Lincoln College of Technology: Vine Street

There are at least a couple of perfect moments in any life

2011-07-18T11:33:00.000-07:00

The title of this entry is from one of my favorite short stories, “An Education,” by Cynthia Ozick. In Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie, Laura Wingfield is about to have her perfect moment; whether she can get it to last is another thing.

The Glass Menagerie is Tennessee Williams’s first play, and it’s easy to understand why it became so immediately successful. The narrator and protagonist of the play is the 23-year-old son, Tom, who supports the family by working in a shoe factory, a job he hates. He longs to go to sea as a Merchant Marine, and it looks like he’s finally ready to take that step, since he’s paid his Union dues rather than the light bill for the month. The mother, Amanda, lives in a dream world, talking incessantly about an afternoon in the distant past in the deep South when 17 gentlemen callers all came to pay court to her on the same Sunday afternoon. Amanda wonders how many gentlemen callers are going to visit Laura this Sunday.

The answer is basically “None,” because Laura, who’s 24, is so shy she can barely even bring herself to speak to any other people. (Also, because the whole concept of Gentlemen Callers doesn’t exist in 1930s St. Louis.) Laura dropped out of high school, and her most recent failure was to drop out of a career college—probably a school similar to Lincoln—after throwing up on the floor before a typing test. Her only interests in life are listening to her father’s old records and playing with her collection of glass animals.

Well, she has one other interest, which is in a young man she knew in high school and has on some level been daydreaming about ever since. And now Amanda has asked Tom to find a “nice young man” and “ask him out for sister”! And now the nice young man is coming to dinner! But when the night arrives, Laura’s so shy she can’t even bring herself to come to the table. Then Amanda sends Jim out with a candle (the electricity is turned off during dinner) to keep Laura company while she and Tom wash the dishes. Things move slowly at first, but then all of a sudden Laura and Jim are dancing … . (That's the perfect moment.)

I first heard this play performed (on a 33 rpm record) when I was about seven, and I felt an immediate deep connection with the Wingfield children. Why was their mother Amanda such an obnoxious nag? Now, many years later, as a single parent of nearly grown children myself, I can think of a whole lot of good reasons why she’d want to get her children to act right, make money, and get out of the house.

‘Dead Reckoning’ by Charlaine Harris

2011-06-16T07:47:00.001-07:00

The most recent installment in Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire series has been eagerly anticipated by fans. This is likely due in part to the fact that HBO’s True Blood, which is based on the series, has become incredibly popular. Most of our recurring characters are back as we expect them, many with problems that we’re already familiar with, some with new problems.

Sookie Stackhouse, of course, is at the center of it all. The book begins with disasters at the bar, conflicts with the new ruler of Louisiana, and Sookie’s boy problems. Loyal readers will probably feel comfortably familiar with the plot and setting, as nothing much changes. Unfortunately, there were instances in the book in which Harris attempts to throw in some new slang – like ‘twoey’ for the two-natured shape-shifters – the result is completely underwhelming. But this is minimal. Most will finish the book wondering what will be next for everyone’s favorite cocktail waitress.

“Sent down for indecent behavior”

2011-06-06T08:44:00.000-07:00

Decline and Fall (PR6045 .A97 D4 1993), first published by Evelyn Waugh in 1928, is one of my favorite comic novels. The protagonist is Paul Pennyfeather, an earnest theology student at Oxford University, who has the bad fortune to get in the way of the annual meeting of a group of wealthy upper-class alumni. The upshot is that the drunken club members take Paul’s clothes, and so Paul must run naked through the college quadrangle. So naturally, Paul is expelled for indecent behavior and forced to take a job teaching classics, English, mathematics, French, German, and the pipe organ (though knowing nothing about German or the organ).

Fortunately for Lincoln College students, Llanabba Castle School is nothing like Lincoln. At Lincoln, for example, no student has gotten shot by an instructor, and the school butler—Lincoln doesn’t even have a school butler—isn’t pretending to be a member of Russian Royalty. Paul fights despair but eventually finds some pleasure in his work, even the organ-teaching part. He becomes engaged to the mother of one of his students. Sadly—well, sadly, a lot of things happen, and Paul ends up in prison, framed on human-trafficking charges. Will Paul get out of prison? Or will he end up murdered by a psychotic cell-mate? Will the student who was shot recover from his wounds? Is Paul's fiancée being faithful? These questions don’t sound like funny ones, but in the book, they really are.

Those darn Hemingways! Is there anything they can’t do?

2011-04-18T10:48:00.000-07:00

When we hear the name Hemingway, most people naturally think of Ernest Hemingway, the celebrated American novelist. And rightly so, for these people, Lincoln College of Technology has several of Hemingway’s books available:

The Old Man and the Sea

A Farewell to Arms

For Whom the Bell Tolls

A Moveable Feast

But this is just the beginning! There are, of course, many of his relatives who also have the last name Hemingway, and for the most part, they are glad if you think of their famous ancestor first. In fact, their various book deals depend on the link to the best-known Hemingway:

How it Was by Mary Welsh Hemingway

This autobiographical book by Hemingway’s fourth wife discusses life with Ernest Hemingway.

Finding My Balance by Mariel Hemingway

This memoir by Ernest Hemingway’s granddaughter tells the story of her self-discovery through yoga.

A World Turned Over by Lorian Hemingway

Lorian Hemingway’s non-fiction book tells the story of a tornado that devastated her hometown in Mississippi.

'Monster in the Box' by Ruth Rendell

2011-02-17T07:09:00.001-08:00

Ruth Rendell has been writing detective novels featuring Inspector Wexford for many years now. I’d be lying if I said I had read them all, but I have read several, and they are typically enjoyable books. Wexford is the Chief Inspector in Kingsmarkham and has a memorable retinue to accompany him on his many cases.

In this book, Rendell incorporates cases from Wexford’s distant past with present day events. We learn quite a bit about Wexford’s history: an early murder case, his past love, and how the two intersect. The story is that of Eric Targo, a mysterious man who Wexford believes to be a murderer. Even though he has not previously discussed his suspicions with others, Targo’s reappearance inspires Wexford to confide in his coworker Burden and revisit the events of the past.

Rendell’s fascination with the British immigrant population is interesting to me. Most of her recent books include a storyline that involves special problems of the African, Middle Eastern or Asian communities in England, specifically problems that deal with issues of women’s rights. Monster in the Box discusses the problem of arranged or forced marriages, and other topics have included female circumcision and abuse. Rendell usually looks at these issues in a feminist light, but it does seem sometimes that she focuses a bit too much on these topics. (Not that it isn’t enjoyable, it just seems like these problems are coming up unusually frequently).

On the whole, this book was interesting, but I thought it was slightly less compelling than some of the other Ruth Rendell books that I’ve read. I’m sure there are those who have read all of the Inspector Wexford novels in the correct order, and for those people, this book is certainly required reading.

The Lost Art of the Short Story?

2010-12-09T07:42:00.000-08:00

In theory, the short story seems like the perfect way for a person to read without making a big commitment. So why aren’t short stories more popular? It seems that hearing the phrase “short story” is an immediate turn-off to students who are browsing for reading materials. It may be that this is just the result of residual trauma from an unhappy high school English class. Or maybe you haven’t had the opportunity to read many short stories in the past. Whatever the case may be, short stories are an easy way to read even if you don’t think you have the time.

Regardless of the reason for this fear of the short story, Southwestern College owns some great collections. If you aren’t sure that this genre is for you, maybe one of these books can help to change your mind:
Freedom in this Village
Me Talk Pretty One Day
The Things They Carried
Flash Fiction
Points of View
The Thing Around Your Neck
25 and Under
Black-Eyed Susans

If you have questions or would like to check out one of these books, talk to your Librarian!

‘Club Dead’ By Charlaine Harris

2010-09-22T07:09:00.000-07:00

Club Dead is the third book of Sookie Stackhouse’s vampire adventures. The book begins with Bill acting strangely distant then disappearing. Eric asks Sookie to travel to Jackson, Mississippi and use her abilities to figure out what might have happened. This trip involves more encounters with werewolves and vampires as well as more description of the vampire power structure that has been alluded to in previous books.

As I get further along in the Sookie Stackhouse series I keep finding reasons to dislike Bill. Given that, one of the best things about this book is the fact that Bill has a very small role and several other (better) male characters are developed. Although Sookie leaves much to be desired from a feminist perspective, her independence and determination are a welcome departure from other popular vampire stories (Twilight, anyone?). Rather than being totally dependent on the men who are romantically interested in her, Sookie looks out for herself and isn’t afraid to be without male companionship. Though we could certainly do better as far as female role models are concerned, we could also be doing much, much worse.

Job Search Web Sites

2010-09-15T10:18:00.000-07:00

It seems as if there are about a million of them, but in fact there are only about a thousand. There's a lot of overlap among them, but you should probably not stop with just one. Here are some national and local job-search sites that appear legitimate and useful (e.g., not too many Work at Home scam ads).

Job Search Resources

Career Builder Job postings from across the country. Search by location or job category. Upload your resume.

Careerjet Search for jobs by industry or location.

Careers in Government Search for jobs in government and the public sector.

Craigslist Local classifieds, sorted by category and date posted.

Indeed Jobs from thousands of company websites and job boards.

Job Bank USA Permanent, contract, temporary, summer, and internship positions.

Jobcentral.com Includes searching by occupation, state, industry, military, and international.

Job.com Post your resume, search job listings, or use the career tools.

Job Dig Delivers weekly job opportunities to help jobseekers connect with local employers.

Jobfox.com Uses an in-depth question and answer format to learn about your experience, wants and needs and then rates jobs according to your qualifications and needs.

Job-hunt.org Jobs in local business, education, healthcare, banking, and government. Lots of useful local links not available elsewhere.

Jobs Listed by Career Field/Industry About.com’s job listings, job opportunities, and career and employment resources by type of job.

Linkup.com Offers searching of company websites by job title, keyword, city, or zip code.

Monster.com Search for up to 50 job categories in up to 50 metro areas at a time. Post your resume.

The NationJob Network Postings come directly from potential employers.

Net-Temps.com Mostly temporary jobs, but also some permanent ones.

Ohio Means Jobs Links to Indeed and Monster.com and offers some information particularly useful to Ohioans.

Simply Hired Jobs from job boards, company pages, online classifieds and other data sources.

USA Jobs The Government's official site for jobs and employment information.

Yahoo! Hot Jobs Search for jobs by keyword, locale, or category.

National Atlas of Korea

2010-08-31T14:43:00.001-07:00

For reasons that seem mysterious, each Southwestern library has received two beautiful free copies of the National Atlas of Korea, published in 2009 by the government of South Korea. It’s hardcover, about 12” by 14,” 192 pages, and printed in vibrant color. While the borders between North Korea, China, and Russia are delineated with thick red lines, you have to look very closely to see the faint dashes indicating the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea.

About a third of the book’s information pertains both to North and South Korea: you can find basic maps and topographical and geographical information about both countries. You can find more in-depth information about South Korea, including gravel content in deep soil, groundwater usage, endangered amphibians, population distribution, housing construction, national monuments—you get the idea—about South Korea only, with the outline of North Korea included in the map but left white.

The books cost, as far as I can tell, the equivalent of $16 to send via seamail from Korea to the library. They were postmarked July 20 and received at Southwestern on August 31. We will keep them in the reference collection, where I am sure they will prove valuable to people doing country reports on either Korea. I plan to write a thank you letter to GeoDream, the company that sent us the books, and will report here if they respond.

‘Farewell Summer’ by Ray Bradbury

2010-08-23T06:59:00.001-07:00

I think I may be getting too old to think about my mortality. Is this a contradiction? Maybe. What I really mean is that I’m getting to the point where aging and death is no longer interesting – just scary and depressing. Nevertheless, Ray Bradbury’s war of youth versus age is fun to read. Farewell Summer is the long anticipated follow-up to his classic Dandelion Wine. The story continues to follow Douglas and his younger brother as they interact with the elders in their town.

At some point I started getting the feeling that the aim of this book was to provide as many quotable phrases about life, age and death as could possibly be contained in 200 pages. There’s nothing wrong with this – there is definitely something to be said for being able to succinctly summarize important concepts in ways that are clever enough to be memorable. One such memorable quote:
“Life gives us everything then takes it away – youth, love, happiness, friends”
Unfortunately, I’m sure this is exactly right.

‘Sex and the Single Girl’ By Helen Gurley Brown

2010-08-05T06:08:00.000-07:00

I want to be kind of charitable towards Brown because she wrote this book so long ago and some of the ideas and tips that she included were progressive for her time. Things that Brown has going for her:

She gives good nutrition advice

She encourages women to be fit and healthy

She believes that women should have enjoyable, fulfilling careers

She believes that women should have and enjoy sex

Unfortunately, Brown mentions all of these things relative to their importance in meeting men. In fact, even though Brown says that men aren’t necessary to the happiness of the single woman, she starts the book by giving pointers (in the form of several chapters) on assessing potential mates/husbands.

Should women be healthy and eat nutritious foods? Yes, it will help them to be more attractive to men! Should women have careers? Yes, especially if their line of work allows them to meet lots of available men (maybe you should find a new job if you aren’t meeting men). Should women participate in mutually enjoyable sexual relationships? Absolutely, but hopefully the man will buy you lots of nice things.

Do I sound bitter? If so, it’s probably because I’m not following Brown’s advice.

'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Bronte

2010-07-13T12:47:00.000-07:00

Does anyone really need to read a review of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre? I think most of us had read this book by about the 10th grade, and we believe that we’ve benefited as much as we’re going to from the book. Fortunately, this couldn’t possibly be the case. I use the word fortunately for a couple reasons: if you haven’t read the book since high school you couldn’t possibly remember or appreciate all of the book’s intricacies; if you have read the book since high school you obviously enjoyed it enough to read it multiple times. Both situations are opportunities for enjoyment; in one instance you’ll be able to read and better understand one of literature’s greatest masterpieces, in the other you’ll revisit a book that has already proven to be a pleasure.

For those of you who don’t know, Jane Eyre is one of the greatest romance novels of all time. To this day, it remains one of the few well written romances involving unattractive, seemingly oddly matched individuals (regular people falling in love? gasp!). Lucky for us (and all of British literature), Bronte’s novel isn’t only about Jane and Mr. Rochester’s love; it is the suspenseful and interesting story of Jane Eyre’s life. Though these fictitious events were taking place nearly two hundred years ago, Jane is strong, thoughtful and intelligent in ways that modern women should appreciate. And perhaps more importantly, she respects herself in ways that many modern women should learn to emulate.

'Imperfect Birds' by Anne Lamott

2010-06-22T07:17:00.000-07:00

I picked this book to read because I have liked some of Anne Lamott’s non-fiction work in the past; her book Operating Instructions about her son’s first year was lovely. This book is fiction and tells the story of a tense mother-daughter relationship. Elizabeth, the mother, is a recovering alcoholic; Rosie, the daughter, is 17 and rebellious. They live in California with Elizabeth’s second husband, James. The book follows the family as Rosie becomes more lost in a mess of teenage drugs and lies.

I'm of the opinion that you don't really need to go out searching for profound experience in order to properly appreciate the universe, but Lamott's characters seem to constantly want to hammer it into my head. They spend so much time reflecting on amazing, intellectual things that their revelations completely fail to impress or amaze me intellectually.

The point of a good book isn’t really about liking the characters in the story; people who are not especially likeable can be engaging and interesting. That being said, I didn’t really have any sympathy for the characters. I thought that Elizabeth was wimpy and pathetic and Rosie was hateful and self-centered. Have I just described the dynamic of every parent-child relationship? Possibly. Maybe that’s the point of the book; everyone in the world is awful beyond description. But I was still frustrated and irritated with these people. It’s a given that the daughter is making bad decisions, but the mother makes some of the dumbest choices imaginable too. I guess I’ll have to wait until my daughter is 17 before I pass judgment.

‘For all the tea in China’ By Sarah Rose

2010-06-07T07:14:00.000-07:00

Do you wonder how tea production moved from China to India in the 19th century? I certainly never did, and I suspect that you’re in the minority if you spend your time thinking about that sort of thing. Even though I had never wondered about Asian tea production, I decided that For all the Tea in China sounded like an interesting book. Sarah Rose follows the travels of Robert Fortune, a British Horticulturist, as he travels to China to learn tea production methods and smuggle plants and seeds out of the Chinese mountains. I’m always impressed by how well documented some people’s lives are; even though he lived over 100 years ago, Fortune’s movements in China are very precise. It is fairly obvious that some parts are imagination on Rose’s part – a smile, a meal, a wince of pain, are these really things that can be proven by historical records? But these interactions that I’m assuming are not necessarily factual are probably good educated guesses on the part of the author.

There was a short mention of something in the closing paragraphs of this book that bothered me a little bit, mostly because the subject had been nagging at me the entire time I was reading. Rose brought up the fact that imported plants can overrun indigenous plants and wreak havoc on natural habitats. As the subject of this book is Robert Fortune’s botanical espionage and not environmental conservation, I can understand that much time was not spent on the subject, but Rose spends so much time putting his actions into context, that it seems awfully abrupt the way this in mentioned.

For all the Tea in China manages to be adventurous and engaging, while also sparking an interest in other historical events that provide context for the tea trade (such as the opium trade and health benefits of tea). Hopefully readers of this book will not only be tea aficionados; the story and writing is sure to appeal to a wide variety of other readers as well.

'Don't Sleep There are Snakes' by Daniel Everett

2010-05-27T08:24:00.000-07:00

Lately, I’ve been becoming increasingly interested in off-grid living; relying as little as possible on public and government programs and funds to support oneself. With this in mind, reading Don’t Sleep There are Snakes has been enjoyable and thought provoking. Author and linguist Daniel Everett has been regularly spending time with the Pirahã population of the Amazon since the 1970’s. This book, discusses not only the linguistic implications of what has been learned from Everett’s work, but also the lifestyle and values of the people being studied. Of course, the reader will see that the culture of the Pirahã is crucial to the linguistic conclusions that Everett has drawn, but even if it weren’t, it’s just so darn interesting.

Since I’m not an expert in linguistics (and one doesn’t have to be to enjoy this book), I’ll have to take Everett’s word for it when he writes that his conclusions are controversial and unusual. Instead I’m inclined to focus on the lifestyle and the anecdotes that illustrate their personalities. After reading this book, I’m impressed with the comfort and contentedness that the Amazonian people have in their lives. They have certainly achieved something that I can only hope to attain.

A favorite passage from the book:
They [the Pirahãs] have no craving for truth as a transcendental reality. Indeed, the concept has no place in their values. Truth to the Pirahãs is catching a fish, rowing a canoe, laughing with your children, loving your brother, dying of malaria. Does this make them more primitive? Many anthropologists have suggested so, which is why they are so concerned about finding out the Pirahãs’ notions about God, the world, and creation.

But there is an interesting alternative way to think about things. Perhaps it is the presence of these concerns that makes a culture more primitive, and their absence that renders a culture more sophisticated. If that is true, the Pirahãs are a very sophisticated people. Does this sound far-fetched? Let’s ask ourselves if it is more sophisticated to look at the universe with worry, concern, and a belief that we can understand it all, or to enjoy life as it comes, recognizing the likely futility of looking for truth or God?

In Conclusion, it is a wonderful book, one that I certainly recommend.

'The Privileges' by Jonathan Dee

2010-05-10T07:45:00.000-07:00

The Privileges is the story of one family that enjoys spectacular financial success. The book begins with the marriage of a very young and attractive couple shortly after college and follows them for approximately the next 25 years as they have a family and become gradually wealthier. There are many moments that made me feel as though I were standing on the edge of a cliff – how successful can people be without suffering some great disappointment? This may be the trick that kept me reading; a constant, paranoid feeling that things always go wrong. But maybe I’ve just read too many books.

I always expect books about money and wealth to end by reaffirming what all middle-class people are taught to believe – that money isn’t everything, money will be your undoing, love and friendship is far greater. Though the characters in this novel do place a good deal of importance on family, this isn’t the message that I took away from this book. Instead, when I finished this novel, I was left with the feeling that wealth should be comforting and endless. You’ll still get older, and you’ll still lose loved ones, but if you have enough money, you won’t have to suffer in the same ways that other people do. Having enough money means being attractive, being comfortable, and enjoying the ability to make people do whatever you want.

"Everything you always wanted to know about organ donation* ... but were afraid to ask"

2010-04-09T08:18:00.000-07:00

Now, how could you not read an article with such a headline? This intriguing subject is explained inside the leading article of this month's CMA Today, the premier research, educational, and generally informative publication of the American Association of Medical Assistants. CMA Today is designed to assist students planning a career as a medical assistant or administrative assistant in "the office, hospital, clinic, or school setting," and is one of more than forty specialized or general journals, periodicals, or magazines to which the Vine Street library of Southwestern College subscribes and puts on display for reading and enjoyment by both our students and faculty.

The Vine Street library is one of 23,000 subscribers nationally to CMA Today. This month's issue also contains a four-page summary on salaries nationally and regionally for medical assistants and also information on scholarships available for those medical assistants who want to pursue their nursing degrees. And, in an article sure to warm the hearts of Mr. Stikeleather and Mr. Weisgerber here at Southwestern College, this month's CMA Today also has advice for instructors on how to motivate their medical assistant students to get in touch with their inner love of math.

For those students studying criminal justice or business management, the Vine Street library also subscribes to and displays magazines of great interest to those who want to enter these careers. Just look to your right as soon as you enter the library, and the periodicals display will be in front of you. All our magazines and other periodicals freely circulate, and we'll be happy to check any of them out for you. Here's a complete list of those magazines and periodicals currently available at our Vine Street library:

American Journal of Nursing
American Legacy
American Police Beat
Black Enterprise
Body and Soul
Business Week
Campus Technology
CMA Today
Consumer Reports
Defense Tech Briefs
Ebony
Elle
Elle Décor
Entrepreneur
Fast Company
Forbes
Health
Inc.
Information Week
Jet
Juvenile and Family Justice
Law Enforcement Technology
Maximum PC
Medical Laboratory Observer
Mental Floss
Multicultural Review
NASA Tech Briefs
National Institute of Justice Journal
Newsweek
Nursing 2010
Nursing 2010 Critical Care
Nursing Made Incredibly Easy
OR Nurse 2010
PC World
Psychology Today
Security
Shape
SPIN
T.H.E. Journal
Website
Wired
Working Mother

--David Robertson

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

2010-03-30T07:20:00.001-07:00

It is really difficult to criticize a great book like Speak (PZ7 .A54385 2009) . The layout, plot and characters are all wonderful and just as they should be. If I were in a position to require such things, I would say that every girl from 12-18 should be required to read it, and most other people would benefit from it as well. All in all, this is a really good book about the horrifying yet realistic life of a teenager.

The book begins with Melinda Sordino’s first day of high school. Melinda called the police at an end of summer party, getting several kids into trouble. Before high school even begins, she is ridiculed and ostracized. Melinda starts school lonely and misunderstood and things just keep getting worse.

I’ve read this book multiple times, and I was especially struck by how little identity people seem to have; I think this is intentional. There is a running joke throughout the book about the school being unable to select a mascot. Girls seem to change themselves to fit into the clique of their choosing. Melinda sits in an outdated bedroom that no longer reflects who she really is. I feel as though Anderson is telling us that the trauma and depression that Melinda is suffering is all-consuming. But then again, does anyone really know who they are in high school?

Never Let Me Go By Kazuo Ishiguro

2010-03-02T14:49:00.000-08:00

This is a difficult book to review, because aspects of the plot are quite mysterious for long periods of time, and I would be doing the reader a great disservice by revealing many details. The protagonist of the novel is Kathy who is now 31 years old. Never Let Me Go is written as a memoir might be; the bulk of the novel tells of her childhood and her friendships at Hailsham. Though the children’s lives could be described as sheltered and idyllic, the reader is aware that this is simply a façade.

In many ways, this is a science fiction novel; the students of Hailsham exist in a world that differs from our own, even though the similarities are abundant. I might refer to this as “light science-fiction” – more than anything it is a relationship/friendship drama. I think that this is all for the better; there are many, many, many books that talk about the conflicts of relationships and friendships (almost every book). Ishiguro’s book introduces another element to this fiction equation, but without making the story unrelatable.

Though this is a side note, I am always impressed with authors who choose to write novels with protagonists of the opposite sex. In this case, Ishiguro is a male with a female narrator. (The Harry Potter series is another excellent example of this phenomenon) My point in mentioning this is that I think Ishiguro does an excellent job. The attitude of the narrator seemed plausible and natural.

I based my selection of this book on the fact that I really enjoyed Ishiguro’s Remains of the Day, and I didn’t really know what to expect. In many ways, the books are similar, personal dramas with disturbing back stories (Remains of the Day’s protagonist was employed by a Nazi/Nazi sympathizer). And more importantly, both books are touching, well written novels that readers will enjoy.

(Also, I didn't realize until I finished this book, but it is being made into a movie. I want to see it, but knowing me, I'll wait until it comes out on DVD)

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

2010-02-11T13:06:00.000-08:00

The description on the cover of the Master and Margarita tells us more about the content of this book than the typical description might. It begins “One hot spring, the devil arrives in Moscow, accompanied by a retinue that includes a beautiful naked witch and an immense talking black cat with a fondness for chess and vodka”. From reading this, I already knew that I was approaching a book that would be both unusual and magical. The devil does arrive in a Moscow that does not believe in either gods or devils, and the reader follows the exploits of his crew as they run amok. The book also contains the tale of Pontius Pilate who, although he sentences a prophet to death, still craves his companionship and redemption. The Master is a writer whose masterpiece is a novel about Pontius Pilate, and Margarita is his devoted lover. All three stories eventually intersect.

This book is absolutely surreal, which is to be expected after reading the brief description. I re-read some passages, because I thought I must have missed something. The effect is fantastic. I get the feeling that each scene melds into the next – I’m as lost as the characters. I am left wondering whether man’s only peace can be found in death. Based on what I’ve read in the Master and Margarita, that wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing.

One of the aspects of the book that I enjoy most is the way that the influence of anything foreign is portrayed. The devil as an unregistered foreign visitor in Moscow is very telling of the way that all foreigners may have been received in Soviet Russia. Characters in the novel are also fearful yet envious of foreign currency and those who possess it. I enjoy these subtle examples of the real social situation in a novel that is filled with magic and sorcery.

Overall, I enjoyed the book very much. It motivates me to learn more about this period in Russian history; I’m sure I missed many references that would have been obvious to someone who is familiar with the country. A book on Russian history would certainly add some diversity to my reading list.

Answering 911: Life in the Hot Seat

2010-01-29T11:54:00.000-08:00

Is there anything important that’s actually easier than it looks? Caroline Burau didn’t think becoming a police dispatcher would be easy, but she was surprised just how difficult it turned out to be. Even after a year on the job, she still considered herself—and was considered by others—someone who knew just enough to be dangerous. At first, Burau, as an ex crack addict, was just surprised to get the job at all. She applied after being disillusioned by journalism and giving up nursing school because she couldn’t stand the sight of blood.

There’s a lot of autobiography in Answering 911: Life in the Hot Seat (HV7911 .B85 A3 2006), but the most riveting anecdotes concern the calls she takes. The percentage that turn out to be really bad seems even higher than on TV: we don’t get that many stories like “my neighbor’s clarinet is too loud.” I wish we did. While there are quiet times, there are also plenty of heart attacks, “domestics,” and suicides. Burau learns more than she wanted to about her neighbors’ secret lives. Worse, she and her colleagues all have stories about the mistakes they have made: a caller Burau assumed was merely drunk turned out later to have bled to death. After awhile, Burau sees a therapist and wonders if she’s cut out for the job. After two years, she quits her job to become a locksmith, but dispatching has gotten in to her blood—and it pays well, too—and she soon goes back to work for a different department.

Burau confronts myths and truisms about police work: for example, do people whose work brings them in constant contact with life-and-death situations eventually become inured? Her response seems to be “Not really,” and that’s something of a comfort.

Comics in the Classroom

2010-01-20T12:04:00.000-08:00

I’m not an artist at all. When it comes to creating attractive pictures that resemble anything, I’m useless. I’ve played around with Bitstrips.com a bit in the past, and I’ve been happy with how easy it is to use. I’ve found that the characters, objects and backgrounds have been very easy to manipulate, but I haven’t come up with any concept for a comic strip that seems engaging enough to be produced on a regular basis.

Bitsrips for Schools has many more possibilities than the limited work that I’ve done. I have read some reviews of teachers saying that students were asked to create comic strips depicting scenes from books that they have read for class. I’m trying to imagine how wonderful and disturbing Kurt Vonnegut and Ray Bradbury comic strips could be. An assignment that involved Bitstrips.com wouldn’t only be good for gauging reading comprehension, but also for encouraging computer skills and the use of imagination.

I’m also picturing some really neat Criminal Justice assignments – students could create scenes that depict appropriate and inappropriate officer responses to situation. (Of course, this could end up being MUCH more disturbing than any Kurt Vonnegut book.) The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of using Bitstrips in papers and classroom presentations – hopefully others will agree!