Say Thank You!

     My dad served in the Army Air Corps during World War II.  He served along with his two brothers; one an Army grunt and the other a paratrooper.  His brother Ed, who jumped out of planes over France, didn't come home.  Dad was stationed in Italy and North Africa.  He flew 100 bombing missions over Europe and survived several close calls.  He learned that he didn't like to fly and that peanut butter sandwiches freeze at high elevations.  After the war he never flew again, much to my mother's dismay and he never ate peanut butter. 
     My dad hardly ever talked about the war.  He treated his experience as something he had to do--no special praise expected.  All he wanted to do was finish his missions and get home to his sweetheart, my mom, and start his life.  That was a great generation.  But thinking now of Veteran's Day, I realize that I never said thank you.  I never said how important it was that he and his brothers fought for us. They fought for those of us not even born yet.  So now, I want to say thank you to all our veterans.  They do the hard stuff for all of us.  Thank you for your service.  

     In honor of those veterans, the library will be closed on Monday, November 12th (except for Drexler/Farley being open during the school day until 3:00 p.m. and regular hours at NICC/Peosta because the community college is in session.)  

     The big event next week is the beginning of our "Page to Screen" series.  Our first combination is Philip K. Dick's novella, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" which was made into the film "Blade Runner" starring Harrison Ford.  This is the story outline for this futuristic tale, "By 2021, the World War had killed millions, driving entire species into extinction and sending mankind off-planet. Those who remained coveted any living creature, and for people who couldn't afford one, companies built incredibly realistic robotic horses, birds, cats, and sheep. They even built synthetic humans.  Human who had fled to Mars received androids so sophisticated it was impossible to tell them from true men or women. Fearful of the havoc these artificial humans could wreak, the government banned them from Earth. But when androids didn't want to be identified, they just blended in. Rick Deckard (played by Harrison Ford) is an officially sanctioned bounty hunter whose job was to find rogue androids, and to retire them. But cornered, androids fight back with deadly results."  I loved the book when I read it in college and the film is action-packed with great actors.  On Monday at 12:30 p.m. there will be discussion of the book and on Thursday evening from 6:00-8:00 we will show the film followed by a discussion led by NICC professor, James Maddox.  All the events are at our NICC/Peosta branch and are open to the public.  If you would like to read the book before the film showing, you can borrow a copy at any of our branches. This series is a collaborative efffort between the NICC Library and the Dubuque County Library. Together we received a grant from Humanities Iowa to support the programs.  Other titles in the series are "The Great Gatsby," "True Grit," and "Seabiscuit." 

On Wednesday evening, we will have our GAB (Girls and Books) book discussion beginning at 6:30 p.m. at our NICC/Peosta branch.  Normally we meet on Thursday evenings, but we moved it a day ahead because of the "Blade Runner" showing.  This month our selection is "The Tiger's Wife" by Tea Obreht.  Here is what Amazon says about this award-nominated novel, "In a Balkan country mending from war, Natalia, a young doctor, is compelled to unravel the mysterious circumstances surrounding her beloved grandfather’s recent death. Searching for clues, she turns to his worn copy of The Jungle Book and the stories he told her of his encounters over the years with “the deathless man.” But most extraordinary of all is the story her grandfather never told her—the legend of the tiger’s wife."  I am still reading it but it is a fascinating story.  If you would like to join us for the discussion, pick up a copy of the book at your local branch.

Also this week the Lego programs are continuing on Tuesday evening at NICC/Peosta.  The kids have been having a great time building new creations.  Preschool and family storytimes continue at regular branch locations and times.  Check our website for details.

There is plenty to do this next week at the Library.  Come join us.  Have a great weekend and don't forget to say thank you to the service men and women in your life.