactic of putting stickers on the books’ spines demarcating them as African American-interest. I have seen this technique used in many libraries, often to indicate not only African American fiction collections but also fiction with various religious themes, or fiction belonging to certain genres. The American Library Associations’s “Interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights” page clarifies that “As long as these collections represent diverse points of view within the parameters of the collection and are designed to help patrons find resources relevant to their experience...this practice would be acceptable” (“Questions and Answers on Labeling and Rating Systems.)

“American FactFinder.” United States Census Bureau. 2010. Retrieved 12 April 2017. Web.
Park, Haeyoun, and Iaryna Mykhyalyshyn. "L.G.B.T. People Are More Likely to Be Targets of Hate Crimes Than Any Other Minority Group." New York Times. The New York Times Company, 16 June 2016. Web.

“Questions and Answers on Labeling and Rating Systems.” American Library Association. 16 January 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2017. Web.

Thursday, April 6, 2017

Week 13 Prompt

I focused on graphic novel collections in my response this week!



Both before and during library school I’ve the the good fortune of receiving exposure to graphic novels in such a way as to help me take the genre/format seriously. Prior to beginning library school I heard Art Spiegelman (creator of Maus) give a lecture on the history of comics; during library school, I heard a scholar of graphic novels from Indiana University (whose name, I’m sorry to say, now completely escapes me) discuss the evolution of this particular format as well as its role in libraries. Perhaps because of these educational experiences, I really believe in the importance of improving perspectives on and access to graphic novels.

Offering a variety of programming related to graphic novels and targeted at different patron groups is one way I can see of increasing readership. Putting together one program on the history of comics and graphic novels for adults, one on making your own graphic novel or cartoon art for teens, and playing around with some of the fantastic graphic novels targeted at youth would increase awareness of the format across the board. Partnering with area businesses, like a comic book store or bookstore, to promote Free Comic Day, would be another good programming idea, whether free comics were actually being given out in the library or whether the area partners could simply advertise along the lines of “Looking for more free comics? Check out your library!”

That being said, programming only reaches a certain patron group. How to reach patrons who might never look at a calendar of upcoming library events, but who would perhaps tear through Saga, Ms. Marvel, or any of the other fantastic reads coming out of late? One passive advisory technique that could be extremely effective, should funds allow, would be to have a duplicated collection (or at least, of the most popular graphic novels), which would allow these texts to be shelved in two locations--a discrete graphic novels collection, and one integrated into general fiction/non-fiction. This way, graphic novel enthusiasts could find their reading material all in one place, but those unfamiliar with graphic novels could also simply stumble across graphic novels in the course of their browsing.

Finally, I think being prepared with an articulate response to challenges aimed at individual graphic novels as well as the graphic novel collection as a whole could go a long way. If library staff is prepared as a unified front to respond with a considered, defusing mien to challenges that might be posed, individual patrons will feel heard without necessitating the removal of the graphic novels collection.

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Week 12 Prompt: Nonfiction Matrix

I performed the Readers’ Advisory Matrix on the most recent non-fiction book I’ve read, The History of White People by Nell Irvin Painter:

  1. Where is the book on the narrative continuum? A mix (combines highly narrative moments with periods of fact-based prose).
  2. What is the subject of the book? How the concept of the white “race” has been historically and culturally constructed, particularly in the United States of America but beginning in the ancient Western world.
  3. What type of book is it? A mix of cultural criticism and kind of “popular ethnography.”
  4. Articulate appeal
    1. What is the pacing of the book? Thorough, detailed, steady.
    2. Describe the characters of the book? Painter focuses on many characters forgotten by history; often offbeat, sometimes foolish or downright misguided folks. Characters are written of in a humanizing but not uncritical manner.
    3. How does the story feel? Critical, amusing, investigative, quirky.
    4. What is the intent of the author? To deconstruct and analyze the concept of whiteness and to demonstrate that “the white race” should be subject to analysis just as surely as any other “race.”
    5. What is the focus of the story? The evolution of one idea (i.e. “whiteness”) throughout history.
    6. Does the language matter? Yes! Painter not only writes humorously, in a style rich with word-play and puns, but also uses carefully chosen language to dissect the concepts around race without replicating the historical racist attitudes she investigates.
    7. Is the setting important and well described? Setting (both geographical and temporal) is important as background information contextualizing the concepts which Painter describes, but is not described in depth.
    8. Are there details and, if so, of what? The book is filled with details. Painter takes pleasure in sharing the odd anecdotal facts and figures encountered during the course of her research.
    9. Are there sufficient charts and other graphic materials? Are they useful and clear? Yes. Well-placed figures punctuate the work and are both fascinating and informative.
    10. Does the book stress moments of learning, understanding, or experience? Moments of learning and understanding are at the center of this book. Moments of learning are stressed as Painter shares little-known historical information, and moments of understanding are provided as she breaks down the complicated concept of race.
5. Why would a reader enjoy this book (rank appeal)?
Learning/understanding 2. Writing Style 3. Detail

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Week 11 Prompt: Ebooks and Audiobooks

The landscapes of e- and audiobooks absolutely represent my growing edge in terms of librarianship and reader’s advisory. My experience with ebooks is limited: I turn to ebooks only out of necessity (the book isn’t available in a print version) or convenience (the print version is huge, and I can’t practically carry it with me throughout my day). I don’t have a portable e-reader, which has further curtailed my use of ebooks.
Audiobooks are somewhat more familiar to me. I have had a lot of fun exploring the audiobooks available through the Hoopla platform at my local library, and will often try out multiple different narrators, when available, before settling on the one I’d most like to listen to--the impact of narrator as appeal factor is real! I’ve found that the audiobook format encourages me to read more international novels and classics than I naturally gravitate towards. The liveliness of a good narrator brings more stodgy classics to life, and I appreciate hearing the correct pronunciation of names in international novels.
But while I have some experience with both of these formats, I’ve thought little about how they affect reader’s advisory practices. Dunneback (326) points out that, just as it is important to be aware of the books in one’s print collections, it is equally important to develop an awareness of the e-books in one’s collections. The challenging nature of developing such an awareness had never occurred to me, and I was grateful for Dunneback’s suggested resources for learning more about e-books of various genres and eras.
The ability to serve as not just an advisor in terms of content but also technology and access is another matter Dunneback raised which I’d never before considered. She brings up the great point that “ Library patrons come to us for help in figuring out the best possible reading experience” (327), and that this necessarily includes the format of the book as well as its genre, pacing, tone--placing format squarely in the “appeal factor” category. I’ve had a subconscious awareness of format-as-appeal-factor ever since I listened to the incredible audiobook version of The Watsons Go to Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis, narrated by James Avery. When I was recommending the book to a friend one day, I found myself specifically recommending the audiobook as narrated by James Avery: my reading experience had been so completely influenced by his rendering of Curtis’ moving, hysterical text.
I feel motivated now to increase my exposure to e-books and audiobooks, and familiarize myself more thoroughly with the pros and cons of the two formats. It was interesting to read, for instance, that many e-book readers gravitate towards the format because it saves them from having to look at an ugly book cover! While I’m not sure how to incorporate this tidbit of knowledge into my reader’s advisory practices--yet!--it effectively demonstrates one of the appeal factors of e-books, and reminds me to bear the unique qualities of these formats more centrally in mind.

Westerns Annotation: Blood Meridian

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
Image result for blood meridian
A young Tennesseean known only as the Kid finds himself wandering the vast reaches of the barren landscape of the Western U.S. in the 1850s. After some brief stints in jail, in a ragtag, volunteer army corps, and eventually roughing it across the desert on his own, the Kid joins up with the brutal Glanton gang, a crew of violent adventurers actually drawn from history. The Glanton gang not only journeys boldly from the US and into Mexico, they leave a bloodstained trail in their wake as they seek plunder, conquest, and, most chillingly of all, human scalps in exchange for a bounty.

Appeal Terms
-Western: This historical novel details the early days of US expansion into the “wild West,” and is complete with shootouts, Indians, cowboys, and ghost towns.  
-Gritty: Vivid to the point of being brutal, McCarthy’s descriptions of the tough life led by those brave enough to settle or journey through the deserts of present-day Texas will leave readers gritting their teeth!
-Literary: While McCarthy’s poetic prose is complex and beautiful, it also displays a hardness and raw edge that could appeal to a broad range of readers.
-Atmospheric: The bleak Western setting is as much a player in Blood Meridian as any other character--one can almost see the tumbleweeds rolling across the plains and feel the deadly heat striking upon one’s skin.  


> Extra! Extra! < Featured on Time’s list of 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005.

Read-Alikes
The Winter Family by Clifford Jackson
Follows the adventures of a group of outlaws from their formation during the American Civil War to 1900. (NoveList)

Fallen Land by Taylor Brown
A couple races through the destroyed South, relying on the kindness of strangers and foraging from abandoned farms, as they flee a slave hunter, tracking dogs and ex-partisan rangers during the final year of the Civil War. (NoveList)

The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles

Three Americans drifting through postwar North Africa encounter the limits of human existence in the form of a land and a people utterly alien to them. (NoveList)

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Book Club Observation


I attended the February meeting of the Monroe County Library’s Ellettsville Branch book club. The book club met in a meeting room at the library, where the set-up was cozy and hospitable: a circular ring of tables and chairs was set up promoting an intimate and equitable air. A table full of snacks was also provided, including chocolate, cookies, popcorn, chips, and salsa. From group members’ discussion before the club started, it sounded like some of the snacks were provided by the library and some provided by group members themselves. There was also hot water and tea bags.
The atmosphere of the discussion was friendly and lively. Members welcomed me and characterized their group to me, letting me know--after the discussion-- that “They don’t like everything they read, and their discussions aren’t always so agreeable.” There was a good degree of camaraderie present amongst members of the club who have been attending regularly, but three new members were also present at this meeting, and they were warmly welcomed. While the group was vastly made up of white women over the age of 60, this homogeneity didn’t seem to prevent any obstacle to folks who didn’t fit this profile: despite being about forty years younger than everyone else in the room, I was never condescended to and was instead treated with welcome and respect. Additionally, another new group member was a man, friends with one of the regular attendees. While he definitely got some gentle ribbing from the crowd of women, he was also encouraged to participate and return for future meetings.
            This club usually discusses current literary fiction. Books are selected by the group from a list of options presented by the facilitator. The group selects books for 6 months in advance in one decision-making process, combined with a regular meeting, in order that the upcoming book list can be published to the website and library program booklets. Most of the members had read the book upon arriving at the meeting--those who had not were all attending the club for the first time--and one member was even famous for reading all the books twice; other members deferred to her meticulous notes when there was a question of what exactly had occurred in the text, or when. Having been held monthly for a year now, the book club had definitely established some such regulars, each of whom seemed to have reputations to uphold: two attendees certainly spoke more than all of the others combined. Group members seemed habituated to this dynamic and almost seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement of allowing these two more talkative members to have all of the spotlight at first and then, once they’d aired their views significantly, stepping in and taking up some space of their own. Most attendees spoke three or four times during the course of the book club, with a few breaking in almost non-stop and others just listening. Those who just listened, again, were those who were new to the group--so it seems likely that they will participate if they continue attending the group in the future, due to the group’s friendly and welcoming culture.

            The book club was facilitated by a librarian, though she took a reserved route to facilitation. After calling the group to order and providing a brief introduction to the group’s history and methods, she mostly sat back and allowed the group to follow it’s own course of interest. The ilovelibraries web page on facilitating book group discussion provides various suggestions for how a facilitator might initiate or encourage discussion, including picking a specific character or passage to analyze in depth, or bringing in a prop or artifact related to the story and asking club members to discuss the way in which this object played into the novel (2015). While these are useful suggestions, I believe the facilitator of the Ellettsville club was wise to give this group more free rein, as they were enthusiastic and highly participatory. It was group members themselves who posed most of the questions that the club considered, with the facilitator pitching in her thoughts, guiding questions, or opinions every so often. With thirteen people in attendance at the bookclub, this method sometimes became rather clamorous, as side discussions broke off simultaneous to the group conversation. The librarian did have a book guide to the book being discussed--The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry--and consulted this when asked to do so by the group, typically for insight into some of the book’s symbolism and literary allusions. When the leader did raise points or pose questions, she always allowed group members to respond first. She would, however, chime in when group members raised a query but, again, after waiting for group members time to answer first.

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Special Topics Summary: Reader's Advisory to the Incarcerated

I've been interested in library services to incarcerated populations for a while now, so this special topics paper seemed a great opportunity to learn about reader's advisory services to this underserved population. The first thing to note in this area is that there are very few resources on the topic: Pickett and Sullivan's Reader's Advisory Handbook has a very short chapter on the matter, and books on library services to the incarcerated only cover the topic obliquely in the course of investigating other matters. Nevertheless, the resources I did find helped me to gain a better understanding of limitations and special considerations in this area, summarized below:

1. Prisoners are protected by the ALA's Library Bill of Rights just as surely as any other library patron. However, prison administrators may restrict or censor the type or content of books (i.e. hardback books, books with any gang-related subject matter, etc) allowed into the prison library. Prison librarians have to understand these limitations as they provide reader's advisory, as these restrictions can result in small collections, or limited numbers of popular books.

2. Prisoners are often completely restricted from information resources those of us on the outside take for granted, such as the internet. To that end, reader's advisory for prisoners could realistically be expanded to the concept of "information advisory," as librarians might be called upon to recommend resources to prisoners seeking information about law and legal issues, reentry, or any number of leisure interests.

3. Many, though by no means all, people who are incarcerated are disadvantaged by extremely low literacy and information literacy. Librarians should be particularly conscious to dignify all patron interests with thoughtful responses, and meet patrons where they are at in terms of reading ability; an extensive knowledge of popular and classic fiction and non-fiction, as well as high-lo reading material (high interest, low difficulty) is essential.

4. Librarians are as likely as anyone else to fall prey to stereotypes about prisoners and what kind of books they may want or "need," but should take pains to avoid acting on these stereotypes. Reader's advisory to prisoners is not an opportunity to "reform" prisoners, but rather a chance to respond thoughtfully to prisoners' requests for reading material in which they are interested.


In case you are interested in reading more about this area, I've attached a truncated works cited list below:



Collis, Roy and Liz Boden. (1997). Guidelines for Prison Libraries.

Clark, Sheila, and Erica MacCreaigh. (2006). Library Services to the Incarcerated.

Guerra, Stephanie. (2010) "Reaching Out To At-Risk Teens: Building Literacy With Incarcerated Youth." PNLA Quarterly 75.1: 50-60.

Lehmann, V. (2011). Challenges and Accomplishments in U.S. Prison Libraries. Library Trends, 59 (3), 490-508.

Lilienthal, S. M. (2013). Prison and Public Libraries. Library Journal, 138(2), 26-32.

Pickett, Kate and CJ Sullivan. (2010). Readers’ Advisory Handbook.

Prisoners Right to Read. (2010, June 29). Retrieved February 23, 2017, from http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/interpretations/prisonersrightoread.

Vogel, B. (2009). The Prison Library Primer.

Wagner, P., & Rabuy, B. (2016, March 14). Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie. Retrieved February 23, 2017, from https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2016.html.

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Science Fiction Annotation: Oryx and Crake

Oryx and Crake Annotation

On an Earth wrought unrecognizable by human activities ranging from genetic engineering to biological warfare, humanity has been brought to the edge of extinction. Indeed, as far as he knows, Jimmy is the sole human left alive--though he shares the wasteland of a beach he calls his home with a society of genetically-modified near-humans called “The Children of Crake.” As Jimmy forages for food and scrap material in order to prolong his survival day by day, the mystery of his current situation--and the Children of Crake--is revealed through Jimmy’s reminisces into the past. For it was not so very long ago that Jimmy inhabited a different reality, and one eerily similar to our own. As he remembers a near-past characterized by the increasing power of corporations to define the structure of society, not only is the explanation for Jimmy’s lone survival revealed--so, too, is a tragic love story and a bitter warning of what the future might hold should humanity fail to take responsibility for their actions.
Appeal Terms
-Science-fiction: Rich with new technologies and scientific developments, clones and lingo, and a society whose morals and ways are at once alien and familiar.
-Apocalyptic: Oryx and Crake is set in a world rendered barely recognizable as our own by ecological destruction and the social irresponsibility of humans.
-World-building: Wanting to be swept away into a different reality--even if that reality is bleak, strange, and even disturbing? The devastated landscape that Atwood constructs, and the past and present societies which inhabit it, are both foreboding and intriguing.
-Fast-paced: Despite most of the novel following Jimmy’s solo reflections on the past, this book has reveals and cliff-hangers galore.

> Extra! Extra! < Oryx and Crake is part one of the Madaddam Trilogy, which not only digs into the history of Jimmy and his world, but also invites readers into the points of view of numerous other characters introduced in Oryx and Crake.

Read-Alikes

Mara and Dann by Doris Lessing: In a distant future plagued by drought, a seven-year-old girl, accompanied by her brother, encounters a variety of strange peoples in her insatiable thirst for self-knowledge. (NoveList)

The Possibility of an Island by Michel Houellebecq: A future world in which humankind as we know it has vanished is seen through the eyes of Daniel, a writer who has made a fortune with his comedies capturing the follies and foibles of humankind, and his subsequent clones.. (NoveList)

Gold Fame Citrus by Claire Vaye Watkins: In the wake of a devastating Southern California drought, two idealistic holdouts fall in love and scavenge for their needs before taking charge of a mysterious child and embarking on a perilous journey in search of water. (NoveList)

Week 7 Prompt Response



In much the same way as reviewers’ featuring of a small set of chosen works is not exactly “fair,” the instant fame provided by a recommendation such as Oprah’s may not be fair either--but is in my opinion less problematic. Book reviewers at least purportedly act as neutral agents communicating the relative worth or worthlessness of books to a general public audience, but their success at this is arguable precisely because the general public which they seek to serve constitutes such a vast and diverse group of people. Oprah’s book club, on the other hand, holds as its audience a very specific--if not small--group of people: watchers of Oprah. I think this knowledge of audience positively influences Oprah’s selections and makes the unavoidable bias of her choices more excusable, as Oprah watchers have, in a sense “elected” Oprah to select books which they are likely to enjoy by watching her show.


That being said, I know I would feel differently about Oprah’s disproportionate influence if she were, for example, a conservative talk show host using her clout to promote bigoted or hateful texts. It is because of my own biases that I find Oprah’s recommendations, which so often uplift the works of authors belonging to marginalized communities, admissible and even commendable. Of course, those conservative celebrities are surely out there with their book clubs as well, as are a great number of other celebrities with their own book clubs, an expanding phenomenon assisted by social media. What is perhaps most remarkable about Oprah’s Book Club, then, is simply its vastness, as even those who may have never watched Oprah or read anything she’s recommended, will likely still be familiar with her book club and recognize its insignia when they come across it in the book store. Whereas I couldn’t think, off the top of my head, of even one other celebrity book club, though an internet search instantly informed me of Emma Watson’s, Emma Roberts’, Lena Dunham’s, and Reese Witherspoon’s. In the process of this search, I also came across a short article by an advertising agency’s analyst looking into “Celebrity Book Clubs: What’s the Deal and What Can We Learn?”. I found that their conclusions clearly communicated some of my own positive feelings about celebrity book clubs: these “clubs” encourage reading, “rally people” around books, and--perhaps best of all--encourage communication about and critique of the chosen books. In our sped-up, dizzyingly media-saturated culture, someone who, with no more than an instagram post, can get people talking about a book with other people has my gratitude.

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Week 6 Prompt Response: Gentle Reads Program


In our overstimulated day and age, there is a lot to be said for the slower and more contemplative experience of reading a book--especially a book that is upbeat, comforting, and character-driven instead of flashy, violent, or fast-paced. While the genre of gentle reads is somewhat pigeonholed by stereotypically being for older readers, I think there’s many younger and middle aged readers who would also appreciate the reprieve these books offer from the speed and complexity of modern life.


To promote gentle reads to a wider audience, I would create a program at my library on “Slowing Down & Releasing Stress” or something similar. This program could present various stress-relief techniques (such as meditation, coloring pages, taking a once-a-week break from technology, etc), invite a local scholar or psychologist to discuss effects of stress versus relaxation on the brain, and then conclude by offering attendees stress-relieving resources available at the library--a display of gentle reads, complete with bookmarks providing further suggestions; a display of feel-good or inspirational movies; and a flier listing all relevant library programs, like musical events, crafting groups, meditation hours, and more! To better reach its intended audience, I would hold this program in the evening so that busy workers could more likely attend, and be sure to acquaint attendees of e-book and audiobook versions of all the media discussed, so that people with commutes or minimal free time could more easily access the recommended resources.


Gentle Reads Annotation

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
by Fannie Flagg
Gentle reads

Discontented 80s housewife Evelyn Couch expected her weekly trips to the nursing home with her husband to visit his aging mother to be simply more dull hours spent ruminating on all that’s less than satisfactory about her life...but then she meets Mrs. Threadgoode. Mrs. Threadgoode is a spunky old woman full of fascinating stories of the past, when she lived in the tiny town of Whistle Stop, Alabama. While Mrs. Threadgoode’s stories tell of gentler days bygone, they also tell of the hardships of the Great Depression and the cruelties of a racist South--as well as the heart-warming triumphs of overcoming these grim realities of the past. But her stories focus on two people in particular, and they are Idgie and Ruth, the indomitable pair that created the Whistle Stop Cafe and, with it, a community. As she listens to these stories, Evelyn can’t help but first be drawn in and then downright inspired, as she comes to see that you only live once, and your life is what you make it.

Appeal Terms
-Upbeat: This gentle tale has a way of always finding the light as the inspiring--but realistic--characters ultimately do the right thing or get their just deserts.
-Heart-warming: Though poverty, racism, sexism, and abuse all make their way into the pages of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, the true story here is of overcoming these trials.
-Nostalgic: Details of life in the small-town South of the 30s and 40s are intricately and skillfully placed to bring readers vividly into this past era.
-Character-driven: While the escapades of Idgie, Evelyn, as well as all the other residents of Whistle Stop never fail to provide intriguing plot, the heart of this story is in the characters themselves--their failings and their successes alike.


> Extra! Extra! < This gentle read focused on women’s lives and relationships was made into a film, Fried Green Tomatoes, in 1991. The film stars Mary-Louise Parker and Kathy Bates, among others, and was nominated for two Academy Awards.

Read-Alikes

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd: After her "stand-in mother," a bold black woman named Rosaleen, insults the three biggest racists in town, Lily Owens joins Rosaleen on a journey to Tiburon, South Carolina, where they are taken in by three black, bee-keeping sisters. (NoveList)


The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat  by Edward Kelsey Moore: Forging a friendship at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, Odette, Clarice and Barbara Jean meet regularly at the first diner owned by black proprietors in their Indiana city and are watched throughout the years by a big-hearted man who observes their struggles with school, marriage, parenthood and beyond. (NoveList)


The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen: Quiet, awkward Josey Cirrini's peaceful life--caring for her elderly mother, enjoying romance novels, and indulging in her secret passion for sweets--is turned upside down when Della Lee Baker, a sassy, confident, and bold waitress fleeing an abusive boyfriend, decides to hide out in Josey's home. (NoveList)