Regardless of what corner of the political boxing ring you sit in these days, all Americans should be proud to see a woman finally nominated by a major party as their candidate for office of the President of the United States.
Hillary Clinton made history this past week but she is not the first woman to change history. The list of women who have shaped the world we know (in addition to our mothers) is endless. Their stories are made more challenge, complex and interesting by virtue of their gender.
Whether or not you’re “With Her” (Hillary), let’s give her her due for breaking an historic barrier. Then check your local book store or library to find great books about other women who left their mark. You might start with these:
Margaret Mead – Jane Howard Clara Barton: Professional Angel – Elizabeth Brown Pryor Eleanor Roosevelt: Volumes 1 & 2 – Blanche Wiesen Cook Harriet Beecher Stowe: A Life – Joan D. Hedrick Sojourner Truth: A Life, A Symbol – Nell Irvin Painter Personal History – Katharine Graham Mother Jones: The Most Dangerous Woman in America – Elliott J. Gorn Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom – Catherine Clinton Jane Addams: Spirit in Action – Louise W. Knight On a Farther Shore: The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson, Author of Silent Spring – William Souder
It’s never too soon to let our children (boys as well as girls) know about the important contributions made to our world by women. There are plenty of wonderful books for young readers that adults can also learn from. Here are four to get you and your favorite child started:
Remember the Ladies: 100 Great American Women – Cheryl Harness Here Come the Girl Scouts! – Shana Corey Rachel Carson and Her Book that Changed the World – Laurie Lawlor Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project – Jack Mayer
Note to Readers – Every now and then, I will re-post a blog entry that has withstood the test of time. Whether you missed it the first time ‘round or read it years ago, I feel it’s worth sharing again. Recently, I was aghast to see a room designed with a bookcase full of books placed backwards, spines hidden, to match the room’s white/beige color theme. As the Rev. Sidney Smith (1771-1845) said, “No furniture is so charming as books.” Clearly the designer of the white/beige room isn’t a booklover. But you are. Here’s what I wrote about the most important part of a book’s cover on July 27, 2014.
In a recent gathering of writers, the discussion turned to book cover design and, more specifically, book spine design. Even more specifically, how often book sales are lost because authors and publishers overlook this crucial part of a book.
As important as a book’s cover is, it’s usually the book’s spine that first greets us on the shelves of stores and libraries. It’s one thing if we’re looking for a particular title or author, another if we’re browsing. Truth is we’re browsing even when we’re looking for a particular title or author. This is why book spine design deserves at least as much attention from authors and publishers as they give to cover design.
Since shelved books usually stand vertically, the ideal direction for type on the spine is horizontal to make words appear as we normally view them. But this is problematic if the book is not fat or the words are long. Most books cannot support this design. Instead, letters are usually turned at right angles to the viewer’s eye, running along the vertical spine. Because this is not the normal way we view writing, it has to be even clearer than it would otherwise have to be.
In North America, the normal direction of words on book spines is from top to bottom; in Europe, it’s usually bottom to top. This is because in North America, books are stacked face up, while in Europe, they’re stacked face down, with no front covers visible at all. The result is that readers browsing the shelves in a European bookstore tilt their necks to the left, while those in North America tilt theirs to the right.
With spine design, simple sells. This may be one reason modern books titles are often only one or two words; a design choice as much as a literary one. Capital letters, having no ascenders or descenders, present more cleanly than lower case letters. Bold fonts work better than delicate ones. Colors need to contrast but not compete. The spine must attract attention, convey information and please the eye; a huge job for a relatively small plot of real estate on a book.
Next time you’re browsing bookshelves – in a store, a library or your own home – see which books attract your attention. Then consider the designs of the spines. You’ll notice trends that succeed but also be surprised when a rule-breaking design works.
Like people’s spines, book spines should be accorded the care and respect they deserve because their job is critical to everything that resides within the body.
BOOKS ‘n’ BOTTLES™ is proud to feature an Elle Magazine Readers’ Choice winner at our July events. Come sip excellent wines as you get to know author Mitchell Bornstein and learn about his inspirational true book, Last Chance Mustang. Join us from 6-8 p.m. on Monday, July 25th at TASTE Food & Wine in Chicago or on Tuesday, July 26th at Sunset Foods in Northbrook. Wine, books and the popular Bonus Buy packages are available for sale at these free events.
Note to Readers – Every now and then, I will re-post a blog entry that has withstood the test of time. Whether you missed it the first time ‘round or read it years ago, I feel it’s worth sharing again. This month’sBOOKS ‘n’ BOTTLES™book, Last Chance Mustang by Mitchell Bornstein, is the inspired and inspirational true story about the unique bond forged between a man and a spirited wild mustang with an ugly, abusive past. This blog post honors the bonds between celebrated authors and their animal muses. Here’s what I wrote about those relationships on April 14, 2013.
My daughter, Kenna, suggested I write about writers’ pets. The menagerie in our home includes a calico cat named Katje, a dwarf hotot rabbit named Oliver and a betta fish named Tidus. Past residents included Arrow (English Pointer), Dusty (mini-lop), guinea pigs Mücki and Rosette, and a goldfish named Sunset. All have been amusing, but only one has been a muse for me, resulting in my prose poem, Katje Must Be Fed. My niece, Leisa, also has a variety of pets but it was her first pug that inspired her to write the children’s picture book, Pugsley’s Imagination.
Dogs have been favored by the likes of Steinbeck, Cheever, Doctorow, Vonnegut, Sendak, Wharton, Dorothy Parker, Stephen King, Virginia Wolf and Robert Penn Warren (who saluted Tolkien by naming his dog Frodo). Cats were companions to such literary luminaries as Twain, Dumas, Beckett, Huxley, Kerouac, Collette, Eliot, Plath, Sartre (his cat was Nothing) and Raymond Chandler (whose Persian purred while perched on his manuscripts as Chandler edited). Polar opposites Hemmingway and Capote owned both cats and dogs (the progeny of Hemingway’s famous six-toed cats still roam the Hemingway House & Museum in Key West, FL).
As far as I can tell, authors choose cats more often than dogs to share their lives. This may not be a matter of personalities (authors’ or species’) as much as it is a result of lifestyle. An author living in the countryside might like to take thoughtful walks with a canine companion while a city-dwelling author might view dog walking as stealing writing time. Cats tend to be more independent — or less needy — than dogs, depending on how you feel about felines vs. canines.
Then again, look at which authors have chosen dogs and which have chosen cats. Do you see any trends? And what can we imagine about writers with more “exotic” tastes in pets? Those would include some obvious ones such as Beatrix Potter (rabbit) and Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (raccoon). But how do you explain Flannery O’Connor (peacocks) or Lord Byron (peacocks, crocodile, crow, heron, fox and bear — oh my!)?
BOOKS ‘n’ BOTTLES™ is proud to feature an Elle Magazine Readers’ Choice winner at our July events. Come sip excellent wines as you get to know author Mitchell Bornstein and learn about his inspirational true book, Last Chance Mustang. Join us from 6-8 p.m. on Monday, July 25th at TASTE Food & Wine in Chicago or on Tuesday, July 26th at Sunset Foods in Northbrook. Wine, books and the popular Bonus Buy packages are available for sale at these free events.
With 24/7 news reports screaming violence and tragedies and Facebook friends spewing hurt, angry invective from every viewpoint, it feels like our world is suffering from PTSD.
Post-traumatic stress disorder is defined by the National Institute for Mental Health as, “… a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event.” The explanation goes on to explain, “It is natural to feel afraid during and after a traumatic situation. Fear triggers many split-second changes in the body to help defend against danger or to avoid it. This ‘fight-or-flight’ response is a typical reaction meant to protect a person from harm. Nearly everyone will experience a range of reactions after trauma, yet most people recover from initial symptoms naturally. Those who continue to experience problems may be diagnosed with PTSD. People who have PTSD may feel stressed or frightened even when they are not in danger.”
PTSD is like a black hole, a place in space where gravity pulls so much that even light cannot get out. This can happen when a star is dying. Because no light can get out, people can’t see black holes. They are invisible.
In dark, desperate times like these, we seek answers. We seek solace. We seek hope. Can anything be done to heal our wounded world? Is there a way to overcome the barriers we’ve built as emotional protection from past wounds, real or imagined, at the expense of peace, contentment and happiness?
This year, I found inspiration in the moving true story about a remarkable horse named Samson. Part history lesson, part training manual, and part animal narrative, Last Chance Mustang by Mitchell Bornstein tells the entwined story of America’s once great, now forgotten wild herds and one mustang’s efforts to forgive and forget his abusive, dark past.
Mitch had twenty years of experience fixing unfixable horses. His task was to tame Samson, the violent beast whose best defense had become offense. Samson would be Mitch’s greatest challenge. Through the pair’s many struggles and countless battles, Samson would teach Mitch about the true power of hope, friendship, redemption and the inspiring mettle of the forever wild and free American mustang.
What struck me about this book, beyond Mitch’s compelling storytelling and my love of animals, was how Samson represented all deeply wounded sentient creatures – including humans – and how Mitch’s approach to helping Samson could be — should be — applied to other fractured souls.
I’m pleased and proud that Last Chance Mustang will be the featured book with an author appearance at this month’s BOOKS ‘n’ BOTTLES™. The free wine tastings and book signings will be Monday, July 25th from 6-8 p.m. at TASTE Food & Wine in Chicago and on Tuesday, July 26th from 6-8 p.m. at Sunset Foods in Northbrook, IL. Details can be found on the Book●ed website.
If you’re wondering “Do books really have the power to heal?” check out Katie Engelhart’s thought-provoking article in the September 2013 Maclean’s magazine.
Recommended literature (three novels and two memoirs) with insights about understanding and coping in the real world: The Giver – Lois Lowry One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcí¬a Márquez Narcissus and Goldmund – Hermann Hesse Tuesdays with Morrie – Mitch Albom Last Chance Mustang – Mitchell Bornstein
The Chicago Writers Conference, a non-profit organization, is accepting registration for its three-day conference, September 23rd-25th. Conference Chicago at University Center includes workshops, panels and guest speakers.
You’re going to the community pancake breakfast, you’re going to watch the patriotic parade, you’ll fire up the backyard barbecue or lounge on the beach and you’ll round out the evening by watching fireworks. Great ways to celebrate Independence Day with family and friends. But what’s this holiday really about, and why does it especially matter in this all-important election year?
Lest we forget or take for granted how we obtained the democracy we enjoy (or want to enhance) in the U.S., there are many books – fiction as well as non-fiction, written then or now – that can remind, inform, enlighten or inspire us. Some of the best include:
Non-Fiction (Written Then) Common Sense – Thomas Paine The Federalist Papers – Alexander Hamilton Autobiography – Benjamin Franklin Democracy in America – Alexis de Tocqueville
Non-Fiction (Modern) 1776 – David McCullough Washington’s Crossing – David Hackett Fischer John Adams – David McCullough Alexander Hamilton – Ron Chernow Founding Brothers – Joseph J. Ellis Paul Revere’s Ride – David Hackett Fischer
Fiction Burr – Gore Vidal Rise to Rebellion – Jeff Shaara Arundel – Kenneth Roberts
For Young Readers Johnny Tremain – Esther Forbes Sophia’s War – Avi My Brother Sam Is Dead – James Lincoln Collier
The Midwest Writers Workshop at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, will be held July 21-23. It provides writers more than 45 tutorials to hone their craft, whether it’s writing poetry, penning dialogue or mastering the art of social media writing.
