Are you a fan of the T.V. series, Mad Men? If you are, and wonder about what it was really like for women in advertising in the 1960s, Jane Maas’ light biography, Mad Women, is right for you. Maas began as a copywriter at Ogilvie & Mather in the 1960s and ultimately became President of [...]
I enjoy TCPL’s collection of ‘adult picture books’– those coffee table and oversize books for adult audiences that the library occasionally purchases. They are great reading when you need visual stimulation, as they are often full of remarkable art/photography and most are amenable to being read/browsed in small bites. I used several recently with and [...]
In general I am not a reader of non-fiction. Oh sure, I use cookbooks for recipes and look at the pictures in art books, and my yard might be a wasteland if not for our expansive collection of gardening books. The parameters of reading non-fiction, for me, have always been defined by pure function. Half [...]
A. Roger Ekirch’s Birthright is the true story of James Annesley who was the heir to many Irish and English estates and aristocratic titles in the 18th century. He was kidnapped at age 12 by an evil uncle, shipped to America, and sold as a servant. His father had died 6 months before and even [...]
19 Stars of Indiana: Exceptional Hoosier Women by Michael S. Maurer [920.72 M448N 2009]. Sometimes it’s great to read ‘close to home’ and I appreciated learning more about Indiana’s female leadership. Former Indiana Secretary of Commerce and Indiana Business Journal columnist, Michael Maurer clearly knows how to write inspiring biography. All of the women in [...]
Persepolis By Marjane Satrapi One of my favorite comics artists, Kevin O’Neill once said in an interview about drawing comic books, “You can tell a big story in an economic way.” This is exactly what author/artist Marjane Satrapi has done in her Graphic Novel “Persepolis”. Persepolis is an autobiographical tale of Ms. Satrapi’s life in [...]
I have always felt a kinship with Madonna largely because she was born in my home town, Bay City, Michigan. Her grandparents lived down by the Water Street train tracks, just like my father’s family—it was the poor part of town. I’ve followed her spectacular career with interest and was hoping for more new [...]
The last campaign : Robert F. Kennedy and 82 days that inspired America by Thurston Clarke This book was an uplifting and inspirational read about a campaign that took place during one of the most turbulent years in American history. There is a sadness and foreboding throughout the text, but the author also relays a [...]