Time Travel, History and Romance

When a good friend of mine found out that I was a fan of Game of Thrones, she turned me on to Outlander after it had aired last year. Although comparisons have been drawn to Game of Thrones, these two series are not entirely similar (admittedly, both of the book series were difficult to market, were “word of mouth” books and took a good while before being translated to screen). But Game of Thrones is epic high fantasy that takes place in a world nothing like our own and is dependent on magic, dragons and family sagas. Whereas Outlander takes place in a historically accurate Scotland and is more historical fiction/romance with a twinge of science fiction thrown in the beginning.

Our story opens with the heroine Claire Randall, a former British Army nurse seeking to reconnect with her husband Frank after a WWII-induced separation. Their story begins on their second honeymoon in Inverness, Scotland, where Frank indulges his passion in genealogy (which you can do with the Library’s resources), while Claire focuses her energy on botany. After witnessing a pagan ritual at an ancient stone circle with her husband, Claire ventures out alone to gather some specimens. She’s drawn to a standing stone and, as far as her husband in 1945 is concerned, vanishes without a trace. This serves as the jumping-off point for her adventure as she struggles to grasp what’s going on around her, when she is and where she is.

Though she quickly realizes she’s still in Scotland, she can’t quite figure out how she landed on a cinema set for a costume drama. However, she soon gathers this is no set when she notices that the actors are firing live ammunition. Through a stroke of bad luck, she runs into Captain “Black Jack” Randall and is almost raped, but is saved by Dougal McKenzie’s band of Scots and taken hostage. It is at this point that she discovers she has fallen through time to 18^th century war-torn Scotland, where being an Englishwoman isn’t always a great thing to be. Her captors lead her to Castle Leoch, the heart of the McKenzie Clan. She is suspected of being a Sassenach spy and tasked with the unpaid job of healer, while they try to figure her out. If you expected a damsel-in-distress story, this isn’t it. Claire is a capable, clever (and thanks to her husband Frank, knows her history), complicated, independent and stubborn modern-day woman (for 1945 at least).

Devoted fans of the Outlander series who have been waiting (… and waiting … and waiting) for these novels to be successfully translated to the small screen, have had their patience rewarded tenfold with the Starz series. There is demonstrated effort to keep the series as faithful to the books as possible.  Created by Battlestar Galactica show runner Ronald D. Moore, this series enlisted author Diana Gabaldon as a consultant, thereby assuaging any anxieties that Gabaldon’s loyal fanbase may have had. If nothing else, watch for the great scenery, fantastic costumes and dedication to historical accuracy. Mr. Moore has an amazing team of costume designers, set decorators, writers, weapons and riding experts and Scottish Gaelic language coaches for the actors that would rival Game of Thrones any day (well, except for the dragons …).

If a bit of adventure, time-travel, history and romance are your thing, by all means check out the DVD sets (volume 1 and 2) today. In the meantime, take some time out to brush up on your history of the Jacobite Rebellion and Bonnie Prince Charlie. If you want to take it to a whole new level (and please do!), you can also learn a bit of Scottish Gaelic using the library’s resources. Season 2 of Outlander begins in April on Starz.

Cheers!

-Whitney

One Shot Harris

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and Eleventh Stack are celebrating Black History Month by highlighting books, music and movies by African American Artists. We also have a ton of great events and programs for children, teens and adults. You can view all of our Black History Month posts here.

Pittsburgh owes much appreciation to one man for documenting the city’s African American urban life during the Jim Crow era—specifically, this sharp lensman concentrated on the Hill District and a once-thriving social life that has long-since passed and faded to memory.

The Hill District during its heyday was a vibrant place, the city’s cultural center—where people of all ethnicities lived alongside each other, and where independent businesses and Pittsburgh’s Jazz scene thrived.  Who is this man?

We’ll give you a couple hints: He’s had numerous exhibitions of his photographs over the years in Pittsburgh and nationally (the Carnegie Museum of Art showcased his work in 2003, 2006, 2009 and 2011), has an archive devoted to his work of over 80,000 negatives and worked for the Pittsburgh Courier.

The answer: Charles “Teenie” Harris.

Harris was born in 1908 and was an avid baseball player in his youth, later becoming a semi-pro athlete, and among other things, playing for the Negro league Pittsburgh Crawfords. It wasn’t until the early 1930s that he bought his first camera. He proved to be a natural, and within a few years opened his own photography studio (earning the nickname “One Shot” because he rarely made his subjects sit for long) and became the main photographer for The Pittsburgh Courier, one of America’s leading black newspapers during the 1930s and Civil Rights eras.

This working class beat photographer snapped well over 100,00 images for The Courier during his years at the paper (1936-1975). And he did it in a unique way, shooting the important and influential people of his day, with the city’s everyday life. Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong, Muhammad Ali, Duke Ellington, Ray Charles and John F. Kennedy were all photographed by Harris, alongside Pittsburgh’s weddings, nightlife and little-league games. He found them all equally important and celebrated and portrayed the dignified lives of African American people that became even more influential during the 1960s. You can learn more about this fantastic man at the Library. Just a few of the titles we have for you to peruse:

• One Shot: The Life and Work of Teenie Harris (DVD)
• Teenie Harris by Edna B. McKenzie: Available for in-library use only; ask for it in the Pennsylvania Department.
• Voices from the Firing Line: A Personal Account of the Pittsburgh Civil Rights Movement by Ralph Proctor.
• Documenting Our Past: The Teenie Harris Archive Project: Available for in-library use only at CLP – Allegheny and the Main Library’s Pennsylvania Department.
• Spirit of a Community: The Photographs of Charles “Teenie” Harris: An Exhibition: Published by the Westmoreland County Museum of Art.
• One Shot Harris: The Photographs of Charles “Teenie” Harris by Stanley Crouch.
• Teenie Harris, Photographer: Image, Memory, History by Cheryl Finley.

-Whitney

Celebrating Alice

On the 27^th of this month, we celebrate the 184^th birthday of one of the most influential writers to grace children’s literature … the Rev. Charles Lutwitdge Dodgson. But most of us know him better under his super secret superhero/pen name: Lewis Carroll.

Born in 1832 into a conservative and religious family, Carroll’s father, a parish priest, married his first cousin and had 11 children. Carroll was the eldest boy, the family entertainer, and even though he had a stammer, he was a practiced storyteller for his brothers and sisters and a brilliant student.

Carroll had an affinity for children and collected “Child Friends” throughout his lifetime that raised some eyebrows, even in Victorian times, when the age of consent was 14. This otherwise dry, methodical, punctilious and orderly man preferred them to his adult peers, thinking of them as a refuge from adults and his duties as a Don of Mathematics at Christ Church, Oxford.  He came alive before children, inspired by their innocence and mere presence. And most especially by the presence of one little girl in particular: Alice Liddell, the inspiration for Alice in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Before you  think about comparing him to another famous entertainer and child-afficiando, his biographers have described him as a man who held himself to high moral standards. Although Carroll never attained full priesthood, he did take his holy orders, and in Victorian times, a clergyman having children over for tea wasn’t considered especially scandalous. He simply loved the innocence of childhood.

On a scorching hot July 4^th in 1862 on the river Thames, he was, as usual, hanging out with Alice Liddell and her sisters. As they begged for a story, he unwillingly told them the story of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. He hadn’t written a single word down, and it was only after Liddell’s incessant nagging that Carroll did finally put pen to paper (because kids are amazing at reminding grownups what they should be doing). So can I get all of you take a second out of your day to thank Ms. Liddell? It’s only because of her that generations of artists, photographers and writers were able to be influenced by this wonderful work of imagination. Let’s hear an amen to that!

The Library has loads of books based off of Mr. Carroll’s works. Let’s take a look at just a few of the awesome titles:

• Alice’s Pop-Up Wonderland by Nick Denchfield: This title is only available at CLP Main’s Children’s department and does not circulate, but is a fun way to explore Wonderland.
• The Annotated Alice by Lewis Carroll: Looking for a little more in-depth information on your favorite author and his brilliant wordplay by the world’s foremost expert on Carroll? This is the place to start.
• Alice in Wonderland: A Graphic Novel by Alessandro Ferrari: If you’re looking for the classic book, but with an artistic twist, look no further than this fun graphic novel.
• Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter
• I Am Alice: Body Swamp in Wonderland
• Alice in the Country of Hearts
• After Alice by Gregory McGuire
• Lewis Carroll: A Biography by Morton N. Cohen

Share your favorite Alice spin-offs or tributes in the comments!

-Whitney

I’m Feeling Colorful

With the holidays already rearing their heads, we all need to relax. By now, most people have heard about the benefits of art and the suddenly trendy hobby of adult coloring to de-stress.

All I can say, ladies and gents, is that this rocks! I haven’t colored since I was 10, and even then, being the perfectionist that I am, I could not enjoy it because I wasn’t … artistically inclined (I couldn’t stay inside the lines, my colors didn’t go together, blah blah blah). However, 25 years later, I’m much less concerned about my artistic abilities and more interested in having a little bit of fun. And, as I’ve found out, it is.

Article after article declares coloring to be a much better (and cheaper) alternative to other common forms of stress relief, a way to focus, or way of achieving mindfulness (almost, but not quite, as good as some meditation). Or it can be mindless … *whichever you prefer.*

Psychologists are in agreement: It’s enjoyable, helpful for our stressful existence and gives us something other than our problems to focus on. But, in their words, “Do not confuse this with art therapy” (they’re adamant about that). Their argument is that this is a passive activity, and not one where people actively engage in creating art. Of course, if this is as far as you can engage with art (me! And my amazing stick figures!), then I tend to disagree with the psychologists.

In my humble opinion, I like to think of them as my own version of awesomeness/my own attempt at the Mona Lisa (which, yes, you can color in). So go on with your bad self before you throw that piece of pie at your mother-in-law, switch off your mind’s endlessly spinning thoughts this holiday season, and enjoy some of the library’s resources.
Also, just an FYI, the coloring books are on their way to the branch libraries. We’ll soon have coloring books in themes such as Game of Thrones, Animals, Harry Potter and more. We’ll also have Sudoku books and puzzles in the near future.

In the meantime, check out what we have to offer:

• Stress Relieving Patterns
• Stress Relieving Patterns Volume 2
• Stress Relieving Animals
• Stained Glass Wonders

-Whitney

Re-Reading Ender’s Game Just in Time for Déjà Vu

Be honest. Do you read teen fiction? It’s okay–loads of adults do.

Of course, opinions are like…well, there’s no shortage of opinions on who should or shouldn’t read or write young adult novels and why. At this point most folks have caught on, and are rushing to create lists of YA books you should read for summer. winter, spring, and the end of the world. NPR even had a go.

So from my vantage point at CLP Teen–Main, I understand when adults come looking for a title and share, with a look of I-can’t–believe–I’m–admitting–this, that they’re totally hooked (me too, friends). One adult YA addict wrote:

…there’s an undeniable nostalgic lure. Reading YA, unlike consuming other forms of entertainment that are rooted in the past–movies that are remakes or origin stories of long-established comic-book heroes, for example–reminds me of the person I used to be rather than the things I used to be into.

If any of this describes you, you’d be in good company at the Déjà Vu book club! On the third Saturday of each month, we dig in to teen titles that have been in print for years, and opening up worlds for us for just as long. Whether your first reading of these books was with a flashlight long after “lights-out,” or trading pages for a sleep deficit on a work night, these are the books that made a mark on you. Maybe the tragedy of a good bildungsroman (or maybe just John Green) renders the age of the main character immaterial for you. Perhaps you just like a good romp through a glitter-covered version of 1980s L.A. where wishes come true, though not without consequence.

Next Déjà Vu Book Club: the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Ender’s Game!

–Whitney