Winter 2010

Our next adventure in our Across the Pond series  is..

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho 

In 1988 Paulo offered The Alchemist to a small Brazilian publishing house. It only sold 900 copies and the publishers drop it. The Alchemist is nowadays one of the most read books in the world.


Coelho is a Brazilian writer with four books to his credit. Following Diary of a Magus (1992--not reviewed) came this book, published in Brazil in 1988: it's an interdenominational, transcendental, inspirational fable--in other words, a bag of wind. The story is about a youth empowered to follow his dream. Santiago is an Andalusian shepherd boy who learns through a dream of a treasure in the Egyptian pyramids. An old man, the king of Salem, the first of various spiritual guides, tells the boy that he has discovered his destiny: ``to realize one's destiny is a person's only real obligation.'' So Santiago sells his sheep, sails to Tangier, is tricked out of his money, regains it through hard work, crosses the desert with a caravan, stops at an oasis long enough to fall in love, escapes from warring tribesmen by performing a miracle, reaches the pyramids, and eventually gets both the gold and the girl. Along the way he meets an Englishman who describes the Soul of the World; the desert woman Fatima, who teaches him the Language of the World; and an alchemist who says, ``Listen to your heart.'' A message clings like ivy to every encounter; everyone, but everyone, has to put in their two cents' worth, from the crystal merchant to the camel driver (``concentrate always on the present, you'll be a happy man''). The absence of characterization and overall blandness suggest authorship by a committee of self-improvement pundits--a far cry from Saint- Exup‚ry's The Little Prince: that flagship of the genre was a genuine charmer because it clearly derived from a quirky, individual sensibility. Coelho's placebo has racked up impressive sales in Brazil and Europe. Americans should flock to it like gulls.  -- Kirkus Reviews Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP.

Fall Conversations...

Thank you for the lively and informative conversations about Presidents Barack Obama's Dreams from My Father.   It is always a pleasure and encouraging to see students join in on the discussion and walk away with several new perspectives.

From the Inside Flap

Dreams From My Father

"In this lyrical, unsentimental, and compelling memoir, the son of a black African father and a white American mother searches for a workable meaning to his life as a black American. It begins in New York, where Barack Obama learns that his father—a figure he knows more as a myth than as a man—has been killed in a car accident. This sudden death inspires an emotional odyssey—first to a small town in Kansas, from which he retraces the migration of his mother's family to Hawaii, and then to Kenya, where he meets the African side of his family, confronts the bitter truth of his father's life, and at last reconciles his divided [cultural] inheritance." School Library Journal

FALL is here

Save the date.....
Wednesday, November 18, 2009 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
Seminar Room 256-258
Our first title of the year, up for discussion is NC A & T's  Text in Community

             Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance
by Barack Obama

You can find this title in Bluford Library at the Access Service Desk
Call number ... Reserve  E185.97.O23 A3 2004

I will know soon if I have extra copies to borrow.
    so keep in touch
Bring your lunch... bring a friend... bring a student...

ACROSS THE POND

This year's theme is .....Across the Pond

Our readings will take us across the Altanlic to adventures from our friends to the East.

We will start with our Text in Community and then venture through Liberia , Morrocco, Spain , Afganistan and Pakistan .

Titles for this upcoming year 2009-2010

Dreams From My Father - A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood by Helene Cooper

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time by Greg Mortensen

Dates and book availability information coming soon.

Shelfari

Check out our new Bookshelf App.
Shelfari.
Creat your own bookshelf and network with people who love books.

The Shack... discussion continues

Next gathering we will continue our lively discussion of The Shack by William P. Young.

Wednesday, June 10, 12:30pm F.D. Bluford Library, seminar room 256-258.

Thought provoking questions for "The Shack"

What elements of The Shack did you like (accept)?
What elements of The Shack did you find objectionable or not well presented?
What three words would you use to describe as a reason to read The Shack?
Who is Mack (Pre-Shack)?
Who is Mack (Post-Shack)?

Notes for "The Shack"

Here is a list of the main talking points and page numbers for each chapter ...provided by John Teleha

1. Ice Storm 14-23
2. Camping Trip 24-32
3. Tipping Point 33-42
4. The Great Sadness 43-66
5. Mack accepts the Invitation / Mack Meets God 67-87 (80-87)
6. Mack Talks with Papa in the Kitchen 88-103
7. Supper / Mack & Jesus on the dock 104-114
8. Breakfast of Champions 117-127
9. Mack & Sarayu in the Garden 128-138
10. Jesus & Mack Cross the Lake 139-150
11. Da Judge –Mack & Sophia in the Cave 151-169
12. Mack & Jesus return across the Lake 170-182
13. Mack & Papa talking on the Porch 183-193
14. Mack & Sarayu on the Lake / Dinner with Papa, Sarayu & Jesus 194-208
15. Sarayu & Mack / Gift under the Stars 207-217
16. Papa & Mack take a Hike 220-230
17. Mack Makes a Choice 231-238
18. Outbound Ripples 239-248

The Shack Part II

WOW!!!
If you missed the lively and insightful discussion of The Shack by William P. Young at our May 13 gathering, mark your calendar.
We have decide to meet again to continue our conversations and debates.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
Bluford Library seminar room 256-258.

Many thanks to our two discussion leaders:

Martina Chavis, Senior Development Officer, Division of Development and University Relations
and
John Teleha, Head of Reference, F. D. Bluford Library
Who brought activites, thought provoking questions and insight to the table.
We discovered a bountiful number of discussion points and responses to
The Shack with their help and encouragement.

Title Suggestions

Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead

Anytime I hear about a interesting book or someone suggest a good read... I will post it.

Late Spring Read

We have selected our next read
The Shack by William P. Young

Mark your calendar...
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 12:30pm -1:30pm

I am in the process of getting a club set to loan.
So.....stay tuned for my update

What do you think

These are some of the suggestions for future reads


The Shack by William P. Young
Early in the novel the young daughter of the protagonist, Mack, is abducted. Four years later he visits the shack where evidence of the girl’s murder was discovered. He spends a weekend there in a kind of spiritual therapy session with God, who calls herself “Papa”; Jesus, who appears as a Jewish workman; and Sarayu, an indeterminately Asian woman who incarnates the Holy Spirit.
....NewYork Times
Good is not Enough by Keith Wyche
After being passed over twice for advancement, Wyche—now president of U.S. operations for Pitney Bowes Management Services—took a hard look at himself and began to consciously develop his approach, performance and image to better position himself for success. Aimed primarily at helping minorities advance their careers, his book highlights the 12 key lessons he learned—including the importance of personal branding, visibility and staying current as well as identifying potential career killers. Each chapter elaborates on a different skill while relating how Wyche and others managed to overcame specific obstacles. ... Publishers Weekly

Mr. Wyche was the 2008-2009 Closing Bell Speaker for the School of Business and Economics at North Carolina A&T .

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
"We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand."--Randy Pausch
Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch (Oct. 23, 1960 - July 25, 2008) gave his last lecture at the university Sept. 18, 2007, before a packed McConomy Auditorium on CMU campus.
Here is a link to his one hour lecture on You Tube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo&feature=related

We took a short winter break …

Ok… it was longer then expected.
But, we are back in gear and ready to take on the next year.

Starting with a discussion about movies and books. Books we have already read.

This is a really late notice however, let’s get together

Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Bluford Library seminar room, 12:30-1:30pm.
Bring your lunch and let’s have our lively conversations about the differences and similarities between Book vs. Movie
The Secret Life of Bees …
This was our feature book in Fall 2006
And bring a friend.

The DVD is available at:
Bluford Library… A&T Reserve PS3611.I44 S382 2008
Red Box at Harris Teeter
WalMart and many other retailers.

Also, if you have HBO don’t forget to watch The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency ,
Sunday, March 29, 8pm . Staring Jill Scott
Remember…. we read the first three books of Alexander McCall Smith’s series in Fall 2007

Summer 2008 Read

Join us Wednesday, August 27, 2008 F.D. Bluford Library, Seminar room 256-258, 12:30pm

More "The Tipping Point" information....
http://www.gladwell.com/tippingpoint/index.html

"Accepting diversity or delving outside of your accepted social boundaries and embracing different circumstance absolutely contribute to happiness".

Here is a link to Malcolm Gladwell's speech on TED Talks 2004
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIiAAhUeR6Y

Gladwell, a New Yorker staff writer, offers an incisive and piquant theory of social dynamics that is bound to provoke a paradigm shift in our understanding of mass behavioral change. Defining such dramatic turnarounds as the abrupt drop in crime on New York's subways, or the unexpected popularity of a novel, as epidemics, Gladwell searches for catalysts that precipitate the "tipping point," or critical mass, that generates those events. What he finds, after analyzing a number of fascinating psychological studies, is that tipping points are attributable to minor alterations in the environment, such as the eradication of graffiti, and the actions of a surprisingly small number of people, who fit the profiles of personality types that he terms connectors, mavens, and salesmen. As he applies his strikingly counterintuitive hypotheses to everything from the "stickiness," or popularity, of certain children's television shows to the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, Gladwell reveals that our cherished belief in the autonomy of the self is based in great part on wishful thinking. Donna Seaman-BookList

Enjoy

Summer 2008

OH MY!..... summer is upon us.

This summer by popular demand we will be reading a Non-Fiction title.

Join us Wednesday, August 27, 2008
F.D. Bluford Library , Seminar room no. 256-258
Bring your lunch, thoughts and questions about ......

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
by Malcolm Gladwell (2002).

On The New York Times bestsellers list for over a 150 weeks. Gladwell puts an interesting twist on the simple notions of cause and effect. He explores the question: Fads and epidemics, what do they have in common?
The 2002 edition has a afterwards by the author that connects the Tipping Point lessons to a real world library system. Enjoy :-)

Find the Tipping Point in Bluford Library

A&T Stacks- HM 1033.G53 2000
or
A&T Reserves- HM 1033.G53 2002


Fall 2008 teaser.......
Can you tell a book by its movie?

Ponder Poetry

In the spring, Lunch and Literature “Pondered Poetry” in honor of National Poetry Month and part of Bluford Library’s National Library Week celebration, April 14 -18, 2008

I was a little apprehensive about doing poetry for Lunch and Literature however, this worked out smoothly. There was not much preparation as in; time to read a book, taking notes, and come up with thought provoking questions.

I just sent out the word for each attendant to bring their favorite poem from well known and not so well known Black poets for a lunch time read aloud.

Below is a list of the poems presented at our gathering.

We're Back.....

Lunch and Literature is back...
in the swing for spring.

In honor of National Library Week and National Poetry Month we will read, listen to, and ponder poetry. Specifically African American poetry.

Bring your lunch and your favorite poem by a black poet for sharing, and lively discussion.

Also we have extra copies of Black Poets By Dudley Randall to loan to Lunch and Literature participants.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008 . 12:30 p.m. to 1:30p.m. F.D. Bluford Library, 2nd floor seminar room.

Your comments are welcome.

This fall semester the Lunch and Literature Program took a different turn from the traditional way we usually appreciate the literary experience and tackled a new format. Instead of reading our selected titles, we listened to them via our desktop, lap top or Mp3 players and Netlibrary eAudiobooks.
Netlibrary eAudiobooks is one of the many resources offered through F. D. Bluford Library. Participants downloaded the first three books (nine in all) of the unabridged series The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith.
Smith’s main character, Mma Ramotswe, captured our attention with her wit wisdom and unconventional ways of solving a mystery. In addition, we discovered there is a movie in the making, base on Smith’s series due out in 2008. Sounds like a field trip!
Dr. David Johnson one of the Lunch and Literature participants from the Sociology department donated a set of the first three books of the series to the library.
Thank you, Dr. Johnson
Even though most participants preferred to read the printed version than to listen to the books read to them, the majority said they would use eAudiobooks again for Lunch and Literature program.