Arab-American Heritage Month

April is Arab-American Heritage Month, looking at the United States citizens whose families immigrated from an Arabic country (Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen).

Follow us on Facebook or our Pinterest page to see who is in the spotlight!

National Poetry Month

     April is National Poetry Month in the United States. According to the Academy of American Poets at www.poets.org/national-poetry-month: 

"National Poetry Month is the largest literary celebration in the world, with tens of millions of readers, students, K-12 teachers, librarians, booksellers, literary events curators, publishers, bloggers, and, of course, poets marking poetry’s important place in our culture and our lives. 

While we celebrate poets and poetry year-round, the Academy of American Poets was inspired by the successful celebrations of Black History Month (February) and Women’s History Month (March), and founded National Poetry Month in April 1996 with an aim to:

• highlight the extraordinary legacy and ongoing achievement of American poets,
• encourage the reading of poems,
• assist teachers in bringing poetry into their classrooms,
• increase the attention paid to poetry by national and local media,
• encourage increased publication and distribution of poetry books, and 
• encourage support for poets and poetry."

Allow yourself to be re-introduced to poets like:

Langston Hughes--The Negro Speaks of Rivers (To W.E.B. DuBois)

     I've known rivers:

     I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the

                         flow of human blood in human veins.

    I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.

    I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.

    I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.

    I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln

                         went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy

                         bosom turn all golden in the sunset.

    I've known rivers:

    Ancient, dusky rivers.

    My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

And:

Carl Sandburg--Fog

    The fog comes

    on little cat feet.

    It sits looking

   over harbor and city

   on silent haunches

   and then moves on.

And, let's not forget:

Maya Angelou--Country Lover

    Funky blues

    Keen toed shoes

    High water pants

    Saddy night dance

    Red soda water

    and anybody's daughter

Whether you prefer the Haiku, Limerick, Elegy, Epic, Sonnet, or Free Verse, visit your local library to see what all the fuss is about.

Celebrate Your Irish Heritage at the Library!

Most people don't realize that the entire month of March is Irish-American Heritage Month. So, don't just celebrate on St. Patrick's Day! We have some wonderful reads for those who want to know more about their Irish heritage and ancestry. Here's a list of books, large print books, and audio cd's available at the library.

Heritage and History (Non-Fiction/Memoir)

Booking Passage: We Irish & Americans by Thomas Lynch

The Scotch-Irish: A Social History by James Graham Leyburn

A Drinking Life: A Memoir by Pete Hamill (audio cd only)

Black Mass: Whitey Bulger, the FBI, and a Devil’s Deal by Dick Lehr (LT & audio cd)

Heritage of Ireland: a History of Ireland and Its People by Nathaniel Harris

Tales of the Celtic Bards by Claire Hamilton

Titles by Frank McCourt (Biographies/Memoirs)

Angela’s Ashes: a Memoir 

Singing My Him Song 

‘Tis: a Memoir 

A Monk Swimming 

Teacher Man: a Memoir

New Board Books!

We've purchased a new selection of Board Books just right for our youngest patrons!

Favorite characters such as Maisy, Little Critter, Spot, and Thomas the Tank Engine are featured in some of the books.  Come take a look at the variety!

These books were made available to our patrons through an LSTA grant and will be part of our Tiny Tots’ Early Learning Read & Play program.

Harry, Harry, Harry...

     The Harry Dresden novels by Jim Butcher are the epitome of magical-noir. The graphic novels are wonderful additions to this collection. We have added three more stories to accompany The Dresden Files: Omnibus Volume One graphic novels collection: Down Town, Ghoul Goblin, and War Cry.

     Harry is a wizard and private investigator who consults with the Chicago Police Department. He has formidable magical skills but his execution could use some spit and polish. Need to track down some black magic practitioners? blood-thirsty vampires? Ancient monsters all set to destroy mankind? Then Dresden is your man...er...wizard.

     In Down Town, Harry and his new apprentice, Molly Carpenter, are trying to end the chaos caused by a power-mad sorcerer hell bent on turning the streets of Chicago into his own private kingdom. Dresden and Molly find out that this usurper has entered into an alliance with big time, bad news mob boss "Gentleman Johnnie" Marcone. Dresden's brash style may not be enough to protect himself and his young charge when things come to a head.

     Harry comes to the aid of a small Missouri town being terrorized by Nevernever monsters in Ghoul Goblin. The Talbot family has been decimated by a terrible curse that has plagued them for generations. In order for Harry to help them, however, he will have to navigate a quagmire of hostile lawmen, menacing town secrets, and an ancient guardian spirit, and not one, but two, deadly carnivores! Will he be able to clear the Talbot curse without sacrificing himself in the process?

     In War Cry, Harry--now a warden for the White Council--must lead a group of inexperienced young wizards against the vampires of the Red Court. The White Council and the Red Court have been fighting a shadow war for a while now, but the Council's ranks have been decimated by the vampire scourge. Harry and his team head to Iowa to protect the scholars of the Vantori Umbrorum haven from the bloodthirsty legions surrounding them.Once there, Harry realizes that the situation is worse than he imagined; much worse. For hidden beneath the haven lies an ancient and terrifying entity that could bring about the end of humanity.

     These adventures of the irascible Harry Dresden are sure to delight, entertain, and thrill anyone who love a good mystery, fantasy, or both!

A New Book from the fabulous Fannie Flagg!

A new novel from Fannie Flagg, the author of patron favorites 'Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle-Stop Cafe' and 'The All-girl Filling Station's Last Reunion.

Elmwood Springs, Missouri, is a small town like any other, but something strange is happening at the cemetery. Still Meadows, as it’s called, is anything but still. Original, profound, The Whole Town’s Talking, a novel in the tradition of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town and Flagg’s own Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven, tells the story of Lordor Nordstrom, his Swedish mail-order bride, Katrina, and their neighbors and descendants as they live, love, die, and carry on in mysterious and surprising ways.

Lordor Nordstrom created, in his wisdom, not only a lively town and a prosperous legacy for himself but also a beautiful final resting place for his family, friends, and neighbors yet to come. “Resting place” turns out to be a bit of a misnomer, however. Odd things begin to happen, and it starts the whole town talking.

With her usual great storytelling and understanding of both human weaknesses and the human heart, the beloved Fannie Flagg tells an unforgettable story of life, afterlife, and the remarkable goings-on of ordinary people. 

Our patrons that have already read this book give it an enthusiastic thumbs up!

Advice for Women

Two new books in our self-help/relationship section, the following books will help you realize healthy relationships and deal with life's curve balls--big and small.

The first book is Girlfriend to Girlfriend: Everyday Wisdom and Affirmations from the Sisters Circle by Julia A. Boyd. This book is full of straight-talking sisters with advice to help every women get through the obstacle course that makes up daily life. The Sisters Circle advice comes from the heart and is meant to help you realize that things don't always go as planned, but we can get through those moments with a little encouragement, prayer, and a whole lot of truth. Above all, we must remember to laugh, to love, and to care for ourselves as much as we do for others.

The second book for your enjoyment is Don't Give It Away! by Iyanla Vanzant. This workbook styled tome is designed to help you express your thoughts and feelings about the things that matter to you like your family, your friends, your body, and your love life. While problems at home, work, or school are an everyday occurrence, understanding what to do with how you feel about your problems is the key to growing as an individual. Iyanla designed this book to teach practical coping strategies for women young or old.

The Memoir of a Gentleman Golfer

On September 25, 2016, the golfing world lost its King - Arnold Palmer.

With his book that has become his parting gift to his many fans, Arnold Palmer shares his thoughts, advice, and memories - no only about golf, but also about business and life.

In Arnold Palmer's own words : "It's such a pleasure for me to share these stories with my army of fans.  I hope this book illuminates for you some of the important lessons I learned along the way.

The book reached the number two position on the New York Times best seller list for sports related books in November 2016 and is now available on our New Adult Nonfiction shelves.

Non-Fiction for African American History Month

The following titles are new non-fiction that record and continue the African-American Experience. All three of these books seek to tell the story of the contributions of African-Americans in the fields of education and publishing; they also seek to inspire future generations--no matter their race--to raise themselves up out of poverty and ignorance.

First, we have Progressive Education in Black High Schools: the Secondary School Study, 1940-1946 by Craig Kridel. This is a catalog of sixteen black high schools that existed in the American Southeast. Between 1940 and 1946, the Rockefeller Foundation's General Education Board funded a study that looked at the instruction and outcomes of these schools. The project was based upon cooperation and experimentation and helped to develop a generation of African American educators who recognized the hypocrisy society showed blacks and, at the same time, display a willingness to engage in the various forms of struggle to educate the black population. Included in this book is Magnolia Avenue High School here in Vicksburg.

The second book is called The Defender: How the Legendary Black Newspaper Changed America written by Ethan Michaeli. Founded by Robert S. Abbott in 1905, The Chicago Defender condemned Jim Crow, sparked the Great Migration, and helped to focus the electoral power of black Americans. Hundreds of thousands of copies were smuggled into some of the most isolated and segregated communities in the American South. Abbott himself became known as a "Modern Moses" and was one of the first black millionaires in America. The newspaper's clout helped to elect mayors and presidents, including Harry S. Truman and John F. Kennedy. Reporters braved lynch mobs and policemen's clubs to report on the state of race relations in the country. Many famous African Americans wrote columns for the paper as well, including Ida B. Wells, Langston Hughes, and Martin Luther King. A moving look at the power of the press to force a change in the status quo.

The third and final book is The Bridge to Brilliance: How One Principal in a Tough Community is Inspiring the World written by Nadia Lopez with Rebecca Paley. In 2010, Nadia Lopez started her middle-grade public school, Mott Hall Bridges Academy, in one of America s poorest communities, in a record heat wave and crime wave. Everything was an uphill battle getting the school approved as well as recruiting teaches and students; not to mention, having to solve a million new problems every day. From violent crime to vanishing supplies, Lopez was determined to break the downward spiral that had trapped too many inner-city children. The lessons came fast: disengaged teachers, wayward students, and the educational system itself, rarely in tune with the already disadvantaged and ill-prepared. Things were at a low ebb for everyone when one of her students told a photographer that his principal, Ms. Lopez, was the person who most influenced his life. The posting on Brandon Stanton's Humans of New York site was the pebble that started a lucky landslide for Lopez and her team. Lopez found herself in the national spotlight and headed for a meeting with President Obama all the while inspiring and guiding those entrusted to her tutelage.

Gale Virtual Reference Library - Need ideas or information for Black History Month?

Available online through the Gale Virtual Reference Library,
the Contemporary Black Biography series provides informative biographical profiles of the important and influential person of African American and/or black heritage.

There are currently 134 volumes to this set and the articles cover persons of various nationalities in a wide variety of fields, including architecture, art, business, dance, educcation, fashion, film, industry, journalism, law, literature, medicine, music, politics/government, publishing, religion, science/technology, social issues, sports television, theater and others.

The Gale Virtual Reference Library is now integrated with Google apps and Microsoft Office 365. Emailing, organizing and saving documents and citations has never been easier! Additionally, you can bookmark, highlight sections and take notes.

To access the Gale Virtual Reference Library, come to our Reference Desk and ask for the password. Then simply go to http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/mag_p_magn1263 on your personal device, choose the volume you want to reference and read away!