Diverse Summer Reading Challenge!

Available now on OverDrive!

Books have the unique ability to transport us to a different time, different place, or a completely different perspective. Many reading lists are circulating for books that deal with racism and disparities among minority groups. Here is our list of reading recommendations available now  through OverDrive.

Whether you love poetry, space travel, historical fiction, or something in between., there's a book for everyone. Looking for a title we don't have on OverDrive? Let us know by clicking "Recommend" at the bottom of the title image.

Check out these classics by Toni Morrison! Morrison was a critically acclaimed writer, winning the Pulitzer Prize for Beloved in 1987. She then went on win a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993.  

 Michaela DePrince was born in Sierra Leone and adopted by an American couple at the age of four. She has appeared on Dancing with the Stars, Good Morning America, Nightline, and Beyonce's Lemonade music video.

Finding Langston has won multiple awards for historical fiction, children's literature and library awards. Taking place in 1946, follow Langston as he moves from the countryside in Alabama to the busy city of Chicago.

Did you love Hidden Figures? Are you a nerd for space exploration? Learn about some of the first African Americans to  join the space program!

Into Graphic Novels? Learn about Congressman John Lewis and his part in the Civil Rights movement. Illustrated by award winning artist Nate Powell and co-written by New York Times bestseller, Andrew Aydin, this book shares the remarkable story of John Lewis. 

 

 From Elizabeth Acevedo comes a novel-in-verse from award winning slam poet. Xiomara  has plenty to say and she refuses to stay silent. This is a great summer read for kids going into 7th or 8th grade.

Comedian Phoebe Robinson discusses race, culture and other random occurrences as she navigates life all while making you laugh. 

New York Times Bestseller, There There describes twelve unforgettable characters as they make their way to the Big Oakland Powwow. Each on their own journey, they are all working to connect back to a shared tradition. 

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. You can celebrate by checking out these titles from our library.

Becoming American, Being Indian: An Immigrant Community in New York City by Madulika S. Khandelwal.
"In her fascinating account of Indian immigrants. . .[the author] explores the ways in which their world has evolved over four decades" from publisher. 

Beyond the Shadow of Camptown: Korean Military Brides in America by Ji-Yeon Yuh. 
"Since. . .1950, nearly 100,000 Korean women have immigrated to the US as the wives of American soldiers. Based on extensive oral interview and archival research [this book] tells the stories of these women" - from publisher. 

Colors of Confinement: Rare Kodachrome Photographs of Japanese American Incarceration in World War II ed. by Eric L. Muller. 
". . .showcases 65 stunning images from this extremely rare collection of color photographs, presented along with three interpretive essays by leading scholars..." - from publisher.

Driven Out: The Forgotten War Against Chinese Americans by Jean Pfaelzer. 
". . .exposes a shocking story of ethnic cleansing in California and the Pacific Northwest when the first Chinese Americans were rounded up and purged from more than 300 communities by lawless citizens and duplicitous politicians" - from publisher. 

From Canton Restaurant to Panda Express: A History of Chinese Food in the United States by Haiming Liu. 
". . .takes readers on a compelling journey from the California Gold Rush to the present, letting readers witness. . .the evolution of many distinct American-Chinese iconic dishes from chop suey to General Tso's chicken" - from publisher. 

Japanese Americans: The History and Culture of a People ed. by Jonathan H.X. Lee.
"This book provides a comprehensive description of the complicated and rich story of the Japanese American experience. . ." - from publisher.


Little Saigons: Staying Vietnamese in America by Karin Aguilar-San Juan. 
"Explores how Vietnamese refugees and immigrants retain their identities in the United States" - from publisher. 

A New History of Asian America by Shelley Sang-Hee Lee.
". . .a fresh up-to-date history of Asians in the United States from the late eighteen century to the present" - from publisher.

Soundtracks of Asian America: Navigating Race Through Musical Performance by Grace Wang.
"Explores how Asian Americans use music to construct narratives of self, race, class, and belonging. . ." - from publisher. 

Typical American: A Novel by Gish Jen.
". . .a darkly humorous account of Chinese immigrants encountering America" - from Publishers Weekly.

It's the Summer of Zombies

If you're not taking classes this summer or if you're looking for something to give you a break from your summer school work, why not read a book and/or watch a movie based on a book?

Here are a couple of fun summer reading ideas (or their movie versions for movie-watchers) to fight off summer zombie-mode:

*You can get access to all these books through the Dick Smith Library.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Prequel Audio Book: PS3608 .O29 P75 2010B (located on lower level)
Deluxe heirloom ed.(1st ed): PS3607 .R348 P75 2009 (located in the stacks)
Movie version: "In development" according to IMBD. 

The Blood King
Book: PS3613 .A77865 B56 2009 (located in the stacks)
No movie version available. 

World War Z
Book: Request through InterLibrary Loan
Movie: In theaters now; check here for Cinemark 6 movie times.

Warm Bodies
Book: Request through InterLibrary Loan
Movie: In stores now; check here for Amazon listing.

If you need assistance, please call (254)968-9249 or email reference@tarleton.edu for more information.

Dick Smith Library Reader’s Choice Book Display

“What are a friend’s books for, if not to be borrowed?” – Lady Croom in Arcadia: A Play in Two Acts by Tom Stoppard

You can now recommend books to the Tarleton community with the Dick Smith Library Reader’s Choice book display!

It’s easy:
• Browse the New Books display & our collections.
• Find a book you'd like to recommend.
• Put it on the spotlighted Reader's Choice shelf.
• Drop the previous display book off at the Circulation desk.

Others will see your recommended book and check it out.

Can’t make it to the library?
• Post a suggestion below for a book in our collections.
• Library staff will make the book swap for you.

Keep checking the display. You never know. Someone might recommend a book that's just what you'd like to read next!

Children's Books

If you are a parent, does your child have some summer reading s/he needs to finish up before back-to-school? Perhaps they have some required reading for a class, AR (Accelerated Reader) books to complete, or want to get ahead on the Texas Bluebonnet Award (grades 3-6), Lone Star (grades 6-8), or Tayshas (high school) reading lists. If so, the Dick Smith Library can help!

The lower level of the library has our Curriculum Collection, with thousands of children's and young adult books, fiction and nonfiction. Students (those already registered for next fall), faculty, staff, Tarleton Alumni Society, and Dick Smith Friends of the Library members can all check out books for their children using their Texan cards. Children's books check out for a week, and a book may be renewed online if there are no requests for the book from others.

We have all of this year's Bluebonnet Award nominees and all the previous winners. We also have all of the Newbery Medal winners (awarded each year "to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children") and Caldecott Medal Winners (awarded each year "to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children"), as well as most of the Honor Books (runners-up) and many other award-winning books too. We also have a number of Newbery Medal winners and some young adult award winners available in audiobook format.

Most schools have their AR quiz lists online, and we can help you check to see if your school has a quiz for the book you want to read. Come by the lower level of the library for help finding children's books Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM, from Special Services Librarian Amanda Pape or Special Services Assistant Vickie Sowell.

Top Ten Tuesday – 10 Summer Reading Lists

I've been trying to come up with a Top Ten Reading list for the summer…and I can't seem to find just one. So I decided to share 10 READING LISTS. Hopefully one of these will suit you.

• Top 10 Summer Reads – Earth911.com – Even reading has turned green!
  
• Oprah's Summer Reading list – 25 books you can't put down
  
• Summer Reading, Beach books etc. by Barnes & Noble
  
• 13 Hottest Summer Reads – The Daily Beast
  
• Ten Books to read before they hit the big screen
  
• Nebraska Library Association – .pdf with books for children of all ages.
  
• National Endowment for the Humanities: Summer Favorites Reading List – Kindergarten to 12 grade
  
• The 10 Best summer Cookbooks of 2009 from NPR
  
• 2009 CSAF Reading List -selected by the Air Force Chief of Staff for service personnel
  
• Best Mystery, Crime Novels – for Summer Sleuths from NPR
  

There are LOTS of reading lists out there! I hope those listed above will give you some good ideas for a great summer read! Remember if the Dick Smith Library does not own a title you would like to read, we can inter-library loan it for you. Most ILL's only take about a week…and its FREE! More Information about our ILL Service is available @ http://www.tarleton.edu/~library/ill.html