We’re Hiring!
The library currently has two employment opportunities available. We’re seeking a part-time Reference Assistant as well as a part-time Youth Services Assistant to join our team. Please visit fondulaclibrary.org/about-us/jobs for more information, including job descriptions and qualifications.
FDL Reads: Winter’s Orbit
Winter’s Orbit
Reviewed By: Jeremy Zentner, Reference Assistant
Genre: Science Fiction/ Romance
Suggested Age: Adults
What is This Book About? The Iskat Empire hangs on by a thread as a member of an intergalactic super power known as the Resolution. Every twenty years, the Resolution auditors visit and judge if the Iskat Empire is worthy enough to have interstellar protection and trading rights in the known universe. Without the Resolution, any number of intergalactic “Megapowers” would topple Iskat like a house of cards. The Empire’s newest province world, Thea, was represented by the married couple Count Jainan and General Taam. Jainan being a Thean diplomat and Taam an Iskat military man. Things for Iskat are thrown into a loop, however, when General Taam is killed in an aircraft “accident,” leaving the Emperor to figure out a way to keep good relations between the two planets and to keep their precious membership within the Resolution. Thus, the Emperor’s dead-weight, playboy of a grandson, Kiem, is arranged into marrying Jainan for the sake of the Empire. Little do either of them know, is that there’s a murder investigation of General Taam. Jainan and Kiem will have to pull tooth and nail to get the answers behind this investigation and what it means for the future of the Empire.
My Review: Phew, what an intense book! I must say, there are very few science fiction novels quite like Winter’s Orbit. Most science fiction revolves around the depravity of new technology or straight-up action scenes. This book has some of these elements, but it also has more! Winter’s Orbit almost reads like a mystery/romance novel with heavy bouts of political intrigue. It follows some traditions found in Red, White and Royal Blue, and yes, The Duke and I. It also follows some traditions found in Dune and Lois McMaster Bujold books like Shards of Honor. There are two characters who are placed together by fate, and their families, an obstacle they must overcome together, and along the way love blossoms between the two aristocrats. All in a space opera future!
There are cultural nuances between Kiem and Jainan, being from two different planets, which flavors the story with a degree of believability. Kiem is constantly on the go and looking for the newest and greatest adventure to conquer, even if he isn’t good at it. A typical spoiled prince, Kiem is also the most rebellious individual in the entire book. Jainan, on the other hand, is obsessed with duty to the empire and duty to his people. Having studied astronomical engineering at university, he has a laser-focused mind but can be quite awkward when introduced to social affairs. With Kiem’s bravado and Jainan’s perfectionist persona, the two are perfectly matched to unravel the universe’s greatest conspiracy.
The imagery and world-building in this book are also feats to marvel. There is no shortage of details, no imagery too bland, and no dialogue too tedious. Winter’s Orbit is a bouquet of descriptions and valued subtleties that spans worlds.
Three Words that Describe this Book: romance, sci-fi, political intrigue
Give This A Try if You Like… Dune, Collapsing Empire, Red, White and Royal Blue, Shards of Honor (by Lois McMaster Bujold), Jupiter Ascending (film)
Rating: 4/5
Books for Pride Month
Gain historical context and empathetic perspectives by reading about LGTBQ experiences with these selections for Pride Month – or any time.
We Are Everywhere by Matthew Riemer and Leighton Brown
A rich and sweeping photographic history of the queer liberation movement from the creators of the massively popular Instagram account @lgbt_history, released in time for the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.
Fairest is a memoir about a precocious boy with albinism, a “sun child” from a rural Philippine village, who would grow up to become a woman in America. Coping with the strain of parental neglect and the elusive promise of U.S. citizenship, Talusan found childhood comfort from her devoted grandmother, a grounding force as she was treated by others with special preference or public curiosity.
As an immigrant to the United States, Talusan came to be perceived as white. An academic scholarship to Harvard provided access to elite circles of privilege but required Talusan to navigate through the complex spheres of race, class, sexuality, and her place within the gay community. She emerged as an artist and an activist questioning the boundaries of gender.
Leaving Isn’t the Hardest Thing by Lauren Hough
As an adult, Lauren Hough has had many identities: an airman in the U.S. Air Force, a cable guy, a bouncer at a gay club. As a child, however, she had none. Growing up as a member of the infamous cult The Children of God, Hough had her own self robbed from her. The cult took her all over the globe–to Germany, Japan, Texas, Ecuador–but it wasn’t until her mother finally walked away that Lauren understood she could have a life beyond “The Family.”
Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality by Sarah McBride
Sarah McBride is on a mission to fight for transgender rights around the world. But before she was a prominent activist, and before she became the first transgender person to speak at the Democratic National Convention in 2016, she was a teenager struggling with her identity.
With emotional depth and unparalleled honesty, Sarah shares her personal struggle with gender identity, coming out to her supportive but distraught parents, and finding her way as a woman. She inspires readers with her barrier-breaking political journey that took her, in just four years, from a frightened, closeted college student to one of the nation’s most prominent transgender activists walking the halls of the White House, passing laws, and addressing the country in the midst of a heated presidential election. She also details the heartbreaking romance with her first love and future husband Andy, a trans man and activist, who passed away from cancer in 2014 just days after they were married.
Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera
Juliet Milagros Palante is leaving the Bronx and headed to Portland, Oregon. She just came out to her family and isn’t sure if her mom will ever speak to her again. But Juliet has a plan, sort of, one that’s going to help her figure out this whole “Puerto Rican lesbian” thing. She’s interning with the author of her favorite book: Harlowe Brisbane, the ultimate authority on feminism, women’s bodies, and other gay-sounding stuff.
Will Juliet be able to figure out her life over the course of one magical summer? Is that even possible? Or is she running away from all the problems that seem too big to handle? With more questions than answers, Juliet takes on Portland, Harlowe, and most importantly, herself.
Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
Baldwin’s haunting and controversial second novel is his most sustained treatment of sexuality, and a classic of gay literature. In a 1950s Paris swarming with expatriates and characterized by dangerous liaisons and hidden violence, an American finds himself unable to repress his impulses, despite his determination to live the conventional life he envisions for himself. After meeting and proposing to a young woman, he falls into a lengthy affair with an Italian bartender and is confounded and tortured by his sexual identity as he oscillates between the two.
Examining the mystery of love and passion in an intensely imagined narrative, Baldwin creates a moving and complex story of death and desire that is revelatory in its insight.
-Annotations from the publishers
Posted by Susie Rivera, Reference Specialist
#FDL is an update on all things Fondulac District Library and books.
Robots at FDL!
Maybe you were here last month for the Robot Invasion? Well, there are robots at the library all the time!
Many people do not know that the library has STEAM Kits and activities available to check out and take home, but these kits are SO cool. I’ll share below about some of the robot kits, but you can learn about the rest of the STEAM kits at fondulaclibrary.org/stem-kits/. All items can be check out from the Youth Services department and can be kept for one week.
For beginning programmers, we have the Code and Go Robot Mouse, perfect for ages 4+. Follow maze cards to set a course of walls and tunnels for the mouse to find the cheese. Figure out the steps the mouse needs to take, then use buttons to program those directions for the mouse. If the mouse make a wrong turn, you’ll need to figure out what to change. Creative kids can challenge the mouse by designing their own mazes on or off the included grid system.
Next is the Ozobot Bit. This tiny robot will follow a marker-line and can detect color pattern codes that tell it what to do. Direction, speed, and special moves can be performed based on lines drawn with the thick edge of a basic marker. The challenge is thinking through WHAT you want to tell your robot and giving it the right directions to consistently perform those steps. For more advanced users it can also be used with programs created in the Ozoblockly website. Great for grades K – 12.
Another type of robot you can program is the Star Wars BB-8 Sphero. With this app you can program various movements, sounds, and actions. Then run your program and watch BB-8 follow the commands! It’s easy to change the programs and instantly run them using Bluetooth connection between your own device running the Sphero EDU app and the droid. You’ll want to check edu.sphero.com/d to see if your device and operating system are compatible with this app.
Virtual programmers can check out some of the Playaway Launchpad tablets. Each Launchpad is preloaded with 10 different activities related to the Launchpad theme. STEAM is Code for FUN! (ages 5+) includes a critical thinking game called Kings and Queens and a Turtle programming game which are great ways to develop sequencing skills, trial and error, and have fun while doing it. On the Programmed to Think Launchpad (ages 8+) the Kidbot game is similar to the Code and Go Mouse – where you give directional steps to the robot to complete a challenge.
– Julie, Youth Services Assistant
FDL Reads: Beautiful Country
Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang
Reviewed by: Deb Alig, Circulation Assistant
Genre: Nonfiction, Memoir
Suggested Age: Adult
What is this book about? Qian Julie Wang’s memoir is an insider’s look at the dark side of living illegally in the United States. During the 1960s, when the Cultural Revolution began in China, Qian’s uncle was arrested, tortured, and imprisoned for publicly criticizing Mao Zedong and Communism. This trouble then affected the whole Wang family. They were labeled “treasonous” and Qian’s grandparents were often humiliated and beaten. Qian’s father was also persecuted. Though he became an English professor in China, he fled to New York City without his family to escape the political restraints and oppression of the Chinese government. On July 29, 1994, with temporary visas, Qian and her mother joined him in Mei Guo, the Chinese word for America literally meaning beautiful country. But as undocumented immigrants who constantly faced prejudice and lived in the fear of being found out, the United States proved to be less than beautiful for them.
Though both her parents were professors in China, in the United States, because of their undocumented status, they had no choice but to work menial jobs in Chinatown sweatshops where the pay was poor and the working conditions deplorable. Qian’s parents worked long, brutal hours, but they barely made enough money to survive. They could only afford to live in a run-down apartment in Brooklyn where they occupied a single room and shared a kitchen and bathroom with other impoverished tenants. There was little privacy. There was little food. Qian was always hungry, especially when she attended school. Being hungry, it was difficult for her to concentrate. Plus, she did not speak or write English. She was placed in classes with students who had cognitive disabilities and was mostly left on her own to learn. She slowly picked up English by reading children’s books like The Berenstain Bears, Clifford, and The Babysitters-Club and by watching PBS Kids and The Puzzle Place on a TV her father found in the garbage. (Qian’s middle name Julie comes from a puppet who portrays a Chinese-American girl on The Puzzle Place.) Qian’s mother became ill, but she did not tell anyone for months fearing the scrutiny of a doctor’s visit and the cost of medical care. There was always the fear of deportation, so Qian’s father repeatedly told her, “Whatever happens, say you were born here, that you’ve always lived here.” The Chinese refer to being undocumented as living in the shadows or living in the dark. For five years, Qian and her family lived this way. They then fled to Canada where they attained documented immigration status and had better access to food, healthcare, housing, and education. Qian eventually returned to the United States to attend Yale Law School. In 2016, she became a citizen. She now works for a successful law firm and advocates for education and civil rights.
My Review: The United States is known world-wide as a beautiful country, so I was disappointed and saddened to learn how deplorable living and working conditions are for undocumented Chinese immigrants who currently reside here. These immigrants do not complain or demand better conditions because they fear deportation. Landlords and employers take advantage of this fear, and the illegal Chinese immigrants such as the Wang family struggle to live from day to day and to attain United States citizenship. Clearly, there is great need for reform in our country, a not-so-beautiful country for undocumented immigrants as described in Qian Julie Wang’s memoir.
Beautiful Country is written in English, but Chinese phrases written in the Latin alphabet are also included. This is called pinyin which is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese. When I finished reading the book, I listened to an audio version. The Chinese sounded like music to me with its high tones, low tones, and sharp inflections. It is a beautiful language.
Rating: 5/5
Three words that describe this book: eye-opening, unforgettable, poignant, humbling
Give this a try if you like: The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio and A Beginner’s Guide to America by Roya Hakakian
FDL Reads: Bring Me Back
Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris
Reviewed by: Becky Houghton, Reference Assistant
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Suggested Age: Adult
What is this book about? Is the 10-year missing woman, Layla Gray, back? That is the crux of the story in Paris’s Bring Me Back. Protagonist and narrator, Finn McQuaid’s girlfriend (Layla) goes missing from a locked car in a rest area in France as they return from a ski vacation. But early in the story, ten years later, while Finn has finally moved on with his life and is now engaged to Layla’s older sister, Ellen, Layla is spotted by a her former neighbor in the small English town in which she and Finn had lived. Is Layla back and does she want Finn back? More importantly, does Finn still love Layla more than his fiancée, Ellen? The “mystery” in the story revolves around these questions and the ominous appearance of Russian nesting dolls which both girls owned during their childhoods. As the plot twist and turns, the reader begins to unravel the backstory.
My review: I was a bit disappointed in this novel. The first novel by Paris, Behind Closed Doors, was excellent so I had been looking forward to this one, her third psychological thriller. Don’t get me wrong, Bring Me Back still kept me reading and changing my theories on what the outcome would be, but it did not have the horrific terror-producing effect on me that her first book did. As the story unfolds, the reader may lose sympathy for Finn as his temper and inability to let go of his obsession with Layla unfolds. Ellen is an opposite personality type to Layla, making me wonder how Finn could love both women or was he just “settling” for Ellen since Layla had vanished without a trace. The mysterious appearance of Russian nesting dolls and the sightings of Layla caused me to wonder about the disappearance. I did find that I wanted to keep reading into the night to learn the outcome of this story even as I began to suspect what the ending might be.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Suspenseful, Menacing, Contrived
Give This a Try if You Like… B.A. Paris’s previous two books, Behind Closed Doors and The Breakdown or A.J. Finn’s Woman In the Window
Rating: 4/5