Objects

The Smithsonian’s History of America in 101 Objects by Richard Kurin is not a picture book but an actual story telling.  Kurin selected a variety of artifacts to be included in this book and you will be delighted not only by the object selected but by the backstories associated with each choice. By reading about everything from arrowheads to the space shuttle you will learn about important landmarks in American history.  Be sure to read about the Hope Diamond – fascinating not only for its story but for its method of delivery to the Smithsonian.  This book shows you the process of who decides what is to become an historic artifact; how and why the decision is made and how items are collected.  Makes you wonder how Julia Child’s kitchen made it into the Smithsonian, doesn’t it?  You'll have to check this book out if you really want to know!  SG

Ten Dollars, Six States, Thirty Days

Steve Boggan is a man with a plan. He decides to follow the travels of a ten dollar bill around America for a month. He starts in the middle of the contiguous 48 states, Lebanon, Kansas. He makes arrangements to stay with Kay and Rick Chapin who run a hunting lodge. He plans to spend the bill, which he has marked for identification, and then ask the person who receives it next if he can follow them and chronicle the journey. He meets everyday people with extraordinary tales. Follow the Money: A Month in the Life of a Ten-Dollar Bill is an enjoyable portrait of America. DB

Living History

Join former war correspondent and author Tony Horwitz as he investigates the sometimes curious mark The Civil War has left on the United States in Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War.  From experiencing "period rushes" with hardcore reenactors to puzzling out the differing interpretations of the Confederate flag on either side of the Mason-Dixon, Horwitz explores how attitudes and grudges born in America's bloodiest conflict are still shaping the country's social and cultural fabric today.

Interested in seeing a Civil War reenactment this summer? Check out http://www.michigan.org for events within Michigan.  HM

Night of the Unread

If you've been in the library recently, you may have seen our display of books that have not checked out in awhile. Maybe they lived on a bottom shelf, maybe they had an ugly cover -- whatever the reason, these are truly hidden gems that have been looked over in the past. For example, as soon as you see Mason & Dixon by Thomas Pynchon, it's pretty easy to guess why it's been ignored; at a daunting 773 pages, it's a major undertaking. But that doesn't mean that it's not worth it. Following the fictionalized adventures of Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon (as in the Mason-Dixon Line), Pynchon takes readers on a whirlwind tour "featuring Native Americans and frontier folk, ripped bodices, naval warfare, conspiracies erotic and political, and major caffeine abuse " (from the inside flap). If that doesn't sound worth the 773 pages, I don't know what does. HM

America's Gardens

From Jefferson's founding garden, Monticello, to Martha Stewart's Turkey Hill, American gardens have been revealing self-portraits that reflect their owners aspirations and anxieties. In his far-ranging survey, designer and historian Graham unveils the aesthetic, political, psychological, and ethical dimensions of the American garden. This is a world in which hedges, lawns, parks, and cemeteries are revealing displays of national identity, class distinction, and political correctness. Graham is able to gently mock the fashions of history while astutely observing that we are still as vulnerable to gardening fads today. After more than 250 years, the American gardening tradition has bequeathed to us treasured public parks, suburban sprawl, Kentucky bluegrass lawns in the desert, and kitchen gardens at the White House. Graham's history is a fascinating and illuminating tour of this American landscape. Includes extensive notes and bibliography. More than 70 color and b&w illus. Copyright PWxyz, LLC.