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Tag Archives: The Harlem Renaissance

New and Featured DVDs for 06/07/12:

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Come and check out these and some of the other new DVDs and materials (or at least new to us) added to our library collection…

FICTION:

Mission: Impossible

13 Assassins

Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths

The Perfect Getaway

Transsiberian

Pan’s Labyrinth

Goodnight Moon

Away We Go

The Social Network

Man Of La Mancha

Gosford Park

The original Downton Abbey!

My Stepmother Is An Alien

Undercover Brother

Hot Fuzz

From Dusk Till Dawn

The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre

The Best of Monk

Double Jeopardy

Pirates Of Silicon Valley

The Best of Monk

NON-FICTION:

Man On Wire

Frederick Douglass (A&E Biography)

For All Mankind

Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies A People

American Experience: The Crash Of 1929

Helvetica

2007, directed by Gary Hustwit. The first of the director’s design trilogy and released in 2007 to coincide with the inspirational and beautiful typeface’s 50th anniversary. Check out reviews from The Onion AV Club and Slant Magazine, and the trailer below:

The Bicycle Corps: America’s Black Army On Wheels

The War That Made America: The Story Of The French And Indian War

Against The Odds: The Artists Of The Harlem Renaissance

The President’s Photographer: 50 Years Inside The Oval Office

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Please note that DVDs mentioned here could be checked out between the time they end up on the blog and when you come to check them out. If you don’t see the items you’re looking for then please come up to the front desk, OR call us, OR send us an email at robinsbaselibrary@gmail.com and  we’ll put your name on the reserve list for when the item returns.

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Previous New/Featured DVDs:

03/15/12.

02/14/12.

02/07/12.

12/30/11.

Previous New/Featured books:

04/19/12.

04/11/12.

04/04/12.

03/29/12.

New and Featured Books for 03/01/2012:

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Come and check out these and some of the other new books and materials (or at least new to us) added to our library collection…

FICTION:

Tigerlily’s Orchid by Ruth Rendell

The Fear Index by Robert Harris

The new thriller from author/journalist Robert Harris, who wrote The Ghost, which was adapted into The Ghost Writer, which was directed by Roman Polanski. Check out reviews from The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Guardian, and there’s a nice interview with the author at CBS’s Author Talk.

The Secret Mistress by Mary Balogh

God’s Gift To Women by Michael Baisden

Side Jobs: Stories From The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

Djibouti by Elmore Leonard

A book about modern day pirates by the author who’s been called “The Great American Writer” by Stephen King. You can find an excerpt from Djibouti at Esquire and reviews of the novel from The New York Times and The Millions. You can check out Leonard’s blog, and also read about his admiration for Kathryn Bigelow at The Wall Street Journal.

The Death-Ray, written and illustrated by Daniel Clowes

All My Friends Are Going To Be Strangers by Larry McMurtry

In My Father’s House by E. Lynn Harris

The Wreckage by Michael Robotham

The Angel Esmerelda: Nine Stories by Don Delillo

Harlem Renaissance: Five Novels Of The 1920s, edited by Rafia Zafar

and

Harlem Renaissance: Four Novels Of The 1930s, edited by Rafia Zafar

This is a very exciting two volume set looking at classic works of fiction from an important time in literature and African American history, and featuring authors like Langston Hughes, Nella Larsen, Jean Toomer, and George S. Schuyler, and others. As author Junot Diaz says in his blurb on the back of the 1920s edition, “To have all these novels in one place is the best gift any reader could ever ask for.”

Escape by Barbara Delinsky

Camouflage by Bill Pronzini

Shattered by Karen Robards

Gets off to a bit of a slow start, but another fine example of romantic suspense done right by Robards. Check out an excerpt at the author’s website.

NON-FICTION:

New Men: Manliness In Early America, edited by Thomas A. Foster

This is a very intriguing historical gender study of what it was like for men, fresh from the Old World, coming into the New World, and how the definitions of being an American Man were set, based on old prejudices, manners, and mores, through the colonial periods into the revolutionary era, and shaped by a new culture, society, economy, and political system, and factors such a racism and warfare.

Lions Of Kandahar: The Story Of A Fight Against All Odds by Rusty Bradley and Kevin Maurer

Shades Of Glory: The Negro Leagues And The Story Of African-American Baseball by Lawrence D. Hogan

The Insider’s Guide To Colleges, 2012: Students On Campus Tell You What You Really Need To Know, compiled and edited by the staff of The Yale Daily News

Cooking In Other Women’s Kitchens: Domestic Workers In The South, 1865-1960 by Rebecca Sharpless

This book has been said to show the real version of what was tamefully dramatized in The Help, and that alone makes it fascinating, beyond its being a very insightful and informative read, from what a few patrons have told me. And as one review nicely pointed out, the book is very successful in its goal to “discover how African American cooks successfully functioned within a world of extremely hard work, low wages, and omnipresent racial strife.”

A Quick Start Guide To Google Adwords: Get Your Product To The Top Of Google And Reach Your Customers by Mark Harnett

A Quick Start Guide To Cloud Computing: Moving Your Business Into The Cloud by Mark I. Williams

Burn This Book: PEN Writers Speak Out On The Power Of The Word, edited by Toni Morrison

Firebrand Of Liberty: The Story Of Two Black Regiments That Changed The Course Of The Civil War by Stephen V. Ash

The Elements Of User Experience: User-Centered Design For The Web And Beyond by Jesse James Garrett

This is the second edition of the book, a nice refinement from the first edition, and helpful in taking a lot of the simple ideas for good design that you might use on the internet and bringing to other things. Check out an interview with the author from the publisher.

Border War: Fighting Over Slavery Before The Civil War by Stanley Harrold

The Triple Agent: The Al-Qaeda Mole Who Infiltrated The CIA by Joby Warrick

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Please note that books could be checked out between the time they end up on the blog and when you come to check them out. If you don’t see the items you’re looking for then please come up to the front desk and we’ll put your name on the reserve list for when the item returns.

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Previous New/Featured books:

02/02/11.

01/27/12.

12/27/11.

12/23/11.

And for Young Adults:

02/21/12.

02/09/12.

01/31/12.

And for Kids/Juvenile Readers:

02/28/12.

02/23/12.

02/16/12.

01/28/12.

Author quotes: Discrimination, discovery, and freedom.

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As I said last week, when you’ve set out to share great quotes from wonderful authors with the world, then it’s nice to be doing so from a library, where there is never a shortage of such unique and talented voices, with such wisdom to share. And today I didn’t want to limit myself to just one voice, so today we are going to hear from three of American literature’s finest…

First we have a nice perspective from one of the writers at the center of the Harlem Renaissance:

“Sometimes I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me. How can any deny themselves the pleasure of my company? It is beyond me.”

-Zora Neale Hurston, from “How It Feels To Be Colored Me,” an essay which appeared in The World Tomorrow in May, 1928.

Next we have a quote from a novel that not only changed what people could expect from an African American protagonist, but also from an African American novelist:

“When I discover who I am, I’ll be free.”

-Ralph Ellison, from his famous 1952 novel, Invisible Man, which won the National Book Award in 1953.

Our last quote for today comes from a writer who only wrote one novel in her lifetime, but it was an amazing novel:

“I think there’s just one kind of folks: folks.”

-Harper Lee, from her famous novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, 1960. Lee is, of course, pictured above, with her friend, Truman Capote, her childhood schoolmate, neighbor, and best friend.

Elsewhere on the internet:

It’s important to note that both Invisible Man and To Kill A Mockingbird are on The Modern Library’s list of 100 Best Novels, a nice list of the best novels written in the English language in the twentieth century.

It’s also important to note that Invisible Man, To Kill A Mockingbird, and Their Eyes Were Watching God are all on Time magazine’s list of the 100 Best English-Language Novels from 1923 to 2005.

The New York Times’ review of Invisible Man.

Saul Bellow’s review of Invisible Man.

A podcast about Ralph Ellison, and how his works are still being taught today, from Voices Of America.

An interview with Ralph Ellison in The Paris Review.

To Kill A Mockingbird: A historical perspective.

Harper Lee was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2007.

To Kill A Mockingbird was named the UK’s most beloved book last year.

The mystery of Harper Lee.

Harper Lee made a rare written appearance in 2006, writing an open letter to Oprah Winfrey in O magazine.

The official website of Zora Neale Hurston.

Study guides for Their Eyes Were Watching God at both Grade Saver and Shmoop.

An interview with Zora Neale Hurston about her research into actual zombies in Haiti.

An in depth biography of Zora Neale Hurston from Gale.

At the library we have quite a few books both by Ralph Ellison, Zora Neale Hurston, and Harper Lee, and about them. To Kill A Mockingbird and Their Eyes Were Watching God are always popular, partially because students get assignments involving them every year, so I’m glad that we have those books, as well as quite a few volumes of literary criticism about their authors, but I wish more people would come in asking about Ralph Ellison. Either way, there’s a reason that all three of these authors and their works are considered classics and I hope you’ll come and check them out.

New and Featured Books for Kids/Juvenile Readers for 02/16/2012:

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Come and check out these and some of the other new books and materials (or at least new to us) for younger and juvenile readers added to our library collection…

EASY READING:

Levi Strauss Gets A Bright Idea: A Fairly Fabricated Story Of A Pair Of Pants by Tony Johnston and illustrated by Stacy Innerst

Titus’ Troublesome Tooth by Linda Jennings and illustrated by Gwyneth Williamson

Furious George Goes Bananas: A Primate Parody by Michael Rex

Looking Like Me by Walter Dean Myers and illustrated by Christopher Myers

A celebration in poetry, a praise of who we all are as individuals, and a great book for any child who might need even the slightest little boost to their self esteem. Check out this interview with Walter Dean Myers and Christopher Myers.

Cupid And Psyche by M. Charlotte Craft and illustrated by Kinuko Y. Craft

Over The Green Hills by Rachel Isadora

I Will Come Back For You: A Family In Hiding During World War II by Marisabina Russo

You don’t see a lot of books about the experiences of the Jews during World War II aimed towards a juvenile reading audience, but this book is a welcome addition. It works both as a nice, and age appropriate introduction to that part of history for the younger reader as well as being a nice book for the Hanukkah season. The book is based on stories from the author’s family and you can find the book’s trailer here.

Better Than You by Trudy Ludwig and illustrated by Adam Gustavson

Mr. Putter & Tabby Catch The Cold by Cynthia Rylant

Dad, Jackie, And Me by Myron Uhlberg and illustrated by Colin Bootman

FICTION:

The Trumpeter Of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly

Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan

A Mango-Spaced Shape by Wendy Mass

Shimmy Shimmy Shimmy Like My Sister Kate: Looking At The Harlem Renaissance Through Poems by Nikki Giovanni

The Mammoth Academy by Neal Layton

The Mammoth Academy In Trouble! by Neal Layton

Over The Edge: A Mystery In Grand Canyon National Park by Gloria Skurzynski and Alane Ferguson

Abigail Iris: The Pet Project by Lisa Glatt and Suzanne Greenberg and illustrated by Joy Allen

Almost To Freedom by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and illustrated by Colin Bootman

A touching story of a girl’s journey on the Underground Railroad and her doll who comes with her as they attempt to make their way to freedom. The art is beautiful and the historical setting of the story is very endearing, conveyed nicely in use of the character’s dialects and spirituals referred to. The book is a Coretta Scott King Honor book and was adapted into a play. You can find an interview with Vaunda Micheaux Nelson here and here.

NON-FICTION:

If Stones Could Speak: Unlocking The Secrets of Stonehenge by Marc Aronson

Name That Style: All About Isms In Art by Bob Raczka

A nice introduction of different art styles for kids, tweens, and maybe even adults. The book features full color reproductions of famous works of art as well as histories of their creators, styles, and eras. Very highly recommended.

Life Of A Slave On A Southern Plantation by Stephen Currie

My Friend Has Down Syndrome by Jennifer Moore-Mallinos and illustrated by Marta Fabrega

Venturing The Deep Sea by Laurie Lindop

Babies Don’t Eat Pizza: A Big Kids’ Book About Baby Brothers And Baby Sisters by Dianne Danzig and illustrated by Debbie Tilley

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Please note that books could be checked out between the time they end up on the blog and when you come to check them out. If you don’t see the items you’re looking for then please come up to the front desk and we’ll put your name on the reserve list for when the item returns.

* * *

Previous New/Featured books for Adults:

02/14/11.

02/02/12.

01/27/12.

12/27/11.

12/23/11.

12/19/11.

And for Young Adults:

02/09/12.

01/31/12.

And for Kids/Juvenile Readers:

01/28/12.