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One criticism of the movie is that it didn't go into detail about the impact of the bombs when they were dropped on two Japanese cities in August 1945. Hiroshima by John Hersey was a groundbreaking work that revealed to the world in 1946 the devastation and suffering the bombs inflicted. Fallout by Lesley M.M. Blume goes behind the scenes of Hersey's efforts to tell that story despite intense pressure and censorship from the US government. The Bomb: Presidents, Generals and the Secret History of Nuclear War by Fred Kaplan takes us through the use of the first bombs and the nuclear arms race that's followed.
For Fans of Barbie There are a lot of great novels exploring relationships and identity with the same fun vibe as Barbie, but today's post focuses on nonfiction. Despite the comedy of the movie, there were some serious messages about finding your purpose, believing in yourself ("I am Kenough") and empowering girls and women. When Everything Changed: the Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to Today by Gail Collins explores the growth of women's rights and opportunities through 2008, when Hillary Clinton became the first woman to run for president. Amazons, Abolitionists and Activists by Mikki Kendall highlights key figures and events in the fight for women's rights. In Spinster: Making a Life of Own's One, author Kate Bolick considers how she and other women are choosing to remain single, defying the convention that once defied most women. Girl Rising: Changing the World One Girl at a Time by Tanya Lee Stone focuses on the stories of girls from around the world who found an escape from poverty through education. If you'd like to learn about the toy itself, try Barbie and Ruth: The Story of the World's Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Made Her by Robin Gerber. It explores how Ruth Handler transformed the toy business and impacted American culture for generations. After a much too-lengthy hiatus, I'm back with new reviews. My goal is to post a few each week to help HHS students and staff discover books that might interest them. Some connect to current events, whether the pandemic we're coping with or the racial justice movement sweeping the country. Others may be ways to escape real life.
A timely read that I recently finished was The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander. Written by a Civil Rights lawyer, this nonfiction book explores how our legal system‘s decades-old War on Drugs has unfairly impacted African Americans, leading to more arrests and harsher punishments than white drug users have faced. It compares the restrictions that ex-cons face after release - limits on voting, jobs, low-income housing, and more - to the Jim Crow laws that oppressed Blacks after slavery was abolished. It is an eye-opening, disheartening look at an often unjust justice system. It pairs well with When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matters Memoir by Asha Bandele and Patrisse Cullors. This short memoir recounts the experiences of one of the founders of BLM. Growing up in an impoverished minority community, Patrisse's brother was targeted by police and, once in the system, he was unable to find jobs, housing and health care that would help him get back on his feet. As a result, he often ended up back in jail, in a system that seemed to criminalize - instead of treat - his mental illness. The memoir makes the case for more social services and fewer prisons, and sheds light one of the biggest activist groups operating today. For a break from the world's challenges, I turned to Confessions of a Prairie Bitch by Alison Angram, the actress who played the child villain of the classic TV show Little House on the Prairie. A funny memoir about growing up in Hollywood, coping with the real-life hatred of the show’s fans and hitting your professional peak as a teen. It’s also a story of the resilience of the author, who has become an activist for sexual abuse survivors. For science fans, I recommend Spook by Mary Roach, a nonfiction exploration of the afterlife, by a writer who humorously focuses on science topics you won’t see in textbooks. She’s also written about life in space (Packing for Mars), death and dead bodies (Stiff - my favorite), the human body (Gulp) and going to war (Grunt). She’s irreverent and engaging, but also can be a little graphic for some readers. For example, in Stiff, Roach visits a place where dead bodies are buried so scientists can study decomposition, which could help police determine how long ago someone died. In Packing for Mars, she discusses how we'd handle certain bodily functions during the months-long spaceflight to the planet. You may already know the story behind The Martian, the Oscar-nominated movie starring Matt Damon. But if you've only seen the movie, you're missing the great look into the psyche of the stranded astronaut that is contained in the book. And if you haven't seen the movie yet, I highly recommend that you read the book first. I started with the book, written in 2011 by self-proclaimed science nerd Andy Weir. From friends who have seen the movie, I have heard that the stories are very similar. When Mark Watney and his team of astronauts are caught in a terrible sandstorm while exploring Mars, Watney is presumed dead and left behind. Facing a distant, and very slim, chance of rescue with supplies only meant to last a short time, Watney must invent ways to grow food, expand water and air supplies and restore communications with NASA. Eventually, a rescue plan is put into place, but it requires a dangerous trek across Martian terrain where survival depends on stretching Watney's equipment, abilities and determination beyond their limits. The main difference between the movie and the book is that much of the book is told through Watney's journals. Instead of just watching him devise a system to grow potatoes using his own waste, as you do in the movie, you read what he is thinking (and smelling) as he mixes bags of poo with soil samples from Earth in the hope of growing enough food to survive. In the scene where Watney loses his recently regained ability to talk to NASA, the book reveals his shift from confusion to terror to anger when he realizes it's a result of his own mistake. These glimpses into his mindset make the reality of his situation -- the hopelessness, fear, ingenuity and bravery-- all the more pressing. It turns a story of survival into an exploration of the rollercoaster emotions a person experiences when faced with danger. At times, the scientific explanations in the book went over my head, but that didn't limit my enjoyment. Even without understanding every detail, I was riveted by Watney's plight and cheering for a happy ending. The story of survival against all odds -- whether it occurs on Mars, the oceans of Earth or in a dysfunctional family -- is something most of us can relate to. The Martian was a great read, and now I can't wait to see the movie. classic about an experiment to make man smarter still relevant in age of cloning & other 'progress'6/11/2015 If there was an operation that would make you smarter, would you do it? Should you do it? That's one of the main questions sparked by the novel Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes. Scientists, hoping to "fix" mental retardation, develop an experimental operation to alter human intelligence. Testing it first on a mouse named Algernon, whose intelligence has soared as a result, the scientists try the procedure on a mentally retarded man named Charlie Gordon. Charlie tells the story through diary entries ("progress reports") which show his progression from "moron" to a genius that surpasses that of the experts around him. It delves into the benefits of his newfound intelligence as well as the pitfalls -- such as having no one smart enough to talk to. And when original test subject Algernon starts to lose his intelligence, Charlie is forced to face the possibility that his own development may not last much longer. The book sparks a lot of thought about what makes a person -- Is it intellect? Is it compassion? Is one sufficient without the other? It also makes you think about the reach of science and medicine -- should we "play God" and try to "fix" people? Are we really aware of the consequences of the progress we claim to be making? It's hard for me to believe this book was written in 1959 -- it doesn't sound dated, and the issues are just as relevant today. Think about the cochlear implant, which can make a deaf person hear again -- some deaf people are against this because they feel being deaf is part of their identity, not something to be fixed. Think about genetic testing and cloning -- we can identify disabilities before a person is even born. Should we fix them? Will it be taken too far to the point where we're engineering babies with blue eyes and above-average height? While the book is slow-paced at times and the opening chapters, written while Charlie is mentally retarded, can be a little tricky to read, I recommend sticking with it. It's a fascinating, well written and thought-provoking book. |
AuthorMrs. McHugh is a librarian and instructional technology specialist. She loves talking books and pop culture with her students at Hanover High School. Archives
February 2024
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