Library News: October 31st, 2024
This week, the library is highlighting two new non-fiction books.
Take Care of Them Like My Own: Faith, Fortitude, and a Surgeon's Fight for Health Justice by Ala Stanford, M.D. In her inspirational memoir, Stanford, the founder of the Black Doctors Consortium, highlights the devastating racial injustices in our healthcare system. The author thanks her faith, her family, and her sheer strength of will for enabling her to become one of the vanishingly small number of Black women surgeons in America and an unrelenting force in the fight for health justice. She explains how her experiences on both sides of the scalpel informed her understanding of America's insidious and lethal racial health gap that exacts a devastating toll on Black communities across the country. When COVID-19 arrived in her hometown of Philadelphia, Dr. Stanford knew that it would disproportionately affect the Black population. Observing the city's inability or unwillingness to protect its most vulnerable citizens, she took matters into her own hands. She purchased a van, made some calls, and began administering tests in church parking lots. Soon, she found herself at the helm of a powerful grassroots campaign that would successfully vaccinate tens of thousands of Philadelphians. She and her movement are living proof that by drawing on faith, community, and personal strength, everyday people can stimulate tremendous change. This book offers urgent lessons about the power of communities working together to care for one another and the importance of fighting for a healthcare system that truly fulfills its promise to all Americans.
Impossible Takes Longer: 75 Years After Its Creation, Has Israel Fulfilled Its Founders' Dreams?by Daniel Gordis. In 1948, Israel's founders sought a "national home for the Jewish people," where Jewish life would be transformed. The state that Israel has become, Gordis asserts, is one of extraordinary success and maddening disappointment, unprecedented human triumph and great suffering. When Israel reached its seventy-fifth anniversary, it was in the throes of a judicial reform crisis. With the October 7th War, Israel was attacked form the outside and plunged into existential uncertainty. In light of that 75 year history and the events of 2023, the author asks whether the country has fulfilled the dreams of its founders. With Israel's Declaration of Independence as ruler of sorts, Gordis measures Israel's achievements, critiques its failures, and acknowledges its contradictions. Gordis ultimately suggest that although it has fallen short at times, the Jewish state has experienced success far beyond anything its founders imagined.
Upcoming Events at the Marcellus Township Wood Memorial Library:
Tuesdays:
Creative Social Circle, Tuesdays at 5 PM. Bring your own crafts or work with our craft supplies. We will have a sample project each week if you need inspiration on what to make. During October, we’ll be making Halloween “book witches” and in November, scarecrows using clear glass bottles. Please bring your own bottle! Enjoy coffee, tea, and the company of other adults as you work. Ages 15 and up are invited to attend.
Yoga at the Library, Tuesdays at 6 PM. $5 for the remaining week in this session, payable to Instructor Dave Sivley. Tuesdays, October 1 - November 12th from 6-7 PM (No class on Election Day - November 5th).
Wednesdays:
Support Group for Parents of Challenging Kids, the 2nd Wednesday of every month— November 13th at 9 AM Parenting isn’t easy. If you are feeling overwhelmed, join others to gain valuable support coping strategies and information about community resources.
Preschool Story Hour, Wednesdays at 11 AM (following the school calendar). Join us for music, movement, stories & crafts intended for ages 0-5 and their parents/caregivers.
Thursdays:
Trick or Treat, October 31st, 5-7 PM. Enter our children’s library from the ramp on Main St during trick or treat hours for a scare-free experience. If you’re brave, enter our Burney St entrance for a spine-chilling venture through the stacks! We’ll be closing early to set up for our biggest event of the year!
First Thursday Book Club, November 7th, 2024, 12 NOON-1 PM. Join others to chat about what you have been reading or to get suggestions from others.
Community Read- The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland. Thursday, November 21st, 2024, at 6:00 PM. Based on interviews with the passengers, the locals, and the airline crews, this book tells the true story of how the residents of Gander, Newfoundland welcomed 6,132 passengers who were diverted to their town during 9/11 and recounts the acts of kindness and generosity that the people of Gander showed to the stranded travelers. We’ll listen to the author, Jim DeFede, being interviewed and then join in a discussion about his book. Contact the library to request a copy to read before this discussion.
Fridays:
Lego at the Library, Fridays 3:00-4:30 PM. Build & create with our Lego & Duplo collections! All ages are welcome!
Saturdays:
Tech Time, select Saturdays, November 2nd, 9th, 16th, From 10AM-1PM. Are you struggling with your phone? Do you have trouble navigating the internet? Do you need help with mel.org, the Libby App or the Marcellus Library Catalog? Drop in the library to ask Justin your IT related questions and learn to navigate your device or our computers!
Screenplay Saturday, November 23rd at 11 AM. Down by the fireplace, we will be showing the movie, Come From Away (NR), which is the musical based on our community read book, 'The Day the World Came to an End'. In the children's area, we will be showing the movie, Despicable Me 4 (PG)! Come see what the newest member of the Gru family is up to! Fresh popcorn will be provided!