Hope, Education, Equality, Freedom, Justice, & Life

In celebration of Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday on January 16th, we are featuring books on our display that encompass these universal human rights.

If you are unfamiliar with the plight of many Americans (and most of the world!), you should check out these books. It might just change your life.

The Great Circle / by Neil Philip

Folklorist Neil Philip examines the shared experience of many of the First Nations, from their separate existences before whites arrived, to their years of struggle and heartbreak, to the present-day resurgence of their cultures. The attitudes of Native American leaders toward land, society, and spiritual matters are contrasted with those of their white contemporaries; photographs, personal testimony, eyewitness detail, and excerpts from speeches by leaders—including Native American chiefs and holy men, and white politicians and military officers—document the resulting cycles of misunderstanding and conflict based on differing world views.

Failure Is Impossible! / by Martha E. Kendall

This is an excellent discussion of women’s suffrage with an account of the struggles of women throughout the centuries beginning with early colonists. In addition to the battles and achievements of the women’s movement, the author addresses property and child-custody rights and the fight for fair wages. A great volume of woman’s rights.

Marching For Freedom / by Elizabeth Partridge

Award-winning author Elizabeth Partridge leads you straight into the chaotic, passionate, and deadly three months of protests that culminated in the landmark march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. Focusing on the courageous children who faced terrifying violence in order to march alongside King, this is an inspiring look at their fight for the vote.

Book Talk w/ Beth Neff

January 23 | 6:30-8 pm | GPL auditorium

Free event | Everyone is welcome

This month at the Goshen Public Library we will be hosting prolific local author Beth Neff as she talks about her debut young adult novel, Getting Somewhere.

Beth has worked as a vegetable farmer, sustainability activist, and even founded the local Goshen Farmer’s Market (to name a few things). She is excited about discussing her auspicious novel with us.

You won’t want to miss out on this exciting event!

Come check out our last book display of the year!  We are featuring what we at GPL believe are the best YA books that were published in 2011. We even have some of our staff talking about their favorite titles!

If you think this looks cool, come sign up for our monthly Crafty Bandit teen craft group at the front desk or give us a call at the library. It’s fun, free, and open to all teens!

Today, Nov. 21/4:00/Springer Design

Calling all you crafty bandits out there! Haven’t signed up for this event yet? It’s not too late! We will be meeting at Springer Design (in the Famous Building on Main St.) at 4:00. We will be learning from the team at Springer on how they print their cool t-shirts, and will be having a chance to try it out! All you need to do is bring a cotton t-shirt with you (not navy or black). And it’s free!

Read That! Teen Book Club

Thursday/Nov. 17/6:30 pm/Meeting Room A/B

This month’s Read That! book is the stunning free-verse novel, Because I Am Furniture, by Thalia Chaltas. If you don’t have a copy of this book, we have an extra copy available. You will have to hurry into the library today, though, so you will have a chance to read it before Thursday.

Read That! is our monthly teen book club, so if you can’t come this month, sign up for next month’s. The first 6 who sign up even get a free copy of the book! The sign up sheet is at the Circulation desk at the front of the library.

We are CRAZY excited about next year’s first installment of The Hunger Games! I don’t know about you, but this little snippet of a preview made my day. I hope you enjoy it as well! (and if you haven’t read The Hunger Games trilogy yet – come into the library and get a copy today!)

This month we are featuring great books that are all about music. In addition, we are also asking YOU  to tell us what is on your “reading playlist” for a chance to win an itunes card!  All you have to do is write down the titles of 6 of your favorite YA books, and don’t forget your name and phone number. This contest will be going on until the end of the month, when we will pick our winner. Come into the YA department today and tell us YOUR playlist!

Check these and other great books about music on display this month:

Beat, Rhymes, & Life: What We Love and Hate About Hip-Hip  / featuring interviews with Mos def, Nelly, Ludacris, Heather Hunter, and others

Hip-hop culture has been in the mainstream for years. Suburban teens take their fashion cues from Diddy and expect to have Three 6 Mafia play their sweet-sixteen parties. Hip-hop’s influence is major. But has the movement taken a wrong turn? This collection features many original interviews with some of rap’s biggest stars talking candidly about how they connect to the culture and their fans.

The House of Tomorrow / by Peter Bognanni

Sebastian Prendergast lives with his eccentric grandmother in a geodesic dome. His homeschooling has taught him much about futurist philosophy, but nothing about girls, junk food, or loud , angry music. Then fate casts Sebastian out of the dome, and finds a very different tudor in a chain-smoking sixteen-year-old Jared, and together they form a punk band and plan to take the local church talent show by storm.

The Indie Band Survival Guide / by Randy Chertow and Jason Feehan

In this indispensable guide for indie musicians, Chertkow and Feehan, lead members of the Chicago band Beatnik Turtle, explain how they have managed successfully to get their music out to the public, to produce four albums, to build a huge following and to write music for television shows and theater without the benefit of a record label. Covering topics such as building a brand, networking, Web site, getting booked, playing live and getting publicized, Chertkow and Feehan pass along advice that, while sometimes self-evident, encourages bands to exploit the Internet and to become Web savvy to make a name for themselves.

The Crafty Bandits

Tonight | 6:30 pm  | GPL auditorium

Everyone is welcome!

Are you a teen that enjoys making stuff? Well…come on out to the GPL tonight and use those crafty skills! Tonight we will be making shrinky dink jewlery, accessories, you name it. Come see how fun it is to shrink plastic- and end up with something real cool!

Here’s a tutorial to wet your crafting appetite