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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

Funny, You Don’t Look Autistic

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Funny, You Don’t Look Autistic by Michael McCreary
Format: eBook
Who it’s for: Adults, Teens

Michael McCreary was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at age 5, shortly before being bitten by the performance bug. He landed his first stand-up gig at age 14 and now, at age 22, performs across the US and Canada, using humor to dispel myths about autism. Funny, You Don’t Look Autistic will appeal to readers with ASD, as well as those looking for a better understanding of ASD.

Funny, You Don’t Look Autistic is OverDrive’s latest Big Library Read, running March 23 – April 13. Big Library Read connects readers around the world with the same book at the same time without any waitlists or holds. Borrow Funny, You Don’t Look Autistic and join the online book discussion!

Plus – use #BigLibraryRead on social media from March 23 – April 13 for a chance to win a Samsung Galaxy tablet from OverDrive! | Official Rules

 

From Twinkle, With Love

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Recommended Book
From Twinkle, With Love by  Sandhya Menon
Publication Date: May 22, 2018
Format: Book or ebook
Who it’s for: Teens

“In this delightful romantic comedy from the New York Times bestselling author of When Dimple Met Rishi, told through the letters Twinkle writes to her favorite female filmmakers, From Twinkle, with Love navigates big truths about friendship, family, and the unexpected places love can find you.

Aspiring filmmaker and wallflower Twinkle Mehra has stories she wants to tell and universes she wants to explore, if only the world would listen. So when fellow film geek Sahil Roy approaches her to direct a movie for the upcoming Summer Festival, Twinkle is all over it. The chance to publicly showcase her voice as a director? Dream come true. The fact that it gets her closer to her longtime crush, Neil Roy-a.k.a. Sahil’s twin brother? Dream come true x 2.

When mystery man N begins emailing her, Twinkle is sure it’s Neil, finally ready to begin their happily-ever-after. The only slightly inconvenient problem is that, in the course of movie-making, she’s fallen madly in love with the irresistibly adorkable Sahil.

Twinkle soon realizes that resistance is futile: The romance she’s got is not the one she’s scripted. But will it be enough?” – Publisher’s blurb

This took a bit for me to get into. It was soooooooo High School. The crush, the BFF drama, the awkwardness, the ‘Woe is me’ angst, etc. So very HS, so stereotypical; it made me cringe, laugh, and smh. I would have stopped reading it by like chapter two, if not for Books for the Beast (a YA reader’s advisory conference in Maryland) and the fact her first book got so much praise. I powered through.

It was very amusing with a couple of lil life lessons to boot. If this was a Disney Channel movie, I could have made it through without cringing so much or smh at the mistakes they made. I still would have lol at the awkward moments. Despite all those things it was a great read.

The Indian culture that was in the book was completely natural and did not feel forced. It was just a part of Twinkle’s life, her story. The gay friends felt forced, like an afterthought. I liked the text messages and emails. They made it feel epistolary. The supposed diary entries where Twinkle is writing to directors never really felt like letters. They did not really feel like a diary entries, either. Only at the beginning of the diary entry and when she closed the “letter” did it ever feel like she was writing a letter to somebody.  It felt more like just a first POV novel.

I was considering reading her debut novel but when I was talking about From Twinkle, With Love with a coworker, she said this plot sounds almost identical to When Dimple Met Rishi. Now if they made movies from her novels on Disney Channel, I would watch them all and enjoy. If I was in middle/high school and liked romance novels, I would read all her novels as well. Def geared for upper middle school and High School girls.

Read a High School Rom-Com starring a cute Indian Girl!

 

The Power of the Dark Crystal

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The Power of the Dark Crystal
Format: eBook, Book
Who it’s for: Teens, Adults

If you’re a fan of the classic Jim Henson film The Dark Crystal and/or the Netflix series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance you will be pleased to know the story of The Dark Crystal does not end (or begin*) there.

The Power of the Dark Crystal graphic novels are a sequel to the film. Jen and Kira have ruled the mystical world of Thra for a great many trine [off and on] but their hard-earned peace lies in jeopardy when the fireling Thurma, arrives from a subterranean world and threatens to crack the Crystal of Truth and release the evil Skeksis upon the land once more. Thurma has only one ally, the gelfling Kensho, who trusts that together they can save both their worlds from destruction. Much like the original film, this series is a story about love, overcoming obstacles, and the importance of environmental stewardship.

If you enjoy The Power of the Dark Crystal, Kensho and Thurma’s saga continues in the graphic novel series Beneath the Dark Crystal.

And if you really can’t get enough of The Dark Crystal you might try J.M. Lee’s YA series of novels about Thra, starting with Shadows of the Dark Crystal, which features several characters from The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance and seems to take place concurrent with the TV show.

*There is also The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths shedding light on how the world of Thra began. Witness the birth of Aughra, and her son Raunip, the arrival of the urSkeks, as well as the Great Division, among other “historical” events.

See everything The Dark Crystal in our catalog.

The Duke and I

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The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
Format: Book and eBook
Who it’s for: Adults

Simon is never getting married. He has simply decided it’s not an option. However, this doesn’t stop all the marriage-minded mamas from trying to snag a duke for their daughters. Daphne would love to get married, but everyone seems to think of her more of a friend and not a potential bride. Daphne and Simon concoct a brilliant plan to help both of them through the marriage season in London. They will pretend to be court. This will help Daphne attract the eye of other eligible men, and Simon can escape the efforts of those marriage-minded mamas. However, neither planned on actually falling in love. Julia Quinn’s first novel in the lovely Bridgertons series, The Duke and I, is a sweet and funny story of two very stubborn people learning just what it means to make a relationship work. Be on the lookout for the Shonda Rhimes’ Netflix series featuring all the Bridgerton siblings, which will be out next year. Find it in the catalog

A Week to Be Wicked

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A Week to Be Wicked by Tessa Dare
Format: Book, eBook, Digital Audiobook
Who it’s for: Adults

Minerva “Min” Highwood has a problem—she needs to be in Scotland posthaste to present her newest fossil discovery at a geological conference, but as an unmarried woman, she can’t make the trip alone. Lord Colin Payne wants to leave the secluded town where they both live, but has no means to do so until he comes into his inheritance on his next birthday. So, what are a scholarly spinster and debonair playboy to do? Why pretend to elope, of course! At the onset of the trip, they both claim no romantic interest in one another whatsoever, but seven long days in extremely close quarters just might change their minds. A Week to Be Wicked is the second installment in Tessa Dare’s “Spindle Cove” series and the rest of the books come just as highly recommended.

Find it in the catalog