Birmingham Public Library Blog

Spies of Mississippi: The True Story of the Spy Network that Tried to Destroy the Civil Rights Movement Rick Bowers First, I couldn't put the book down. Then I couldn't believe that this occurred in America. And lastly, I couldn't believe I had never heard of this "Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission" before. This book delivers a crisp, clear story of another side of the Civil Rights movement , a story that typically never goes further than marches, cross burning, and KKK uniforms. These are stories of average citizens who were ultimately jailed for applying to college or whose businesses were burned, or who were shot in cold blood, all for trying gain equality. Teenagers will love this book too— it ties into their growing awareness of social justice and why you have to push back when things are unfair. I looked up the MDAH website and read the original spy reports, now digitized. Chilling. A must read for inquiring minds who know there is always another sid...

Chomp Carl Hiassen Wahoo Cray is a boy who lives on an animal ranch with his dad, an animal wrangler. They have everything from gators to bobcats. Wahoo’s Dad has been out of work due to an iguana incident and the family is behind on bills, so Wahoo (yes even the names are funny) signs his father up for a wrangler job on a reality, survivalist television show. Sounds great except for the star of the show is an imposter who fakes everything, thinks he knows everything, and complains about everything. Wahoo has to keep everything in check which is difficult to do with all the mishaps and misadventures that happen along the way. Cleverly written, this character driven book contains funny and ridiculous characters that remain interesting and sympathetic. It’s not difficult to find something to love about each and every one, but it’s so easy to dislike the villain. With never a dull moment, this strange and crazy storyline may not be realistic, but it's still somehow believable. And if ...

Reba Williams and second graders at Princeton Elementary Birmingham Reads is a city-wide celebration of reading that is a collaborative project of Better Basics , the Junior League of Birmingham , The Literacy Council, and the Children’s Literacy Guild . Additionally, this event is sponsored by Books-A-Million , Alabama’s 13 , and Colonial Brookwood Village . Community members were asked by volunteer liaison Kathleen Drake to lend their time and talent reading to children on Birmingham Reads Day; readers were assigned to an area elementary school. Reba Williams, a Smithfield Branch Library employee, was assigned to Mrs. Thomas’s 2nd grade class at Princeton Elementary. The book of choice was Rodeo Time by Stuart J. Murphy . Rodeo Time is about two kids who must make a schedule in order to help their uncle, Cactus Joe, with chores, and still have time for bareback bronco riding, barrel racing, calf roping, a fiddling contest, a livestock show, and lunch. But making a schedule and...

Do you know that the tradition of honoring mothers can be traced at least as far back as the ancient Greeks who paid homage to Rhea, the mother of the gods? In the spring, ancient Romans observed a festival called Hilaria. This celebration was dedicated to Cybele, mother of the gods. More than 250 years later, the early Christians held a festival, on the fourth Sunday in Lent, to honor Mary, the mother of Christ. Later, in the United Kingdom, it was broadened to include all mothers and was called the Mothering Sunday. The English colonists who settled in America did not continue the holiday, perhaps because it took so much of their time and effort to merely survive. In 1872, Julia Ward Howe , famous for her Civil War song, " Battle Hymn of the Republic ," organized a day for mothers dedicated to peace. She proposed that June 2 be celebrated every year as Mother's Day. Because of her efforts to make Mother's Day an official holiday, her idea spread. It was howev...

Birmingham, the biggest city in Alabama, has evolved with time into a place that embraces diversity. Along with all of the multicultural festivities and events that the city hosts, the international collection at the Central Library proves the point. More than ten years ago, the library started collecting books and magazines in other languages. Materials published in different languages that are selected by BPL librarians reflect the minority demographic makeup of the city. Currently, books and magazines are available in Chinese, Spanish, and Russian, as well as a some French and German magazines. The Internet made acquiring foreign language materials published in their original countries much easier. With librarians who speak these languages, the library is well equipped to spot popular reading trends as well as the classics, and provide our patrons with books that were only available in other countries not so long ago. Browsing through our collection, you will be amazed to see the un...

Officer Willie Willis, Alabama Governor Robert Bentley, BPD Chief A.C. Roper  The Birmingham Public Library is fortunate to have many excellent security staff members. At the Five Points West Branch , Birmingham Police Officer Willie Willis works several afternoons a week. Recently, Officer Willis performed a heroic act on his job with the Police Department. He saved a woman from jumping to her death. The Alabama House of Representatives and Governor Bentley recognized Officer Willis at the state capital on April 5, 2012. He was given a special resolution and nominated for the 2012 Alabama Legislative Medal of Honor for Law Enforcement. The resolution states the following: “WHEREAS, on October 6, 2011, Officer Willis was flagged down by a citizen who told him that two females were fighting in the street at Arkadelphia Road; when he responded to the location, he noticed that they had made their way to the bridge that overpasses Interstate 20/59; he quickly realized that ...

If you're a fan of crime fiction and don't mind when it bleeds over into Southern Gothic, then do not miss Donald Ray Pollock 's first novel, The Devil All the Time . Critics and readers are comparing his work about the sinning and redemption that takes place by sweaty characters in small hick towns to Flannery O'Connor 's. That's a spot-on comparison, especially when compared to O'Connor's novels Wise Blood and The Violent Bear It Away , but I would add that some of the more repugnant scenes remind me of my first—and only— Erskine Caldwell book: Tobacco Road . (My constitution was too weak to mark off any more books from Caldwell's bibliography.) If you haven't read Caldwell but have seen the movie Baby Doll directed by Elia Kazan and written by Tennessee Williams , then you'll know what I'm talking about. Devil kicks off with Willard Russell's story. Willard returns from his tour of duty in the South Pacific, unable to shake t...

The Birmingham Public Library will host a free five-part reading and discussion series called Let's Talk About It: Making Sense of the American Civil War . In commemoration of the Civil War sesquicentennial, the series encourages participants to consider the legacy of the Civil War and emancipation. The series is open to all adults in the community (registration is required) and is led by Dr. Victoria E. Ott, Associate Professor of History at Birmingham-Southern College and author of Confederate Daughters: Coming of Age during the Civil War . Part Five: The Shape of War Thursday, May 10, 2012 5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m. Central Library , Arrington Auditorium Program consists of readings from America's War (2012): Abraham Lincoln, address on colonization [1862] * online * John M. Washington, "Memorys [sic] of the Past" [1873] * online * Abraham Lincoln, Emancipation Proclamation [1863] * online * Frederick Douglass, "Men of Color, To Arms!" [March ...