National Day of Service and Remembrance

Today marks the 11th anniversary of the September 11th Terrorist attacks against the United States.  2,977 people were killed that day in New York City, Washington DC, and Shanksville, PA.  There have been some great books written about that day and the events that led to it.  Among the best of these are:

 The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright- A sweeping narrative history of the events leading to 9/11, a groundbreaking
look at the people and ideas, the terrorist plans and the Western intelligence failures that culminated in the assault on             America.  The Looming Tower achieves an unprecedented level of intimacy and insight by telling the story through the  interweaving lives of four men: the two leaders of al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri; the FBI’s counterterrorism chief, John O’Neill; and the former head of Saudi intelligence, Prince Turki al-Faisal.
The Looming Tower draws all elements of the story into a galvanizing narrative that adds immeasurably to our understanding of how we arrived at September 11, 2001.

 

   102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers by Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn- Drawing on hundreds of interviews with rescuers and survivors, thousands of pages of oral histories, and countless phone, e-mail, and emergency radio transcripts, New York Times reporters Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn tell the story of September 11 from the inside looking out, weaving together the stories of ordinary men and women into an epic account of struggle, determination, and grace.  Dwyer and Flynn reveal the decisions, both good and bad, that proved to be the difference between life and death on a day that changed America forever.

 

   Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 by Steve Coll- From the managing editor of the Washington Post , a news-breaking account of the CIA’s involvement in the covert wars in Afghanistan that fueled Islamic militancy and gave rise to bin Laden’s al Qaeda.  Comprehensively and for the first time, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Steve Coll tells the secret history of the CIA’s role in Afghanistan, from its covert program against Soviet troops from 1979 to 1989, to the rise of the Taliban and the emergence of bin Laden, to the secret efforts by CIA officers and their agents to capture or kill bin Laden in Afghanistan after 1998.   Ghost Wars answers the questions so many have asked since the horrors of September 11: To what extent did America’s best intelligence analysts grasp the rising threat of Islamist radicalism? Who tried to stop bin Laden and why did they fail?

Today has also been declared a National Day of Service and Remembrance.  You can find some great opportunities for volunteer service here.  You can also volunteer your time at your local CLP branch library.  If you are up for a drive, you can visit the Flight 93 National Memorial, which is about an hour away from Pittsburgh.

Teen Review: The Legend of Zelda™: Symphony of the Goddesses at Heinz Hall

Hi, I’m Henry. Since I was born 16 years ago, my biggest claim to fame has been winning the state geography bee in 2009. I run cross country and track for Seton-La Salle High School. I play trombone in the school’s marching band and am a member of the Mock Trial and Academic Games teams. I like to read the Greeks and Romans, and I love opera.

Heinz Hall: Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

As I arrived at Heinz Hall Friday evening, I couldn’t help noticing a number of things I normally do not see here. One of the most conspicuous of these was the select number of the audience who arrived dressed for the occasion in green caps that made them look like as if they were decorations in the spirit of the music we were to hear. All in all, the crowd generally seemed to have been drawn more by the “Zelda” in the title than the “symphony.”

The stage was dominated by a very large screen suspended over the orchestra’s chairs. When the conductor, a Ms. Eí mear Noone began the music, the screen showed screenshots from different games of the Zelda franchise. The images on the screen evoked laughter from time to time among the audience in general, but I, having never played a game in the franchise, was not sure when and why to laugh.

At the beginning of the symphony, I resented the screen as an unnecessary distraction; by intermission, I was curiously mesmerized by it. It was a very different experience from when I’ve been there for more conventional works. I think it would be detrimental to some works whose music is attractive enough to sustain interest (in my case, music of Mozart and his generation); for others which I do not care for as much (e.g., Bruckner, Debussy, Wagner, etc.) it would almost certainly hold my attention better.

The music itself presented, I think, did not need such sideshows. It was, as is much video game music, catchy and facile (in the best sense of that word). The main theme was repeated innumerable times, but not ad nauseam. The style of the music defied categorization, but I would call it modern if I had to call it anything. My personal favorites were the first two movements, which were respectively descriptive of a dungeon and a pastoral village in the universe of Link and Zelda.

In its entirety, I thought the show was better than average, and not merely for the novelty of the staging or the unusual music (or, perhaps, in spite of them). The quality of the music was overall very good, and, as usual, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra showed us the reasons why it is so highly acclaimed.

Teen Review: Perfect by Ellen Hopkins

My name is Clara, and I am 14 years old. I go to Science And Technology Academy and I am in the 10th grade. In my spare time when I’m not reading a good book, I dance in competions, do cheerleading, and play sports.

Perfect by Ellen Hopkins

Hello fellow readers! I just finished reading Perfect by Ellen Hopkins, and I wanted to tell you how great the book is! The book is all about the struggles that teens in everyday life face, with trying to please their parents, trying to fit in, and mostly tring to be perfect in the eyes of others.  In the story, four high school seniors struggle with trying to be perfect and the problems they encounter from these struggles.   The poetry in the book only make the book easier and more fun to read, and lets you veiw the characters through different eyes. I would recomend this book to anyone who likes reading edgy teen books, and wouldn’t mind opening their eyes to something new.

Indie Animations Worth a Look!

I’m always down for Coraline or the Nightmare Before Christmas, and Up made me cry like a baby (in a good way).  But just because big-name movies are easy to locate doesn’t mean they’re the only ones worth seeing!

There are tons of art house, foreign studio, or amateur “scrapster” animations that are not to be missed. Next time you’re looking for something different to watch, try one of these…they’re all at the library.

Whoa! Sita Sings the Blues weaves together the passion of love, the sadness of breakups, a 3,000 year-old Sanskrit epic story called Ramayana (told in graphic novel here), and the 1920′s blues croonings of Annette Hanshaw. If that sounds confusing, don’t worry. Each narrative is told in a different style of animation–which keeps things clear and interesting. This film is a great example of what novice filmmakers can do with a little passion and time  – filmmaker Nina Paley had never animated anything longer than a few minutes when she started making this one.

Watch as Alice‘s inanimate world comes to life in this quietly bizarre stop-motion film. If you grew up with Disney’s Alice in Wonderland, it may seem twee in comparison with this darker 1988 adaptation. I shiver every time the White Rabbit chomps his teeth. This version of Alice is really faithful to the classic Lewis Carroll, where the world of Alice that you think you know expands. If you’ve participated in QuickFLIX already this summer, you may find inspiration for your next stop-motion creation here!

Mary and Max is an Australian claymation film set in the 1960s that follows the unlikely friendship of two pen-pals. Mary Dinkle is a lonely, homely kid in Melbourne. Her mom is an alchoholic, and her dad just seems not to care – so picks a name out of a phone book and begins writing to Max, who she learns is an obese New Yorker with Asperger’s Syndrome. Over 20 years (don’t worry – they go fast), the quirky duo follows and changes one another’s lives.

The Secret of Kells is the story of the book that “turns darkness into light.” Brendan lives with monks at a remote outpost, Iona, when a visit from a master artist turns everything upside-down. He confronts evil, hidden in a deeply enchanted forest, and his darkest fears. If you like quest stories, faeries, Ireland, or medieval art, this one’s for you.

The stylings throughout this film are a clear homage to the painstakingly elaborate illuminated manuscripts of medieval Ireland–heck, the Book of Kells is one. For you art history buffs (I know you’re out there!), this is icing on an already delicious cake.

Madame Sousa’s grandson is kidnapped while riding the Tour de France, but she’s not just going to sit and watch it happen. She enlists her pooch, Bruno, and a spinster trio of jazz singers (because hey, why not?) to help her find young Champion. The upbeat retro soundtrack of The Triplets of Belleville is a little bit reminiscent of the music from a high-school classic, Ghost World, and the animation – well…watch it and find out!

These are just a handful of what we’ve got at the library, but what do you think? What’s the best animated film for teens?

Whitney, CLP – Main

Rural reads

I grew up in a tiny town in the corn belt where the first kid to ride his tractor to school was not the last. We swam in ponds as often as in pools. The super-spacious Midwestern sprawl and lack of public transport meant that, once I learned to drive, I usually got where I was going with the windows down at…um…a totally legal and safe speed.

That car now is scrap metal, and as summer activities go, Pittsburgh beats the flatlands with no contest!  But gorgeous summer afternoons, grilling with friends, cinema in the park and some of the most ridiculous jams from the 90′s have the power to send me back to my neighborhood with force. These books do the same, and it’s kinda nice!

The Oxford Project by Peter Feldstein and Stephen G. Bloom

In 1984, the author set out to photograph everyone in his hometown of Oxford, Iowa, instructing them to “come as you are.” Twenty years later, Feldstein hunted down the same people who had stood in front of his lens the first go-around and published the photographs side-by-side. Each set of photos comes with a brief interview of the participant, and they range from downright wacky to mundane. I’ve never thought of small town life as stunning, but this series of portraits absolutely changed my mind.

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Rotters by Daniel Kraus

Joey was 16 when his mother tragically died and he was shipped from Chicago to rural Iowa to live with a father he barely knew. Living with a near-stranger is hard, but finding out the stink in your shack comes from the graves your dad is robbing? Arguably worse. This takes the small (and big) town mantra “nothing ever HAPPENS around here!” and runs it through the wringer. This book is not for the weak of stomach, but if you enjoy a thoughtfully dark read, you will get what you came for with Rotters.

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Need to get out of the city – if only for a little while? Check out some of these other awesome reads with rural settings.

   

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Whitney, CLP – Main

Teen review: The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate

My name is Jenna. I go to a high school where I’m part of the marching band and the cheerleading squad. I’m pretty busy, but I always find time to read. I’m also very creative and I like doing little crafts out of random things I find.

The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Lauren Kate

Natalie Hargrove is a very spoiled and stuck up high school senior. She wants to win the coveted crown of Palmetto Princess, and she will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Natalie’s enemy, Justin Balmer, is the one kid who’s threatening her boyfriends spot of Palmetto Prince. Natalie decides to do something unforgivable to Justin to try and stop him from winning.

Now, Natalie is desperately trying to cover up what she did to Justin, and she’s pulling her boyfriend into the mess too. While all of this is going on, she has to deal with her rocky past and the demise of her popularity.

This novel is very interesting but can be hard to follow at times. What is very interesting about this novel is the reader isn’t going to know if they should like the main character or not. She’s very driven, but not a very nice person. This novel has a very surprising, but well thought-out ending.

It’s all history

People tend to forget that the word “history” contains the word “story”. 

~Ken Burns

I have always been horrible at history.  I’m no good at memorizing dates and names to get good grades on history exams.  My brain just doesn’t work that way even if I would like it to.

The funny thing is though, that I’ve always read Historical Fiction.   I love to learn about the lives of people from the past.   Their stories have always fascinated me.

Reading fantastic tales with ghosts, vampires and magic is just fine, but really when it comes down to it, I feel most at home with realistic stories and settings I can relate to.  Historical fiction always seems to fit the bill.  A lot of times I’m drawn to a story without even thinking of it as historical fiction.   That’s the trouble with genres.  If it’s a really good book it doesn’t matter if its fantasy or horror or graphic novel.  It’s just a good read.

If, like me, you enjoy books with action and adventure minus some of the more far-fetched aspects of Science Fiction, Fantasy, or Dystopian literature give Historical Fiction a try with some of these great titles…

The Book Thief
Macus Zusak
In a story narrated by Death himself, Liesel Meminger finds herself in a tight knit German village during WWII.  Her foster parents, friends, neighbors, and a Jewish brawler hiding in the basement band together as the bombs fall over their city and Liesel learns about the most beautiful and horrible parts of human nature.




Shades of Gray
Ruta Sepetys
Lina, her mother and brother are deported to a Stalinist work camp following the Russian invasion of Lithuania.  A talented artist, Lina hopes beyond reason that the pictures she sends in secret to her imprisoned father are enough to keep hope alive for both of them.






Moon Over Manifest
Clare Vanderpool
After a life of riding the rails Abilene Tucker has settled in Manifest, KS (at least for now).  Amidst the poverty, and depression she makes friends and goes on a “spy hunt” to learn the story of a mystery from the town’s past.






A Northern Light
Jennifer Donnelly
At 16 Mattie is largely responsible for her father’s failing farm and for her young siblings.  In 1906 Mattie has few choices but to follow the will of her parents, settle down and marry a man she doesn’t love.   But after a true life tragedy strikes at the summer resort where she is working, Mattie’s perspective on duty and loyalty is changed forever.

You say you like a little Fantasy/Sci Fi in your Historical fiction?  Check out Scott Westerfield’s Leviathan Trilogy ably reviewed by Joshua right here on this blog.  Its an alternate reality version of the epic stories of WWI.

And for a little local historical fare…

Macaroni Boy

Katherine Ayers
While Mike Costa struggles with the prejudice and poverty of the depression era in Pittsburgh’s “the Strip” neighborhood, he begins to notice a mystery developing around his Grandfather’s illness and the rats dying on the streets.






Three Rivers Rising
Jame Richards
Set against the back drop of rural Western Pennsylvania, wealthy and privileged Celestia falls in love with Peter the son of a mining family from a shanty town down river.  Their love story is intertwined with details of the real events of the Johnstown flood that killed 2,200 people in the Spring of 1889.

Happy Reading!

Brooke

Teen Intern Manga Review: A Certain Scientific Railgun

Today CLP East Liberty‘s own Teen Youth Intern, Savion, will review a recently published volume of manga. It was sent to me for review by the publisher, Seven Seas, and I wanted to see if had any appeal for the teen collection. Here’s what he has to say:

This manga called A Certain Scientific Railgun by Kazuma Kamachi and illustrated by Motoi Fuyukawa is nothing short of awesome. The main character’s name is Mikoto Misaka. She is almost the most powerful mutant in town.

I liked this book because, the topic entertained me, and the idea of a middle school girl having the power of a railgun just seems exquisite–she basically uses electricity to fight but the voltage level is very high*. Everyone does not have powers, only the mutants–other locals are just humans. The kids who do have powers are special.

In school Mikoto and her friends learn how to control their powers and become more powerful. Every mutant has a power level that goes from 0 to 5, 5 is the most powerful level. Mikoto is a level 5 and she has the power of a railgun.

I like this book because it has a lot of action in it, like when the main character Mikoto fights other mutants. I like her use of her powers of the railgun. Another thing I like about this book is the characters’ personalities. They feel like real people but just inside of a book. I like the art style in the book. It is manga of course. This book flows a lot like anime and I happen to really like anime. I like how this book goes more on the teen side then the younger audience.

I don’t have many dislikes of this book. But it could have a better variety of powers to distinguish throughout all of the characters. I don’t like how Mikoto only uses her powers to fight. She could also use them to hack into computers and lots of other cool fun things that have to do with electricity.

I highly recommend this title for the library.

-Savion, CLP – East Liberty

*NOTE – I had to look this up while I was reading the book, so I thought I’d pass on the information: a railgun is a gun that does not use gunpowder. Instead, its power comes from an electrified magnetic field. (Click here for more detailed information.)  That’s why Mikoto’s nickname is “the Railgun”.  Check out this video to see how much destruction a railgun can create:

The library doesn’t have this book (yet?) but if you’re looking for similar action-style manga we do have these options:

Like reading about so-called “mutants”? We have a ton of X-Men comics…




 

 

 







Prefer to stick with manga?

Code:Breaker / Akimine Kamijyo: Teenage assassins with superpowers!

 

 

 

 

Rurouni Kenshin / story and art by Nobuhiro Watsuki:

Kenshin is a wandering former assassin during the Meiji period in Japan. Some of the characters have superhuman skills.

 

 

 

 

 

The Prince of Tennis / story & art by Takeshi Konomi.

What if you could defy physics? Would you use your skills to play tennis?

Poetry Review: David Berman

I know from being on the Ralph Munn Creative Writing Contest Committee that there are many local teen poets and so, presumably, poetry readers out there. But sometimes trying to find new poets to read is overwhelming. So I’ve decided to do some poetry reviewing to introduce some of my favorites to you.  Maybe you’ll be inspired to add some books of poetry to the mix of what you’re reading.

Incidentally, I find that poetry is a great thing to read during the summer because you can bring a book of poetry to a park, sit down, read one and let your mind drift away for however long you want, and then go on to the next one without worrying about following a plot arc.

Today I’ll be talking about David Berman!

I picked up this book because I’m a big fan of David Berman’s music (under the name of Silver Jews).  I find his lyrics to be funnily mundane and still sort of yearning, and his poetry did not disappoint.  It mixes the daily and the absurd with a sense of the bigness of things.  For example, he was quoted in a Poetry Society interview as saying that his first real lines of poetry were “A cartoon lake. Wolf on skates.”  Weird and a little silly.  But he can also go into something that doesn’t, on the surface, look like it means much, but feels like it’s somehow a conclusive statement about how things are, like in this poem:

SNOW

Walking through a field with my little brother Seth

I pointed to a place where kids had made angels in the snow.

For some reason, I told him that a troop of angels

had been shot and dissolved when they hit the ground.

He asked who had shot them and I said a farmer.

Then we were on the roof of the lake.

The ice looked like a photograph of water.

Why he asked. Why did he shoot them.

I didn’t know where I was going with this.

They were on his property, I said.

When it’s snowing, the outdoors seem like a room.

Today I traded hellos with my neighbor.

Our voices hung close in the new acoustics.

A room with the walls blasted to shreds and falling.

We returned to our shoveling, working side by side in silence.

But why were they on his property, he asked.

Check out Actual Air today!

If you want to hear Mr. Berman read some of his poems, watch this video:

- Tessa, CLP – East Liberty

Good books that are hard to read

This year I’ve come across 3 books that were hard to put down but hard to get through.  Not because of the writing, but because the subject matter was sad, even brutal, and the author made the story so heartbreaking and real that I sometimes had to compose myself before going on. 

If you, like me, appreciate these good but hard to read type of novels from time to time, then I have some recommendations for you.    They’re not for every teen, and that’s reflected in the marketing (but more about that later)–just consider this my caveat–there’s nothing truly explicit about these books, but they are about the bad things that happen in life.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

 

     In some ways this seems like a plot constructed just to make the reader cry.  A tearjerker, if you will.  But it has more complexity than that term implies, and a protagonist with a genuine, vulnerable heart that makes the story impossible to put down.

One snowy day in Oregon, Mia and her family go for a drive to visit friends.  And then, suddenly, Mia is outside of her body and nothing will ever be the same.  The novel follows her over the course of a day while she witnesses what goes on in the hospital, thinks about particularly poignant moments in her life, and realizes that she has to decide whether to stay or go.

I spent the whole time reading this with a lump in my throat–maybe because I had an unfortunate second-hand look at a tragic death this summer, but also because Gayle Forman does a great job and writes vividly.

 

 

Room by Emma Donoghue

  It’s one of Library Journal’s Top Ten Books of the Year!  Also: “shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, has won the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize …and the Hughes & Hughes Irish Novel of the Year, …chosen as a Notable Book of 2011 by the NEW YORK TIMES, the GLOBE AND MAIL.”  (quoted from Donoghue’s website).

You may have noticed that Room is an “adult” novel, in that it is being marketed for adults.  But it has a lot in common with books that are marketed for teens–fast pace, inventive point of view, and a journey of discovery. 

It’s narrated by a five-year old, Jack, who lives with his very young mother in a room, or Room, as he calls it. And why not? he’s never lived anywhere else, and he’s never seen the outside world.  There is only Room, and Bed, and Television, that shows what’s happening on different planets.  There’s also a man who comes in from Outer Space and visits his Mom. 

You catch on to what the situation really is faster than Jack does–and it is his voice that keeps this story from being entirely terrible and gloomy.  In fact, it’s as lively and smart and full of wonder as Jack is.  With an undertone of dread.

Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan

This has won the Printz Award, which, as you may know, ”exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature”.  Its author, Margo Lanagan, didn’t write it to be marketed to a certain age range, and there’s been a lot of discussion among librarians about whether it has enough “teen appeal” or whether it just happens to involve a lot of teen characters.

You can be the judge of that.  All I know is that I loved it.

It’s a reimagining of a fairy tale (Rose Red and Snow White) and is set in a fairytale world (and a world within a world).  Liga suffers abuse from her father, and then, when he dies, abuse from boys in her town.  Life, in fact, is so hard that she doesn’t want to live any more.  Instead, she is granted her own perfect world, where she raises two daughters.  But the real world starts leaking through. 

Like any good fairytale it has truly terrible parts, and dread, and heartbreak, and also real goodness and moments of sharp relief & comfort.  It’s a really enveloping tale, but not for the faint of heart, and told in appropriately fantastical dialect:

“…Liga had not wanted to encounter any more such as them, with their needling eyes–and no man, either, taking care to look away, that the sight of her did not taint him or make him laugh, or whatever it was they feared. …So she mustered all these things in her mind against the flarings of curiosity that afflicted her, …Everything was as it should be on the road, with the wheelruts and the hoofclefts gleaming with the night’s rainshowers, the oak with the cut branches that looked like a popeyed old scawcraw, and the scattering of wildflowers either side.”

 

What are your hard to read books?