TCCL News & Events

A cozy book review is just what you need to ease into a leisurely fall afternoon. Enjoy enlightening reviews each Monday, 12:10-12:50 p.m. in Central Library’s Aaronson Auditorium, Fourth Street and Denver Avenue, during the review series, “Books Sandwiched In.”

The series begins with “The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court” by Jeffrey Toobin. Dr. Robert Spoo, professor of constitutional law at the University of Tulsa, weighs in with a look at the politics and personalities behind the men and women who adjudicate our most-compelling issues.

All Tulsa City-County Libraries are closed for Columbus Day, Oct. 12.

Oct. 19 features “Roman Jasinski: A Gypsy Prince From the Ballet Russe” by Cheryl Forrest and Georgia Snoke. Cheryl Forrest, author, and former dancer and past president of Tulsa Ballet, shares the Horatio Alger-like triumph of Roman Jasinski, founder of Tulsa Ballet. The book holds many stories and intimate glimpses into the flawed-but-fabulous people behind ballet’s glamorous façade.

James L. Swanson’s “Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer” is the feature Oct. 26. Reviewer Marilyn Newkirk, Friends of the Tulsa City-County Libraries board member, shares the wild ride assassin John Wilkes Booth led authorities on as he fled through the streets of Washington, D.C., across the swamps of Maryland and into the forests of Virginia.

Local author Connie Cronley reviews Jim Fergus’ “One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd” Nov. 2. In this fictional tale, May Dodd and a colorful assembly of pioneer women who, under the auspices of the U.S. government, travel to the western prairies in 1875 to intermarry among the Cheyenne Indians.

Nov. 9 features “Freedom for the Thought That We Hate: A Biography of the First Amendment” by Anthony Lewis. William C. Kellough, district judge, 14th Judicial District, State of Oklahoma, reviews the story of how free expression has evolved along with our nation.

“The Outliers: The Story of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell is reviewed by George Odell, professor of anthropology at the University of Tulsa, Nov. 16. This story digs deep to uncover the secrets of software billionaires, great soccer players, why Asians are good at math and what made the Beatles the greatest rock band.

Nov. 23 features Ted Vestal, professor of political science emeritus of Oklahoma State University, reviewing Jon Meacham’s “American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House.” An orphan who fought his way to the pinnacle of power, Jackson’s election in 1828 ushered in a new era in which people, not distant elites, were the guiding force in American politics.

The series concludes Nov. 30 with “A Geraldine Brooks Sampler.” Donna Farrior, Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award Selection Committee member, will introduce the works of Geraldine Brooks, winner of the Tulsa Library Trust’s 2009 Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award. Brooks will receive the award on Dec. 4 at Central Library.

The series is sponsored by the Friends of the Tulsa City-County Libraries. Coffee and sandwiched are available for purchase at the event.

For more information on Books Sandwiched In or other library programming, call the AskUs Hotline, 596-7977, or visit the library’s Web site, www.tulsalibrary.org.

Hearing a colorful book review is often the impetus one needs to open the door to a world of knowledge.

“Books Sandwiched In” features book reviews during the fall on Mondays in Central Library’s Aaronson Auditorium, Fourth Street and Denver Avenue, 12:10 to 12:50 p.m. Coffee and sandwiches are available for purchase or you may bring your lunch. The Friends of the Tulsa City-County Libraries sponsors the series.

The series begins Monday with “China Road: A Journey Into the Future of a Rising Power” by Rob Gifford. Jessica Stowell, associate director, Confucius Institute at University of Oklahoma, and director, Oklahoma Institute for Teaching East Asia, will review this detailed look at China’s varied population. National Public Radio China correspondent Gifford journeyed for six weeks on China’s mother road, Route 312, from its beginning in Shanghai for nearly 3,000 miles.

James Watts, Tulsa World Scene writer, will review Tracy Letts’ “August: Osage County” Oct. 20. This bracing, critically acclaimed play is a portrait of the dysfunctional American family at its finest and absolute worst on their Oklahoma homestead.

Oct. 27 features “The Uncommon Reader: A Novella” by Alan Bennett, reviewed by Connie Cronley, freelance writer and public radio commentator. After discovering the joy of reading, Queen Elizabeth II finds her view of the world changing with the turn of every new page. She comes to question her monarchy which leads to funny consequences for the country at large.

William C. Kellough, district judge, 14th Judicial District, State of Oklahoma, reviews “Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation” by Joseph Ellis and “A Letter to America” by David Boren, Nov. 3. Ellis focuses on six crucial moments in the life of the new nation, while Boren’s book, which addresses why the U.S. is at a crossroads, will be woven into this historical story of our nation.

“Home: A Memoir of My Early Years” by Julie Andrews is the featured book for Nov. 10. Glenda Kilmer, branch manager, Herman and Kate Kaiser Library, reviews this story that takes readers on a warm, moving and often humorous journey from Andrews’ difficult upbringing in war-torn Britain to the brink of international stardom in America.

Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art curator Karen York will review “People of the Book: A Novel” by Geraldine Brooks, Nov. 17. One of the earliest Jewish religious volumes to be illuminated with images, the Sarajevo Haggadah survived centuries of purges and wars thanks to people of all faiths who risked their lives to safeguard it.

Mary Collins, former executive director, Tulsa Zoo Friends, reviews “When a Crocodile Eats the Sun: A Memoir of Africa” by Peter Godwin, Nov. 24. Godwin, the author of a previous memoir about growing up during Zimbabwe’s war of independence, has written a sequel of sorts, tracing the collapse of his country in the course of the past decade in tandem with the decline of his father.

The series concludes Dec. 1 with “A Michael Chabon Sampler.” Mary Wheeler Brown, chair, Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Selection Committee, introduces the works of Chabon, winner of the Tulsa Library Trust’s 2008 Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award. Chabon will receive the award on Dec. 5 at a black-tie dinner and will give a free public presentation on Dec. 6 at Central Library.

For more information on library programming, call the AskUs Hotline, 596-7977, or visit the library’s Web site, www.tulsalibrary.org.