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So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed

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So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed
Format: Book, eBook, Audiobook
Who it’s for: Adults

We’ve all fallen victim to it. That satisfying feeling when someone is wrong on the internet. You instigate or participate in a “pile on,” posting your criticism on your choice of platform. And you totally forget: There’s a person on the other end. A human being, like you, who makes mistakes, like you.

Jon Ronson investigates this phenomenon in his book So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed. He speaks to people whose reputations have been ruined by public shaming. People who innocently tweeted a joke, or had a secret uncovered, or posted a photo meant for just their friends to see, that spiraled completely out of control, turning their lives upside down. Even if they sincerely apologize, even if they genuinely change their minds/ways, they become known for that one mistake, and not for the multi-faceted individual they are.

Of course public shaming is not a new concept, but it’s gotten significantly easier, and potentially more dangerous, in our current era of social media and the 24-hour news cycle. Anyone can be held accountable for satire they published years ago. Anyone can have a quote taken out of context that disrupts their career and endangers their livelihood. Anyone can devote their life to doing good works and be “cancelled” in the blink of an eye. The court of public opinion never seems to close, or overturn their rulings.

We generally extol virtues like “love your neighbor” and even “love your enemy” but when we engage in public shaming we ignore and even betray these ideals. Why are so quick to hold a grudge, and so slow to hold a conversation with people we presume to disagree with? If you take the opportunity to get to know that person, you are likely to find common ground. If you allow that person to learn from their transgressions and move on, instead of constantly reminding them of what they did wrong, they may grow and find redemption.

In this book, Ronson charges us to examine our impulse to “call out” people, and to think about the harm it causes by inhibiting civility and advancing cruelty. Find it in our catalog

The Institute

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The Institute by Stephen King
Format:  Audio Book on CD
Who it’s for:  Adults

Stephen King fans will be happy to hear he has a new audio book for your listening pleasures!

The story opens with Tim Jamieson surrendering his seat on the Delta flight from Tampa to New York for a refund and a hefty sum of money, so a federal officer could make the flight.  We follow Tim on his slow journey north, at least as far as South Carolina where he takes a job in the small police department as a Night Knocker.

The story then jumps to the outrageous kidnapping of Luke Ellis, a very intelligent 12-year-old boy, and the murder of his parents in their room down the hall.  Luke is loaded into the back of an SUV and eventually wakes up thinking he is still in his bedroom, except there isn’t a window.  He finds several other kids, each of whom have some very special talents.  Some with telekinesis and others with telepathy.  Luke learns the ropes from these other kids who got there in the same manner he did.  He discovers that you need to “go along to get along”.  If you do, you get tokens that allow you to purchase items from the vending machines.  Such as snacks, drinks, cigarettes, and even some brownies with a special ingredient.  If you don’t go along, you are punished brutally.

You’ll have to listen to find out how the character of Tim Jamieson comes into play with the other characters at “The Institute”.

Find it in the catalog

Queenie

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Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
Format: Book, Audiobook
Who it’s for: Adults

Queenie is the debut novel of Candice Carty-Williams, and it tells the story of 25-year-old Queenie Jenkins, a Jamaican British woman living in London. When we meet Queenie, she is moving out of the apartment that she shares with her boyfriend Tom. The two have agreed to go on a “break” and revisit their relationship in three months. This “break” serves as a catalyst for a series of self-destructive decisions that ultimately leave Queenie plagued by panic attacks and unable to live independently.

Carty-Williams uses Queenie as an opportunity to discuss mental health and as an ode to friendship and strong women, and she does this within the confines of a character that is struggling to find her place as a Black female in a world that does not respect Black bodies. At times, Queenie’s story seems mundane. But, there is a turning point, when the reader starts to observe that many of Queenie’s problems stem from childhood trauma. Thru Queenie, Carty-Williams highlights the PTSD that many underprivileged children experience and the way that PTSD is often mistaken for “bad” behavior.

With a supporting cast of characters that add humor and ease the weight of the novel, Queenie is worth the read. And, Carty-Williams has established herself as an author to watch. That being said, prospective readers should be advised that the novel contains some mature content, and it is recommended for adults only. Find it in the catalog.

Ink

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Ink by Alice Broadway
Format: Book, Audiobook
Who it’s for: Teens, Adults

Imagine a world where your life story is tattooed on your skin. Leora lives in such a world. In Saintstone, where she lives, all the citizens mark their bodies with their accomplishments. They are marked even at young age. Your name, your occupation, your family tree, your medical history, any great achievement you’ve earned, any crimes you’ve committed, all in ink for the world to see. No one in Saintstone has secrets. Or so Leora thinks. When her father dies, his skin is flayed and turned into a book, as is tradition. His book will be “read” at a “weighing of the soul” ceremony, where it will be determined whether he has lived a life worth remembering, and his book will be returned to his family, to be kept on a shelf with the rest of their ancestors, or he will be forgotten, and his book will be burned. Leora is confident her father was a good man, but there’s a terrible rumor going around that his book has been edited, and that he, and whoever altered his life story, committed a horrible crime, possibly colluding with the “blanks”—people outside of Saintstone who do not tattoo their bodies, who’s life stories are hidden from view. Ink by Alice Broadway, and its sequels Spark and Scar, are original and intriguing stories about family, friendship, rebellion, and redemption. Find Ink in our catalog.

What the Eyes Don’t See A Story of Crisis, Resistance and Hope in an American City

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What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance and Hope in an American City
By Mona Hanna-Attisha
Who it’s for:  Adults

In 2014, the water source for residents living in the city of Flint, Michigan was switched from Lake Huron and the Detroit River to the Flint River, which was considered less costly.  Residents were immediately concerned that the water smelled and tasted bad, and looked dirty, but public officials continued to say that the water was fine.  In August of 2015, Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a pediatrician and professor at Hurley Medical Center in Flint was informed by a friend that the residents’ concerns were well founded.  Not only was the water dirty, it also contained very high levels of lead.  Concerned about her young Flint patients, Dr.  Mona (as she likes to be called) immediately sought out test data which would reveal whether high levels of lead were actually present in the blood tests of these children.

In What the Eyes Don’t See, Dr. Mona gives her own account of the crisis.  Armed with data that confirmed high levels of lead were present in the blood of Flint children, Dr. Mona stopped at nothing to get local government to switch the water source and save Flint’s children from the devastating, life-long effects of lead poisoning.  She shares stories of her heritage, her belief in activism, her work at Hurley Medical Center, and the small team of supporters who helped her initiate this change.       Find it in our catalog.

What the Eyes Don’t See has been chosen as the 2019 One Maryland One Book.  Take some time to read this gripping story as it is shared through discussion and programming throughout the state of Maryland this fall.  Register to join us at the Leonardtown Library for the Director’s Book Club on Wednesday, October 16, 2019 at 12:15 p.m..  St. Mary’s County Library Director, Michael Blackwell, will host a book discussion of this book.

The Bitterroots

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The Bitterroots by C.J. Box
Read by Christina Delaine
Published: August 13, 2019
Audiobook
Adult

 

This is the 4th in the “Cassie Dewell” book series by C.J. Box.  The first three “The Highway”, “Badlands” and “Paradise Valley” proved to be exciting and suspenseful reads.

In this new book, expected out on August 13th, we find former sheriff’s investigator Cassie Dewell trying to start over with her own private investigation firm.  Even though she isn’t happy about the idea, she has agreed to help an old friend, who is a defense attorney, and who is calling in a favor.  She wants Cassie to help her exonerate a man from an influential family, who is accused of assaulting his 15 year old niece.  Out by the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana, twisted family loyalty runs as deep as the ties to the land, and there’s always something more to the story.

Even though it is 4th book in the series, it appears that it is not necessary to have read the previous titles.

I can’t wait to see how C. J. Box spins this one!  Sounds like there will be some suspenseful twists to try and figure out!

Find it in the catalog