On view now through June 29, 2015 in the Community Room of Mulberry Street Library are the photographs of David Penner.This series he is presenting is called "Manhattan Pairs" and features portraits of pairs of people in various NYC locales. I spoke with David recently about his photography.

How did you first become interested in photography as a medium?

In my youth, I was a serious oboist, but had to stop due to a hand injury. Photography filled this void left by the absence of music, and allowed me to be an artist again. There are also many photographers in my family. Photography is a good medium for me, because it allows you to teach yourself, and create your own technique. In this way, it is the antithesis of classical music and ballet, where you cannot attain a high level of technical proficiency without having spent many years at a conservatory. Photography is precisely the opposite: Many great photographers are self taught, and this can allow for greater leeway in regards to one's creativity. Street photography and documentary photography are also a good match for me, because they allow you to merge artistry with an intellectual sensibility.

Who are some of your favorite photographers, artists, and influences?

There are many photographers I like, but I'm particularly fond of Sebastião Salgado, Steve McCurry, Nan Goldin, Mary Ellen Mark and Don McCullin. I've also been extremely influenced by classical music, the cinema, literature, as well as the painters Egon Schiele, Otto Dix, Degas, George Grosz and Renoir.

Your subjects are mostly people—how do you approach your subjects? How do you select story ideas?

I approach people as respectfully as I can. Story ideas come about by spending many hours reading, people watching, and looking at the work of great photographers and artists.

How has the digital era affected how you approach photography? What do you think its strengths and weaknesses are compared to shooting film?

Digital has made making a living in photography extremely difficult, because it has added literally hundreds of millions of additional photographers to the planet. Many people think that simply because they have a camera, they are a photographer, and this is not the case; so there is sometimes a lack of understanding of what quality photography really is. There is also sometimes a lack of understanding of the challenges of shooting digitally, as many people think, "Anybody can do that. You just press a button." Digital has made it easier to edit your own work, as the digital darkroom is infinitely more accessible than the traditional wet darkroom, where if you make a mistake, you can totally destroy a roll of film.

What made you decide to do portraits in black and white as opposed to color?

Every photographer tends to gravitate towards one or the other, and neither is superior.

It is simply a matter of personal taste. It would be impossible to imagine Ansel Adams in color, and it would be impossible to imagine Steve McCurry or William Albert Allard in black and white. Regardless of which medium they choose—or in actuality which medium chooses them—the black and white or color they shoot in becomes an inextricable part of their artistic voice. I once met with a big shot photography agent, who looked at my black and white prints, and said, "All the people you like are dead." Yet Salgado, Enri Canaj, Jacob Aue Sobol, Jessica Lehrman, Jeff Gusky and many other fine photographers, are alive and still shoot in black and white. The point is not to try and live in the past, but to embrace black and white when you hear its sacred calling. When I put a portrait in black and white, it allows me in some mysterious and cryptic way, to communicate something I cannot communicate in color. Sometimes I cannot truly see the image until it is in black and white. And with black and white, I can let the portrait sing, and reveal the person's soul in all its pain and beauty.

You also shoot food as a subject, can you tell me a little about this interest?

Yes, I've shot hundreds of restaurants around the city. In order to do food photography, you need to have a love of food, and also have a good feel for shooting with a tripod. It's also important to understand that a great chef is an artist.

What drew you to exhibiting photography in a library space?

The idea of exhibiting in a library appeals to me because it is so accessible and unpretentious.

Join us for a reception for David Penner's "Manhttan Pairs" on Monday June 15 at 5:15 pm in the Community Room of Mulberry Street Library. Light refreshments will be served.

About a year ago, I stepped into a newly created role, Director of Digital Experience at The New York Public Library. The position came with an exciting and challenging charge: to transform how the Library creates digital experiences in both virtual and physical spaces, across programs, collections, and events throughout the institution. As a new department in the Library, we embarked on a new and exciting series of initiatives that includes the integration of digital experiences into our exhibition programs, working with the various educational programs to understand how we can better develop educational resources for the community, and our most immediate challenge, the redevelopment of the Library’s website.

You are reading this piece on nypl.org right now—so obviously, you use the Library’s website, which puts you in the category of “a lot of people.” As with so many organizations, corporations and institutions, the website is a key point of contact for many of our patrons. According to Mary Meeker’s presentation at this year's Code Conference, Internet usage since 1995 has grown worldwide from 35 million users to 2.8 billion, and from 1% to 39% population penetration. Locally, nationally, and globally, nypl.org serves millions of people per year who the website to see if a branch is open, put a hold on a book, find out who is speaking at Books at Noon, or when the next Photoshop class is being offered. Scholars, researchers, teachers and students explore our collection of databases, articles and other online resources. You can even see recorded events that have taken place at the Library—like our amazing LIVE from the NYPL series or Books at Noon program.

The Library’s website has grown since its original launch over 20 years ago. More and more information, programming and media has be integrated into the site. The site has become more complex, and being able to discover all the amazing things in The New York Public Library is getting more and more difficult to do on the site. We’ve also come to realize that many of the new technologies that can allow us to connect with communities, create a dialog with our experts and patrons, and make use of new interactive tools is becoming harder and harder to integrate into our aging technical infrastructure.

It’s time for an upgrade!

While there’s a great number of resources on the site, we know we can make it better. We can make it easier to find things. We can offer you the opportunity to connect to communities and resources here at the library. We can offer you more access to our fantastic staff, our collections and our expertise. We can make it easier to attend a class, a lecture or ask a librarian a question. We can create a more personal experience and help you get the most out of this great community institution. We want to make the site easier to use, and easier to access, if you are looking at it on a desktop computer, tablet or smartphone.

In order to do that, we need to rebuild, redesign, and reorganize. We’ve launched a web redevelopment project that will take us into next year and allow us to begin offering new interfaces, new online tools, and new ways for you to interact with NYPL.  You’ll start seeing some of these changes later this fall as we really begin to roll up our sleeves and start building the new digital platform. There’s a great deal to do, with much needed re-tooling of the backend site structure as part of this initial effort, so many of the changes may not be immediately apparent.

We've just completed a 12-week concept phase of the redevelopment of the site. Working with the Portland, Oregon design firm, Second Story, we kicked off the phase with a high-intensity boot-camp week of interviews with library departments and staff aimed at assessing everyone’s needs, and we’ve kept everyone at NYPL as involved as possible as the project has progressed. We completed an inventory of all our web content—and there is quite a lot—and created a series of visual designs to establish a design direction after receiving feedback from across our 92 branches. In addition, we began an assessment of the site's infrastructure and began exploring how new web technologies could be integrated into the new environment. Our vision for the site’s rollout is a continuation of the process. Parts of the site will be available in its first appearance while others will be developed in tandem. And even after the whole thing is “complete,” it still won’t be “done.” NYPL is always re-evaluating what it can provide for the public, and our approach to the new website will follow this philosophy.

At this time, the culmination of the concept phase, we’ve developed an initial visual treatment, not a final design, but a general visual direction that incorporates some of the new features and ideas we’ve been discussing. This is a small representation of a much larger design scope, but I’d like to share it with you to give you an idea of some of the potential changes and features we might develop further. Click the video below to see some samples:

Over the next few months we'll be posting our progress on the overall project, soliciting your input, and introducing you to the team that is making this happen. For starters, I’d like to offer the following email address:

webfeedback@nypl.org

If you have any thoughts, ideas, or features you think we should consider, feel free to send me a note and let me know what you are thinking. I’ll definitely read them and consider your feedback as we move through the process of this web redevelopment.

I’ve invited members of the Digital Experience group to contribute to this blog as well. In the coming months, you’ll hear from people who are helping to reshape the cornerstone of the Library’s digital platform. We hope this window into the design of the new website is interesting and exciting to you as it is to us, and please feel free to drop us a line to let us know how we are doing.

Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary was more than just an exciting novel, it set a standard for novels, and created a buzzword about having a glamorized, exaggerated conception about oneself. The novel first appeared in serial form in 1857, and the morality of the tale quickly entered into public debate. Flaubert persevered, and the work became a classic.  A few years ago, some 4,500 omitted pages that Flaubert originally penned were released online, in the original French, at bovary.fr. 

In 1934, T.S. Eliot added the -ism suffix to Emma's last name and coined a new word. In Essays, he wrote: "I do not believe that any writer has ever exposed this bovarysme, the human will to see things as they are not, more clearly than Shakespeare."

Modern writers and artists have put their spin on Bovarism. Mario Vargas Llosa's The Bad Girl has Charles Bovary in the form of the character of Ricardo. (Fun fact: The Bad Girl was reported to be one of Madonna's favorite books.) Authors Raymond Carney and Leonard Quart mentioned it in their nonfiction book The Films of Mike Leigh as "'talking-to-hear-yourself-talk' to impress yourself and your listener with a depth of feeling and thought that doesn't refer to anything outside itself." Publisher's Weekly suggested that Emma Bovary is the "feminine incarnation of Don Quixote de la Mancha: he lost his mind reading novels of chivalry while she lost hers reading romance novels" and then things get even more muddled in their review of Julian Barnes's Flaubert's Parrot in their article "10 Books Based on Other Books." Barnes also writes about the statue of Flaubert in Rouen, Belgium, which, although not the original statue, bears testament to the passage of time. NYPL's digital collection has a few images of the statue.

Author A.S. Byatt calls Madame Bovary "the least romantic book I have ever read."

Author Julie Kavanagh examines the portrayals of Emma Bovary, including one based on the graphic novel Gemma Bovery.

There have been a few film interpretations of Madame Bovary and a 2014 version directed by Sophie Barthes. There's also a 2014 film of Gemma Bovery, with this tidbit of trivia.

Perhaps the most recent reinterpretation of Madame Bovary is Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum. The main character, Anna Benz, toys with adultery in an attempt to compensate for the sadness in her life, belying her suburban dream life in Zurich with her banker husband and three children. Anna's character owes no small debt to Bovarism, but the interspersed vignettes with her therapist start to feel tiresome after a while. However, Essbaum's writing is deft and the tale does move along well.

Happy Immigrant Heritage Month! #ImmigrantHeritageMonth #IHM2015

Started by Welcome.us, June 2015 marks the second-annual Immigrant Heritage Month—an initiative to partner community organizations, elected officials, corporations, artists, and leaders to gather and share inspirational stories of American immigrants. 

The goal of the month is to encourage every American to tell the story of how they first felt welcomed to the American experience.

For this post I have decided to highlight some recent films that portray the American Immigrant Experience. From documentaries to wonderful works of fiction, they all provide some insight in what builds our diverse nation.

Films

A Better Life
Carlos Galindo always dreamed of a better life for his wife and newborn son when he crossed the border into the U.S. A story that follows father and son as they embark on a physical and spiritual journey where they discover that family is the most important part of the American dream.

Amira & Sam
An army veteran's unlikely romance with an Iraqi immigrant is put to the test when she is faced with the prospect of deportation.

Children of Invention
Two young children living illegally in a model apartment outside Boston are left to fend for themselves when their hardworking mother disappears.

Foreign Letters
An 11-year-old immigrant girl from Israel misses her best friend. A Vietnamese refugee girl next door shares in her experience.

Immigrant
The coming-of-age story of Daanyik, a nine-year-old Russian boy whose family immigrates to the United States in the late 1970s to pursue the American Dream.

The Immigrant
Ewa and her sister sail to New York from their native Poland in search of a new start and the American dream. When they reach Ellis Island, doctors discover that Magda is ill, and the two women are separated.

Immigration Tango
An American couple and a foreign couple test the limits of friendship and love when they switch partners and get married for green cards in this fun and flirty romantic comedy that earned Best Picture at the Boston International Film Festival. 

On the Run Again
The adventures and challenges of an African immigrant facing the conflicts of survival in a society different from the one he was born and raised.

Documentaries

Faces of America
Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. turns again to the latest tools of genealogy and genetics to explore the family histories of 12 renowned celebrities including Meryl Streep and Queen Noor. Looking to the wider immigrant experience, Professor Gates follows the threads of his guests' lives back to their origins. Along the way, the many stories he uncovers illuminate the American experience.

The Harvest / La Cosecha
"Every year there are more than 400,000 American children who are torn away from their friends, schools, and homes to pick the food we all eat. Zulema, Perla, and Victor labor as migrant farm workers, sacrificing their own childhoods to help their families survive. Follow these three as they journey from the scorching heat of Texas's onion fields to the winter snows of the Michigan apple orchards and back south to the humidity of Florida's tomato fields to follow the harvest."

Hunky Blues, The American Dream
The Hungarian immigrant experience is revealed and revered in a special documentary by internationally acclaimed director Peter Forgacs. Forgacs weaves photographs, home-movie footage, and interviews into an epic saga of escape, emigration, integration, and assimilation as he chronicles the wave of Hungarian immigrants who arrived in America between 1890 and 1921

No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo + Vilmos
Examines the lives and works of Laszlo Kovacs and Vilmos Zsigmond, chronicling their escape from the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, their immigration to America, and their rise up the ladder of Hollywood to become renowned cinematographers.

The Other Side of Immigration
This documentary is based on over 700 interviews with men and women in the Mexican countryside. The film explores why so many people leave small Mexican towns to work in the United States and what happens to the families and communities they leave behind.

Other People's Children
There are thousands of women in New York City taking care of other people's children. Every day they arrive at households prepared to pick up where moms leave off. They're on the playground, at the park, in preschool lobbies with arms outstretched. They work long hours with no benefits to keep kids safe and parents happy. An look at the lives of three immigrant women working as nannies in New York City.

Please feel free to add in the comments any films, older or new, that you have enjoyed and represent our immigrant journeys.

Looking for an something to read? Don’t miss our blog posts:
Celebrating World Book Day with Stories of the Immigrant Experience
We Are New Yorkers: A Reading List for NYC Immigrant Heritage Week

Check out some of our programs celebrating our cultural diversity. And take a look at some of our classes and workshops to help new immigrants achieve their American dream.

#ImmigrantHeritageMonth #IHM2015

With the coming out of Caitlyn Jenner, the lauding of actress Laverne Cox, shows on ABC Family and Amazon as well as many, many other things, transgender people are in the middle of a truly historic moment. They are moving from the fringes of society to front and center—ready or not. You have to be very brave and courageous to show the world your true self. However, all these positive news stories doesn’t mean that some people aren’t still confused or angered by what it means to be transgender or what it means for their own gender identities. They need to find true understanding through authentic stories and personal experiences. Twenty years ago, when I was in college, a girl I’d grown up with transitioned to male. I was puzzled at first, mainly by the mechanics of it and how it would all work, but I realized that it actually made complete sense. She’d always seemed more male than female to me anyway and now her outside was just finally going to match who she was inside. I couldn’t begin to imagine walking around and feeling like I was in the wrong body and so in the end it was very easy for me to accept her as a him.

Teen literature spends a good proportion of its existence taking on tough topics, shedding light on what it means to be different and how we strive to become our most authentic selves. So it should come as a surprise to no one that teen lit has been showcasing the courageous, true and fictional, stories of transgender teens, teens struggling with gender identity and teens dealing with transgender friends and family members for years. Here are just a few (as in a lot) of what I found on NYPL shelves. As you read, remember this quote by poet e. e. cummings,

"To be nobody-but-yourself — in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else — means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting."

Alex as Well by Alyssa Brugman
Raised as boy and on hormones, Alex is actually intersex ( has both male & female body parts). When he starts a new school he decides instead that he is going to live as girl. 

Almost Perfectby Brian Katcher
Living a smal Missouri town and still reeling from a bad break-up, 18 year old Logan  finds love and connection with Sage, a new girl in town who's hiding a big secret. 

Beautiful Music for Ugly Childrenby Kriston Mills-Conn
Gabe is a boy in a girl's body. As he struggles to come out to his family and friends about his true self he finds acceptance behind the mic as a radio D.J.

Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin (nonfiction)
Interviews with six transgender and gender neutral teens as they speak openly and honestly about their experiences and journies. Includes several NYC teens.

Convict's Candy by Damon Meadows
A pre-op transsexual teen is arrested and sent to federal prison one week before a scheduled sex-change operation. Still classified as male she ends up being housed with male inmates.

Every Day by David Levithan
Every morning A wakes up in another 16-year-old body. Sometimes a boy. Sometimes a girl. Every race. Every sexual identity. A has learned never to get too attached. Then A falls in love with a girl—but how do you build a relationship when every day you occupy a different physical self?

Freakboy by Kristin Clark
Told in free verse and three points of view, we get Brendan, a high school wrestler struggling with his gender identity, his girlfriend Vanessa, a fellow wrestler struggling to be accepted by the boys on the squad and Angel, a transgender college student who tries to help him find acceptance and understanding.

Happy Families by Tanita Davis
Twins Ysabel and Justin share their conflicted feelings as they struggle with their father's decision to live as a woman. 

I Am J by Cris Beam
J, born Jenifer, has never felt like a girl and wants to live as a boy. When his best friend rejects him and his parents struggle to understand him, he runs away to begin a new life and try to become who he really is. 

Jumpstart the World by Catherine Ryan Hyde
When her mother abandons Elle in a NYC apt, she is befriended by her neighbors Frank and Molly. Elle promptly gets a crush on the kind and wise Frank but learning that he's transgender turns her world upside-down.

One in Every Crowdby Ivan Coyote
Stories and autobiographical essays about growing up, struggling with family, gender identity and all told in a funny, matter-of-fact voice. 

Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger
Grady was a "never-quite-right" girl so he changed his name and started living as a guy. As he attempts to live his new self he struggles with varying degrees of acceptance from his friends, family and classmates. 

Rethinking Normal: A Memoir in Transition by Katie Rain Hill (nonfiction)
Katie grew up a boy in Oklahoma but always felt like a girl. In high school, she began her transition to female and began living as a girl. She recalls all the pain and bullying that followed as well as the joy she felt finally living as her true self and making new friends who accepted her.

Some Assembly Required: The Not-so-secret Life of a Transgender Teen by Arin Andrews (nonfiction)
In this memoir, 17 year old Arin recalls his journey of transitioning female to male. He discusses learning what being transsexual meant, his suicide attempts and finding acceptance and love with his girlfriend Katie Hill (see above).

Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir by Liz Prince (nonfiction)
Liz refuses to conform to a single gender identity. She's a girl who likes to wear what boys wear but that doesn't mean she doesn't identify as a girl or is a lesbian.  She just is who she is.

Transgender Lives: Complex Stories, Complex Voice by Kristin Conn-Mills (nonfiction)
Along with honest interviews with transgender teens and adults, the author explains the language, history, insurance issues and politics of being trans and what it means to be a part of the transgender community.

What Happened to Lani Garver by Carol Plum-Ucci
The new kid on Hackett Island defies description. Who is she? Where does she come from? Is she a boy or a girl? Does it matter? Lani is tormented and bullied by classmates but Claire decides to befriend this intriguing new person and it's a friendship that will change how Claire sees the world. 

The New York Public Library is fully committed to providing comprehensive digital learning opportunities for all New Yorkers. We are currently offering access to a number of easily accessible digital resources designed specifically for school age children. NYPL's digital resources for children provide junior researchers with a centralized gateway to authoritative resources and offer an opportunity to explore the world in a safe environment. Digital resources allow students to practice test taking skills, read e-books and complete one's homework. Active engagement with educational games demonstrates the fact that seemingly abstract knowledge has immediate practical applications.

Learning to locate an appropriate resources is the fist step in a process of acquiring life-long information literacy skills. To take full advantage of electronic resources for children, click the Research tab on NYPL's homepage.

Then click to see our Articles & Databases page. Select Children from the drop-down list located next to the Audience tab and then click FIND.

NYPL currently lists over two dozen electronic resources designed specifically for children.

The lion logo next to the title of the resource indicates that this particular database is available only at your local branch. A blue house icon points out that access to this digital resource is available from home. Please remember to have your library card handy, as access from home requires an input of a card number. That number is located directly underneath the barcode. All of the resources listed below, with the the exception of BrainPOP, can be accessed outside of the library.

BrainPOP is a wonderful interactive learning tool and is available in all of our branches. Subjects that are covered by this resource include Science, Social Studies, Engineering and Technology, Math, Health, Arts and Music. While kids probably don't need a lengthy introduction to this fun database, I encourage parents to view an informative introductory video. BrainPOP's animated short videos, quizzes and games facilitate an understanding of Common Core Learning Concepts. BrainPOP encourages parents and educators to view relevant educational standards by sorting them by state, grade and subject. For example, the following image shows us how it is possible to find a New York State Common Core Learning Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy for a student in 5th grade.

BrainPOP can be used by parents and educators for the purpose of creating an individualized test preparation plan. For example, the Study and Reading Skills section offers a number of very useful tutorials on the following topics: Critical Reasoning, Context Clues, Idioms and Clichés, Test Taking Skills, Mood and Tone, Fact and Opinion, Paraphrasing and Five Paragraph Essay. The Writing subsection offers videos on the topics of Main Idea, Points of View, Choosing a Topic, Show Not Tell, Similes and Metaphors. Depending on your child's age and needs, you might want to steer them towards the following math videos: Division, Decimals, Multiplication, Customary Units, Area of Polygons, Measuring Circles and Budgets.

BrainPOP covers a wide range of topics relating to a number extra-curricular activities. Going away on a vacation or planning a family visit? Anticipate a number of questions relating to travel, transportation and geography. A video explaining Map Skills, Airport Security or Longitude and Latitude can address some questions and concerns. Having difficulty explaining the concepts of Feminism, Apartheid, Stock Market or Taxes to your precocious third grader? BraipPOP is providing an easy introduction to an number of challenging topics.

BrainPOP offers a number of exciting educational games. Many of those games are directly related to the current Elementary and Middle School Curriculum Standards. It’s important to note that all BrainPOP videos are designed to test your child’s knowledge of a specific subject. If your child watched a BrainPOP video about the Bill of Rights, located under the general subject of Social Studies, in the section titled US Government and Law, games relating to this topic will automatically appear below this video. Suppose you daughter's interest in this seemingly dry and impersonal subject is waning, especially after she did not get a perfect score on the quiz. This could change, if she is given an opportunity to demonstrate her newly found knowledge by playing a game titled "Do I Have A Right?" Kids will strive to showcase their knowledge and creativity and BrainPOP games allow for just that. For example, "Do I Have A Right?" prompts a child to select an avatar, set up a law office and pick a law firm partner with a very particular set of skills necessary to run a successful specialty law practice. The success of her law firm depends not only on her theoretical knowledge of the Bill of Rights, but on her practical ability to simultaneously attend to a number of demanding customers, while connecting them to an expert in that field of law. Your child is expected to successfully pair a client with a potential case with a lawyer possessing the right type of expertise. In addition to that, your child is tested on her ability to manage clients in the waiting room, her willingness to expand her business through advertisement, and even her taste in office furnishings. No detail is insignificant, just as it is in real life! After watching a video titled "How a Bill Becomes a Law," your child can play a game titled "LawCraft." The Critical Reasoning video can be followed by "Argument Wars" game, which is also linked to topics of Debate, Student’s Rights, Supreme Court, Miranda Rights, as well as the same old Bill of Rights. While all those games tend to be fairly challenging, after playing the games on BrainPOP your child will establish a clear connection between the knowledge they have just acquired and its immediate practical application. The problem-solving power of knowledge becomes self-evident and rewarding.

eLibrary elementary offers classroom editions of Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Washington Post and St. Louis Post-Dispatch. In addition to those publications, eLibrary elementary offers NYPL's patrons a wide variety of e-magazines. The selection includes Calliope, an excellent children’s history magazine, Jack & Jill, National Geographic Kids, Boys' Life, Girls' Life, Highlights, Ranger Rick,Scholastic Math Magazine and a number of other interesting publications. This database contains a very comprehensive collection of DK Eyewitness e-books. While it's possible to search this database, browsing might work best.

TrueFlix allows students to hone literacy skills and build knowledge of a specific subject area through an exciting combination of an e-book and a visual resource. All e-books have a Table of Contents, Important Words and Index section. The Read-Along option is always present, as it should be, as children of all ages love to utilize it.

Colorful tabs on the left side of the page contain links to Project Ideas, Activity Center and videos related to the subject. Project ideas for the Bill of Rights book and video invited kids to write a Bill of Rights in their own words. The Activity Center includes a quiz and word match game. Books and videos are frequently updated. For example, the section on Extreme Nature includes a volume on Hurricane Sandy, something your kids might have experienced. The Experiments section works particularly well in this double format.

FreedomFlix follows a format very similar to that of TrueFlix. Dynamic e-books from Scholastic bring history to life by capturing the most dramatic and defining moments in American history. I found the Economy section to be particularly informative. For example, Hydrofracking, the process that changed America’s energy needs by Ann O. Squire contain a timeline, glossary, and goes particularly well with the video of the actual process of hydrofracking. Under the Explore More tab you can view short articles on hydrofracking or issues relating to it. Key people, Related Information, Challenge Reading, New Stories and Primary Sources sections offer further insight into this subject. A project idea for this particular book consists in writing a persuasive essay based on the questions provided.

Learning Express Library contains test preparation materials and interactive practice exams that will help students of all ages to improve their scores on a number of standardized tests.

The School Center Section of this database contains resources for Elementary, Middle and High Schools. Elementary Math section contains a variety of practice options for Geometry, Measurement and Data, Operatic and Algebraic Thinking as well as Number and Operation Practice. English Language Arts Skills Improvement section contains practice sets and e-books that offer elementary school students reading and writing help.

Just in case parents and care-givers are beginning to feel insecure about their own math skills, Learning Express Library offers Math Tutorials for Adults. Switch to an Adult Learning Center and take a comprehensive course on fractions, decimals and pre-algebra, so you can graduate to face the basic algebra tutorial.

Learning Express Library offers a variety of introductory instructional videos designed to assist users with registration, website navigation and e-book downloads.

TumbleBooks Libraryoffers a very gentle introduction to your first digital storybook. TumbleBooks Library contains talking picture books, story books, puzzles and games, audiobooks, as well as books in other languages. Most picture books come with detailed information indicating the recommended grade levels, reading level and all the Common Core Standards. Reluctant readers will benefit from listening to the books while reading them on the screen. A number of books have a blue games icon next to them, indicating an availability of games based on that specific book. Puzzles, memory games, word catch and sequence games,allow for some fun and train concentration and logic skills.

You child's beloved book can be added to theFavorites list with a click of a mouse. TumbleBooks Library allows any user to create a variety of individualized playlists. Many great playlists, such as Math-Inspired Stories, Math Skills, History, Holidays and True American Icons are readily available to all the users. Selection for older kids includes a number of popular graphic novels.

World Book Online Reference Center consists of several distinct resources providing access to encyclopedia articles, periodical articles, videos and games. KIDS center targets younger users and invites kids to browse around. Colorful full screen shots of geographical locales, animals and natural phenomena come with a short, but pithy informational note. For additional information there is an option of following the link that will connect you to the Info Finder. In addition to an expanded number of articles on the topic of your choice, Info Finder keeps track of the current events as they occur and provides access to a number of international newspapers. Info Finder offers virtual tours of fascinating places, such as the International UFO Museum and Outreach Center in Rose in Roswell and Shankar's International Doll Museum. Enciclopedia Estudantil Hallazgos center provides reference information in Spanish.

Need a bird's eye view of a History of Aviation? Timelines offer its users hundreds of timelines on a great variety of subjects. Think you can make a timeline of your life or create a timeline for you school assignment ? World Book Online Reference Center allows for the creation of a customized timeline by providing a variety of templates and images. With dozens of authoritative resources on everything under the sun, including the sun itself, World Book Online Reference Center is an indispensable research tool for any homework assignment. After all the homework is done, perhaps, you can reward yourself by examining the Timeline of NBA Playoff Champions 1950 to present.

Ease of access and the engaging nature of NYPL's digital resources for children makes them an ultimate educational tool. The New York Public Library invites parents and educators to create more able young learners and researchers by taking advantage of these sites.

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Suzanne Farrell is the creative director of her eponymous dance company and has danced over 150 roles with the New York City Ballet. As a dancer, she is best known for her work with the great choreographer George Balanchine, who considered Farrell a muse. Together, they created some of the most formally innovative and also intimate performances of twentieth century ballet. This week, The New York Public Library Podcast is proud to present Suzanne Farrell discussing Balanchine.

Before ever meeting Balanchine, Farrell first encountered his image in a book. As a girl, she loved to look at images of dancers in European books, and by the time she auditioned for Balanchine had already studied the choreographer's work in these texts:

"I would read everything I could about him and naturally dreamt of dancing for him one day and getting everything I could on him, so by the time I went to New York and had my audition on my fifteenth birthday, I already had a—I knew what he looked like with the western shirts and the string tie and his profile and, and there that image was coming down the hallway and getting bigger and bigger. So I already sort of knew what he looked like, but I was unprepared for the reality of seeing him... Mr. Balanchine gave me a short audition. He took me in the little studio and asked me if I had something, a routine, and I said no, because I thought that he would give something to dance, so I was worried that my golden opportunity was already over with so I said, 'But I can do something that I did in the recital,' so I hummed to the music and did what I had done in the recital. But mainly he wanted to check one of my—my left foot because it had been kicked by a horse when I was young, and it wasn’t quite as developed as the other one, it had been flattened, so he was concerned that maybe my foot—would I be able to improve enough, get a more decent foot in time to make it worth their investment? So he just had me sit on the floor and he took my shoe off and he felt my toes, and I resisted, I didn’t know what he wanted, but I resisted and I guess he was testing to see how strong the foot was. And then a couple days later I got a scholarship."

Farrell spoke fondly of Balanchine's pedagogy, describing it as both rigorous and a creative playground of sorts:

"He made the act of learning a lot of fun, you know. We were not—It didn’t matter if you were wrong, it didn’t matter if you were right, it was sort of a discovery and a way of getting to know each other better, and even though you weren’t working for that, I wasn’t working for that purpose, but in retrospect I see that he was learning about all his dancers who were there and so that’s when we started to dance very fast, and oh, you know, we all sort of thought he was a little extreme, asking for a hundred tendus in every direction, you know, he said, 'Before you go to bed at night, you know, do one hundred to the front, one hundred to the side, one hundred to the back,' and I said, 'Well, I better. I don’t want to be the only one who doesn’t do them,' so I’d hang on to the railing and watch TV and do my tendus, you know, and it was—he was trying to go beyond what had already been done, and so we would work very, very fast, and you felt inadequate and now that I teach and I’m older, I think that he wanted us to move very fast and very slow because it opened up new music for him to choreograph to. If you only move a little fast and a little slow, that’s a very small world, but if you move very, very fast and very slow, you have a bigger world to be in and all those possibilities, so he was opening up that to himself and to us and to his audiences and to the art form, so being in his class was a lot of fun. He’d even teach on the free day, you know. He was always accessible to his dancers."

Although Balanchine founded the School of American Ballet and the New York City Ballet, he studied at the State Academic Theater for Opera and Ballet in St. Petersburg. This training formed a foundation from which he innovated a new style of American ballet:

"Mr. B frequently would say he had wonderful teachers when he was growing up in St. Petersburg. He remembered fondly the teachers that he had, and so he loved that aspect of his life and had great respect for his heritage and took a lot with him to America, you know, and reweaved it into, onto American dancers and developed a different style, but he also would go back and say, people would say, 'Oh, what a wonderful ballet,' and he said, 'It’s pure Petipa.' We are the beneficiary of every dancer that came before us, and so you use that link to continue that chain."

You can subscribe to The New York Public Library Podcast to hear more conversations with wonderful artists, writers, and intellectuals. Join the conversation today!

A Chinese legend decrees that a red thread connects those who are destined to meet, and it never breaks. A red thread connects Wen and Shu Ling, as close as sisters in their Chinese orphanage.

Then, Wen gets adopted. She is happy to be joining her new family in Boston. However, she misses her friend, Shu Ling, terribly, English is challenging to learn, and worries of being sent back if she does not clean well and obey her new parents haunt her.

Wen's new little sister, Emily (also from China), loves her, as do her parents. Her new friend, Hannah, is fabulous.

But images and memories of her beloved friend drive Wen to make good on her promise and find Shu Ling a home. It is a tall order for a girl.

Red Thread Sisters by Carol Peacock, 2012

The author adopted two kids from China, which gives her a special perspective on the subject.

• Books about adoption
• Carol Peacock's web site

Although the summer is traditionally a slow season in the publishing world, it doesn't mean that there aren't any interesting books being published. Here are a few titles published this month that may appeal to you.

The League of Regrettable Superheroesby Jon Morris
Batman. Spiderman. Thor. Even the Silver Surfer. Successful and beloved superheroes that most people—and certainly all comics fans—have heard about. But what about the "unsuccessful" superheroes? The ones who died on the drawing board, or didn't last more than an issue or two? What about them? Luckily for us, Jon Morris has collected and revived 100 of them for your delectation. Who knows? Maybe you'll become a fan of Bee Man, the League of Super Pets, Rainboy Boy or even Dr. Hormone.

The Nakeds by Lisa Glatt
A young girl is hit by a drunk driver and spends the next decade in a cast because her leg will not heal properly. The drunk driver is paralyzed by guilt and the girl's parents (since this all occurs in California in the 1970s) divorce and dabble in nudism, surfing, and Evangelical Christianity. A busy plot, but Glatt has a light comic touch and a painfully honest gaze that will keep the reader engaged until the very end.

Intimacy Idiot by Isaac Oliver
A meaty collection of personal essays, diary entries, sketches and lists from writer and performer Oliver who just wants to live and love to the fullest, or at least just hook-up with hot men that he meets on the streets of New York. Ranging from meeting an Australian flight attendant who has a thing for "frolicking" wearing a dolphin suit, to getting despairing calls from a hockey player recently diagnosed with Huntington's disease, Oliver's encounters thread the needle between being sharply humorous and surprisingly moving.

A Brief History of Portable Literature by Enrique Vila-Matas
In Spanish author Vila-Matas's novella, a secret society is revealed: The Shandies (named after Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy) form their group in 1924 and promoted the idea of "portable literature" as the literary ideal. All well and good, but the trouble starts when it comes to defining the term. Artistic heavyweights Marcel Duchamp, Georgia O'Keeffe, Federico Garcia Llorca and Man Ray are just a few of the all-star cast of characters who battle each other and eventually drive the group into dissolution after only three years. A smartly surreal comic fiction from a prolific author.

The Pinch: A History by Steve Stern
Lenny Sklarew is the last tenant in "Pinch," a once-thriving Jewish neighborhood in Memphis. It's 1968 and Lenny finds a book by Muni Pinsker about his neighborhood in a secondhand book store. What surprises him is the fact that he himself is a character in the book. Stern skillfully weaves Lenny's story, Pinsker's story, and the history of the Pinch into a hilarious and suspenseful meditation on truth and fiction.

NYC Pride is almost here, and we're celebrating with a new crop of books for young members of the LGBTQ community.

Here are some great new releases for perfect Pride reading. (And when you’re done, check out this great roundup of transgender books for teens from Mulberry Street’s Anne Rouyer.)

Playing a Part by Daria Wilke
Translated from Russian, this story about a Moscow teen trying to understand his sexuality drew media attention and questions about whether it violated the country’s anti-gay laws restricting the distribution of LGBTQ material.

Promposal by Rhonda Helms
Love triangles abound in this lighthearted (but Very Important) tale of prom plans gone haywire. 

Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan
Leila—funny, sarcastic, and Iranian-American—already feels like an outsider at her elite school. When intriguing, glamorous Saskia enrolls, it's time for Leila to admit that she likes girls and figure out what to do about it.

Hold Me Closer by David Levithan
Fans of Will Grayson, Will Grayson finally get to hear directly from that book’s most interesting character, Tiny Cooper. (And this book includes a full script of Tiny’s autobiographical musical!)

Lies My Girlfriend Told Me by Julie Anne Peters
After her girlfriend dies suddenly, Alix must unravel the confusing legacy (and other girlfriends?) that Swanee left behind.

The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley by Shaun David Hutchinson
A teen devastated by the death of his family hides out in a hospital, biding time until he meets another patient who was tortured for being gay.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your picks! Leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend.

Twenty years ago, as part of the larger NYPL exhibition "The Collecting Adventure, 1895-1995," then-Pforzheimer Collection Curator Stephen Wagner displayed some choice materials on England's Queen Caroline (1768-1821) and the Romantic poets' reactions to her controversial 1820 trial for adultery. Set up in the Salomon Room of what is now the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, the exhibition opened on September 30, 1995 and was to be up until the following February. Unfortunately, a massive ceiling leak forced the exhibit to close after only two days; it did not reopen.

Here I digitally present Stephen Wagner's exhibit (in the first of two blog posts), with some additions and alterations:

Sex, Lies, and Poetry: Romantic Writers and Royal Scandal

In the 1920s, when Carl Pforzheimer began putting together what would grow into the Shelley and His Circle collection, he did not wish simply to amass a roomful of "treasures" or literary highlights. From the outset, his intention was to document not only the private and creative lives of a small, closely connected group of writers, but also the social and intellectual milieu from which they sprang. Nothing illustrates his approach to collecting better than this aggregation of material generated by the Queen Caroline affair of 1820.

When the dissolute, spendthrift son of George III—referred to by his detractors as the "Prince of W[h]ales"—ascended the throne, he wished to rid himself of his wife, Caroline, from whom he had long been estranged, and instituted divorce proceedings against her in the House of Lords. The "trial" lasted for eleven weeks during the summer and autumn of 1820.

The grounds were adultery—potentially a capital offense when royalty was involved—and the correspondent was an Italian named Bartolomeo Bergami, Caroline's former courier and bodyguard, whom she had given the title of Baron. The testimony against her, drawn mostly from government spies and suborned servants, was collected and placed in the famous "green bag," the customary container for evidence.

The first witness for the prosecution was a surprise to the Queen: her former manservant, an Italian named Theodore Majocchi. When he was called to the stand, Caroline was so shocked that she let out a cry (heard by some as "Teodoro!" and others as "Traditore!") and stumbled out of the court. Majocchi provided damning testimony of inappropriate behavior between Caroline and Bergami (including bathing together, and sleeping in the same tent while on the road). Upon cross examination, however, Majocchi's answer to many of the defense attorney's questions was an improbable "Non mi ricordo" (I do not remember), which caused outbursts of laughter in the courtroom. His credibility as a witness was severely compromised.

The King was extremely unpopular, and his heavy-handed treatment of his wife—whatever the merits of his case against her—generated such an outpouring of sympathy for the Queen's cause that the regime itself was threatened. The liberal and radical opposition naturally sought to capitalize on the issue, and hundreds of pamphlets and broadsides quickly appeared, including several with cartoons by the brothers Robert and George Cruikshank, the most famous illustrators of the day.

After the trial, a bill to end the marriage and strip the Queen of her title failed in Parliament. She was not acquitted of the charges against her, but she maintained the right to be Caroline, Queen Consort of George IV.

Any sweetness in victory did not last. Months later, when the Queen showed up to attend her husband's coronation celebration, she was turned away for not having a ticket—a humiliation compounded by the jeers and hisses of the crowd. Less than two weeks later, after a brief put painful illness apparently caused by intestinal blockage, she died.

At the end of her funeral procession, mourning supporters placed an inscription on her coffin: "Caroline, the Injured Queen of England."

Part two of this two-part post will explore reactions to the Queen's trial in letters and poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, and Leigh Hunt.

​Half a century ago, Harper Lee energized an entire genre of writing: Southern Gothic. Some of the greatest American writers are members of the club.

Dark in tone and set in an atmosphere of decay and decline, Southern Gothic lit is colored by that intense, damp, uniquely Southern heat pressing down on its characters and stories.

There’s often an element of macabre mystery or suspense to the plot, and its eccentric characters often address questions of class, race, morality, and humanity. Throw in a dose of gritty humor or a broken-down plantation or a stray voodoo priestess, and you’re there.

Books

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
A complicated, compelling cast of characters populates a claustrophobic Georgia town. This book explores the ideas of hearing and seeing and understanding through the eyes of its sensitive narrator and a deaf, mute man who knows everyone’s innermost secrets.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
A relatively recent entry into the genre, this nonfiction account of a 1981 murder and subsequent trial in wealthy Savannah reads like a thriller and lingers in your mind like a wisp of Spanish moss. (It’s also a movie starring John Cusack.)

A Visitation of Spirits by Randall Kenan
This story of a gay black teenager growing up in a fundamentalist Baptist town begins with his quest to turn himself into a bird. After he fails, the narrative takes a turn toward the fantastic as he becomes possessed by a demon and grabs a gun.

A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
It’s a play, a film, a book, a ballet, an opera… in any format, this classic tale of passion and abuse is the epitome of Southern Gothic.

Blackwood Farm by Anne Rice
Set in crumbling mansions of the deep South, this story of a man haunted by his doppleganger—and what happens when they both become vampires—will keep you up at night.

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
We couldn’t stop with just one pick from the queen of Southern Gothic. A former plantation owner narrates this tale of darkness in New Orleans.

“Barn Burning” by William Faulkner
This short story is a good place to start with the consummate Mississippian. A poignant coming-of-age tale about a child’s first brush with the American justice system. (Sound familiar?)

Nothing Gold Can Stay by Ron Rash
Start with “A Servant of History” for a jarring juxtaposition when a British professor arrives in a small town.

Beautiful Creatures series by Kami Garcia
A young-adult series with all the Southern Gothic trappings: magic, vampires, telepathy, bewitched objects, claustrophobic small towns, and more.

The Violent Bear It Awayby Flannery O’Connor
O’Connor is most famous for her short stories, but this standalone novel is a compelling reflection on the power of religion and the spiritual nature of life.

Beloved by Toni Morrison
Don’t be scared by its status as a classic: Beloved is a page-turner and a consummate ghost story. Powerful and terrifying, it centers on a mother haunted by the idea of her lost child and the terrible legacy of slavery on the Kentucky plantation where they used to live.

 

Music

Don’t stop with books: Pick some Southern Gothic-influenced music for background listening while you read.

• Early R.E.M.: Murmur (1983), Reckoning (1984), or Fables of the Reconstruction (1985)
• Alabama Shakes
• Big Star
• Bonnie “Prince” Billy/Will Oldham
• The Handsome Family
• Vic Chesnutt

Television and Film

Evocative and atmospheric, Southern Gothic settings are ripe ground for visual narratives.

• Treme
• True Detective
• Winter’s Bone
• Cape Fear
• Cool Hand Luke

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your picks! Leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend.

Remember how the neighborhood used to look? Well, for a very happy #TBT, we're indulging in some neighborhood nostalgia for Astoria, Queens. After all, Astoria is the birthplace of some of our most beloved cultural icons from Tony Bennett to Jesse Eisenberg, Maria Callas to Christopher Walken. Even A Bronx Tale was, in fact, shot in Astoria. So join us for a stroll down memory lane in Astoria.

This William Meyers' 1999 photo features a sign of good things to come. See a checkered table cloth and condiments in Astoria, and there is sure to be good food on the way. 

Any alums of the Judge Charles J. Valone School, also known as P.S. 85, in the house?

This is what it looked like to enter the workforce in the 1930s and 1940s.

Forebodingly named bridge? Check. Here's Hell Gate Bridge, the path between Randall's Island and Queens.

Look familiar? That's Astoria in 1931.

Reading 'n' relaxing in 1935? We like their style.

No Neighborhood Nostalgia would be complete without a subway shot. Check out more of William Meyers's photos in our exhibition "William Meyers: Outer Boroughs."

Your neighborhood grocery, 1921 style.

Middlemarch.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Anna Karenina.

Anything by Jane Austen.

Even librarians, we consummate book-lovers, have books we just can’t finish.

In honor of the 200th anniversary of Napoleon’s infamous defeat, we asked our NYPL staff members: What’s a book you’ve never been able to conquer?

Here’s a list of our very own literary Waterloos.

The Austen Confessions

Many women are going to *gasp* when they read this, but I've never read an Austen or Brontë. I've owned both Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights at least once in my life but have never gotten past looking at the pretty Penguin Classic edition covers. You could say they have a permanent home at the very bottom of my TBR pile, with little hope for me falling for Mr. Darcy or that Heathcliff anytime soon.  —Anna Taylor, Children’s Programming

I'm with Anna—count me out of the Janeite club. Austen and the Brontë sisters’ work is beautiful on the screen, but a complete snooze to me on the page. This is probably terrible for a lifelong lit-lover to admit, but the 19th century in general is my Waterloo. —Nancy Aravecz, Mid-Manhattan

I'm embarrassed to say this out loud, whenever I do people audibly gasp, but I have never been able to get through Pride and Prejudice and so, alas, I have never fallen in love with Mr. Darcy. I seems to get bogged down in the beginning and cannot make myself push past it. (I'll now stand in the corner and hang my head is shame.) —Annie Lin, Mulberry Street

I feel relieved that I'm not the only one who cannot get through Jane Eyre. I own three copies. I've picked them up over the years and can never get past Chapter 6. I'm so bored, and I really don't care what happens. Sorry! —Maura Muller, Volunteer Program

Chiming in for Austen and the Brontës. I appreciate that they've inspired so many people, but ugh, all those stilted manners! Give me a talking rabbit, a zombie wedding, an exploding shoe... anything to get me out of those stifling sitting rooms.—Gwen Glazer, Readers Services

Faulkner Frustrations

Since the book discussion group I run at the Kingsbridge Branch enjoys classics, I've assigned several of my former Waterloos, which forced me to face them head on. The most notable was The Sound and The Fury by William Faulkner, which I made it through only with the help of Cliffs Notes (and it was worth it!).—Rabecca Hoffman, Kingsbridge

As soon as the query went out, I guiltily thought of The Sound and the Fury, which sits on my bookshelf gathering dust. When I picked up the book, I had fond memories of reading As I Lay Dying in high school and the lively conversations it inspired with my classmates.  On my own, however, I could not make much headway with this book.  —Rosa Caballero-Li, AskNYPL

Ever since I had to read Absalom, Absalom in college, I have been loath to read any more Faulkner, though I know I need to give him another chance! —Ronni Krasnow, Morningside Heights

American Classics

The one that I can't, no matter how hard I've tried on my own, that is definitely my literary Waterloo, is Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. It's been sitting on my bookshelf, taunting me, for 15 years now. —Rebecca Hoffman, Theatre on Film and Tape Archive

If I'm being honest, my literary Waterloo is anything not written by a celebrity over the past 20 years. I've never been able to get through Infinite Jest by my beloved David Foster Wallace, though I've tried many times. (Even with the help of Infinite Summer several years ago, which I thought was a great idea.) —Leslie Tabor, East Manhattan Libraries

For me, its (gasp! shocking!) Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell—my most frequent catalog search example. I heard so much about it, and I am always planning to read it, but then other books get in the way. For now, it’s on my bucket list. —Jean Harripersaud, Bronx Library Center

Henry James? Bleh. George Eliot? Zzzzzz. No wonder the Modernists complained so much about boredom at the start of the 20th century! I just cannot get on board with the whole literary realism thing. —Nancy Aravecz, Mid-Manhattan

British Masterpieces

Middlemarch had been on my list since my freshman year in college. Though I have owned several copies (both paperback and hardcover), I conquered it through the iPhone. Honestly, reading it on my commute, on my phone, was the key to finally finishing the novel. —Virginia Bartow, Rare Books

Middlemarch by George Eliot. I was supposed to read it in college for my novels class, but I'm sure I just skimmed it. It’s had a recent resurgence after last year's hit book, My Life in Middlemarch by Rebecca Mead. —Leslie Tabor, East Manhattan Libraries

When I was a young lad I tried to read Tolkien's Lord of the Rings tetralogy (I'm including The Hobbit). I breezed through that book, as well as The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, and I was well on my way to completing The Return of the King when I stopped reading it, right when Frodo and Sam encounter Shelob the giant spider. Several years later I decided to try again. So dutifully, I started again from the beginning:  first The Hobbit, then The Fellowship... and The Two Towers, and I got through most of the last book until I got to the spider scene, and again I stopped! I just... put it down. And I haven't gone back to it since. —Wayne Roylance, Selection Team

I’ll share my secret weapon for books I know will be worth reading but am having trouble getting through: long plane trips with only the one book. Conquered Henry James’ Portrait of a Lady that way, and it was well worth it. —Danita Nichols, Inwood

As a lover of Jane Austen, the Brontë sisters, and George Eliot, you'd think I'd embrace Thomas Hardy, but I tried Tess of the D'Urbervilles and it drove me bananas! I've seen all the movie versions and I keep thinking I'll try again, but I never do. —Anne Rouyer, Mulberry Street

I was able to finish The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins a couple of years ago by forcing myself to read one page a day until it was finished. I did enjoy it; it was worth reading. Next challenge: The Woman in White, also by Collins. —Lois Moore, Mid-Manhattan

Wrestling with Western Europe

I have been defeated by the sheer length of The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. It is such a heroic and interested tale. Yet I find it intimidating to read. Nonetheless, I shall conquer it sometime soon. —Lilian Calix, Hamilton Grange

My reading Waterloo is Thomas Mann’s Magic Mountain. One of my college friends declared it to be her favorite book, and she vowed to read it every year. To date, I have cracked the cover many times only to set it down again, unread. —Virginia Bartow, Rare Books

Gustav Flaubert’s Madame Bovary is another bananas book. I remember getting halfway through it and throwing it across the room in disgust. She has to be one of the most unsympathetic characters in literature.  —Anne Rouyer, Mulberry Street

Ah, the Classics

I've slogged through quite a few heavy tomes driven by literary peer pressure, and I've put down many others that just didn't hold my attention, but the one that would be my literary Waterloo is Milton’s Paradise Lost.  I used to keep it on my to-read list and even owned a used copy for many years that stared at me from my bookshelf through repeated moves. I bought it after getting a Dover copy of Gustave Dore's excellent illustrations and one day I decided I shouldn't read Paradise Lost just for the pictures, so I got rid of both of them.  Of course now, writing this, I can feel that needling pressure returning to just read it and be done. —Christopher Platt, Library Administration

Enter me in the guilty column when it comes to “classics.” As a child my parents bought me all the books you're “supposed to read” and I read a couple of them (Mark Twain because he was funny). As for the rest, nope. I can plow through an 800-page Harry Potter in no time but a 200-page classic... not at all. I've learned to let it go! —Dawn Zimmerer, Wakefield

I hate to confess I just can't finish Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. I've tried several times over the years, but I just don't care what happens to the characters. I have never attempted War and Peace by Tolstoy, but I envision the same scenario. — Lois Moore, Mid-Manhattan

I'd like to second Anna Karenina. I've heard it's amazing, but I can never seem to get into it. Sadly, this is true for me of other Russian classics too. —Jenny Baum, Jefferson Valley

Contemporary Challenges

A recent literary Waterloo is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I've felt guilty for years, every time I see someone reading it (on the subway, Metro North, everywhere!). I just cannot get through it. —Maura Muller, Volunteer Program

I have attempted, and failed, to read Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. When I started the book, everything seems right up my alley: authors I enjoy, satire, witches, the end of the world.... After reading about half the book, however, I simply lost interest in the story and have not found it again! —Alexandria Abenshon, Countee Cullen

Mine has to be Faith of the Fallen by Terry Goodkind. I know people swear by this series but the repetitive plotting got to be a bit much. It was the literary equivalent of Hulk Hogan's monthly enemy in the ring. That, plus the author hitting me over the head with his political agenda was finally too much, and I left the series unfinished. —Joshua Soule, Spuyten Duyvil

If Mark Danielewski makes good on his promise to write 27 volumes of his new work, The Familiar, I know it will defeat me! However, the first volume, released last month, was spectacular—broad, witty, innovative, and psychedelic. I'm planting my literary flag on finishing the whole thing, whenever he finishes. —Charlie Radin, Inwood

Mine is definitely A Confederacy of Dunces. I didn't find it to be any of the things I was told to expect; didn't find it funny, hated the main character, just could not finish it. —Jennifer Craft, Mulberry Street

Like Napoleon before Waterloo, I've been defeated by a few Russians in my time, but the tome that's been sitting reproachfully on my bookshelf for a while is Robert Caro's The Power Broker. As a New Yorker interested in how our city works (or doesn't), I feel like it's required reading, but just not for today…In the meantime, I enjoyed the recent graphic biography, Robert Moses: The Master Builder of New York City, which offered fantastic illustrations of some of Moses's projects if not quite the same level of research and analysis to be found in Caro's immense biography. —Elizabeth Waters, Mid-Manhattan

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. Tell us: What's your literary Waterloo?  Leave a comment and let us know.

Have to celebrate special occasions and birthdays with food intolerances? No problem. Gluten-free birthday cake is the answer to this dilemma! Rice and corn are often used in place of wheat flour in baking, but it can be rather dense if not treated carefully. The girl in this story solved the problem by baking a cake with her mother.

Piñatas, relay races, painted faces, removable tattoos, and even cake that gluten-free folks can eat. Sounds like a fabulous kids' birthday party to me! No one has to feel left out. Presents, party favors, and everyone goes home. Adults, kids, the baby, and the dog have a wonderful time.

Gluten-Free Birthday for Me! by Sue Fliess, 2013

One of the recipes at the end of the book includes oats; however, 10% of people who are gluten intolerant cannot ingest a protein found in oats. There are gluten-free resources in the book. I love the flushed faces of the people in the illustrations.

• Books on being gluten free
• Books on food intolerances

There are only constant three things in life that have the ability to never get old, and cause everyone to gush indescribable joy: baseball, foreign cinema, and anything inside the genus of comic books/graphic novels/manga. Here, we'll help you reach nirvana by giving you a nudge in the right direction.

Back in the day (or more like back in 2007 and 2008), DC Comics had a line of comics released under the imprint Minx. Minx's primary target market was teenage girls. Pitched as both an alternative to both manga as well as young adult literature, the bulk of Minx graphic novels were reviewed in a positive light (with The P.L.A.I.N. Janes, and its sequel Janes In Love arguably leading the charge). Sadly however, DC just couldn't get their distributor Random House to get enough Minx titles shelved in major bookstores, and in a year's time the imprint Minx came to an untimely end. Today I'd like to showcase one of their titles, The New York Four.

The New York Four, first released in 2008, follows the lives of four (no shocker there!) female college students, as they embark upon their freshman year at New York University. They all come from different parts of the country, as well as different walks of life, but all take the same campus job, and all bond under the same living quarters. Here, they go through all the collegiate motions, balancing schoolwork with real work, family, relationships, and they all get the grand ol' college experience in the most heavily populated county the US has to offer. In 2011, three years after The New York Four was released, Vertigo Comics (another imprint of DC) released The New York Five, a sequel/continuation/conclusion to the original Minx graphic novel. While some reviews have deemed this spinoff unnecessary, that's up to you as the reader to decide. In November of 2014, Dark Horse Books released a large paperback edition of the entire series, (Four and Five), so once you finish the main GN, you can slide right into its sequel.

All in all, it's a decent coming of age read. Some of the characters I found a bit polarizing. People may love some of the ones I hated, while others may hate some of the ones I liked. It's one of those. You'll recognize a lot of scenes and settings throughout the boroughs, not only Manhattan. This Dark Horse Books edition includes character and cover sketches at the end, and the little NY tidbits found throughout each of the chapters are interesting to read, especially for those less familiar with New York. Done entirely in black and white, The New York Four is an easy and hopefully enjoyable read!

It's the 110th birthday of existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre. In his honor, we present a quiz with a touch of the ridiculous.

Check out the quotes below and figure out who said them: Sartre, his fellow French philosopher Albert Camus, or modern-day comedian and kinda-nihilist Louis C.K.?

We are all "condemned to be free," as Sartre famously said, so feel free to share your results in the comments section below.

June is, in addition to usually being a resplendent, glorious month in terms of weather, a month replete with (hopefully!) permanent pairings in the form of weddings. While the tradition of humans of various backgrounds gazing into each other’s eyes whilst professing lifelong fealty and devotion, under all circumstances is a touching and noble one, there is another tradition that occurs all year round as well, but that is specially emphasized during the month of June: National Adopt-a-Shelter Cat Month. According to the Humane Society of the United States, approximately 2.4 million healthy, adoptable cats and dogs are euthanized in this country each year.  I cited this heart-wrenching statistic previously in my February 2014 NYPL blog concerning the topic of trap-neuter-return (herein 'TNR") of outdoor cats. While TNR remains a vital, life-saving endeavor, adopting a cat from an animal shelter represents another marvelous method by which to save an animal's life and immeasurably enrich one's own with the unconditional devotion of said cat. My sixth sense does not extend to communicating with animals in any significant manner, so I availed myself of the services of a pet psychic, "Catherine", who graciously agreed to interact with my eldest cat, Cassandra Ann.

Catherine: "Cassandra, I wish to extend my sincere and profound appreciation to you for deigning to grace me with your presence and provide this interview."

Cassandra Ann: (as interpreted by Catherine): "I am always willing to assist those felines less fortunate than myself.  After all, a Queen serves her subjects (swishes tail)."

Catherine: "Oh, is 'queen' one of mommy's sobriquets for you? (reaches out, rubs Cassandra's ear)"

Cassandra: "(unblinking)  No, 'Queen' is my title.  And please (rubs her ear, licks her paw afterwards) kindly refrain from petting me without washing your hands first."

Catherine: ( a trifle chagrined): Please accept my apologies, Cassandra. Now, I understand that you are especially qualified to expound upon the severe plight of shelter cats and the enormous benefits reaped by those who adopt a cat from a shelter, as you are a former stray cat who was brought to the local New York City Center for Animal Care and Control. Would you please elaborate further on your ordeal prior to being adopted by your owner (seeing Cassandra's glare) er, um, i mean 'mother.'"

Cassandra: "(purrs, lays down, licks front paw)  Personally, I always like glancing over Mommy's shoulder as she reads one of the 'Familiar' cozy mysteries, featuring the fictional charming former stray/now outdoor cat, Familiar. I believe that Familiar's narrative of his early months is quite representative of the trials and travails facing most stray felines.  As readers of the series are or should be cognizant, Familiar was born to a mother cat that was abandoned—illegally, I hasten to add—by her apparently less than worthy pet parents. Familiar and his littermates were sired by a tom cat whose identity remains an enigma to Familiar. Familiar recounts to readers the horrific hardships his mother endured in birthing and caring for her brood of little kittens while stranded on the street. Familiar's tragic kitten hood was compounded exponentially when his mother was struck and killed by a vehicle while she was searching for food to bring home to her kittens."

Catherine: (wiping tear from the corner of her eye) "What a horrid situation!"

Cassandra: (rolling small cat toy between her paws) "Yes, well, one may easily discern why there are many animal advocates who believe that cats housed in animal shelters are far more fortunate than those felines coerced to eke out a meager, horrid existence on the streets. However, being coerced to lodge in a cage, knowing that the only two reasons you will be permitted to leave said cage is to be adopted or (shudders) to meet one's untimely demise, represents a situation that is only a smidgeon less horrendous than being struck by a car, for example, and possibly lingering for hours in agony in the street.  Additionally, every shelter feline who is adopted affords space for another cat, possibly a  former stray, to be placed in said cage. I was adopted by my mother when she saw me at an outdoor adoption fair coordinated by the New York City Center for Animal Care and Control and a local rescue group."

Catherine:  "You've been more than eloquent concerning the reasons, from a cat's perspective, as to why it is infinitely preferable to be adopted rather than coerced to live a pitiful existence on the street or live in confinement and potential dread over one's potential ultimate fate in a shelter.  Can you now please elaborate as to why it is advantageous, from a human’s perspective, to adopt a cat?"

Cassandra: (standing up, arching her back, stretching, laying back down, sighs) "History has demonstrated that humans have always required the companionship and services of animals. My mother, for example, might actually sleep very late on the Saturdays she is not at the library if she were not politely reminded, by my sitting on top of her head, of the rather pressing need to arise and fulfill her duties as an indentured servan—er, um, I mean 'pet parent' to us cats. Additionally, the NYPL and one of its plethora of databases, MEDLINEplus, contains a wealth of information on the topics of hypertension and other forms of illness. Hypertension, as well as a fast heart beat, are two physical ailments that can be assuaged merely by petting an animal, including a cat. And, I hasten to add, a can of cat food is far cheaper than the astronomical cost of many medicines. Cats are also amongst animals that provide psychological solace to humans. Pets for Vets is an organization that rescues cats and (coughs up hairball) dogs as well as other shelter animals, educate the relevant animals on how best to fulfill their respective role as a service animal to a veteran, and unite the appropriate veteran with the proper animal. I know that a cat's serene, regal presence enormously assuages the deleterious effects of post-traumatic stress  disorder, a condition that many veterans have become afflicted with while or after risking their very respective lives in the service of this country.  Additionally, this program serves to debunk the myth that all felines are allegedly standoffish, cold and a source of potential scratch marks. Sometimes, a cat is a preferable pet for a veteran, often because of the respective veteran's infirmities. Cats do not need to be walked and, in fact, should not be allowed outside unless tethered to a cat harness and leash. The streets are potentially lethal to cats! Cats are usually quieter pets, so a veteran who needs peace and quiet, a sense of calm, might enjoy the presence of a cat over a dog."

Catherine: "Thank you for that wealth of information! I couldn't help but notice, Cassandra, that you coughed immediately prior to stating your reference to dogs. Is it veracious to say that cats and dogs, well, 'fight like cats and dogs?"

Cassandra: "I must choose my next words rather carefully, as my mother remains utterly besotted with the memory of her dog, Curtis, but the plain truth is, Curtis was a tremendous species snob! Once in a blue moon, he'd chase us around our apartment, as if he needed to demonstrate his physical prowess over us. We cats found it  a challenge not to collapse into paroxysms of laughter, as we easily leapt onto the safety of a dresser and Curtis was, after all, a miniature poodle, not a bull mastiff! The vast majority of the time, however, Curtis contented himself with projecting an air of superiority and carefully cultivated indifference to we cats. (Now that he lives largely in the afterlife, his disposition towards cats is a genial one.)  But, there are many dogs who deign to live rather harmoniously with cats, and some establish quite a bond over the course of time with the household cat(s). Of course, an initial adjustment period may be required at first, but that is veracious of any species as well as within a species. Not all humans display an instant affection for other humans upon initial meeting."

Catherine: "What advice do you wish to provide to those seeking to adopt a feline? Any words of wisdom to impart to cats wishing to be adopted?"

Cassandra: "(stretches again, turns face towards the sun) The first point I wish to stress is that potential adopters should not expect every cat to be redolent of Rita Mae Brown's Mrs. Murphy or Dewey the Library Cat. As I expressed earlier in this interview, I not infrequently enjoy reading over mommy's shoulder as she devours yet another book. My mother is a frequent reader of the Blaize and John Clement Cat Sitter mysteries, and those mysteries represent the sort of cats that one is more apt to encounter. While all cats are undeniably intelligent creatures, not every cat is capable of solving mysteries or has the personality to befriend all and sundry that walk through the doors of a library, for example. Expectations of a cat must be kept within reason."

Catherine: "Many people who work in the field of animal adoption are ecstatic when kittens are adopted, but lament the fact that so many older felines languish in cages. Any thoughts on the matter?"

Cassandra: "I was adopted by my mother when I was identified as being in the age range of two to three years old. If I do say so myself, I was and am still an extremely beautiful calico cat! KIttens are undeniably adorable, but sometimes, like children, they can be rambunctious. Since my mother is putty in an any animal's paws, the role of disciplinarian has largely fallen on my shoulders whenever my mother has engaged in rescue and foster care with kittens. It is always best to adopt at least two cats, so the cats, whether kittens or adult cats, are able to entertain each in a pet parent's absence.  I'd also like to clear up the misconception that one must adopt  kittens or puppies instead of an older cat or dog because an older cat or dog allegedly cannot be 'trained' in as facile a fashion as a kitten or puppy.  That theory is absolute hogwash! Animals are highly intelligent and quite malleable in terms of adjusting to a variety of changes, provided that ample time is allotted. The American Humane Society has a helpline regarding animal behavior issues. I'd also like to add that cats that are deemed allegedly 'imperfect' by those too obtuse to discern the attributes and true value of a 'special' animal are all too often not adopted because of the ignorance of some humans."

There are some cats who are born with a condition that is similar to what  you humans refer to as 'Down's Syndrome,' but what my veterinarian, the royal vet, informed my mommy is actually a manifestation of a lack of oxygen at birth. Cats diagnosed with this condition are no less worthy of love, admiration, and care than cats that have not been diagnosed with this condition. Cats who suffered a dearth of sufficient oxygen at birth should never be allowed outside (as is, I reiterate, veracious where all cats are concerned), as the streets are especially perilous for said cats. But, I reiterate, they make fine pets! (Yawns) And, finally, I'd like to add that the vast majority of felines adopted from animal shelters and rescue groups are already spayed/neutered, tested for the dreaded disease of feline leukemia as well as feline AIDS, and fully vaccinated as well as microchipped. My final bit of advice concerns possible landlord-tenant issues as pertains to a tenant's pet.  The Mayor's Alliance for New York City's Animals provides a wealth of legal information on this as well as other pet topics." (Lies down, curls up, closes eyes)

Catherine: "Well, it is apparent that you require a 'cat nap!' Thank you, Cassandra, for your munificence in providing so much relevant advice on the subject of adopting a cat from a shelter!"

Books

The Smart Guide to Understanding Your Cat

Natural Nutrition for Cats

The Whole Pet Diet

Caring for Your Aging Cat

The Complete Guide to Understanding and Caring for Your Cat

ASPCA Complete Cat Care Manual

I Want a Cat

An Introduction to Animals and the Law

The Litter of the Law

The Cat Sitter's NIne Lives

Dewey the Library Cat

A Biscuit, a Casket

Oodles of Poodles

LaRue across America

Dogs and Cats

Some Enchanted Eclair

The Ghost and Mrs. Mewer

What the Cat Saw

A Cat Tells Two Tales

e-Books

Familiar Escape

A Cat with a Fiddle

The Complete Home Veterinary Guide

Websites

The New York Public Library

MEDLINEplus

The Mayor's Alliance for New York City's Animals

Animal Legal Defense Fund

The Humane Society of the United States

The New York City Center for Animal Care and Control

ASPCA

Bide-a-Wee

The North Shore Animal League

Pets for Vets

Feline Rescue of Staten Island

Staten Island Council for Animal Welfare

Staten Island Hope Animal Rescue

PLUTO

Muffin's PC

Ferals in Peril

Broadway Barks

BARC

Friends of Animals

The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee

The American Heart Association

For our third and final Reader's Den discussion of Tigerman by Nick Harkaway, we will be looking at Chapters 7-21 of the book.

Thank you for joining us and if you have missed any of the previous posts, please feel free to visit any of the links below:

Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: Chapters 1-6
Week 3: Chapters 7-21

While the violence of Chapter 3  provides the initial impetus behind the novel's narrative and invention of the Tigerman persona, Chapter 7 seems to be the point at which the relationship between Lester Ferris and the boy subtly begins to shift. The sergeant at once views the boy with a protective, paternal instinct, yet also glimpses the latter's independence and world-weariness when their conversation turns to Bad Jack:

"But the boy knew all this—and he knew the difference between story and truth. He read Superman and watched Fox News, read Batman and watched Al Jazeera. He was not the sort to fret about a bogeyman. A child living on an island which is itself under threat of execution for the crime of having been environmentally raped has no need of invented villains" (p. 118).

This mingling of references to superhero comics and real world politics lies at the heart of Harkaway's novel. It can leave the reader with a slightly disoriented feeling: Mancreau is a fantastical island which seems to lie outside of time—not to mention one plagued by a mutant bacteria straight out of an adventure story—yet, it also satirizes the strife of a post-colonial society and a menacing, privatized military force (in the form of the Black Fleet), which is all too real.

As the island descends into chaos, Tigerman remains committed to solving the murder which haunts the boy and maintaining order in the midst of entropy, mirroring the superhero comics the boy carries around with him:

"The first thing he understood in that hour was that it was never about hitting people. It was always about proving a point. Hitting people was just a background, the way a uniform was. The message varied like the soldier. For Superman, that point was about justice and ideals. He really was a perfect American dream. For Batman, it was something else altogether. It was a statement that no matter who you were, how tough you were or how wicked, there were some things you simply could not do. He was not primarily about punishment orr even prevention. He was a living cypher, a message that the set of actions which were availabe to human beings did not include certain crimes, and that line was absolute, made absolute not by him but by what he represented, the human capacity to say 'no'" (p. 134).

Although it may not be obvious at the onset of the novel, Harkaway seems less interested in satirizing the exploits of comic book heroes and villains, and more interested in subverting and complicating them. Lester Ferris dons his costume despite the fact he knows it will end in disaster. Likewise, his relationship with the boy (his naive, enthusiastic, pop-culture spouting sidekick) eschews the easy comraderie of a dynamic crime-fighting duo, offering instead a web of fragile alliances, secret identities, and unspoken truths.

Some discussion questions:

1. Did you enjoy the references to superhero comics? Was there one that particularly stood out to you?
2. In what ways does Tigerman incorporate real world politics into its tale and is this successful?
3. What did you think of the novel's ending ?

Are you watching the Women’s World Cup? The tournament began on June 6 with teams from 24 countries competing in cities around Canada, and the Round of 16 starts tomorrow. If you'd like to indulge in some reading between matches, we've got lots of suggestions for you. Whether or not you're  a soccer fan, you can cheer on your favorites in the Women's Literary World Cup. All readers are welcome!

During the 2014 World Cup last summer we had a “Literary World Cup” book display at the Mid-Manhattan Library, featuring authors from the countries playing in the tournament. We got the idea from the LA Public Library after seeing their wonderful #LiteraryWorldCup posts on social media. This year we thought it would be fun to highlight women authors from all the countries represented in the 2015 Women’s World Cup, from the author of a classic 11th century Japanese novel to popular 21st century Scandinavian crime fiction writers.

As you can see, we haven’t put eleven players on each team as there would be on an actual soccer team. It would  be no difficult task to find eleven excellent women authors from the United States whose work is widely available in English, but unfortunately, that’s not the case for writers from all the countries on the list. We limited the lists for Canada, England, France, Spain, and the United States to six authors each and included some of our favorites but have probably left out some of yours. In an effort to balance out the teams somewhat, we also listed a few American and British authors under their countries of birth (e.g. Nora Okja Keller under South Korea and Helen Oyeyemi under Nigeria.)

Please feel free to suggest other authors you would like to see included on the “teams,” and if you have a favorite woman author from a country that is not playing in the 2015 World Cup, we’d also love to see those recommendations in the comments section below. Our 2015 Summer Reading theme is “escape the ordinary”; we hope this Women’s Literary World Cup is an opportunity to discover some new authors and new worlds!

Thanks to Jessica Cline, Vilma Alvarez, Nancy Aravecz, Hung-Yun Chang, Melissa Scheurer, and Billy Parrott for help with this list!