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For more about pack horse librarians, read Down Cut Shin Creek : the pack horse librarians of Kentucky by Kathi Appelt (J 027 APP) in Plymouth Library

Many of us in the Plymouth congregation find the Contemporary Voice portion of our worship services to be very powerful. Building on this interest, the Plymouth Library Committee was inspired to create the Library’s next all-ages event, this one on the theme of poetry. The timing of this event couldn’t be better, as it’s on the eve of April, which is National Poetry Month! The Plymouth Library has a wealth of excellent poetry on themes ranging from faith to social justice to the joys, humor and challenges of everyday life. At the Poetry Event, we will gather in small circles with other Plymouth folks, to read out loud and reflect together on selected poems from our library. There will be a special circle for children and their parents/caregivers to read poems for youth with fabulous illustrations. We will also hear from several in our congregation who have been chosen to read a few poems out loud to the entire group. Our library’s intergenerational events are not only a meaningful faith formation opportunity, but a time for Plymouth folks to mix and make new friends. Please join us after worship on Sunday, March 31 at 11:45 in Hildebrand Hall for Poetry! -Plymouth Library Committee

Some animals are trained as service animals. They can literally serve a person's life. But pets who haven't gone through training can be a tremendous comfort to their people. Kind and loving owners have a strong bond with their pets, or as some people call them, their fur babies. As part of my mission to bring you books to warm the cockles of your heart and give you inspiration in trying times, I have gathered stories of cats and dogs who have helped people (or in one case, each other) in many ways. Start the new year with some of these books. The picture books - those are the ones with the "E" call number - are perfect for all ages. Quick to read, but with a lasting impact. I will tell you a little bit about the ones that I have read and enjoyed. New to Plymouth Library is Sigrid Nunez's The Friend (F NUN) which has just won the National Book Award for fiction. Here are more excellent choices: Dewey : the small-town library cat who touched the world /Myron, Vicki. 636.8092 MYR My cat saved my life /Schreibman, Phillip 155.9 SCH A street cat named Bob: and how he saved my life /Bowen, James, B BOW The best cat in the world /Newman, Leslea .E NEW Way home/Rogers, Gregory E HAT - Here is the touching story of a homeless boy who adopts a homeless kitten. I think this book is a "must read" for all ages. Two Bobbies: a true story of Hurricane Katrina, friendship, and survival/Larson, Kirby E LAR - One of my favorite books, this is by a local author and is based on the story of a dog and a blind cat who join forces in order to survive during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Puppy care and critters, too! /Petersen-Fleming, Judy. J 636.7 PET The right dog for the job: Ira's path from service dog to guide dog/Patent, Dorothy Hinshaw J 362.4 PAT The dog lover's companion to Seattle. 917.97 GIO Dr. White /Goodall, Jane, E GOO I'll always love you /Wilhelm, Hans E WIL My buddy /Osofsky, Audrey. E OSO - A young boy with muscular dystrophy tells how he is teamed up with a dog trained to do things for him that he can't do for himself. The illustrator, Ted Rand, used Mercer Island's then City Manager's son as a model for the boy. I don't know anything about the dog who played artist's model! Nubs : a mutt, a Marine & a miracle /Dennis, Brian, E DEN - Brian Dennis adopted Nubs, a wild dog in war-torn Iraq, and they developed a strong bond in this heart-warming true story for all ages. One small dog/Hurwitz, Johanna J F HUR Finding Danny /Glass, Linzi Alex. J F GLA - Bree's parents are perfectly nice; she just doesn't see them much.. That's where Danny comes in. He's her dog, her companion, her confidant. But one day, Bree's mother forgets to latch the gate and Danny gets out. In her search for Danny, Bree makes some new friends and finds a new purpose in life. Old Yeller /Gipson, Fred J F GIP Shiloh /Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. J F NAY Shiloh season /Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. J F NAY Sounder /Armstrong, William Howard, J F ARM

..“When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home, when the shepherds are back with their flocks, the work of Christmas begins: to find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among the people, to make music in the heart.” - the Reverend Howard Thurman. By the way, you can read more by Thurman in the Plymouth Library.

I've been thinking about Mary, the mother of Jesus. I don't think about her very much. She hasn't played a big part in the churches I've gone to, unlike the Catholic school I worked at with the Hail Marys and the May Crowning. But however her baby was conceived, whether she traveled afar on a donkey or not, whether she gave birth in a stable or not, she had hopes for her baby. She had fears - he was her first baby. And as he grew up, she was confused by her son and the path he chose. You can read that in the Bible. You can also read about Mary in the books I list here. I want to particularly mention A girl named Mister by Nikki Grimes (F GRI). Mary Rudine, “Mister”, sings in the church choir, plays volleyball. She has dreams of a great future. Then she falls for Trey and winds up pregnant. And alone. She finds a book of poems about another Mary who was also pregnant and confused and frightened some two thousand years ago. The book gives her comfort and helps to restore her faith in a loving God. Written in verse, Mister's story is heartrending. The expected one /McGowan, Kathleen, F MCG Born of a woman : a bishop rethinks the birth of Jesus /Spong, John Shelby. 232.92 SPO Mary through the centuries : her place in the history of culture /Pelikan, Jaroslav, 232.91 PEL Full of grace : encountering Mary in faith, art, and life /Dupre, Judith, 242.74 DUP Encounters with God : in quest of the ancient icons of Mary /Beckett, Wendy. 704.9 BEC In the footsteps of the Holy Family DVD 232.9 INT Mary/Wildsmith, Brian J 232.91 WIL Mary of Nazareth /Bodker, Cecil. J 232.91 BOD Young Mary of Nazareth /Mayer, Marianna. J 232.91 MAY The photo is of a painting my aunt did on her living room window. For years she would paint a different scene each December. This one appeared in the newspaper with the caption "Dignified reverence".

We have been seeing more and more of the intermingling of politics and religion. There are religious groups that are fighting for the rights of all the people, and there are religious groups that are fighting to impose their beliefs on all the people. The books I am sharing with you look at the place of religion in the founding of our country and the current battle over the concept of separation of church and state. Read on for some different viewpoints. American gospel : God, the founding fathers, and the making of a nation /Meacham, Jon. 322 MEA The culture of disbelief : how American law and politics trivialize religious devotion /Carter, Stephen L., 291.17 CAR The family : the secret fundamentalism at the heart of American power /Sharlet, Jeff. 261.7 SHA The geography of faith : underground conversations on religious, political, and social change /Berrigan, Daniel. 261.8 BER The God strategy: how religion became a political weapon in America/Domke, David 324.973 DOM God's name in vain: the wrongs and rights of religion in politics/Carter, Stephen L. 322 CAR A House United How the Church Can Save the World /Hilton, Allen R., 261.7 HIL The left hand of God: taking back our country from the religious right/Lerner, Michael 322 LER Left, Right & Christ : evangelical faith in politics /Harper, Lisa Sharon. 261.7 HAR Moyers on democracy /Moyers, Bill D. 320.973 MOY Our endangered values : America's moral crisis /Carter, Jimmy, 306.0973 CAR Progressive Christians speak : a different voice on faith and politics /Progressive Christians Uniting (Organization) 261.8 COB Religion and politics 322 REL1 Religion in public life : a dilemma for democracy /Thiemann, Ronald F. 322.1 THI The righteous mind : why good people are divided by politics and religion /Haidt, Jonathan, 201.615 HAI Secular faith : how culture has trumped religion in American politics /Smith, Mark A. 261.70973 SMI Under God : religion and American politics /Wills, Garry, 322.1 WIL

This call to action comes from the Conference Minister of the Penn Northeast Conference UCC, with the affirmation of the denomination’s National Officers and the Rev. David Ackerman, Conference Minister of the Penn West Conference UCC. The news over the past weeks has revealed an undercurrent of hate within our culture and our country. Between the assumption that immigrants walking nearly 2,000 miles seeking asylum are seen as a threat to our security; the pipe bombs mailed to those who oppose our current political administration; the massacre of 11 Jewish citizens during services at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh; and the shooting of an African American man and woman in a grocery store after a failed attempt to enter a church of Black worshippers, it is hard to find cause for hope in our nation. The rhetoric of hate and divisiveness calls for a response from the faith community. While we should not advocate for candidates or political parties, we must advocate for justice, humanitarian treatment of our neighbors, and for safety in our places of worship. We are a diverse nation and until recently that diversity has been seen as a strength. We, in the Church, must stand as moral authorities proclaiming peace and hope, compassion and justice. Wherever and whenever you have the opportunity to provide wisdom and comfort, inspiration and compassion, I urge you to do so. To be silent is to let evil prevail and we, as people of faith, cannot do that, any more than Jesus could do it in his time and culture. Find a way to bring peace and hope to your faith communities, your communities, our state and our nations. Today we are asking our members to write prayer notes or notes of compassion to our siblings at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. Mail them from your local church to them at 5898 Wilkins Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15217. Participate in a vigil or a peaceful worship process in any one of your communities and if there isn’t one, please plan one. If you are able, this would be a wonderful way to demonstrate solidarity with our Jewish siblings. By all means pray but above all do not fail to speak out or to act. As Martin Niemöller wrote: “First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.”[1] We are called to be people of prayer, but we are also called to remember that “The Spirit of the LORD is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free (Luke 4:18). May we each and all do our part to make our communities, state and nation places of hope and peace. Faithfully, The Rev. Bonnie Bates Conference Minister Penn. Northeast Conference United Church of Christ

Some reading on fascism and related topics: Alt-America : the rise of the radical right in the age of Trump / Neiwert, David A., 305.800973 NEI Fascism : a warning / Albright, Madeleine Korbel, 320.53309 ALB On tyranny : twenty lessons from the twentieth century / Snyder, Timothy. 321.9 SNY

Passed by Congress on June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920, the 19th amendment granted women the right to vote. That was almost 100 years ago! There is much talk this year about the part that women can play in shifting the balance of power in our government. I am not so naive that I believe women will all vote for candidates who support equal rights, who value the truth, who will protect the earth and fight for the marginalized. No, they won't all vote the way I would like them to, but I would protect their right to vote (no matter how misguided they are!). This year, everyone should reflect on the long, hard battle that was fought so that women would be allowed to vote. Don't waste that right! Crossing stones /Frost, Helen F FRO This is a lovely book written in verse. In their own voices, four young people tell of their experiences during the first World War, as the boys enlist and are sent overseas, Emma finishes school, and Muriel fights for peace and women's suffrage. Not for ourselves alone : the story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony/305.42 WAR Born for liberty : a history of women in America /Evans, Sara M. 305.4 EVA Founding sisters and the Nineteenth Amendment /Clift, Eleanor 324.6 CLI For young feminists: Rabble rousers : 20 women who made a difference /Harness, Cheryl. J BC HAR Susan B. Anthony : fighter for women's rights /Hopkinson, Deborah. J B HOP A woman for president : the story of Victoria Woodhull /Krull, Kathleen. J B WOO

Even a Church Library!

What were your favorite books that you read this summer? Plymouth Library has a copy of Factfulness (also on Bill Gates' list).

Back in 2005, the General Synod of the United Church of Christ voted to support marriage equality. You may remember the consternation and dismay amongst some UCC churches and some UCC members. At that time, only one state (Massachusetts) had legalized same-sex marriage. In the following years, more and more states joined in legalizing same-sex marriage and in June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution allows for same-sex couples to marry, effectively overturning remaining restrictions in place in the remaining states. This is just one example of the progress that has been made, but we are at a point where hard-won victories are at risk. On June 24th, the 44th annual Pride Parade will take place (give yourself extra time to get to Plymouth). Forty-four years! Read these books and watch the DVDs: When we rise : my life in the movement /Jones, Cleve, 306.76 JON Gay America : struggle for equality /Alsenas, Linas. 306.76 ALS Milk/DVD F MIL The girls next door : into the heart of lesbian America /Van Gelder, Lindsy. 306.76 VAN Gay soul : finding the heart of gay spirit and nature with sixteen writers, healers, teachers, and visionaries /Thompson, Mark, 305.3896 THO GLBTQ : the survival guide for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning teens /Huegel, Kelly, YA 306.766 HUE It gets better : coming out, overcoming bullying, and creating a life worth living /Savage, Dan 306.76 SAV In the Church: A pilgrim's way /Righter, Walter C., 283.092 RIG Stranger at the gate : to be gay and Christian in America /White, Mel, 261 WHI Ministry among God's queer folk : LGBT pastoral care /Kundtz, David, 259.086 KUN Trans-gendered : theology, ministry, and communities of faith /Tanis, Justin Edward, 230.0866 TAN Courage to love : liturgies for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community /264 DUN Friends and Family: When love lasts forever: male couples celebrate commitment/Yost, Merle James 306.76 YOS Straight parents, gay children : keeping families together /Bernstein, Robert A. 306.874 BER Always my child : a parent's guide to understanding your gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, or questioning son or daughter /Jennings, Kevin, 305.235 JEN The transgender child /Brill, Stephanie A.306.76 BRI 50 ways to support lesbian & gay equality : the complete guide to supporting family, friends, neighbors-- or yourself /323.3 MAR And More: Three Junes /Glass, Julia, F GLA She's not there : a life in two genders /Boylan, Jennifer Finney, B BOY Hypocrite in a pouffy white dress : tales of growing up groovy and clueless /Gilman, Susan Jane. B GIL The kids are all right/DVD F KID Julie Johnson/DVD F JUL

Pentecost is May 20. "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. - Acts 2 (King James Version)" When I read about Pentecost, these are the things that stand out: the sound as of a mighty wind, tongues like fire, people speaking in other tongues. Not people speaking in tongues, the unintelligible language of angels (or not), but speaking in other tongues - tongues of every nation under Heaven. A mighty wind and tongues of fire are pretty dramatic, but I like the idea that everyone was speaking in languages so that all who were present could understand. The Egyptians and Romans, the Greeks and Arabs, "all of us hear them telling in our own tongues the great things God has done" (Acts 2:11) This is different from the story in Genesis about the people who wanted to build a tower up to Heaven. God was not happy and said: "Here they are, one people with a single language, and now they have started to do this: from now on, nothing they have a mind to do will be beyond their reach." So God confused their language so that they could not understand each other and "scattered the people over the face of the earth". But then, on that Pentecost celebration, everyone was hearing the same story - that's powerful! Why did that happen? What had changed? There are many directions in which your thoughts could travel, especially if you are of a missionary mindset, but what it makes me think about is how important it is for all the nations of the world and all the peoples of the world, to communicate with each other and to understand each other. At Plymouth Library we have books about many countries and all of the continents of the world. In reading about other countries and cultures, in traveling either by ship or airplane or armchair, maybe we can grow closer to understanding our global neighbors.

In Library School, we were taught that knowledge is power. Now that knowledge, truth, facts are being dismissed in favor of lies and distortions, it is vital that we educate ourselves to fight the growing narrative of fear and divisiveness in our country. Here are some books on various aspects of Islam from Plymouth Library. Read them critically; they represent different views. Acts of faith : the story of an American Muslim, the struggle for the soul of a generation /Patel, Eboo, 305.6 PAT After the prophet : the epic story of the Shia-Sunni split in Islam /Hazleton, Lesley, 297.8 HAZ Bill Moyers on faith & reason/DVD 210 BIL A brief illustrated guide to understanding Islam /Ibrahim, I. A. 297 IBR The caged virgin : an emancipation proclamation for women and Islam /Hirsi Ali, Ayaan, 297.082 HIR The essential Koran : the heart of Islam : an introductory selection of readings from the Quran /297.122 KOR Faith : five religions and what they share /Steckel, Richard. J 200 RR STE The fragrance of faith : the enlightened heart of Islam /Rahman, Jamal D., 297 RAH From Mumbai to Mecca /Trojanow, Ilija. 297.352 TRO The genius of Islam : how Muslims made the modern world /Barnard, Bryn. J 297.2 RR BA God's crucible : Islam and the making of Europe, 570 to 1215 /Lewis, David L., 940.1 LEW A history of God : the 4000-year quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam /Armstrong, Karen, 291.21 ARM The Holy Qu'ran: Arabic text, English translation and commentary/Ali, Maulina Muhammad 297.122 KOR I am Muslim /Chalfonte, Jessica. J 297 CHA Islam /Wallace, Holly, J 297 WAL Islam : a short history /Armstrong, Karen, 297.09 ARM Islam and the West /Lewis, Bernard, 303.48 LEW Islam in America /Melman, Anna. 297.0973 MEL Islam in America / Smith, Jane I. 297 SMI Islam: an illustrated history/Jordan, Michael 297 JOR Journey of the jihadist : inside Muslim militancy /Gerges, Fawaz A., 322.4 GER Martyrs : innocence, vengeance, and despair in the Middle East /Davis, Joyce, 297.7 DAV Memories of Muhammad : why the Prophet matters /Safi, Omid, 297.63 SAF Muslim child : understanding Islam through stories and poems /Khan, Rukhsana, J 297 KAH No god but God : the origins and evolution of Islam /Aslan, Reza 297 ASL The other Islam : Sufism and the road to global harmony /Schwartz, Stephen, 297.409 SCH Portrait of Islam : a journey through the Muslim world /Laurance, Robin. 909.097 LAU Ramadan /Ghazi, Suhaib Hamid. J 297.36 GHA Ramadan moon/Robert, Na'ima B. E ROB Recognizing Islam : religion and society in the modern Arab world /Gilsenan, Michael. 297.0917 GIL The religion of Islam : a comprehensive discussion of the sources, principles and practices of Islam /Ali, Muhammad, 297 ALI Religious traditions of the world : a journey through Africa, Mesoamerica, North America, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, China, and Japan /R 291 EAR Responses to 101 questions on Islam/Renard, John 297 REN The scimitar and the veil: extraordinary women of Islam/Heath, Jennifer 297 HEA Toward a true kinship of faiths : how the world's religions can come together /Bstan-Êdzin-rgya-mtsho, 201.5 BST What do we know about Islam? /Shahrukh Husain. J 297 HUS What I believe /Brown, Alan, J 291 BRO The wisdom of faith/DVD 200 WIS

It is almost 50 years since Martin Luther King Jr was shot - April 4, 1968. What a tumultuous decade the 1960s were. So much hope. So many tragedies. People thought they could change the world. Improve the environment. End the war in Viet Nam. Ban the bomb. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a huge, and long-overdue step forward. But change brings resistance, and the Civil Rights movement was countered with violence. It was not America's finest hour. Still, Martin Luther King Jr and all the others who fought for Civil Rights persisted, and things became better. It took such a long time, but Barack Obama was elected President. The United States had traveled far and still had farther to go. Now we worry that hard-won victories may be turned around. Look back at the 1960s when so much was wrong, but we had hope that good would prevail. Now let us have hope again - and back that hope with action. Read King's words, listen to him speak, learn about his life: I have a dream: writings and speeches that changed the world - 323.092 KIN King: go beyond the dream to discover the man - DVD 323 KIN My life with Martin Luther King Jr - Coretta Scott King - 323.4 KIN Parting the waters: America in the King years, 1954-63 - Taylor Branch - 973.92 BRA The speeches of Martin Luther King Jr - VHS B KIN If you lived at the time of Martin Luther King - Ellen Levine J B KIN A lesson for Martin Luther King, Jr. - Denise Lewis Patrick J B KIN Martin's big words: the life of Dr Martin Luther King Jr - Doreen Rappaport - J B KIN And here are some books on the African American experience from Plymouth Library: The baptism - Sheila Moses - J F MOS Beloved - Toni Morrison - F MOR The Black church in the African-American experience - C. Eric Lincoln - 277.3 LIN Black manifesto: religion, racism and reparations - Robert Lecky - 261.8 LEC Black power and Black religion - Richard Newman - 305.8 NEW Bud, not Buddy - Christopher Paul Curtis - J F CUR Church people in the struggle: the National Council of Churches and the Black freedom movement, 1950-1970 - James Findlay - 261.8 FIN Dream makers, dream breakers: the world of Justice Thurgood Marshall - Carl Rowan - B MAR Dreams from my father - Barack Obama - B OBA Extraordinary Black Americans from colonial to contemporary times - Susan Altman - J BC ALT Freedom like sunlight - J Patrick Lewis - J 811 LEW Freedom's children: young civil rights activists tell their own stories - J 973.049 The fire next time - James Baldwin - 326 BAL In their footsteps: inspirational reflections on Black history for every day of the year - Daryl Grigsby - B Col GRI Invisible man - Ralph Ellison - F ELL Many thousand gone: African Americans from slavery to freedom - Virginia Hamilton - J 973.7 HAM March - John Lewis 328.73092 LEW Minty: a story of young Harriet Tubman - Alan Schroeder - J B TUB Miss Crandall's school for young ladies and little misses of color: poems - Elizabeth Alexander - J 811 ALE A picture of freedom: the diary of Clotee, a slave girl - Patricia McKissack - J F MCK Post traumatic slave syndrome: America's legacy of enduring injury and healing - Joy Leary - 306.4 LEA Roll of thunder, hear my cry - Mildred D Taylor - J F TAY Stories in black and white - 813.5 KIS The talking book: African Americans and the Bible - Allen Callahan - 220.089 CAL To be a slave - Julius Lester - 326.0973 A voice of her own: the story of Phyllis Wheatley, slave poet - Kathryn Lasky - J B WHE The voice that challenged a nation: Marian Anderson and the struggle for equal rights - Russell Freedman - JB AND Walking on water: Black American lives at the turn of the twenty-first century - Randall Kenan - 305.8 KEN We are one: the story of Bayard Ruston - Larry Brimner - J B RUS

Here we are again. It's Advent, the time of waiting, anticipation, preparation. A time when so many of us become overwhelmed with all the things on our "to do" list. A time when we wish we could recapture the excitement we felt as children. It seems as though the Christmas season lasted so much longer back then even though the stores didn't put up their decorations until after Thanksgiving. Now we are inundated with ads and commercials starting around Halloween, and before you know it, we are sitting by a rather bedraggled tree with the floor littered with empty boxes and crumpled wrapping paper. And yet again, we have this vague (or maybe not so vague) sense of disappointment. Christmas didn't live up to our expectations. Somehow, we thought that Uncle Tom would refrain from making his politically incorrect pronouncements, that Great Aunt Mabel wouldn't hit anyone with her cane, and that little Lucy wouldn't have one of her epic tantrums. But yet again, our perfect Christmas didn't materialize. Instead of bringing the salad of mixed greens with pears and caramelized hazelnuts we asked for, Aunt Sophy made lime jello with canned cherries, Grandma fainted and the paramedics were called, and we didn't get the presents we had been wanting. Maybe the problem is with our expectations - and where we are focusing our energy. Is Christmas just about food and family and presents? Doesn't the birth of Jesus come into it? Maybe this year, we can have a simpler Christmas. Prepare for it by reading a book such as Night Visions: Searching the Shadows of Advent and Christmas by Jan Richardson (242.33 RIC in Plymouth Library). Look at The Christmas Story from the King James Version beautifully illuminated by Isabelle Brent (J 232.92 BRE). Listen to music like John Tesh's Christmas Worship (CD TES) or O Holy Night: Christmas with the Boy Choir of Harlem (CD with book illustrated by Faith Ringgold - J782.28 RIN). Watch the DVD, 'Twas the Night, which mixes animation with recordings of holiday favorites by such artists as Nat King Cole, Macy Gray and Doris Day. Gather the family around and read stories from Angels and Other Strangers by Katherine Paterson (F PAT) or The Gift of the Magi by O Henry (F OHE) or Christmas in the Trenches by John McCutcheon (a moving story from World War I which you can find in the picture book section although it is meaningful for all ages). For me, I can recapture the excitement of Advent and Christmas by turning to some favorite books. If you look through the Christmas books at Plymouth Library, maybe you will find some that take you back to your childhood. You will surely find many that can become a part of your Christmases to come. Realize that you may not have a perfect Christmas. I know that I won't be surrounded by all my loved ones. I won't get cards back from all the people I send them to. I know from experience that dinner won't be on time. Still, I can try to focus on the real meaning of Christmas, on developing new traditions, and on delighting in the little things that so often go unnoticed in our busy world.

Last week, we celebrated Thanksgiving. We all know the story (or, as at least one book claims, the myth) of Thanksgiving. How the Indians taught the Pilgrims to plant corn so that they wouldn't starve. How the harvest was bountiful. How the Pilgrims and the Indians came together for days of feasting and playing games. But is that the whole story - or even the real story? Who were these people in their plain, dark clothes who sailed on the Mayflower? What happened on the journey? What happened after they arrived in the New World? They may have been escaping from religious intolerance; did they practice tolerance themselves? Flesh out the story. Read these books and watch the movie. The wordy shipmates /Vowell, Sarah, 974.088 VOW A great & godly adventure : the Pilgrims & the myth of the first Thanksgiving /Hodgson, Godfrey. 974.4 HOD Mayflower : a story of courage, community, and war /Philbrick, Nathaniel. 973.2 PHI The secret founding of America : the real story of Freemasons, Puritans and the battle for the New World /Hagger, Nicholas. 973.2 HAG The Congregational way; the role of the Pilgrims and their heirs in shaping America/Starkey, Marion Lena. 285.8 STA Saints & strangers DVD F SAI And for children: A journey to the New World : the diary of Remember Patience Whipple /Lasky, Kathryn. J F LAS ...If you sailed on the Mayflower in 1620/McGovern, Ann J 973.2 MCG The pilgrims of Plimoth /Sewall, Marcia. J 974.4 SEW The Plymouth Thanksgiving/Weisgard, Leonard, J 973.2 WEI Samuel Eaton's day : a day in the life of a Pilgrim boy /Waters, Kate. J 974.4 WAT Sarah Morton's day : a day in the life of a Pilgrim girl /Waters, Kate. J 974.4 WAT Who's that stepping on Plymouth Rock? /Fritz, Jean. J 974.4 FRI William Bradford : Plymouth's faithful pilgrim /Schmidt, Gary D. J 974.4 SCH

Is there anything better than a brand-new book? Well, maybe.... But for a dedicated reader, new books can be pretty exciting. Thanks to an increase in the Library's budget for 2017, we have an increase in hot-off-the-press books. Some are still "on order" at Seattle Public Library and the King County Library System, and once the books arrive, the wait list is huge. You, however, can go to Plymouth Library and get the books now. All I ask is that you return the books so that others can check them out. Find them on the New Books cart or the display shelves in the Library. Here are some books that deal with the issues we are all talking about: Alt-America : the rise of the radical right in the age of Trump /Neiwert, David A. No is not enough : resisting Trump's shock politics and winning the world we need /Klein, Naomi Demagoguery and democracy /Roberts-Miller, Patricia Faith and resistance in the age of Trump A good that transcends : how US culture undermines environmental reform /Freyfogle, Eric T. Stamped from the beginning : the definitive history of racist ideas in America /Kendi, Ibram X. The color of law : a forgotten history of how our government segregated America /Rothstein, Richard Tears we cannot stop : a sermon to white America /Dyson, Michael Eric The underground railroad : a novel /Whitehead, Colson - Fiction Redemption songs : suing for freedom before Dred Scott /VanderVelde, Lea Between the world and me /Coates, Ta-Nehisi Deep denial : the persistence of white supremacy in United States history and life /Billings, David John Lewis : get in the way - DVD America's original sin : racism, white privilege, and the bridge to a new America /Wallis, Jim Soul repair : recovering from moral injury after war /Brock, Rita Nakashima When we rise : my life in the movement /Jones, Cleve Freedom of speech : mightier than the sword /Shipler, David K. Our Declaration : a reading of the Declaration of Independence in defense of equality /Allen, Danielle S. These are books (and DVDs and CDs) about how people live in the world, about science and medecine, and fictional stories about past wars: My couch is your couch: exploring how people live around the world/Galimberti, Gabriele The gene : an intimate history /Mukherjee, Siddhartha, Cancer is funny : keeping faith in stage-serious chemo /Micheli, Jason, Curiosity with Stephen Hawking. Did God create the universe? - DVD The universe in your hand : a journey through space, time and beyond /Galfard, Christophe, A year of living virtuously : weekends off /Jordan, Teresa. Some assembly required : a journal of my son's first son /Lamott, Anne Humans of New York : stories /Stanton, Brandon, Embracing American song/Brown, Anthony and Lisa Bergman - CD This American life. Season one - DVD Shooting in the dark /Hougan, Carolyn - Fiction Going after Cacciato /O'Brien, Tim - Fiction Religious subjects - and some music CDs. (I wanted to get some CDs by Anthony Brown who recently performed here at Plymouth. Who knew that there are two Anthony Browns who sing spirituals and gospel music? We've got both!) Letters to Jacob : mostly about prayer /John-Julian The rise and fall of Adam and Eve /Greenblatt, Stephen Heirs to forgotten kingdoms : journeys into the disappearing religions of the Middle East /Russell, Gerard. Apostle, or, Bones that shine like fire : travels among the tombs of the twelve /Bissell, Tom The fourth gospel : tales of a Jewish mystic /Spong, John Shelby. Toward a true kinship of faiths : how the world's religions can come together /Bstan-Êdzin-rgya-mtsho Jesus among other gods : the absolute claims of the Christian message /Zacharias, Ravi K. The last word : beyond the Bible wars to a new understanding of the authority of Scripture /Wright, N. T. Journey to the common good /Brueggemann, Walter. Found : a story of questions, grace, and everyday prayer /Boyett, Micha. Everyday Jesus/Brown, Anthony & group therAPy - CD A long way from Sunday/Brown, Anthony - CD Spirituals/Brown, Anthony - CD

“Children who are not spoken to by live and responsive adults will not learn to speak properly. Children who are not answered will stop asking questions. They will become incurious. And children who are not told stories and who are not read to will have few reasons for wanting to learn to read.” (Gail Haley in her 1971 Caldecott Medal acceptance speech) We all know that, don't we? Read to children, and there is a much greater chance that they will grow up to be readers. I once knew a man who had been brought up in an orphanage in Connecticut. He had been taken away from his abusive mother when he was 7 and stayed in the orphanage until he ran away at the age of 15. He said it wasn't all bad because the matron would gather all the little boys together at night and read to them. She read all the classics that children should be exposed to to make them culturally literate. But just as important as the stories was the sharing, the building of community, and the knowledge that this strict, no nonsense woman cared about the boys. The man grew up to be a life long reader and learner who founded a well respected non-profit that provided housing for the homeless in Los Angeles. I can't imagine how barren my life would have been if I hadn't had a mother who read to me. The joys of the Mickey Mouse Club and Stan Boreson were nothing compared to spending an hour a day listening to my mother read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, The Wind in the Willows, E Nesbit's books, and Stuart Little. We were living in our first house when she read The Borrowers, The 101 Dalmations, and Winnie the Pooh to me so I know that that was before I turned four and a half. They have all remained favorites of mine, and I shared them with my two sons. They tell me that they particularly liked Bemelman's Madeline books and De Brunhoff's Babar along with Winnie the Pooh and The Wind in the Willows. In fact, one of my sons and his wife make a habit of reading to each other, and The Wind in the Willows is one of the books they have shared - more than once. My other son and his wife have been licensed to provide respite care for foster parents. At a Friends of the Library book sale, I got a big box of books for them to share with the foster children they take care of. They recently had a twelve year old girl and her four year old brother staying with them until a new home could be found for the children. My son and daughter-in-law had as much fun reading their old favorites (and a lot of new books) to the children as the kids did hearing the stories. I told my son to make sure that the children left with some books of their own. When I hear about the troubled lives these children lead, I know that books won't solve all their problems, but I hope that, like the man who grew up in an orphanage, books and reading will help. When I was reading the Sunday comics section, I saw a "Zits" comic strip that really illustrated the value of reading aloud. The mom says to her teenaged son "Oh, Jeremy! Look! A box of your old picture books! Here's Goodnight Moon, Curious George, Brown Bear, Brown Bear... (Gasp!) Harold and the Purple Crayon! Do you remember this one?" And so they start telling each other about all the things that Harold drew with his purple crayon; and before you know it, Jeremy (big, tall, teenaged Jeremy) had plopped onto his mother's lap and was saying "Start from the beginning". (Many of the books I've mentioned, and the books that Jeremy's mom mentioned, are in our library waiting for you to share them with the children - or adults - in your life.) Gather some books and a child or two, and make a lasting difference to their lives when you share the joy of reading. These titles include many good recommendations of books for children (most are in the Parent/Teacher Resource Room next to the children's section): 100 books for girls to grow on: lively descriptions of the most inspiring books for girls, terrific discussion questions to spark conversation, great ideas for book-inspired activities, crafts, and field trips /Dodson, Shireen. 016 DOD Books children love : a guide to the best children's literature /Wilson, Elizabeth Laraway. 028.5 WIL Books to grow with : a guide to using the best children's fiction for everyday issues and tough challenges /Coon, Cheryl F. 011.62 COO The New York times parent's guide to the best books for children /Lipson, Eden Ross. 011 LIP Everything I need to know I learned from a children's book : life lessons from notable people from all walks of life /808.8 SIL