Saturday, June 28, 2008

Fictions of Race in 20th Century America - Phil Weinstein

On Thursday evening the library hosted a well attended book discussion on "The Known World" by Edward P. Jones.

The Oak Bluffs Public Library was pleased to take part in the Fictions of Race in 20th Century America Book Discussion Club, for which the topic was race in America in the 20th century, as probed in fiction by four of the century's most prominent novelists.

Thank you to Phil Weinstein of Aquinnah, Professor of English at Swarthmore College, who led an informative and insightful discussion. The library would also like to thank Jennifer Christy, Library Director of the Aquinnah Library, for organizing the book group.

Here is a complete list of the novels that were discussed by the book group:

Go Down Moses, by William Faulkner
Native Son, by Richard Wright
The Confessions of Nat Turner, by William Styron
Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison
The Known World, by Edward P. Jones

Saturday, June 14, 2008

A Barrier Reef Revealed - Michael Wooley



Michael Wooley, Local Artist & Swim Instructor, "wowed" an audience of 60 people with his breathtaking images and videos of a barrier reef off the coast of Belize. Brain Corals, Nurse Sharks, Sponges, Barracudas & an assortment of other undersea creatures were on display.





Michael provided a fun and educational narrative throughout the presentation.






At the end of the slide show the audience peppered Michael with interesting questions, and showed off some of their own knowledge of the sea!

Thursday, June 05, 2008

Graphic Novel Slideshow & Talk

The library would like to thank Don Hinkle for his interesting slideshow & talk regarding Graphic Novels. This popular and expanding genre of reading material is a fun and fascinating subject!



Here are a few recent additions to the library's graphic novel collection:
Graphic classics v. 7: Bram Stoker



Storm



Satchel Paige : striking out Jim Crow



Biowulf



Search for more Graphic Novels Now!

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

May Book Discussion Group - "The God of Small Things"

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy is a story about how the loss of childhood innocence of the book's central characters mirrors the growing pains of modern India. Many important Indian issues are at the heart of the book. Prominent among them are the caste system, communism, religion, and India's history.

The discussion group had a lively conversation about modern-day India, as two of our members had traveled there recently and shared their discoveries and reactions to the country that is home to so many of the earth's people.

Next month we are combining our book group with an Island-wide book group that is exploring "Fictions of Race in 20th Century America." English Professor Phil Weinstein will lead the discussion about The Known World by Edward P. Jones. The meeting will be held at the library on Thursday, June 26th at 5:30 pm. Copies of the book are available at the downstairs circulation desk.