Photo Credit: theihs.org
Still looking for books to enjoy while relaxing at the beach, by the pool, in a hammock, or in your favorite chair? Here are a few more personal book recommendations from members of the Nyack Library staff. This week’s picks by Rosemary Farrell, Reference Librarian are God on the Rocks by Jane Gardam and Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Day of the War on Drugs by Johann Hari.
In God on the Rocks, the realities of life and the sexual ritual dance of the adult world creep into the life of young Margaret Marsh. Her father, preaching the doctrine of the unsavoury Primal Saints; her mother, bitterly nostalgic for what might have been; Charles and Binkie, anchored in the past and a game of words; dying Mrs Frayling and Lydia the maid, given to the vulgar enjoyment of life; all contribute to Margaret’s shattering moment of truth. And when the storm breaks, it is not only God who is on the rocks as the summer hurtles towards drama, tragedy, and a touch of farce.
Here’s the week at a glance
at the Nyack Library.
Monday
FREE Assistance with NYS Health Insurance Programs, 5p
Tuesday
- Minecraft Challenge on the PS4, 2p
- Guiding Eyes for the Blind, Registration required, 5p
Wednesday
- Bam, Bam Babies!, 10:30a
- The Hunting Ground – Nyack Library/Rivertown Film Event, Registration required, 7p
Thursday
- Nonfiction Book Club, 2p
- Computer Programming with “SCRATCH”, Registration required, 4p
- Couponing 101 with Tracie McLee, Registration required, 7p
Friday
- Tiny Titans, 11a
- Teen Choice Movie, 3:30p
Saturday
Book Buddies, 10a
Sunday
Teen Power Hour, Registration required, 2p
In Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Day of the War on Drugs, it is now one hundred years since drugs were first banned in the United States. On the eve of this centenary, journalist Johann Hari set off on an epic three-year, thirty-thousand-mile journey into the war on drugs. What he found is that more and more people all over the world have begun to recognize three startling truths: Drugs are not what we think they are. Addiction is not what we think it is. And the drug war has very different motives to the ones we have seen on our TV screens for so long.
In Chasing the Scream, Hari reveals his discoveries entirely through the stories of people across the world whose lives have been transformed by this war. They range from a transsexual crack dealer in Brooklyn searching for her mother, to a teenage hit-man in Mexico searching for a way out. It begins with Hari’s discovery that at the birth of the drug war, Billie Holiday was stalked and killed by the man who launched this crusade–and it ends with the story of a brave doctor who has led his country to decriminalize every drug, from cannabis to crack, with remarkable results.
Chasing the Scream lays bare what we really have been chasing in our century of drug war–in our hunger for drugs, and in our attempt to destroy them. This book will challenge and change how you think about one of the most controversial–and consequential–questions of our time.
Couponing 101 with Tracie McLee, Thurs at 7p
Learn the tricks of massive savings by becoming a couponer. Tracie McLee will take you through the basics of collecting, collating, and storing your coupons to get you the best deals around town. Registration is required.
Have a question or a fun fact you want to know? We’re looking for suggestions for our weekly Did You Know fact. Write to info@NyackNewsAndViews with your suggestions.
Did You Know comes to you each Monday on NyackNewAndViews, sponsored by the Nyack Library.
