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Saturday Features From the OCPL - April 30, 2022

Posted 04/30/22

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Title: Memphis: A Novel

Author(s): Tara M. Stringfellow

Summary: A spellbinding debut novel tracing three generations of a Southern Black family and one daughter's discovery that she has the power to change her family's legacy. 

"I fell in love with this family, from Joan's fierce heart to her grandmother Hazel's determined resilience. Tara Stringfellow will be an author to watch for years to come."--Jacqueline Woodson, New York Times bestselling author of Red at the Bone 

ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2022--Oprah Daily, Essence, Glamour, Business Insider, Marie Claire, The Millions, She Reads, Book Riot, Bad Form

Summer 1995: Ten-year-old Joan, her mother, and her younger sister flee her father's explosive temper and seek refuge at her mother's ancestral home in Memphis. This is not the first time violence has altered the course of the family's trajectory. Half a century earlier, Joan's grandfather built this majestic house in the historic Black neighborhood of Douglass--only to be lynched days after becoming the first Black detective in the city. Joan tries to settle into her new life, but family secrets cast a longer shadow than any of them expected.  

As she grows up, Joan finds relief in her artwork, painting portraits of the community in Memphis. One of her subjects is their enigmatic neighbor Miss Dawn, who claims to know something about curses, and whose stories about the past help Joan see how her passion, imagination, and relentless hope are, in fact, the continuation of a long matrilineal tradition. Joan begins to understand that her mother, her mother's mother, and the mothers before them persevered, made impossible choices, and put their dreams on hold so that her life would not have to be defined by loss and anger--that the sole instrument she needs for healing is her paintbrush.  

Unfolding over seventy years through a chorus of unforgettable voices that move back and forth in time, Memphis paints an indelible portrait of inheritance, celebrating the full complexity of what we pass down, in a family and as a country: brutality and justice, faith and forgiveness, sacrifice and love.

Publication Information: New York : The Dial Press, 2022

CLICK HERE TO PLACE A HOLD ON Memphis: A Novel AT THE OCPL

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE E-AUDIOBOOK OF Memphis: A Novel ON WV DELI ONLINE

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Title: The Woman Who Split The Atom

Author(s): Marissa Moss

Summary: Bestselling author-illustrator Marissa Moss tells the gripping story of Lise Meitner, the physicist who discovered nuclear fissionAs a female Jewish physicist in Berlin during the early 20th century, Lise Meitner had to fight for an education, a job, and equal treatment in her field, like having her name listed on her own research papers.

Meitner made groundbreaking strides in the study of radiation, but when Hitler came to power in Germany, she suddenly had to face not only sexism, but also life-threatening anti-Semitism as well. Nevertheless, she persevered and one day made a discovery that rocked the world: the splitting of the atom. While her male lab partner was awarded a Nobel Prize for the achievement, the committee refused to give her any credit.  

Suddenly, the race to build the atomic bomb was on--although Meitner was horrified to be associated with such a weapon. "A physicist who never lost her humanity," Meitner wanted only to figure out how the world works, and advocated for pacifism while others called for war.  

The book includes an afterword, author's note, timeline, select terms of physics, glossary of scientists mentioned, endnotes, select bibliography, index, and Marissa Moss's celebrated drawings throughout. The Woman Who Split the Atom is a fascinating look at Meitner's fierce passion, integrity, and her lifelong struggle to have her contributions to physics recognized.

Publication Information: New York : Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2022.

CLICK HERE TO PLACE A HOLD ON The Woman Who Split The Atom AT THE OCPL

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE E-BOOK OF The Woman Who Split The Atom ON HOOPLA

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Title: THE KAIJU PRESERVATION SOCIETY

Author(s): John Scalzi

Summary: "The Kaiju Preservation Society is John Scalzi's first standalone adventure since the conclusion of his New York Times bestselling Interdependency trilogy. When COVID-19 sweeps through New York City, Jamie Gray is stuck as a dead-end driver for food delivery apps. That is, until Jamie makes a delivery to an old acquaintance, Tom, who works at what he calls "an animal rights organization." Tom's team needs a last-minute grunt to handle things on their next field visit. Jamie, eager to do anything, immediately signs on. What Tom doesn't tell Jamie is that the animals his team cares for are not here on Earth. Not our Earth, at at least. In an alternate dimension, massive dinosaur-like creatures named Kaiju roam a warm and human-free world. They're the universe's largest and most dangerous panda and they're in trouble. It's not just the Kaiju Preservation Society whose found their way to the alternate world. Others have, too. And their carelessness could cause millions back on our Earth to die"-- Provided by publisher.

Publication Information: New York : Tor, 2022.

CLICK HERE TO PLACE A HOLD ON The Kaiju Preservation Society AT THE OCPL

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE E-AUDIOBOOK OF The Kaiju Preservation Society ON WV DELI ONLINE

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Title: Atlas of the Heart

Author(s): Brené Brown

Summary: #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - In her latest book, Brené Brown writes, "If we want to find the way back to ourselves and one another, we need language and the grounded confidence to both tell our stories and be stewards of the stories that we hear. This is the framework for meaningful connection." 

Don't miss the five-part HBO Max docuseries Brené Brown: Atlas of the Heart! 

In Atlas of the Heart, Brown takes us on a journey through eighty-seven of the emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human. As she maps the necessary skills and an actionable framework for meaningful connection, she gives us the language and tools to access a universe of new choices and second chances--a universe where we can share and steward the stories of our bravest and most heartbreaking moments with one another in a way that builds connection.  

Over the past two decades, Brown's extensive research into the experiences that make us who we are has shaped the cultural conversation and helped define what it means to be courageous with our lives. Atlas of the Heart draws on this research, as well as on Brown's singular skills as a storyteller, to show us how accurately naming an experience doesn't give the experience more power--it gives us the power of understanding, meaning, and choice.  

Brown shares, "I want this book to be an atlas for all of us, because I believe that, with an adventurous heart and the right maps, we can travel anywhere and never fear losing ourselves."

Publication Information: New York : Random House, 2021.

CLICK HERE TO PLACE A HOLD ON ATLAS OF THE HEART AT THE OCPL

CLICK HERE TO PLACE A HOLD ON ATLAS OF THE HEART LARGE TYPE AT THE OCPL

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE E-BOOK OF ATLAS OF THE HEART ON WV DELI ONLINE

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE E-AUDIOBOOK OF ATLAS OF THE HEART ON WV DELI ONLINE

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OCPL Online: 

You do not have to be at the library to enjoy the OCPL services! You can enjoy the services of the library from the comfort of your own home. Access is always available to many library services remotely. With an internet connection, you can enjoy online services from anywhere. There are plenty of ways to enjoy your library card while at home or on the go.
➤ Visit OCPL@Home to get started. 

Browse and borrow downloadable books, audiobooks, and videos from the West Virginia Downloadable Entertainment Library Initiative (WVDeli - wvdeli.overdrive.com) and Hoopla (hoopladigital.com).

All it takes to log in is your library card number and PIN and with an internet connection, you are ready to start downloading or streaming to your tablet, smartphone, anytime, anywhere. 

Download e-books, audiobooks, graphic e-novels, music, and more through WVDeli or Hoopla.