Growing up, Virginia Allen admired her maternal aunt Edna Sutton Ballard and loved to see her nurse’s uniform. It was starched white with shiny white shoes, Allen recalled. Ballard spoke of her patients and coworkers at Staten Island’s Sea View Hospital on family visits to Detroit in the 1930s and 1940s. Those stories planted the seeds for Allen who later became a nurse.

Both women went on to make history as part of a group of 300 nurses who later became known as “Black Angels.”
 
Below, Allen, who has been a volunteer at the Schomburg Center since 2010, looks back at her 10 years at Sea View and shares a glimpse of her life at the hospital.
 
The nurses “gave so much of themselves to the cure of tuberculosis,” Allen said. “Some of them, actually, risking their lives.” Allen and fellow nurses wore protective gear such as face masks, gowns over their uniforms, and gloves as part of the safety protocol of caring for the patients who contracted the highly contagious airborne disease.

“I was fortunate to have so many professional Black nurses teaching in the education department and teaching isolation techniques, which saved my life,” she added “If I did not maintain isolation techniques, I could have easily contracted tuberculosis.” Allen never did.  
 
White nurses walked off the job in 1929, saying that caring for tuberculosis patients was too dangerous. According to Allen, the shortage created job opportunities for Black women. People were recruited from the South, the Caribbean, and Asian countries to fill the void. Some of the staff were also graduates of the Harlem Hospital School of Nursing and the Lincoln School for Nurses.
 
“Even though the Department of Hospitals had over 20 hospitals in New York, only four of them hired Black nurses at that time,” Allen said. “They had to work in other occupations because there were no jobs available to them because of segregation.”
 
Patients at Sea View were from all races, backgrounds, and ages.
 
“It wasn’t until many years later the term ‘Black Angels’ was assigned to the nurses,” Allen said. The patients called the nurses their “angels.” The nurses who cared for them were predominately Black. The nurses worked across Sea View’s eight pavilions. Her aunt, Edna Sutton Ballard, was a recovery nurse with patients post surgery and worked on the fifth floor of the children’s building.

“There were only a few Caucasian supervisors,” the Staten Islander added. “They rarely visited the units. They had almost no contact with patients. They worked in the front office.”
 
Allen began working at Sea View in 1947 at age 16. She convinced her parents to let her leave Detroit after graduating from high school, live with her aunt, and work as a nurse’s aide. Allen did not realize the historic nature of her job at the time.
 
“My age did not allow me to think critically about the situation at hand,” she said. “I treated the patients the way I was taught to treat them. I was young myself, so I related to them.”
 
Allen worked in the children’s building on the first floor. She cared for the babies, assisted toddlers and older children with their meals, and read to patients. She also accompanied them on visits to their occupational and physical therapy sessions. The five-story building housed a school, where teachers conducted classes and a library where children could select and borrow books. “It was more like a home setting—except that they were being cared for,” she said.
 
The Staten Islander recalled a seven-year-old patient named Willie who charmed all of the nurses in the children’s building. Diagnosed with tuberculosis of the spine, the boy wore a body cast, covering his upper body to just above his knees. Doctors thought he would heal faster if they could limit his movements.
 
“He was always cheerful, and funny, and he knew how to tug at your heartstrings, and get your attention, and he was always dropping things (such as his toys) on the floor,” the Black Angel recalled. “So naturally, you were always going over and getting things from the floor to attend to him and to pick up whatever he dropped. He knew how to get us in. All the nurses loved him. All the staff loved him.”
 
Her co-workers became part of her extended family, Allen said. On days off, they attended Brooklyn Dodgers games and went to dances at The Savoy and Renaissance ballrooms in Harlem. The nurses, who were from different states, formed clubs to raise money for educational opportunities for their communities.

Allen enrolled in nursing school at Central School for Practical Nurses in 1954 through a work-study program and graduated with honors in 1956. She left Sea View in 1957 and returned to school to take classes and pursue a career in labor relations. She advocated for members in unions Local 144, the Nursing Homes, and 1199 Healthcare workers of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

Allen returned to patient care in the 1980s, working at Staten Island University Hospital until 1995. Then, she moved into a private doctor’s OB/GYN care and retired in 2005.

In 2010, Allen joined the Schomburg Center as a volunteer.

During the closing of the Center’s building in 2020 as a safety precaution to help stop the spread of COVID-19, Allen limited her volunteering activities to those in her borough.

She is a founding member and has been active with the Staten Island section of the National Council of Negro Women since 1968. She also serves on the board of organizations such as Cultural Crossroads in Fort Greene, the Staten Island Ballet, Frederick Douglass Memorial Park Inc., Art Lab at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Staten Island OutLOUD, and the College of Staten Island Auxiliary Board providing grants for education and vocation. She’s also a member of Lambda Kappa Mu Sorority, Inc, Lambda Chapter S.I. NY, and Literary Society New York.

Last year, Sea View unveiled the mural, “The Spirit of Sea View,” by Yana Dimitrova. One of the panels pays tribute to the Black Angels. The New York State Nurses Association recognized Allen for her lifetime of advocacy and her nursing career. Also, the College of Staten Island awarded Allen an honorary doctorate degree in Arts and Letters.
 
As the number of positive cases caused by the Delta and Omicron variants of COVID-19 continue to decline and the weather gets better, Allen is planning to return to the Schomburg Center in the spring.

Allen, 90-years-of-age, has come full circle. She currently lives on the grounds of Sea View, which is known today as  Sea View Hospital Rehabilitation Center and Home. The residential hall for nurses is now a housing complex for senior citizens.
 
And, the Staten Island resident kept up her nursing license. “I’m still very active,” Allen said. “I could actually still work if I wanted to. There’s nothing wrong with my thinking capacity. There was no reason why I should let it lapse.”

Collections at the Schomburg Center on Black Nurses

If Virginia Allen has inspired you to learn more about the history and legacy of Black nurses, here are materials to explore in person and online.

Schedule a Research Appointment
The Lincoln School for Nurses
Because of segregation, Black people were not accepted to nursing schools. The Lincoln School for Nurses, a privately endowed institution, was founded in 1898 in the Bronx to train Black women. It was the first of its kind in the U.S.

The Schomburg Center’s Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division has the school’s newspapers, yearbooks, and annual reports. Some of the courageous nurses at Seaview—and colleagues of Virginia Allen— were alumni of the school.
 
Harlem Hospital School of Nursing
During her time at Sea View, Allen also worked with nurses who graduated from Harlem Hospital School of Nursing. The Center’s Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division holds a comprehensive history of the hospital from 1923-1973 on microfilm. The division also holds books such as Early Black American Leaders in Nursing: Architects for Integration and Equality by Althea T. Davis and Black Women in White: Racial Conflict and Cooperation in the Nursing Profession, 1890-1950 by Darlene Clark Hine. 
 
Alma John Papers
Alma John was a radio talk show producer, registered nurse, and newspaper columnist. She was also the first African-American female director of a school of practical nursing in New York State. As the Executive Director of the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses, she hosted and wrote the scripts for the radio program, Brown Women in White.

“She was fantastic,”  Allen recalled. She had “one of those programs that you couldn’t wait to listen to.”

The Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division holds John's radio scripts, typescripts, and news clipping of her columns and more.

Explore Online:
Lincoln School for Nurses Photograph Collection
The digital collections of the Center’s Photographs and Prints Division has pictures from the Lincoln School for Nurses. Spanning the mid-1800s to the 1930s, the images consist of graduations, student gatherings, and individual portraits.

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Lynn Nottage is among the most important and prolific playwrights of the turn of the 21st century, and her work has been especially well-represented both on and off-Broadway this season. While Nottage’s papers are not yet preserved in a publicly accessible archive, the Theatre Division at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts documents her work in our Theatre on Film and Tape Archive, our clippings and programs files, and in the papers of her collaborators. Nottage’s recent opera adaptation of her own play, Intimate Apparel, is particularly well-documented.

Clippings and Programs

Our clippings and programs files are among the most popular materials in the Library. In the nearly two decades since the original production of Intimate Apparel opened at the Roundabout’s Laura Pels Theatre, the show has become an essential part of the American repertory. The file on Intimate Apparel is therefore rich with programs from and reviews of productions around the world.

Derek McLane’s designs for the original off-Broadway production

One might think that the translation of a small, spoken, off-Broadway play into an opera would require a grander scenic design, but, in fact, Michael Yeargan’s set for the opera at the Mitzi Newhouse is minimal compared to Derek McLane’s design for the 2004 production at Roundabout’s Laura Pels. Yeargan designed a simple turntable, onto which small set pieces are pushed, and a wooden back wall to accommodate rear projections. As depicted in these technical drawings, McLane’s design featured a multi-layered proscenium set with a bed that rose from beneath the stage.

Lynn Nottage discusses the transition to opera

In February 2019, Lynn Nottage appeared on the stage of our own Bruno Walter Auditorium and discussed her work, including the process of adapting Intimate Apparel into an opera. The discussion of the original play begins at about 25 minutes into the recording and the discussion of the opera at 40 minutes.

The author Ralph Ellison is inextricably linked to his novel The Invisible Man, now considered a classic of American literature. While his other activities (such as literary criticism) may be less well-known, Ellison’s involvement with songwriting seems to have been neglected by the scholarly community.

Ellison’s formative years in Oklahoma included being taught alto saxophone and trumpet by a neighbor's father, with Ellison eventually becoming bandmaster. Having been rejected twice from the Tuskegee Institute, he was accepted on the third try, supposedly because the band needed a trumpet player.

Many years later, once he was released from the army in 1945, Ellison began working at various jobs to support himself while writing The Invisible Man. It is probable that he saw songwriting as another way of gaining income.

Among the many thousands of songs in the Music & Recorded Sound Division are two songs by Ralph Ellison, both published in 1946. Using WorldCat I could not find any other library owning these songs, so we’re quite fortunate to have them. Due to copyright restrictions, we cannot digitize them, but both songs are available to view at the Research Library of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts on microfilm, call number:  *ZB-768 reel 206.

In honor of his 109th birthday (born March 1, 1913) and to close to this year’s Black History Month, here are the lyrics of these two songs.  

IT WOULD ONLY HURT ME IF I KNEW 

words and music by Ralph Ellison ©1946 by American Music Inc.

Darling, don’t tell me about you
It would only hurt me if I knew
I hear so many things about you
But to tell me would only make me blue.
You’re the one, the only one, 
I could never try somebody new.
Darling, don’t tell me about you
It would only hurt me if I knew.

If you go on the way you feel
Darling, I’ll make believe your love is real
And when someday we’re far apart
Just remember no one will take my heart
You’re the one, the only one,
I could never try somebody new
Darling, don’t tell me about you
It would only hurt me if I knew.

FLIRTY words and music by Ralph Ellison ©1946 by American Music Inc.

Flirty, flirty,
Hope you’re satisfied
Flirty, flirty,
Guess I'll have to decide
We were happy but now that’s all gone
You stepped out you know that’s wrong
Flirty, flirty,  Now you’re all alone.

Flirty, flirty,
You say that’s all right
Flirty, flirty,
But you’re alone each night
You told our best friends that we were all through
But I can tell it still hurts you
Flirty, flirty,
And it hurts me too.

It’s often said that only 10,000 people bought the Velvet Underground's first album, but everyone who bought a copy started a band. Whether it’s true or not, the quote (often attributed to Brian Eno) demonstrates how much of an impact Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground made on the music scene since they got started in the 1960s. 

March 2 would have been Lou Reed’s 80th birthday. Leading up to an upcoming exhibition at the Library for the Performing Arts, NYPL celebrates his life and legacy with an event, items from the Library's collections, and more. 

Coney Island Baby: A Virtual Dance Party with The Lot Radio 

Although experimental sounds pulse throughout his musical catalog, Lou Reed got his start in doo-wop music. His sixth solo studio album referenced those roots. Coney Island Baby paid tribute to his Long Island origins, as both a shout-out to the mentality of his adolescent years and a reference to a 1962 doo-wop song by The Excellents. Every year for his birthday, Reed would host a doo-wop party at his house and revel in the music of his youth with friends.

In honor of this memory, on March 2, Link Cromwell (aka Lenny Kaye) will spin selections of doo-wop 45s from Lou Reed’s archive at LPA, in partnership with The Lot Radio

Transformer Mock-up, an NYPL Treasure

Reed left the Velvet Underground in 1970. His first solo album was self-titled and received little attention and acclaim, but his second effort was a huge hit. It was called Transformer, produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson. 

Rock photographer Mick Rock designed the record jacket using his most famous photo of Reed. On NYPL’s TikTok, learn more about the making of the iconic image, featured in the Polonsky Exhibition of the New York Public Library’s Treasures.

@nypl Let’s talk about Lou Reed! #NYPLTreasures#NYPL#Library#Museum#Archives#MusicHistory#LearnOnTikTok♬ original sound - nypl

Lou Reed: Caught Between the Twisted Stars

In 2022, which would have been the year of Lou Reed's 80th birthday, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center will mount Lou Reed: Caught Between the Twisted Stars, the first large-scale exhibition featuring previously unseen and unheard work from Reed’s incredible archive.

The Lou Reed Papers

The Lou Reed Papers span nearly six decades, from 1958 to 2015, of Reed’s career through audio and video recordings, office files, photographs, artwork, and press clippings. The collection details Reed's musical output, as well as the administrative and business dealings involved in producing records and touring worldwide.

If you are looking for some good sea stories for elementary school-age children, the books on this list will be perfect. There are stories of sailing ships, cargo ships, and one tale of life in a lighthouse. There are voyages on the ocean and voyages of the imagination along with some true sea stories from our nonfiction section.

Fiction

The Antlered Ship by Dashka Slater; illustrated byThe Fan Brothers

Marco the fox has a lot of questions, like: how deep does the sun go when it sinks into the sea? And why do birds have such lizardy feet? But none of the other foxes share his curiosity. So when a magnificent ship adorned with antlers and with a deer for a captain arrives at the dock looking for a crew, Marco volunteers, hoping to find foxes who are as inquisitive as he is that can answer his questions. The crew finds adventure and intrigue on their journey. And, at last, Marco finds the answer to his most important question of all: What’s the best way to find a friend you can talk to?

Captain Jack and the Piratesby Peter Bently and Helen Oxenbury

A swashbuckling high-seas adventure finds young Jack, Zack, and Caspar building a sand boat on the beach before embarking on an imaginative voyage that pits them against enemy pirates and strands them on a desert island, where they discover a “treasure” of delicious desserts.

Captain's Log Snowbound by Erin Dionne; illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler

Excited to give his report on explorer Ernest Shackleton in school, and frustrated by a monstrous snowstorm that has left his family and city snowbound, a boy imagines himself on a voyage where he and his crew (his family) are trapped by the ice, just like his favorite explorer and the ship, Endurance.

Faraway Things by Dave Eggers; illustrated by Kelly Murphy

Lucian's father called them faraway things, those mysterious objects orphaned upon the windswept shore, their stories long lost in the shroud of ocean fog. Lucian's discovery on the beach this particular day, though, is no ordinary faraway thing. It's a cutlass: strong, shiny, and powerful. As its history comes to light, Lucian faces a choice: cling to the sword he loves or accept a gift that shines farther, wider, and deeper than he could have ever dreamed.

Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall

Watch the days and seasons pass as the wind blows, the fog rolls in, and icebergs drift by. Outside, there is water all around. Inside, the daily life of a lighthouse keeper and his family unfolds as the keeper boils water for tea, lights the lamp's wick, and writes every detail in his logbook.
 

Hope at Sea: An Adventure Story by Daniel Miyares

When she stows away on her father’s 19th-century merchant vessel, Hope embarks on a high seas adventure of a lifetime, in this action-packed picture book that also captures the love between a father and child.

My Clementine by Roberto Innocenti

A captain narrates the many adventures he had aboard the refrigerated cargo ship Clementine, from his first sight of the ship in the 1930s, to its voyages around the world, to its becoming a warship in World War II, and to its final sinking in a storm.

Ocean Meets Sky by Terry Fan; illustrated by The Fan Brothers

A story about a young boy who sets sail to find the magical place where the ocean meets the sky in accordance with his late grandfather's descriptions, a voyage marked by imaginative animals and castles that leads to an unexpected discovery.

Nonfiction

How Sweet the Sound: The Story of Amazing Grace by Carole Boston Weatherford; illustrated by Frank Morrison

A poignant picture book biography of the man behind the iconic hymn, "Amazing Grace", describes how John Newton miraculously survived a stormy night at sea and became a minister before ending his own slaving activities and sharing the words of his prayers to help abolish slavery in England. 
 

Man-of-War by Richard Platt; illustrated by Stephen Biesty

Covering everything from warship design to navigation, a 25th anniversary edition of a nautical entry in the award-winning series features elaborately detailed, fact-filled cross-sections of an 18th-century man-of-war ship.

Seven Miles to Freedom: The Robert Smalls Story by Janet Halfmann; illustrated by Duane Smith

A biography of Robert Smalls who, during the Civil War, commandeered the Confederate ship Planter to carry his family and twelve other slaves to freedom, and went on to become a United States Congressman working toward African American advancement.

Summaries provided via NYPL’s catalog, which draws from multiple sources. Click through to each book’s title for more.

In the tradition of Nancy Drew and other well-known girl sleuths and detectives let's give a nod to Women's History Month by reading mysteries and adventures featuring girl sleuths, detectives, and crime solvers. They use their minds, guts, and sheer good luck to solve the case!

Friday Barnes, Girl Detective by R. A. Spratt; illustrations by Phil Gosier

Using reward money for solving a bank robbery to attend an exclusive boarding school, Friday Barnes tackles mysteries ranging from disappearing homework and a yeti in a swamp to the reason the school's most handsome boy hates her.

The Fairy-Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley 

The sisters learn they are descendants of the Brothers Grimm, whose famous book of fairy tales is actually a collection of case files. The girls are the latest in a long line of fairy-tale detectives, and their new hometown is filled with Everafters (as magical folks like to be called)â€"some good and some very, very bad. When a mysterious Everafter sets a giant loose on the town, it's up to the Sisters Grimm to save the day.

The Girl From Felony Bay by John Thompson

Forced to move in with her alcoholic uncle after her father is framed for a terrible crime, sixth-grader Abbey resolves to clear her father's name while outmaneuvering a bully and tackling a mystery on her family's estate with the help of a curious newcomer.

The Case of The Missing Marquess: An Enola Holmes Mystery by Nancy Springer

Enola Holmes, much younger sister of detective Sherlock Holmes, must travel to London in disguise to unravel the disappearance of her missing mother.

Goldie Vance: The Hotel Whodunit by Lilliam Rivera

In early 1960s Florida, sixteen-year-old Goldie, an aspiring detective at the Crossed Palms Resort Hotel, investigates when a diamond-encrusted swim cap goes missing during the filming of a movie.

The Great Cake Mystery by Alexander McCall Smith 

Before becoming the first female private investigator in Botswana, eight-year-old Precious Ramotswe tracks down a thief who has been stealing her classmates' snacks.

The Case of The Missing Moonstone by Jordan Stratford

A first installment in a series set in an early 19th-century alternate universe finds brusque 11-year-old genius Ada and romantic 14-year-old Mary forming a detective agency and investigating a stolen heirloom using their math, science, and analytic talents.

Cold-Blooded Myrtle  by Elizabeth Bunce 

Twelve-year-old Young Lady of Quality and Victorian amateur detective Myrtle Hardcastle returns, and now she is on the trail of a serial killer in her hometown of Swinburne.

Poison is Not Polite by Robin Stevens 

In 1930s England, schoolgirl detectives Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong are at Daisy's home for the holidays when someone falls seriously, mysteriously ill at a family party, but no one present is what they seem—and everyone has a secret or two—so the Detective Society must do everything they can to reveal the truth ... no matter the consequences.

Murder at the Museum by Lena Jones 

Thirteen-year-old Agatha Oddlow's set to become the youngest member of the Gatekeepers' Guild, but before that, she's got a mystery to solve. There's been a murder at the British Museum and, although the police are investigating, Agatha suspects that they're missing a wider plot going on below Londona plot involving a disused Tube station, a huge fireworks display, and five thousand tonnes of gold bullion.

The Dollhouse by Charis Cotter

Alice and her mom are heading to a small town where Alice's mom will be a live-in nurse to a rich elderly lady. The house is huge, imposing, and spooky, and everything inside is meticulously kept and perfect— not a fun place to spend the summer. Things start to get weird when Alice finds a dollhouse in the attic that's an exact replica of the house she's living in. Then she wakes up to find a girl asleep next to her in her bed —a girl who looks a lot like one of the dolls from the dollhouse .

A Girl, A Raccoon, and the Midnight Moon by Karen Romano Young; illustrated by Jessixa Bagley

Eleven-year-old Pearl Moran cannot imagine life without the historic but under-utilized branch of The New York Public Library where she was born (in the Memorial Room) and where her single mother works as the circulation librarian; the other librarians, the neighborhood people, the raccoons, and most of the 41,000 plus books all form the structure and essence of her life—but when someone cuts off the head of the Library's statue of Edna St. Vincent Millay she realizes that the Library is under attack, and it is up to her to save it.

Agatha, Girl of Mystery. Kenyan Expedition by Sir Steve Stevenson; illustrated by Stefano Turconi; translated by Siobhan Tracey; adapted by Maya Gold

A missing white giraffe brings Agatha Mistery and her cousin Dash to the heart of Africa. A rare species of white giraffe, venerated by the Masai tribe as a divinity, has disappeared from the savanna, and it's up to Agatha and Dash to find it! Together with a third cousin and safari expert, the pair must track down the poacher who has stolen the priceless animal.

Zenobia July by Lisa Bunker 

Zenobia July is starting a new life. She used to live in Arizona with her father; now she's in Maine with her aunts. She used to spend most of her time behind a computer screen, improving her impressive coding and hacking skills; now she's coming out of her shell and discovering a community of friends at Monarch Middle School. People used to tell her she was a boy; now she's able to live openly as the girl she always knew she was. When someone anonymously posts hateful memes on her school's website, Zenobia knows she's the one with the abilities to solve the mystery, all while wrestling with the challenges of a new school, a new family, and coming to grips with presenting her true gender for the first time.

The Book Case: An Emily Lime Mystery  by Dave Shelton

Sent to exclusive St. Rita's boarding school for girls after an expulsion, book-smart Daphne discovers that the school is not quite what she expected before finding herself working as a library assistant to crime-solving genius Emily Lime.

Jolly Foul Play: A Wells & Wong Mystery by Robin Stevens

Daisy and Hazel must solve another murder at Deepdean when a bullying Head Girl turns up dead on Bonfire Night.

Effie Starr Zook Has One More Question by Martha Freeman

City girl Effie Starr Zook is not excited about spending the summer on her aunt and uncle's farm in Nowheresville, Pennsylvania until she stumbles across a mystery that leads her smack into an old family feud.

The Girl With The Glass Birdby Esme Kerr

At Knight's Haddon, a remote all-girls boarding school, feisty orphan Edie is assigned to spy on fragile, exotic Anastasia. Instead, the two become best friends—and discover a sinister mystery.

North of Nowhereby Liz Kessler

Rushing to the sleepy seaside village of Porthaven to help her grandmother when her granddad mysteriously vanishes, Mia discovers a diary on an empty fishing boat and begins exchanging notes with a local girl who makes excuses for not meeting Mia in person, adding to an already mystifying situation.

The Disappearance of Emily H by Barrie Summy

Eighth-grader Raine, a new girl at Yielding Middle School, uses her supernatural ability to see other people's memories to solve the disappearance of a teenage girl.

Conspiracy  by Patricia Finney writing as Lady Grace Cavendish

After an assassination attempt goes wrong and claims the life of one of her Gentlewomen of the Bedchamber, Queen Elizabeth I decides to give the woman's young daughter, Lady Grace, special treatment in her Royal Court, yet as more mysterious events unfold, Lady Grace becomes fearful for her queen and so decides to look into the strange happenings in order to find out who is involved—and bring them to justice.

Unstoppable Octobia May by Sharon G. Flake 

In 1953 ten-year-old Octobia May lives in her Aunt's boarding house in the South, surrounded by an African American community that has its own secrets and internal racism, and spends her days wondering if Mr. Davenport in room 204 is really a vampire—or something else entirely.

Under The Egg by Laura Marx Fitzgerald 

Her grandfather's dying words lead thirteen-year-old Theodora Tenpenny to a valuable, hidden painting she fears may be stolen, but it is her search for answers in her Greenwich Village neighborhood that brings a real treasure.

Vanishing Acts: A Madison Kincaid Mystery by Philip Margolin 

In Portland, Oregon, between soccer games and beginning seventh grade, twelve-year-old Madison Kincaid and new classmate Jake try to track down her missing best friend, while also helping her attorney father solve a missing-persons case.

Pepper's Rules of Secret Sleuthing by Briana McDonald 

Amateur detective Pepper Blouse, a rising seventh-grader, cannot resist investigating when her Great Aunt Florence passes away under mysterious circumstances, but strictly following her mother's Detective Rulebook may not be the best plan.

Snowize & Snitch : Highly Effective Defective Detectives by K. H. Briner 

A once-intrepid spy, a dignified rodent, and a girl with a perplexing past team up to find out who is draining the minds of great scientists of their knowledge.

The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson 

Twelve-year-old Candice Miller is spending the summer in Lambert, South Carolina, in the old house that belonged to her grandmother, who died after being dismissed as city manager for having the city tennis courts dug up looking for buried treasure—but when she finds the letter that sent her grandmother on the treasure hunt, she finds herself caught up in the mystery and, with the help of her new friend and fellow book-worm, Brandon, she sets out to find the inheritance, exonerate her grandmother, and expose an injustice once committed against an African American family in Lambert.

Matasha by Pamela Erens

It's 1970's Chicago. Eleven-year-old Matasha Wax is fixated by the story of Martin Kimmel, a nine-year-old boy who disappeared a few months ago, and whose body has yet to be found. But none of these ongoing problems could have prepared Matasha for her mother's sudden disappearance. When the letters start coming from Switzerland, she knows something is very, very wrong—but no one will tell her what's going on, so Matasha has to figure it all out for herself.

Girl's Best Friend  by Leslie Margolis

In Brooklyn, New York, twelve-year-old dog-walker Maggie, aided by her twin brother Finn and best friend Lucy, investigates someone she believes is stealing pets.

Sometimes you find a mystery and sometimes it finds you. These young adult reads—contemporary and historical—offer intrigue and thrills as young women are drawn into solving crimes, revealing secrets, and unraveling mysteries.

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Daunis, who is part Ojibwe, defers attending the University of Michigan to care for her mother and reluctantly becomes involved in the investigation of a series of drug-related deaths.

Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson

After solving the murder case together, Ravi Singh helped Pip create a podcast that soon went viral, but they both swear off sleuthing. When Jamie Reynolds goes missing on the sixth anniversary of the deaths of Andie Bell and Sal Singh, however, Pip feels it's too big of a coincidence to ignore. With the spotlight on her, can she still follow the clues and uncover even more sinister depths to her hometown?

Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson

When legendary R&B artist Korey Fields spots Enchanted Jones at an audition, her dreams of being a famous singer take flight. Until Enchanted wakes up with blood on her hands and zero memory of the previous night. Who killed Korey Fields? Before there was a dead body, Enchanted's dreams had turned into a nightmare. Because behind Korey's charm and star power was a controlling dark side. Now he's dead, the police are at the door, and all signs point to Enchanted.

Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus

While true-crime aficionado Ellery and her twin brother are staying with their grandmother in a Vermont community known for murder, a new friend goes missing and Ellery may be next.

A Good Girl's Guide To Murder by Holly Jackson

As her senior capstone project, Pippa Fitz-Amobi is determined to find the real killer in a closed, local murder case, but not everyone wants her meddling in the past.

The Forest of Stolen Girls by June Hur

In 1426 in Joseon, a year after her father vanishes while investigating the disappearance of thirteen girls, eighteen-year-old Min Hwani returns to the island of Jeju to pick up his trail with the help of her estranged sister.

Elatsoeby  Darcie Little Badger; illustrations by Rovina Cai

Elatsoe lives in an alternate contemporary America shaped by the ancestral magics and knowledge of its Indigenous and immigrant groups. She can raise the spirits of dead animals—most importantly, her ghost dog Kirby. When her beloved cousin dies, all signs point to a car crash, but his ghost tells her otherwise: He was murdered.

The Red Palace by June Hur

While investigating a series of grisly murders, eighteen-year-old palace nurse Hyeon navigates royal and political intrigue and becomes entangled with a young police inspector.

The Box in The Woods by Maureen Johnson

Stevie Bell just managed to solve the mystery at Ellingham Academy. Then she gets a message from the owner of Sunny Pines—formerly known as Camp Wonder Falls, the site of the infamous Box in the Woods murders. The new camp owner wants Stevie to help him work on a true-crime podcast about the unsolved case. Going undercover as a camp counselor, Stevie learns that something evil still lurks at the camp—and The Box in the Woods is willing to make room for more victims.

A Study in Charlotte: A Charlotte Holmes Novel by Brittany Cavallaro

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson descendants, Charlotte and Jamie, students at a Connecticut boarding school, team up to solve a murder mystery.

The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Night-Timeby Mark Haddon

Despite his overwhelming fear of interacting with people, Christopher, a mathematically-gifted, autistic fifteen-year-old boy, decides to investigate the murder of a neighbor's dog and uncovers secret information about his mother.

Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson

When her friend Monday Charles goes missing and Monday's mother refuses to give her a straight answer, Claudia digs into her disappearance.

They'll Never Catch Usby Jessica Goodman

Cross-country running is Stella Steckler's life and she won't let anything get in the way of being the best. Her sister Ellie is a talented runner too, but she has friends, goes to parties, has a life off the course. Their lives are upended when Mila Keene comes to town. The top runner on her team back home, at first they view her as a threat. But Ellie's been looking for a friend, and in a moment of weakness shares her darkest secret with Mila. Stella also connects with Mila, but finds her a distraction. When Mila goes out on a training run and doesn't returns, all eyes are on the Steckler sisters.

Spin by Lamar Giles

When DJ ParSec (Paris Secord), rising star of the local music scene, is found dead over her turntables, the two girls who found her, Kya (her pre-fame best friend) and Fuse (her current chief groupie) are torn between grief for Paris and hatred for each other--but when the lack of obvious suspects stalls the investigation, and the police seem to lose interest, despite pressure from social media and ParSec's loyal fans, the two girls unite, determined to find out who murdered their friend.

Enola Holmes and The Black Barouche by Nancy Springer

When professional typist Letitia Glover is desperate to learn more about the fate of her twin sister Flossie, Enola enlists the help of her brother Sherlock and her friend Tewky to investigate Flossie's husband, the sudden death of his first wife, and the mysterious appearance of a black barouche.

I Hope You're Listening by Tom Ryan

Seventeen-year-old Dee secretly hosts a popular true-crime podcast but when a missing child seems linked to the disappearance of her best friend ten years ago, she considers revealing her identity to uncover the truth.

The Things She's Seen by Ambelin and Ezekiel Kwaymullina

Nothing has been the same for Beth Teller since the day she died. Her dad, a detective, was the only one able to see and hear her since the accident, but he is drowning in grief. But why is Isobel Catching able to see Beth, too? She was found wandering near the scene of a gruesome fire at a home for troubled youth that left an unidentifiable body behind. As Beth and her detective father work to unravel the mystery, they find a shocking and heartbreaking story lurking beneath the surface of a small Australian town. Told in two voices, this novel weaves together themes of grief, colonial history, violence, love, and family.

The Takedown by Corrie Wang

In this near-future mystery, Kyla Cheng, the smartest, hottest, most popular student at her Brooklyn high school, gets taken down a peg by a faked sex tape that goes viral.

Summaries provided via NYPL’s catalog, which draws from multiple sources. Click through to each book’s title for more.

(En Español)

The New York Public Library is committed to serving all New Yorkers and collaborating with organizations to share information and resources that impact our communities. This is why the Library teamed up with the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) and Los Deliveristas Unidos (LDU) to provide information about the new rights for food delivery workers. 

New York City recently passed new legislation regulating the online third-party food delivery service ("delivery apps") industry and providing legal workplace protections for delivery workers; currently, NYC  has approximately 65,000 delivery workers. These laws will require the delivery apps to allow workers to set distance and route limitations, pay at least once a week, provide a free insulated delivery bag after six deliveries, and will set minimum pay. The law has gone into effect, with stages starting in January 2022.

During the conversation, Los Deliveristas Unidos shared the importance of collective action to enforce the laws, the essential work of food delivery workers, and the services they offer (including help against wage theft, job training, and workplace protection). DCWP provided details about the new rights for delivery works and responsibilities for restaurants, as well as ways to report abuse. Visit nyc.gov/DeliveryApps to contact DCWP or call 311 and ask for “Delivery Worker or Employer Assistance.” DCWP will keep your identity confidential. Immigration status does not impact the new rights and retaliation is illegal.   

The New York Public Library welcomes people of all backgrounds and celebrates the rich multicultural diversity that defines New York City. For more information about multilingual resources, visit nypl.org/spotlight/multilingual. Stop by a branch library to use computers, sign up for a library card, check out books, participate in a variety of programs designed for adults, youth, children, and much more—all for free. For a list of library locations, visit nypl.org/locations. 

Missed the conversation? Find the recording below.

Food App Delivery: Know Your Rights from The New York Public Library on Vimeo. This video has captions in English. Please note captions were generated live at the time of recording and may not be a completely accurate reflection of audio commentary.

Learn More About NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection:

The NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP)—formerly the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA)—protects and enhances the daily economic lives of New Yorkers to create thriving communities. DCWP licenses more than 59,000 businesses in more than 50 industries and enforces key consumer protection, licensing, and workplace laws that apply to countless more.

Learn More About Deliveristas Unidos: 

Los Deliveristas Unidos (LDU) is a collective of mostly immigrant app delivery workers who are fighting for justice. LDU is a new organizing effort spawned by the Worker's Justice Project to give this vulnerable group of gig workers access to basic rights.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeliveristasUnidos

Instagram: https://instagram.com/losdeliveristasunidos_ny 

(In English)

La Biblioteca Pública de Nueva York está comprometida a servir a todos los neoyorquinos y asociarse con organizaciones para compartir información y recursos que impactan a nuestras comunidades. Es por eso que la Biblioteca se unió con el Departamento de Protección al Consumidor y al Trabajador (DCWP por sus siglas en inglés Department of Consumer and Worker Protection), y Los Deliveristas Unidos (LDU) para proporcionar información sobre los nuevos derechos para trabajadores de entrega de alimentos, en general llamados "los repartidores.”

Actualmente, la ciudad de Nueva York tiene aproximadamente 65,000 repartidores de alimentos. La ciudad recientemente aprobó un paquete de leyes nuevas que regulan la industria del servicio de entrega de alimentos de terceros en línea ("aplicaciones de entrega") y varios aspectos del trabajo de los repartidores. Estas leyes requerirán que las aplicaciones indiquen detalles de la ruta antes de aceptar una entrega, generen pagos al menos una vez a la semana, proporcionen una bolsa aislante de reparto de comida gratis después de seis entregas y establecerán un nuevo salario mínimo. La ley entrará en vigor por partes a partir de 2022.

Durante la conversación, Los Deliveristas Unidos compartieron la importancia de la acción colectiva, el trabajo esencial de los repartidores y los servicios que ofrecen (incluyendo ayuda contra el robo de salarios, capacitación laboral y prevención de abusos laborales). DCWP compartió detalles sobre los nuevos derechos. Visite nyc.gov/DeliveryApps para comunicarse con el Departamento o llame al 311 y pida que lo comuniquen a “Asistencia para el trabajador de reparto o al empleador.” DCWP mantendrá la confidencialidad de su identidad. El estatus migratorio no afecta a los nuevos derechos y las represalias son ilegales.

La Biblioteca Pública de Nueva York les da la bienvenida a personas de todos los orígenes y celebra la rica diversidad multicultural que define a la ciudad de Nueva York. La Biblioteca se compromete a ayudar a las personas independientemente del idioma que hablen y sus edades, incluyendo tanto inmigrantes recientes como comunidades bilingües y multilingües, para navegar por nuestra variedad de servicios. Visite nuestras bibliotecas para usar computadoras, solicitar libros, participar en varios programas diseñados para adultos, adolescentes o menores y mucho más. Todos nuestros servicios son gratis. Para más información sobre los recursos que ofrece la Biblioteca visite nypl.org/spotlight/multilingual/es.

Encuentre la grabación de la conversación con el Departamento de Protección al Consumidor y al Trabajador y Los Deliveristas Unidos a continuación.

¿Haces entregas de alimentos (los repartidores) para una aplicación? Conoce tus derechos from The New York Public Library on Vimeo. Este video tiene subtítulos en español. Los subtítulos se generaron en vivo y pueden no ser completamente precisos.

Más información sobre el Departamento de Protección al Consumidor y al Trabajador (Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, DCWP):

El Departamento de Protección al Consumidor y al Trabajador de la Ciudad de Nueva York protege y mejora la vida económica diaria de los neoyorquinos para crear comunidades prósperas. DCWP otorga licencias a más de 59,000 empresas en más de 50 industrias y hace cumplir leyes clave de protección al consumidor, licencias y lugares de trabajo que se aplican a innumerables más.

Más información sobre Los Deliveristas Unidos:

Los Deliveristas UnidosWorker's Justice Project

Los Deliveristas Unidos (LDU) es un colectivo de trabajadores de entrega de aplicaciones en su mayoría inmigrantes que luchan por la justicia. LDU es un nuevo esfuerzo de organización generado por el Proyecto de Justicia de los Trabajadores (Worker's Justice Project) para brindar a este grupo vulnerable de trabajadores acceso a derechos básicos, como el derecho a usar el baño y un salario mínimo.

On February 17, 2022, Doc Chat took to the streets of turn-of-the-century New York City to learn about a talented and understudied female photographer.

A weekly series from NYPL's Center for Research in the Humanities, Doc Chat pairs an NYPL curator or specialist and a scholar to discuss evocative digitized items from the Library's collections and brainstorm innovative ways of teaching with them. In Episode Forty-Four, NYPL’s Elizabeth Cronin, Assistant Curator, Photography Collection, spoke with art historian Bonnie Yochelson about the career and images of Staten Island photographer Alice Austen. Yochelson's book, Miss Alice Austen, Conservative Rebel of Staten Island will be published by Fordham University Press in 2023. 

A transcript of this episode is available here. 

Below are some handy links to materials and sources suggested in the episode.

Episode Forty-Four: Primary Sources

Elizabeth and Bonnie explored many of Austen's street scenes, held in the Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints, and Photographs at the New York Public Library. Digitized images of Austen's Street Types photographs can be explored in NYPL's Digital Collection.

They also discussed the following book, which may have inspired Austen's series of Street Types: 

Sigmund Krausz, Street Types of Chicago: Character Studies (Max Stern & Co., 1892).

Episode Forty-Four: Readings and Resources

Further resources on Alice Austen:

Gotham Center’s online exhibition about Alice Austen

For the Alice Austen Collection, see Historic Richmond Town Collections Database 

Further Reading by Bonnie Yochelson:

Bonnie Yochelson and Daniel Czitrom, Rediscovering Jacob Riis: Exposure Journalism and Photography in Turn-of-the-Century New York (New Press, 2007).

Bonnie Yochelson, Alfred Stieglitz New York (Skira Rizzoli Publications, 2010).

Bonnie Yochelson’s website

Join the Doc Chat Conversation

Doc Chat episodes take place on Zoom every Thursday at 3:30 PM. Check out upcoming episodes on NYPL's calendar,  and make sure you don't miss an episode by signing up for NYPL's Research newsletter, which will include links to register. A video of each episode will be posted on the Doc Chat Channel of NYPL's blog shortly after the program. There you can also explore videos and resources for past episodes. See you at the next Doc Chat!

Did you know that you can put a hold on many books at NYPL even before they're officially released? It's a great way to get in line for a hotly anticipated book. Below is a sampling of upcoming novels that you can join the holds list for already including Station Eleven author Emily St. John Mandel's latest, a collaboration between Dolly Parton and James Patterson, and the next "aunties" book from Jesse Q. Sutanto.

The Candy House by Jennifer Egan

Told through lives of multiple characters, this electrifying, deeply moving novel, spanning 10 years, follows “Own Your Unconscious,” a new technology that allows access to every memory you’ve ever had, and to share every memory in exchange for access to the memories of others.

Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo

From the award-winning author of the Booker-prize finalist We Need New Names comes a novel that chronicles the fall of an oppressive regime, and the chaotic, kinetic potential for real liberation that rises in its wake.

Run Rose Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson

On the rise and on the run, a young singer-songwriter arrives in Nashville to claim her destiny, but it’s also where the darkness she’s fled might find her—and destroy her.

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

Hired to investigate the black-skied Night City, Detective Gaspery-Jacques Roberts discovers an anomaly in the North American Wilderness, where he encounters a strange group of individuals who have all glimpsed a chance to do something extraordinary that could disrupt the timeline of the universe.

Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Determined that her family enjoy her wedding festivities as guests, Meddy Chan hires a Chinese-Indonesian family-run party vendor because they are similar to her own, but discovers they are the mafia in the sequel to Dial A for Aunties.

French Braid by Anne Tyler

Follows the Garrett family from 1959 onward as they discover that their actions advance across decades and ripple through generations, in the new novel by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Breathing Lessons.

Time Is a Mother by Ocean Vuong

The highly anticipated collection of poems from the award-winning writer Ocean Vuong. Vuong searches for life among the aftershocks of his mother's death, embodying the paradox of sitting within grief while being determined to survive beyond it. Shifting through memory, and in concert with the themes of his novel On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, Vuong contends with personal loss, the meaning of family, and the cost of being the product of an American war in America. 

The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

When Shea Collins, who runs a true crime website, the Book of Cold Cases, gets a chance to interview Beth Greer, an infamous woman acquitted of two cold case slayings, she senses something isn’t right and wonders if she is in the presence of a manipulative murderer.

In the Margins by Elena Ferrante

In these four crisp essays, Ferrante offers a rare look at the origins of her literary powers. She writes about her influences, her struggles, and her formation as both a reader and a writer; she describes the perils of “bad language” and suggests ways in which it has long excluded women’s truth; she proposes a choral fusion of feminine talent as she brilliantly discourses on the work of Emily Dickinson, Gertrude Stein, Ingeborg Bachmann, and many others.

Summaries provided via NYPL’s catalog, which draws from multiple sources. Click through to each book’s title for more.

The eyes of the world are on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, leaving many with questions about the circumstances that led to what is now the largest conflict to erupt in Europe since World War II. Behind the horrors of war, there is a shared and complex history between Ukraine and Russia. From this complexity comes varied perspectives and competing perspectives, with different understandings of how history has developed. Taken together with the challenges Ukraine has faced, both internally and externally, ever since its post-Soviet transformation into an independent state, there is a lot to know.

This list of books was created to provide you with the tools to understand the history of Ukraine and the factors that have led to today. Most of the titles selected are more recent works that take into account pivotal moments from the last couple of decades. Perhaps most importantly, it aims to provide a balanced discussion, offering some of the different perspectives interwoven in the country’s complex history. As providers of free access to information at the Library, we hope the books in this list empower you to form an educated understanding of Ukraine and the role that it plays in a broader region.

Bogdan Horbal is The New York Public Library’s curator for Slavic and East European collections. He holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Wrocław in Poland and oversees the development of collections in vernacular languages, provides reference assistance to researchers, and does outreach to the scholarly world.

Available Through Our Circulating Catalog

General Works on Ukraine

Borderland: A Journey Through the History of Ukraine by Anna Reid
Also available: e-book

The Frontline: Essays on Ukraine's Past and Presentby Serhii Plokhy

The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine by Serhii Plokhy
Also available: e-book

Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine by Anne Applebaum
Also available: e-book, e-audiobook

Ukraine and Europe: Cultural Encounters and NegotiationsEdited by Giovanna Brogi Bercoff, Marko Pavlyshyn, and Serhii Plokhy
Also available: e-book

Ukraine: Contested Nationhood in a European Context by Ulrich Schmid
Also available: e-book

The Ukrainians: Unexpected Nation by Andrew Wilson
Also available: e-book

Ukraine: What Everyone Needs to Know® by Serhy Yekelchyk

Post 1991 Developments

In Wartime: Stories from Ukraine by Tim Judah
Also available: e-book

Roots of Russia's War in Ukraineby Elizabeth A. Wood, William E. Pomeranz, E. Wayne Merry, and Maxim Trudolyubov

Ukraine and the Art of Strategy by Lawrence Freedman

Ukraine: A Nation on the Borderlandby ​​Karl Schlögel

Ukraine Over the Edge: Russia, the West and the "New Cold War"by Gordon M. Hahn
Also available: e-book

Words for War: New Poems from Ukraine compiled by Oksana Maksymchuk
Also available online.

Available Through Our Research Catalog

Please note: These books are part of our research collections and are available for onsite use only. All NYPL cardholders are welcome to request these items and schedule a time to visit the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building to consult them.

General Works on Ukraine

The Battle for Ukrainian: A Comparative Perspective Edited by Michael S. Flier and Andrea Graziosi

The Cossack Myth: History and Nationhood in the Age of Empires by Serhii Plokhy

Culture, Nation, and Identity: The Ukrainian-Russian Encounter, 1600-1945 Edited by Andreas Kappeler,  Zenon Kohut, Frank Sysyn, and Mark von Hagen

The Frontline: Essays on Ukraine's Past and Present by Serhii Plokhy

The Future of the Past: New Perspectives on Ukrainian History Edited by Serhii Plokhy

A History of Ukraine: The Land and Its Peoples by Paul Robert Magocsi

Making Ukraine Soviet: Literature and Cultural Politics Under Lenin and Stalin by Olena Palko

Revolutionary Ukraine, 1917-2017: History's Flashpoints and Today's Memory Wars by Myroslav Shkandrij
Also available: e-book

Russia and Ukraine: Literature and the Discourse of Empire from Napoleonic to Postcolonial Times by Myroslav Shkandrij

Total Wars and the Making of Modern Ukraine, 1914-1954 by George Liber

Ukraine and Europe: Cultural Encounters and Negotiations Edited by Giovanna Brogi Bercoff, Marko Pavlyshyn, and Serhii Plokhy

Ukraine: Contested Nationhood in a European Context by Ulrich Schmid

Ukraine in Histories and Stories: Essays by Ukrainian Intellectuals Edited by Volodymyr Yermolenko

Ukraine, the Middle East, and the West by Thomas M. Prymak

Post 1991 Developments

Decentralization, Regional Diversity, and Conflict: The Case of Ukraine Edited by Hanna Shelest and Maryna Rabinovych
Also available: e-book

Language of Conflict: Discourses of the Ukrainian Crisis Edited by Natalia Knoblock
Also available: e-book

Normalizing Corruption: Failures of Accountability in Ukraine by Erik S. Herron

Religion During the Russian-Ukrainian Conflict Edited by Elizabeth Clark and Dmytro Vovk
Also available: e-book

Ukraine and the Empire of Capital: From Marketisation to Armed Conflictby Yuliya Yurchenko

Ukraine and Russia: From Civilized Divorce to Uncivil Warby Paul D'Anieri

Ukraine in the Crossfire by Chris Kaspar de Ploeg

Ukraine's Euromaidan: Analyses of a Civil Revolution Edited by David R. Marples and Frederick V. Mills

Ukraine's Maidan, Russia's War: A Chronicle and Analysis of the Revolution of Dignityby Mychailo Wynnyckyj

Ukraine's Quest for Identity: Embracing Cultural Hybridity in Literary Imagination, 1991-2011 by Maria G. Rewakowicz
Also available: e-book

Ukrainian Women Writers and the National Imaginary: From the Collapse of the USSR to the Euromaidan by Oleksandra Wallo
Also available: e-book

A War of Songs: Popular Music and Recent Russia-Ukraine Relations by Arve Hansen, Andrei Rogatchevski, Yngvar Steinholt, and David-Emil Wickström

The Library is here to help guide your questions and point you to trustworthy sources of information and support for those who have been impacted in Ukraine. See here for a list of credible organizations you can contribute to that are working to provide aid.

Get a library card.

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As the war in Ukraine continues, it can be difficult to know how best to help, as well as which resources are best to consult. The Library is here to help guide your questions and point you to trustworthy sources of information and support for those in need in Ukraine. See below for a list of credible organizations you can contribute to that are working to provide aid.

• The International Rescue Committee is taking donations to help support displaced Ukrainian families.
• GlobalGiving, an international nonprofit that connects charitable campaigns to donors around the world, has set up a Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund. 
• UNICEF is increasing emergency response efforts throughout Ukraine. 
• Doctors Without Borders, long a stalwart in humanitarian work, outlines its efforts in Ukraine and how you can help. 
• The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) provides direct cash assistance to those in need and helps provide opportunities for resettlement in the United States. 
• CARE’s Ukraine Crisis Fund aims to raise $20 million.
• Voices for Children Foundation serving the psychological needs of children since the start of the war in 2015, specializing in art therapy and general psychosocial support 
• Support journalists in Ukraine continue operations through the Kyiv Independent donation page. 
• Save the Children, a global non-profit with the mission to lifesaving relief to children and deliver essential humanitarian aid, is calling for donations.
• World Central Kitchen is serving thousands of fresh meals to Ukrainian families fleeing home as well as residents who remain in the country.

To support Ukrainian-focused organizations:

• The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, a non-profit headquartered in the East Village, has set up a #SupportUkraine donation page. 
• Vostok SOS is a Ukrainian-based humanitarian aid organization.
• United Help Ukraine is a nonprofit founded in 2014 to support those in Ukraine affected by war and the Russian annexation of Crimea.
• Razom for Ukraine, meaning “together” in Ukrainian, is a non-profit providing critical medical supplies to those in Ukraine.

For information on the history of Ukraine and the events that led to today, see here for a list of books and resources. 

On February 24, 2022, Doc Chat looked inside the pages of the Library's remarkable collection of African American travel guides.

A weekly series from NYPL's Center for Research in the Humanities, Doc Chat pairs an NYPL curator or specialist and a scholar to discuss evocative digitized items from the Library's collections and brainstorm innovative ways of teaching with them. In Episode Forty-Five, Schomburg Center librarian Rhonda Evans and NYPL curator Julie Golia analyzed travel guides used by African Americans to help them navigate the experience of travel during the early and mid 20th century, when racially discriminatory laws were widespread. Evans and Golia discussed the many different kinds of travel guides, who published them, and how they shaped a growing economy of tourism for Black Americans.

A transcript of this episode is available here.

Below are some handy links to materials and sources suggested in the episode.

Episode Forty-Five: Primary Sources

Rhonda and Julie explored selections for several different travel guides housed in the Schomburg Center's Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division.  All are digitized and available on NYPL Digital Collections. 

The TravelGuide Collection

The Go, Guide to Pleasant Motoring Collection

The Green Book Collection

Hackley & Harrison's hotel and apartment guide for colored travelers

The travelers guide: hotels, apartments, rooms, meals, garage accommodations, etc. for colored travelers

N.H.A. Directory and Guide to Travelers

Episode Forty-Five: Readings and Resources

The staff in the Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division at the Schomburg Center have created this thorough guide to locating and researching Black travel guides in the collection. The research guide includes a bibliography of books, journals, theses, and other resources. 

Join the Doc Chat Conversation

Doc Chat episodes take place on Zoom every Thursday at 3:30 PM. Check out upcoming episodes on NYPL's calendar,  and make sure you don't miss an episode by signing up for NYPL's Research newsletter, which will include links to register. A video of each episode will be posted on the Doc Chat Channel of NYPL's blog shortly after the program. There you can also explore videos and resources for past episodes. See you at the next Doc Chat!

Welcome to The Librarian Is In, The New York Public Library's podcast about books, culture, and what to read next.

Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify | Listen on Amazon Music

Hello! We're happy to have you join us for another episode!

Frank updated us on his Anna Karenina journey!

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy 

A translation of the classic Russian novel tells the tale of rebellious Anna and her ill-fated, adulterous romance with Count Vronsky amid the turmoil of nineteenth-century Russia. (Publisher summary)

Crystal surprised Frank with a last-minute reading pick! Instead of reading along with Frank, Crystal will be reading a modern adaptation of Anna Karenina. 

Anna K by Jenny Lee

A modern reimagining of Anna Karenina is set in the elite enclaves of Manhattan and Greenwich society and finds a reluctant socialite navigating teen life before falling for a notorious playboy who harbors a shattering secret. TV tie-in (Publisher summary)

And Crystal's prepared reading pick for this week is...

Either/or by Elif Batuman

From the bestselling author of The Idiot, the continuation of beloved protagonist Selin's quest for self-knowledge, as she travels abroad and tests the limits of her newfound adulthood. (Publisher summary)

And our producer makes an appearance to pull this week's tarot card!

Tell us what everybody's talking about in your world of books and libraries! Suggest Hot Topix(TM)! Send an email or voice memo to podcasts[at]nypl.org.

---

How to listen to The Librarian Is In

Subscribing to The Librarian Is In on your mobile device is the easiest way to make sure you never miss an episode. Episodes will automatically download to your device, and be ready for listening every other Thursday morning

On your iPhone or iPad:
Open the purple “Podcasts” app that’s preloaded on your phone. If you’re reading this on your device, tap this link to go straight to the show and click “Subscribe.” You can also tap the magnifying glass in the app and search for “The New York Public Library Podcast.”

On your Android phone or tablet:
Open the orange “Play Music” app that’s preloaded on your device. If you’re reading this on your device, click this link to go straight to the show and click “Subscribe.” You can also tap the magnifying glass icon and search for “The New York Public Library Podcast.” 

Or if you have another preferred podcast player, you can find “The New York Public Library Podcast” there. (Here’s the RSS feed.)

From a desktop or laptop:
Click the “play” button above to start the show. Make sure to keep that window open on your browser if you’re doing other things, or else the audio will stop. You can always find the latest episode at nypl.org/podcast.​​ ​​​

It's time for our Ninth Annual Literary March Madness (#LiteraryMarchMadness)! This is a bracket-style tournament like the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament, but with a bookish twist. This year some of your favorite book-to-film adaptations will go head to head against each other in a variety of genres.

Join us daily for the rest of the month to vote for your favorites!

How to vote:

Check in daily at 11 AM on our Twitter (@NYPL), Facebook, Instagram story to vote in our social media polls. You'll have 24 hours to make your pick, and we'll also update this blog post with the winners of each round in descending order. (If you're logged into Twitter, you can also vote below.)

Oh the ties that bind…Round 1, Match 6 of #LiteraryMarchMadness is a doozy with works by two of our greatest living novelists.

The Joy Luck Club vs. The Lost Daughter

Vote now to decide which will advance to Round 2: https://t.co/mv7jo9jh6T

— NY Public Library (@nypl) March 19, 2022

We’re journeying to the English countryside for two swoon-worthy classics in Round 1, Match 5 of #LiteraryMarchMadness!

Grab a handkerchief for Sense and Sensibility vs. A Room With A View.

Vote now to decide which will move on to Round 2: https://t.co/mv7jo9iJhl

— NY Public Library (@nypl) March 18, 2022

Round 1, Mach 4 of #LiteraryMarchMadness pits two feel-good classics against each other. The First Wives Club vs. How Stella Got Her Groove Back!

Vote now to decide which moves on to the next round! https://t.co/mv7jo917SL

— NY Public Library (@nypl) March 17, 2022

YA love stories take center stage in Round 1, Match 3 of #LiteraryMarchMadness!

It’s “To All the Boys I've Loved Before” vs. “Dumplin.”

Vote now to decide which adaptation moves on!https://t.co/mv7jo9iJhl

— NY Public Library (@nypl) March 16, 2022

A post-apocalyptic landscape is the setting for Round 1, Match 2 of #LiteraryMarchMadness!

It’s "I Am Legend" vs. "The Road."

Vote now to decide which adaptation moves on to the next round!https://t.co/mv7jo9iJhl

— NY Public Library (@nypl) March 15, 2022

#LiteraryMarchMadness is back! This year book-to-film adaptations will go head-to-head, and it’s up to you to vote for your favorite.

Our first matchup is filled with music and magic.

Vote now to decide which adaptation moves on! https://t.co/mv7jo9iJhl

— NY Public Library (@nypl) March 14, 2022

March is Irish Heritage Month and March 17 is St Patrick’s Day! Here at the Library, we are celebrating all things Ireland, and the talented Irish authors and illustrators working today. Here are a few of our favorites for youngest readers, from classic folklore to new and exciting titles!

If you’re new to Irish mythology, we suggest starting with Malachy Doyle’s Tales from Old Ireland, illustrated by Niamh Sharkey. This rich collection is full of short stories from Irish legends, folklore, and myths, and makes for a perfect read before bedtime.

For fans of the fairy folk, the delightful Too Many Fairies: A Celtic Tale, written by Margaret Read MacDonald and illustrated by Susan Mitchell, expands on the fairies of Celtic legend, who often promise to help but, as one older woman learns, are sometimes full of mischief!

If your little one can handle a gentle scare, The Banshee, written by Eve Bunting and illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully, features the spooky Irish creature of legend, who may have come to visit the family of a young, brave boy—or has she?

Another brave character can be found in Irish author Margaret’s Unicorn, by the Irish author Briony Smith. Rich illustrations depict the Irish seaside, and a little girl falls in love with a baby unicorn she begins to care for. 

Finally, The Longer the Wait, the Bigger the Hug, written by Eoin McLaughlin and illustrated by Polly Dunbar, has received accolades in Ireland and here in the states for its charming story of a hedgehog and a tortoise who are waiting for a very special hug!

Check out our special St Patrick’s day storytime here, and from all of us at the Library, Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona duit! That’s Irish Gaelic for Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

The New York Public Library's Teen Reading Ambassadors internship program brings together 10th–12th grade students to help further the Library's mission to inspire lifelong learning in others, particularly young children. Ambassadors work at NYPL After School programs across the city providing tutoring and literacy enrichment activities to children ages 6–12. They also show children the joy of reading by connecting them with engaging books from the Library’s collections! 

In these book recommendations, Ambassadors highlight engaging nonfiction titles for children. From a picture book biography of an artist you may not have heard of before to an exploration of the history of glasses to a survey of the unique animals of Antarctica, these titles are sure to introduce kids to new facts and spark their curiosity! For more nonfiction recommendations, visit NYPL’s Best Books for Kids list and filter by nonfiction. 

The People’s Painter: How Ben Shahn Fought for Justice with Artwritten by Cynthia Levinson and illustrated by Evan Turk

Ages 7–10
Recommended by Kel A., Woodstock Library

This nonfiction book follows the life of Ben Shahn, an artist known for his work for social realism. The book uses colorful illustrations to construct the strong opinions that Shahn held throughout his life. Ben Shahn was a creative artist who included parts of his culture through his art and this book shows that by showing us various examples of art pieces that Shahn did. This book shows a young audience that having a strong opinionated voice is acceptable and is encouraged. The author shows examples of Shahn disobeying parts of religion that he believes was negatively impactful to different communities. This book's main target is 7–10-year-olds who have a passion for civil rights activists and love for the arts. We follow a boy who finds his passion in art and activism and explores it throughout his life.

The Wisdom of Trees: How Trees Work Together to Form a Natural Kingdom by Lita Judge

Ages 7–10
Recommended by Krishmitha N., St. George Library Center

Trees, trees, trees! All beautiful and clean! The Wisdom of Trees is an informational book filled with wonderful illustrations and poems. This fascinating work gives you a glimpse of the secrets of trees and the way they communicate to make a strengthened environment for themselves and others. Jump into this book to see the story of a tree and how they survive in their community. Although trees may seem quiet and lonely, they are far from it! With a world of their own, trees have their very own way of life. Just like us, trees are raised by a loved one, they protect their environment, share their food, and even talk! Join in to find out what else trees do and the hidden secrets they have. So put on your outdoor gear and climb into this book filled with nature, environment, trees, and lots of fun! 

Light Bulb: Eureka! The Biography of an Idea written by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld and illustrated by Stephanie Dehennin

Ages 5–8
Recommended by Emelyn B., High Bridge Library

It is hard to believe there was a time when light didn’t exist. In Light Bulb: Eureka! The Biography of an Idea by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld (and illustrated by Stephanie Dehennin) we follow the famous inventor, Thomas Edison, through his scientific process of creating long-lasting light. We see him collaborate with many other famous inventors like Alexander Graham Bell (inventor of the telephone). Not only that but we see the difficulties he went through with his ups and downs while trying to find a good solution. Even though we all know how the story ends, the journey Edison went through is just as important to know about. Go ahead and check it out today!

The Pronoun Book: She, He, They, and Me! written by Cassandra Jules Corrigan and illustrated by Jem Milton 

Ages 5–8
Recommended by Jeba A., Parkchester Library

In the book The Pronoun Book: She, He, They, and Me!, Ellie and Casey teach us pronouns which help refer to gender identity. There are also letters and vocabulary based on pronouns so you wouldn't be confused when someone tells you their pronouns. In our society, it's our duty to understand and respect all pronouns. Read with your loved one and don’t forget to share with others! 

Who Was Rosa Parks? written by Yona Zeldis McDonough and illustrated by Stephen Marchesi

Ages 7–10
Recommended by Reign H.,  Francis Martin Library

In this book Who Was Rosa Parks? you will be informed about the history of Rosa Parks and how her actions led to the fight for equal rights and freedom for African Americans. In 1955, Rosa Parks was sitting on a bus, and refused to give up her seat to a white passenger. Rosa Parks refusing to do this sparked a lot of attention and played an important part in African American history.

Glasses: Eureka! The Biography of an Idea written by Lori Haskins Houran and illustrated by John Joven

Ages 5–8
Recommended by Anna P., Chatham Square Library

You have definitely seen a pair of glasses before, but have you ever wondered how they came to be? Glasses: Eureka! The Biography of an Idea by Lori Haskins Houran tells the story of glasses from their origins in Ancient Rome to several upgrades made in Egypt, Spain, China, England, and the United States. Through its unique art style and clear timeline, Glasses takes us on a journey through centuries, when water, glass spheres, and even crystals were used to see! The story also includes easy-to-follow, labeled scientific diagrams that help us better understand the function of the human eye and how lenses work! In only 32 pages, you will become an expert on the evolution and function of glasses, and can show off your newfound knowledge to your glasses-wearing friends and family! 

Ten Animals in Antarctica: A Counting Book by Moira Court 

Ages 5–6
Recommended by Nolan L., Seward Park Library

After reading Ten Animals in Antarctica by Moira Court, I learned so much about the different types of species that live there. For example, I learned about how penguins live in their cold homes. You can learn it too! But the book isn't just a text with facts, it has many helpful pictures with descriptions too. On every page, you can play "I Spy" and count the number of animals on the page. In this way, the book can help improve your math skills at the same time. The book is also filled with fun rhymes to make you wish you could go to Antarctica in the future. What other animals live in the icy poles? Use your imagination! 

A Boy Named Isamu: A Story of Isamu Noguchi by James Yang

Ages 5–7
Recommended by Tony C., Chatham Square Library

In the book A Boy Named Isamu by James Yang, Isamu goes to the market with his mother where he starts to get bored so he uses his imagination to start exploring the world. The author takes us on a journey with Isamu as he experiences different parts of the world and all that it offers. Descriptions of the places that Isamu visited are given to us, so it allows us to visit the places with him. Yang shows us that our imagination can take us anywhere we want to go. Have you ever wanted to go somewhere? You can just as Isamu did by using your imagination—the sky's the limit. At the end of the book we learn that the boy Isamu grows up to become the famous Japanese American sculptor Isamu Noguchi! After reading this great book take your imagination for a test run and explore a place you have always wanted to explore! This book takes readers on a wild adventure, and I would highly recommend this book to everyone.

Areli Is a Dreamer: A True Story written by Areli Morales and illustrated by Luisa Uribe

Ages 5-8
Recommended by Ainsley O., Washington Heights Library

Areli Is a Dreamer is a great book for children who have faced or are facing the difficulty of moving from one place to another in search of a better future. In this book, Areli is a happy six-year-old girl who was born in Mexico. In Mexico, she lived in a colorful house with a big backyard and lots of chicken alongside her grandma and big family. Yet there was one thing missing for her to be completely happy. Her parents have been living in America as immigrants and have called for her to go live with them. She is excited to be reunited with her family but faces many issues including living in a new place where she does not know anyone and does not speak their language. To learn more about the challenges Areli faced when arriving in America and how she solved these challenges make sure to check your nearest NYPL branch or search NYPL’s online catalog to read this amazing book.

For the past 35 years, The New York Public Library has selected five finalist books for the Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism. The Bernstein Award recognizes works written by working journalists that raise awareness about current events or issues of global or national significance.

This year's finalists are: 

The End of Bias: A Beginning: The Science and Practice of Overcoming Unconscious Bias

Jessica Nordell–Metropolitan Books

Alternate Formats: e-book, e-audiobook

The End of Bias is a transformative, groundbreaking exploration into how we can eradicate unintentional bias and discrimination, the great challenge of our age. 

With nuance, compassion, and ten years of immersion in the topic, Jessica Nordell weaves gripping stories with scientific research to reveal how minds, hearts, and behaviors change. She scrutinizes diversity training, deployed across the land as a corrective but with inconsistent results. She explores what works and why: the diagnostic checklist used by doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital that eliminated disparate treatment of men and women; the preschool in Sweden where teachers found ingenious ways to uproot gender stereotyping; the police unit in Oregon where the practice of mindfulness and specialized training has coincided with a startling drop in the use of force.

The Inevitable: Dispatches on the Right to Die 

Katie Englehart–St. Martin’s Press

Alternate Format: e-book 

More states and countries are passing right-to-die laws that allow the sick and suffering to end their lives at pre-planned moments with the help of physicians. But even where these laws exist, they leave many people behind. The Inevitable moves beyond the margins of the law to the people who are meticulously planning their final hours—far from medical offices, legislative chambers, hospital ethics committees, and polite conversation. It also shines a light on the people who help them: loved ones and, sometimes, clandestine groups on the internet that together form the “euthanasia underground.”

Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival and Hope in an American City

Andrea Elliott–Penguin Random House

Alternate Formats: e-book, e-audiobook

In Invisible Child, Pulitzer Prize winner Andrea Elliott follows eight dramatic years in the life of Dasani, a girl whose imagination is as soaring as the skyscrapers near her Brooklyn shelter. In this sweeping narrative, Elliott weaves the story of Dasani’s childhood with the history of her ancestors, tracing their passage from slavery to the Great Migration north. As Dasani comes of age, New York City’s homeless crisis has exploded, deepening the chasm between rich and poor. She must guide her siblings through a world riddled by hunger, violence, racism, drug addiction, and the threat of foster care. Out on the street, Dasani becomes a fierce fighter “to protect those who I love.” When she finally escapes city life to enroll in a boarding school, she faces an impossible question: What if leaving poverty means abandoning your family, and yourself?

Made in China: A Prisoner, an SOS Letter, and the Hidden Cost of America’s Cheap Goods

Amelia Pang–Algonquin Books

Alternate Formats: e-book, e-audiobook

In 2012, when Julie Keith opened a package of Halloween decorations she had purchased at a big box store near her home in Oregon, something shocking fell out: an SOS letter, handwritten in broken English by the prisoner who had made and packaged the items. The letter’s author, Sun Yi, was a Chinese engineer turned political prisoner, an ordinary citizen forced into grueling labor for campaigning for the freedom to join a forbidden meditation movement. He was imprisoned alongside petty criminals, civil rights activists, and tens of thousands of others the Chinese government had decided to “reeducate,” carving foam gravestones and stitching clothing for more than fifteen hours a day.

In this page-turning and urgent book, investigative journalist Amelia Pang pulls back the curtain on the human cost of the cheap consumer products Americans take for granted. 

Planet Palm: How Palm Oil Ended Up in Everything and Endangered the World 

Jocelyn C. Zuckerman–The New Press

Over the past few decades, palm oil has seeped into every corner of our lives. Worldwide, palm oil production has nearly doubled in just the last decade: oil-palm plantations now cover an area nearly the size of New Zealand, and some form of the commodity lurks in half the products on U.S. grocery shelves. But the palm oil revolution has been built on stolen land and slave labor; it’s swept away cultures and so devastated the landscapes of Southeast Asia that iconic animals now teeter on the brink of extinction. Fires lit to clear the way for plantations to spew carbon emissions to rival those of industrialized nations.   

All books nominated were published in 2021 and the finalists were selected by a ten-person Library Review Committee, which read over 100 books submitted by publishers. When five nominees are chosen, a six-person committee of journalists determines the winner. That individual will receive a $15,000 cash prize. Previous winners of the award include Masha Gessen, Anand Giridharadas, George Packer, and Nina Bernstein.  

The Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism was established in 1987 through a gift from Joseph Frank Bernstein, in honor of journalist Helen Bernstein Fealy.

All book descriptions were provided by the publishers.

Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

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matthieu aikins by kiana hayeri

Matthieu Aikins is a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine, a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, and has won numerous honors, including the George Polk and Livingston awards. He has reported from Afghanistan and the Middle East since 2008. The Naked Don't Fear the Water: An Underground Journey with Afghan Refugees is his first book.

When did you first get the idea for your research project?    

When one of my oldest friends in Afghanistan, a former US military interpreter, was rejected for a visa to come to America, he decided to take the smuggler's road to Europe. It was the height of the 2015 migration crisis, and I decided to go with him and document our journey.

What brought you to the Library?    

In 2017, I was a writer for magazines such as the New Yorker and the New York Times Magazine, and writing my book about Afghan refugees in Europe for HarperCollins. I was interested in working in the Allen Room at the NYPL. I’d heard such high praise from friends who’d worked there.

What research tools could you not live without? 

I use a program called Devonthink to store all my research. It takes a bit of figuring out but has some powerful features. I'd feel lost without it, along with another program, Scrivener, that I use for the actual writing. While working in the Library I found the Allen Room an oasis of quiet and very convenient for reviewing a high volume of books and academic journals. I loved coming in to find a fresh pile waiting for me. On occasion, I consulted with librarians for help tracking down specialized items, like historical reviews and migration data. 

What’s the most unexpected item you encountered in your research?    

I found a contemporary review of Jack London's The People of the Abyss (1903) that used some shockingly colonial language to describe the slums of London. It was a great way to ironize the tradition that my book is, however reluctantly, a part of.

Describe a moment when your research took an unexpected turn.    

At one point on our trip, I had to sneak across the border from Bulgaria into Turkey. I later learned that the same route was used by people trying to escape across the Iron Curtain during the Cold War, particularly East Germans who came there posing as tourists. Now the walls exist to keep out people crossing in the opposite direction.

How do you maintain your research momentum?    

There are so many rabbit holes to go down and I tend to spend too much time reading things of marginal relevance to a work of general non-fiction, especially theory. It's important to wander sometimes but I try to remind myself that I can't read everything that's ever been written.

After a day of working/researching, what do you do to unwind?    

I ride my bike a lot and there's nothing like keeping up with the traffic down 2nd Avenue to clear your mind after a long day in the carrels.

Is there anything you'd like to tell someone looking to get started?    

Disconnect from social media. Turn off your phone. Yank your router out of the wall.

Who makes the best coffee in the neighborhood?    

The Joe Coffee stand in Bryant Park makes a fine espresso.

Have we left anything out that you’d like to tell other researchers?    

Whenever I felt stuck writing, I went back to reading. The more stuck I was, the more unrelated the book I'd read. At some point, what you're looking for will come to you.