Global Arts

The Great Chicago Book Sale is underway! Get hundreds of recent and classic books at discounts up to 80%! Use promo code AD9470 for sale prices. And order soon—some quantities are limted.

Following in November, there are just a slew of fantastic events happening in the Los Angeles area: James W. Douglass with Oliver Stone, Lisa Pease and Robert Ellsberg (Monday, November 8th, 7:30pm at the Saban Theatre); Melvin A. Goodman with Truthout.org's Jason Leopold (Tuesday, November 9th, 7:30pm at the Saban Theatre); Matt Taibbi with Nomi Prins and music by Michael Penn (Friday, November 12th, 8pm at Largo at the Coronet); The Nervous Breakdown Literary Experience II celebrating Jim Carroll's new posthumously-released magnum opus The Petting Zoo; and Dennis Lehane with Tom Franklin and Carolyn Kellogg (Thursday, November 18th, 7:30pm).

James W. Douglass with Oliver Stone, Lisa Pease

Melvin A. Goodman with Jason Leopold

How important is getting a child to read? Very important! Study after study confirms this...as well as my mother and third grade teacher, who encouraged me to read all the time. I’m definitely a better person for it. Just ask my mom!

 BenBella Books Young Reviewers Circle is for your kids to review books.

Your child is invited to review a book!
Getting your kids to read has never been this easy — sign up your 8 - 14 year old for the BenBella Books Young Reviewers Circle, and they’ll receive:

     •    A special pre-release edition of the magical new children’s book, The Sword
          of Darrow (limited to the first 1000 who sign up)
     •    An official BenBella Books Young Reviewers Circle membership certificate
     •    A signed copy of The Sword of Darrow when it’s officially released next year
     •    Your child’s name printed inside the book, recognizing them as a member of
          the BenBella Books Young Reviewers Circle

Let your kid be the critic
Why is BenBella Books inviting your child to join their Young Reviewers Circle? They want your young reader to share their thoughts about The Sword of Darrow and what they’d like to see in the sequel to make it even better than the first. We’re pretty sure it’s the first time ever that a national publisher has asked kids to help review and develop their books, so don’t miss out on this exclusive opportunity.

Happy reading!

(Briana Orr photo credit)

by Masha Hamilton

Not long after the second of my three children was born, I sat at the kitchen table late one evening talking to my dad about parental responsibility. It’s a big topic and we were covering lots of philosophical ground, but what I remember most is my pronouncement that my primary job could be boiled down quite simply and starkly: I had to keep safe these beings released into my charge. I needed to keep them alive.

These were the musings of a new parent, of course. The circumstances, too, should be considered; the first child had been born in Jerusalem during the intefadeh, and the second was born as I was reporting from Moscow during the collapse of Communism. In both situations, I repeatedly came face-to-face with life’s fragility.

But even in calmer times, even after the birth of my third child, I never lost the feeling that my main duty was to pass them on into adulthood as unscathed as possible, as healthy in every way as they could be.

It sounds pretty simple, on the face of it. We perform many jobs as parents: nurturers, playmates, cheerleaders, short-order cooks, nurses, disciplinarians, detectives, spiritual leaders. Keeping them safe should not be the hardest, not with the help of baby monitors, plastic devices to cover electrical outlets, pads for sharp corners, child-proof medicine bottles, the list goes on.

And in fact, we passed through well, with just the usual rounds of stitches, one violent dog attack, a rabies scare and a few months when my youngest fell so often and got so many bumps on his forehead that my husband and I joked someone was surely going to call child services on us.

Now, though, my youngest is 14, and as they’ve grown, I recognize my job has been transformed. It is to give them trust and space so they can develop confidence in their ability to make their own lives. And yet the two oldest, at ages 19 and 20, are in a period of time that seems almost like a parentheses in their lives. They are certainly not children, but nor are they quite adults. Meanwhile, I say and think all the usual things parents have been saying and thinking since—well, perhaps ever since Cicero, whose words I keep taped to my office wall: it’s rougher out there than it was in my time. More chaotic. More violent. More dangerous.

And everyone is writing a book.

It was, in fact, into my latest novel, 31 Hours, that I channeled my fears. Among other things, the novel offered a chance to explore what it means to be the parent of someone on the cusp of adulthood but not yet there. The mother in 31 Hours, Carol, is strong and independent, free of empty nest syndrome, but her maternal intuition is strong and she’s concerned about her 21-year-old son’s growing emotional distance, the way he seems tense and depressed. Her fears are amorphous and hard to convey; nevertheless, as she lies awake in the dark, she decides to trust the hunch that something is wrong, and to spend the next day trying to track her son Jonas down and “mother him until he shrugs her off.”

There are many themes in the novel, but one question it asks—one pertinent to all parents and one I’m still trying to answer for myself—is this: after years of being vigilant and protecting our kids, what should we do—and what are we allowed to do—to keep them safe once they are nearly, but not quite, grown?

PBS Kid Sprout is partnered with Pajama Program to deliver new cozy PJs and new bedtime books to children in need. Their goal is to reach 75,000 kids in the first year of the Great Tuck-In by October 1st. Sprout is also matching each donation.

This is a great opportunity for your children, nieces, nephews, cousins, grandchildren, any child you interact with to get involved with a great organization. Not only will they learn about giving and helping, they will remember this experience as special moments of spending time with their loved ones while helping others.

Wendy Walker was interviewed on Connecting Women Radio about her book Four Wives.

Wendy Walker introduces readers into the lives of four women, Love, Marie, Gayle and Janie, who live in Hunting Ridge, a suburb that seems to appear perfect. Four women come together and plan a charitable event. During the planning process, the secret lives of four women are revealed to the reader.

Four Wives is a great read to add to your reading list.

I was delighted to see my son get excited when he asked me to buy "All About Corduroy" by Don Freeman. I asked him why he chose this book, he told me because his kindergarten teacher read it to them before going on vacation.

I love sharing the past of my childhood with my son because I feel it is one of the greatest things you can do with your children. I feel that they will be able to understand themselves by getting to see what you were like as a child like them.

"All About Corduroy" contains two stories: Corduroy and A Pocket for Corduroy. Corduroy is about him living in a store with a missing button and looking for the button while waiting for the rightful owner to take him to their home. A Pocket for Corduroy is about Corduroy wanting to add a pocket to his overalls.

These classics leave children wanting to know what is going to happen to Corduroy as he is on his journeys. Children are relieved to hear that Corduroy overcomes obstacles.

Parents, you need to read to your children not only books on Corduroy but other books you read as a child.

I had the pleasure of reviewing Albert David's and with David Farcy, MD's book, an emergency guide for educators and parents. David and Farcy's book is a complete guide covering everything from preventing online dangers, bullying and sexual abuse to lifesaving procedures in the event of poisonings, drowning, and other injuries.

It is a great reference book for adults to refresh what are specific emergencies and what kinds of things should be known before telling children.

I would highly recommend Keeping our Children Safe and Healthy From Pre-K Through High School: The First A to Z Emergency Guide for Educators and Parents. It is vital to have a quick reference guide in case you ever have to handle a certain type of situation.

Going green is now the latest craze. Whatever the reasons why "going green" is the latest craze, the Earth benefits from the actions of people going green. Author Franke James wrote Bothered by My Green Conscience: How an SUV-driving, imported-strawberry-eating urban dweller can go green to show her experience of doing something "big", not just small steps like changing to fluorescent light bulbs or recycling cans.

James said she looked at her surroundings to see what was using a lot of resources or energy. She and husband decided to give up their SUV and therefore begin on other projects. James documents her and husband's journey on the way to giving up their SUV AND faced challenges as they continued their journey on being green.

This is a must read because not only is this educational, it is written in a whimsical style--entertaining. I would highly recommend this book because it is edutainment for adults.

I saw this link on Twitter. When I clicked on the link, I wrote it is like Book Heaven! I thought I would pass on this link to my readers. Enjoy!

http://oedb.org/blogs/ilibrarian/2009/10-websites-for-book-lovers/

DH and I spent the Sunday afternoon in a bookstore that I absolutely love. We drank coffee as we leafed through a few books. After finishing leafing through particular book, I tell DH that I want to purchase this for my company.

He replied by saying, "No, write down the title, and we will do online comparing, going for the less expensive." I told him that I couldn't wait and I NEEDED the book.

DH insisted for me not to bring the book. After giving him a sad look, DH replied smiling, "Don't worry. Tomorrow or later this week you will come back and buy the book anyways."

His reply caught me off guard that I end up laughing so hard, and I replied "Is it that obvious (that I buy books without telling him)?" He laughed and said, "Yup. You have piles of books. It is hard to miss them."

He is right. I have piles of books. In fact, all kinds of books. So what did I do today, while waiting to pick up DS from class, I went to the Bookstore and bought the book that I had "NEEDED".

Shhh....don't tell DH. ;)

I am an avid reader, and I hope to pass the love of reading down to my son and the rest of my children (when I have them). To me, reading opens many opportunities to a person that otherwise we wouldn't have.

I also had the pleasure of attending Family Reading Night activities in my area last year. I took my son, and we were read to by different people. My son also won a book. There were treats and prizes given away.

It was nice to see families come together and show how reading can be fun.

Check with your local schools and libraries to see if any activities are offered for Family Reading Night.

Here is one below:

What: Family Reading Night
Where: Rochelle Middle School (Rochelle, IL)
When: Thursday, November 20, 2008, 6-8:30 p.m.
Why: To celebrate National Family Reading

There will be stories read by celebrity readers, prizes, treats and many other surprises!

No pre-registration is necessary

Hosted by: Flagg-Rochelle Public Library and Rochelle Elementary S.D. #231 Libraries

Chance to win copies of both "Storm" Joyce Anthony and "The Rape of Innocence" by Lacresha Hayes. Read and comment at http://thebookviews.blogspot.com/.