Category: In the Headlines

Blog posts about big news stories and issues (i.e. not local news)

What’s New Wednesday’s: Environmental Theme

This week’s new book recommendations have an environmental theme; the photos alone in “Plastic Soup” will tug at the heartstrings.

  • Plastic Soup : an Atlas of Ocean Pollution / by Michiel Roscam Abbing. “A beautifully-illustrated survey of the plastics clogging our seas, their impacts on wildlife and people around the world, and inspirational initiatives designed to tackle the problem.”–Publisher description.
  • How to Give Up Plastic : a Guide to Changing the World, One Plastic Bottle at a Time / by Will McCallum. “An accessible guide to the changes we can all make–small and large–to rid our lives of disposable plastic and clean up the world’s oceans. It takes 450 years for a plastic bottle to fully biodegrade, and there are around 12.7 million tons of plastic entering the ocean each year. At our current pace, in the year 2050 there could be more plastic in the oceans than fish, by weight.”–Publisher description.
  • The Conscious Closet : the Revolutionary Guide to Looking Good While Doing Good / by Elizabeth L. Cline. “‘The Conscious Closet’ is not just a style guide. It is a call to action to transform one of the most polluting industries on earth–fashion–into a force for good. Readers will learn where and how their clothes are made, before connecting to a passionate global community of stylish fashion revolutionaries.”–Publisher description.

All of these books are currently available on our New Arrivals shelves in the Library Lounge. Enjoy!

If you have trouble finding any of these books, don’t hesitate to “Ask a Librarian” for help. They can also place any of these books on hold if interested.

Real ID

If your drivers license or IL state ID expires BEFORE October 2020, you’ll need to decide whether to renew it for a regular drivers license/state ID or get a “Real ID.”

This video explains a little bit about the new Real ID.

“Complete this simple interactive checklist to find out exactly what documents you will need to bring to apply for a REAL ID DL/ID before visiting a Driver Services facility.“–Illinois Secretary of State website ( https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/ )

Steve Kroft & Transforming Reporting for 30 Years

From car scams, to Chernobyl, to mob bosses, to serial killers, to US Presidents, Steve Kroft did them all for the news program 60 Minutes. This show transformed news. For 30 years, Steve Kroft has been an important voice within this show.

Here are some of his best:

Steve Kroft retires: Watch some of his favorite stories
After 30 years, the veteran correspondent says goodbye to “60 Minutes.” From investigations to adventures, here are some of his favorite reports.

50th Anniversary of Woodstock

This August will be the 50th anniversary of Woodstock, a rock concert that some historians believe “defined an entire generation and its effects on music and American culture can still be felt today.”

Check out the Chicago Tribune Historical newspaper and the New York Times Historical newspaper to get a 1969 perspective of the concert.

Apollo Moon Landing

“We choose to go the moon.” U.S. President John Kennedy stated in 1962. On July 20, 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong left his footprints on the surface of the moon. Kennedy’s quixotic vision became reality.

This July, America is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. Why not check out the MVCC catalog and become familiar with one of the greatest events in the 20th century? Also, you may want to view the MVCC historical newspaper databases to read the actual articles that appeared in the Chicago Tribune and the New York Times on that historic date.

View this silent film, A Trip to the Moon (1902). “This movie was made before we even thought it was possible to land on the moon. For its time, this is absolutely brilliant.”

Joy Harjo–First Native American Poet Laureate

Joy Harjo was named the first Native American Poet Laureate to the Library of Congress on June 19th, by Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden.

Our library has three (3) of her books in our collection, two books of poetry and her memoir.

  • How We Became Human: New and Selected Poems by Joy Harjo – “This collection offers a selection of Joy Harjo’s body of work, including poems from She Had Some Horses and Mad Love and War. Known for her signature blend of storytelling, prayer, and song, her work draws from the American tradition of praising the land and the spirit. She began writing in 1973 in the age marked by the takeover at Wounded Knee and the rejuvenation of world indigenous cultures through poetry and music. Recognized today as one of our foremost American poets, Harjo has created a necessary volume that explores how we became human in poems of sustaining grace.”–Back cover.
  • Conflict Resolution For Holy Beings: Poems by Joy Harjo – “A long-awaited poetry collection by one of our most essential Native American voices. In these poems, the joys and struggles of the everyday are played against the grinding politics of being human. Beginning in a hotel room in the dark of a distant city, we travel through history and follow the memory of the Trail of Tears from the bend in the Tallapoosa River to a place near the Arkansas River. Stomp dance songs, blues, and jazz ballads echo throughout. Lost ancestors are recalled. Resilient songs are born, even as they grieve the loss of their country.”–Publisher description.
  • Crazy Brave: a Memoir by Joy Harjo – “In this transcendent memoir, grounded in tribal myth and ancestry, music and poetry, Joy Harjo details her journey to becoming a poet. Born in Oklahoma, the end place of the Trail of Tears, Harjo grew up learning to dodge an abusive stepfather by finding shelter in her imagination, a deep spiritual life, and connection with the natural world. Narrating the complexities of betrayal and love, Crazy Brave is a haunting, visionary memoir about family and breaking apart necessary in finding a voice.”–Back cover.

So what is a “poet laureate?” The Poet Laureate of the United States is a person appointed annually by the Library of Congress and, “during his or her term, the[y] seek to raise the national consciousness to a greater appreciation of the reading and writing of poetry. The Library keeps to a minimum the specific duties required of the Poet Laureate, who opens the literary season in the fall and closes it in the spring. In recent years, Laureates have initiated poetry projects that broaden the audiences for poetry.” (loc.gov)

To learn more about Joy Harjo, visit her Poet Laureate page at the Library of Congress.

June Is Audiobook Appreciation Month

If you have never tried an audiobook format, June is the perfect month. Besides the fact that June is “Audiobook Appreciation Month,” it is also the start of summer vacations. If you are looking for something to listen to while traveling, try out an audiobook. If a hardcover format of a book is on a L-O-N-G library holds list, try out the audiobook version.

During the month of June, we will highlight some audiobook choices that may be of interest to you. This week, it is Hamilton: The Revolution, read by Mariska Hargitay, Lin-Manuel Miranda, & Jeremy McCarter.

This audiobook “gives listeners an unprecedented view of both revolutions, from the only two writers able to provide it. Miranda, along with Jeremy McCarter… traces [the show’s] development from an improbable performance at the White House to its landmark opening night on Broadway six years later.”

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Hamilton closes here in Chicago on January 5th, 2020, so if you have gone to see it, or are going before the close, check out this audiobook about the famous musical play.

Never watched Game of Thrones? You can still catch up!

Never watched Game of Thrones? Want to catch up to the rest of the world and watch the series finale on Sunday, May 19th?

Do not fear! You do NOT have have to watch all 72 episodes by Sunday. Joanna Robinson at Vanity Fair has outlined the “15 most essential episodes” or Game of Thrones.

This is the fast-forward version of the show. They are:

SEASON 1, EPISODE 1: “WINTER IS COMING”
SEASON 1, EPISODE 9: “BAELOR”
SEASON 2, EPISODE 9: “BLACKWATER”
SEASON 3, EPISODE 5: “KISSED BY FIRE”
SEASON 3, EPISODE 7: “THE BEAR AND THE MAIDEN FAIR”
SEASON 3, EPISODE 9: “THE RAINS OF CASTAMERE”
SEASON 4, EPISODE 1: “TWO SWORDS”
SEASON 4, EPISODE 8: “THE MOUNTAIN AND THE VIPER”
SEASON 4, EPISODE 10: “THE CHILDREN”
SEASON 5, EPISODE 8: “HARDHOME”
SEASON 5, EPISODE 10: “MOTHER’S MERCY”
SEASON 6, EPISODE 2: “HOME”
SEASON 6, EPISODE 5: “THE DOOR”
SEASON 7, EPISODE 4: “SPOILS OF WAR”

Of course, you may need to get yourself an HBO subscription (check out their free trial) or you can find check all seven seasons from our library.

Celebrate Poetry Month with the United States Poet Laureate

On Saturday, April 27, the Chicago Public Library (The Harold Washington Library Center) will host an all day poetry celebration with Tracy K. Smith,the 22nd US Poet Laureate, as the keynote speaker.

Follow Ms. Smith on The Slowdown podcast.  “The Poet Laureate delivers a different way to see the world-through poetry.”