Preview Shelf by Janice Clauser

Library News and Notable New Books

The Special Gift Given by a Local Author - A gift to the Crawfordsville Library is a set of two recent books by Ruby Gwin who has resided in the Linden area since 1967. With a background of eight writings, she's recently published "A Day That Would End Tearing At Your Heart" about her son Dan, paralyzed by a fall, who has "worked hard to make his life as full as possible,...a hero who can and will give his all to make a difference." Another recent achievement is "The 250th Field Artillery Men Remember World War II" with two subtitles: "The 250th adapted to the artillery trademark: shoot-more-and-communicate" and "The 250th have seen battle; heard and seen one close, and one afar: they have seen the aftermath; they have not forgotten." Her research captures 38 men in their words with her understanding of their achievements. Her husband Carl's memoir and Crawfordsville's Loran Rutledge's writing are included. Reference librarian Tom West, upon seeing this book said, "This is a very valuable preservation of history made local, otherwise perhaps tragically forgotten."

Four books about baseball arrived at the same time. "Under the March Sun" is Charles Fountain's story of spring training. "The Baseball Codes" (unwritten rules of America's pastime) like beanballs, sign stealing, and bench-clearing brawls are revealed by Jason Turbow. "Growing Up with Clemente" by Richard Peterson refers to the sport in a post-World War II memoir of a childhood in working-class Pittsburgh. Michael Shapiro's "Bottom of the Ninth" tells about Branch Rickey, Casey Stengal, and the daring scheme to save baseball from itself; fifty years ago, as baseball faced crises on and off the field, two larger-than-life figures took center stage, each on a quest to reinvent the national pastime. The "Official 2010 Price Guide of Baseball Cards" Edition #30 comes from James Beckett.

Thomas Skidmore's "Brazil" shows its five centuries of change from colony to democracy. Two travel guides, Frommer's "South Africa" and "The Rough Guide" are worth reading for armchair traveling to that African nation.

"The Lost Tombs of Thebes" by Zahi Hawass is a "coffee table" text/picture book of southern Egypt. "The Secrets of Tomb 10A" is an equally beautiful book about Egypt in 2000 B.C. "Lafayette" the French hero of the American Revolution is studied by biographer Gonzague Saint Bris. "Moses Montefiore" by Abigail Green tells about the Jewish liberator (1784-1885) and imperial hero who was one of the first truly global celebrities as he campaigned for Jewish emancipation on a grand scale. Hal Williams' "Realigning America" is about President William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan during the remarkable election of 1896. "Supreme Power" by Jeff Shesol brings alive Franklin Roosevelt's battle with the Supreme Court in the years before World War II. "Valley of Death" is Ted Morgan's story of the tragedy at Dien Bien Phu that lead America into the Vietnam war. "Inside the Kingdom" by Robert Lacey explains the kings, clerics, modernists, terrorists, and the struggle for Saudi Arabia.

"Oprah" by Kitty Kelley gives us "an unvarnished look at the stories Oprah's told and the life she's led." A history of Purdue in Flight by John Norberg is titled, "Wings of Their Dreams" dedicated to the Purdue University people of yesterday and today who have dedicated their lives to flight and to the next generation of visionaries who will fashion tomorrow's dreams. It features stories of 18 different astronauts' experiences in space. "Jenniemae & James" is a "A Memoir in Black & White" by Brooke Newman telling of the friendship between a brilliant mathematician friend of Albert Einstein and an African American numbers-savvy maid and lottery champion.