Books
Georgia Rindler
Program Coordinator
Waiting for "Superman": How we can Save America's Failing Schools
By: Karl Weber
“The fate of our country won’t be decided on a battlefield, it will be determined in a classroom.” This is from the front cover of the book Waiting for “Superman”; a companion to the film by the same title. But it’s not about the man flying in to save whoever might need rescuing. Unfortunately for today’s students, he does not exist. This book is about education reform and how we as a nation might go about it. Up front, I’ll admit that I don’t agree with everything that is presented. I also don’t have the answers, so maybe I need to revisit my views. Here in Mercer County, we are lucky. Our schools are very good with mostly excellent teachers and staff. But we do not live in a bubble. Our children will deal with the ramifications of poor schools once they leave the hallowed halls of their alma mater. Whether they go to college, move to a different area or stay here for a job; they will be affected by the type of education their coworkers and supervisors received.
“Teaching should be a privilege, an honor undertaken….to inspire the next generation.”
The book takes information collected and presents it in chapters that relate to the children followed in the 2010 film. For over four decades, someone has been trying to fix failing schools. And the solutions are more varied than the number of students involved. I’m not going into the discussions and explanations. I’ll let you decide after reading the book, which brings up some valid arguments. The bottom line is, as a country, we are failing our kids. They want to learn; they crave knowledge. Yet too many adults have messed it up for them. Most parents want their children to get an education. And once they see good schooling, they will do whatever they can to support it. The numbers are astonishing, but statistics alone don’t tell the story. Each decision affects a child. And that child will influence another, and so on. It’s the ripple effect, and it’s rippling towards us.
How we raise and educate our youths will have a significant effect on our lives. We can no longer take for granted that learning the three R’s will suffice. Employers want technology smart employees with problem solving skills. One size does not fit all for the twenty-first century.
Waiting for “Superman” raises some controversial questions. When good schools are available, everyone wants to go there. Could this raise the bar and be an incentive for others to improve? Students are our most valuable resource and their education will determine our future. Good leadership generates good citizens. In turn, those citizens make decisions that will affect me. There is great optimism among those involved with the film that we are on the cusp of improvement. As a country, we need to have the fortitude to do what’s right for our children. They are depending on us. You can find Waiting for “Superman” with the nonfiction books; 379.1 WAI.
Norma Wolters
Library Assistant
Northern Lights
By Nora Roberts
Northern Lights is not a new read but worthy of a repeat in the light of several friends and family members planning a trip to Alaska in 2012. The book brought back memories of my Alaska visit many years ago. Alaska is the last of the frontiers and unblemished beauty. Nora Roberts did a great job of describing the scenery, town’s people, the short, sunless days, and Northern Lights. It is a story of romance mixed in with a mystery and wonder of the state of Alaska. I loved this book and still find myself thinking of it years later.
The story begins with Nate Burke, an ex-cop from Baltimore, experiencing his first bush plane ride into Lunacy, Alaska. He survives the tumultuous plane ride and is greeted by the mayor and escorted to his hotel room. He has been hired as the new police chief in charge of the 506 unconventional residents of the town of Lunacy. They amusingly refer to themselves as Lunatics.
Nate meets bush pilot, Meg Galloway, daughter of his widowed landlady, and is smitten by her personality and inner beauty. I liked that. Roberts describes her inner beauty rather than the usual scenario of tall, beautiful, and blonde heroine that we read of in much fiction. Meg is very independent, smart and lives on the outskirts of town with her two Husky dogs. Along with Nate, we learn of bush piloting, husky dogs, moose dangers, snowshoeing, mountain climbing, hot tubs, outside music, and more.
Two young climbers find a frozen body in a cave on the local mountain and it is determined the man with an axe in his chest, is Meg’s father who disappeared sixteen years ago. Mother and daughter are saddened by the murder but relieved that he had not abandon them as they long feared. Nate is convinced that the murderer is still in town and sets out to find the guilty person. In the mean time, he romances and protects Meg and her dogs from strange and unexplained happenings.
An excerpt I enjoyed was the description from the plane as they flew over a glacier. Meg tells Nate, “This is an active tidewater glacier and what you are watching is called calving. Some are the size of a house. The sights-jagged boulders of blue ice heaving themselves into the air. The sounds of it, creaks, the thunder and the cannon shots.” I vividly remember that exact same sight as we sailed the blue water and watched the blue-white chunks crack off and tumble into the water. Exciting! Exhilarating!
I highly recommend this book to nature lovers, birders, and all interested in the wonderful state of Alaska. Roberts has done a great job describing all the above in Northern Lights. Now I want to return to Alaska during the winter to experience the Northern Lights for myself. The ideal setting would be New Years Eve, in an outside hot tube listening to classical music while viewing the magnificent lighted sky. The staff at the Coldwater Library and I wish all a Happy New Year 2012.
Skeet
