Fathers come in all shapes and sizes, and from all walks of life. In the old days of black and white TV, there were no blue collar worker dads. There were only dads dressed in suits, like Robert Young in Father Knows Best and Ward Cleaver in Leave it to Beaver. Those dads had wisdom seeping out of their pores, thanks to the clever script writers that kept them on the air. Ward Cleaver always knew just what to do when "The Beaver" got himself into a jam, or when Eddie Haskell tried to pull a fast one, or when Theodore (The Beave) had a run-in with one of his BFFs, Whitey or Larry Mondello. Words of wisdom come from all dads, and as they get older, the words of wisdom coined are priceless. In my family, we call them "dad-isms" or "grandpa-isms." One such "grandpa-ism" voices how we all feel when ordinary words are not enough to convey how we really feel; "Too bad, so sad" carries lots of weight, as does "You can't fit 10 pounds of stuff in a 5 pound bag." Both pearls of wisdom let you know you've either gone too far or are about to. A salute, then, to the dads of America, and the wisdom they impart to all of us on a daily basis. The Jasper County Public Library has just the thing for dads to relax with this Father's Day. Read on for some great, new fiction!
In World War II Germany, the Compound of Scribes is a multi-lingual group of intellects who have been selected to go underground and write letters to concentration camp detainees who have probably passed on to the netherworld. Meant to assuage the dead, the practice of this letter writing becomes dangerous when a letter from genius philosopher, Martin Heidegger to his friend, Asher Englehardt, is to be answered, setting in motion a chain of events that threatens the Auschwitz Compound in "Heidegger's Glasses: A Novel" by Thaisa Frank.
Luz Avila, abandoned by her mother and raised by her grandmother, finds herself facing many regrets when her beloved Abuela dies before making a trip to Mexico to see the monarch butterflies in their migration. In an effort to set things right, Luz drives from Milwaukee to Mexico, following the path of the butterflies in their migration and meeting one extraordinary woman after another, including the mother who abandoned her many years before in "The Butterfly's Daughter" by Mary Alice Monroe.
When the economic crisis in the United States of America goes from bad to worse and a recession threatens to cripple the nation, newly elected President Kenneth Phoenix must order a series of tax cuts, eliminate the positions of high profile cabinet members, and reduce government spending drastically. When bands of militiamen begin attacking various government agencies, Lieutenant-General Patrick McLanahan takes to the skies to fight the insurgency in "A Time for Patriots" by Dale Brown.
Death, betrayal, and the darkest magic have followed the alliance of rebels as led by tarboy, Pazel Pathkendle, and warrior, Thasha Isiq during their crossing into the southern empire of Bali Adro. Upon landfall, a battle ensues between the rebel forces and centuries-old sorcerer, Arunis; a battle that can bring only death to those who fail in "The River of Shadows," the gripping sequel to Robert V.S. Redick's "The Red Wolf Conspiracy" and "The Ruling Sea."
The life of the legendary Doc Holliday is recounted in "Doc" by Mary Doria Russell. Arriving in Tombstone in 1881, Doc Holliday is a legendary gambler and gunman, but the author begins with Doc's birth in 1851, when his mother, Alice, mourning the death of her firstborn daughter, goes to extreme lengths to keep her baby boy, born with a cleft palate, alive. Feeding him through an eyedropper for the first eight weeks of his life, John Henry Holliday was raised to be an intelligent, thoughtful gentleman who would earn the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery before the age of twenty-one.
So, for all of you Ward Cleaver's, Bill Cosby's, Robert Young's and other dads, the Jasper County Public Library has Father's Day wrapped up with gifts you can give yourself, because, dads of America, for all you do, these books are for you!
Monday, June 13, 2011
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