DVD Review: Lincoln: His Life and Legacy Volume 1

This is Volume one of a four disc dvd series from the “History Channel.” Many scenes from Lincoln’s life were reenacted at the actual historical settings where the events occurred.  We get a view of the Lincoln rooms at the White House, his Illinois home, the Fords Theatre where he was assassinated, as well as the boarding house where Lincoln lived out his final hours laid diagonally across a bed that was too small to fit his 6 foot 4 inch frame.

The overarching theme however, is a focus on what the interviewed historians refer to as his “depression.”  Numerous Lincoln scholars attempt to relate episodes from his life to his psychological functionality as a person. Throughout his life, he suffered many losses including the death of his mother at age 9, the death of his first love, the deaths of his own sons as well as the deep unending loss he felt throughout the Civil War.  Months after his son Willie died, Lincoln removed the lid of the tomb to gaze at Willie’s face.  One author noted that Lincoln was “made for martyrdom.”  He carried a very heavy heart and extreme anxiety during the Civil War and he himself noted that he was being consumed like a lit torch.  Lincoln wrote occasional poetry which displayed a morbid side. In one he wrote of suicide and of kissing the dagger that kills him as his “last friend.”  

      One author suggested that Lincoln distracted himself from his depression by “functioning brilliantly” rather than being paralyzed by it. One of his coping mechanisms was the use of humor, particularly directed at himself. Referring to his humor he once said “if I didn’t laugh, I would cry.”  A wonderful Lincoln quote that was not included in this dvd needs mentioning. After being called “two-faced,” he responded with “If I had another face, do you think I’d wear this one?” 

      The theme of this program is wrapped up nicely in a couple of quotes from the dvd: “from his suffering he drew compassion; from his weakness he drew strength.”  Also, “his own demons helped to shape a vision for how the world could and should be.” Lincoln was an exceedingly unique and captivating individual. I highly recommend this dvd to anyone wishing to delve into two types of history: 1. History with its dates, its numbers, and its events, and 2. psychological history.

       Sampling of authors interviewed in the creation of this program:

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What new graphic novels for adults have arrived at Dallas Public Library?

Here are a few exciting titles, now available to request and check out from the Fine Arts Division:

HabibiPublishers Weekly Review

Thompson’s (Blankets) first graphic novel in seven years is a lushly epic love story that’s both inspiring and heartbreaking, intertwined with parables from both Islam and Christianity. In addition to richly detailed story panels, the gorgeous Arabic ornamental calligraphy makes each page an individual work of art.

 

A Drunken DreamPublishers Weekly Review

Along with manga giants Keiko Takemiya and Riyoko Ikeda, and other notable female creators known as the Fabulous ’49ers who pioneered the shojo revolution, Hagio forever changed the landscape of comics for girls and started a creative industry for women outside of the domicile. A decade after Sailor Moon, American audiences finally have the chance to read Hagio’s work and see the genesis of a genre in this anthology. A Drunken Dream collects stories by Hagio from her beginning, middle, and current career. The consistency of her work is evidence of why she’s finally being translated into English and why that was long overdue.

RadioactiveDescribed simply, “Radioactive” is an illustrated biography of Marie Curie, the Polish-born French physicist famous for her work on radioactivity — she was the first person to win the Nobel Prize twice — and her equally accomplished husband, Pierre. It lays bare their childhoods, their headlong love story, their scientific collaboration and the way their toxic discoveries, which included radium and polonium, poisoned them in slow motion.

Described less simply, it’s a deeply unusual and forceful thing to have in your hands. Ms. Redniss’s text is long, literate and supple. She catches Marie Curie’s “delicate and grave” manner as a young student, new to Paris; she notes the “luminous goulash” of radium and zinc that one chemist prepares; she observes with pleasure another man’s “thriving mustache.” She has a firm command of, but an easy way with, the written word.

The electricity in “Radioactive,” however, derives from the friction between Ms. Redniss’s text and her ambitious and spooky art. Her text runs across and over these freewheeling pages, the boundaries between word and image constantly blurring. Her drawings are both vivid and ethereal. Her people have elongated faces and pale forms; they’re etiolated Modiglianis. They populate a Paris that’s become a dream city.

– Dwight Garner, The New York Times

Summary

From Sailor Moon to Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, the worlds of Japanese anime and manga teem with prepubescent girls toting deadly weapons. Saito Tamaki offers a sophisticated and convincing interpretation of this alluring and capable figure. For Saito, the beautiful fighting girl is a complex sexual fantasy that paradoxically lends reality to the fictional spaces she inhabits.

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Library Web Wednesday: HeritageQuest

Looking to complete your family tree?  Want to know your ancestors? The HeritageQuest database has the clues.  HeritageQuest is a comprehensive database of American genealogical and historical sources with coverage dating back to the 1700s.  The database offers great primary sources, such as U.S. Federal Censuses, unique Revolutionary War information, and vital African-American records.  HeritageQuest also offers great secondary sources, such as genealogy and local history books, LexisNexis U.S. Serial Set, and the Periodical Source Index, the largest and best periodical index.  The clues are out there; let HeritageQuest help you find them.

In addition, the Genealogy Section at the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library can also help you discover your family history.  The Genealogy Section of the Dallas Public Library contains one of the largest and most comprehensive collections for family history research in the Southwest.  All resources can help you discover the “history of you”!

HeritageQuest, along with many other databases, is accessible to all Dallas Public Library cardholders or at any Dallas Public Library location.  The Genealogy Section is located on the 8th floor of the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library.

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The Dallas Lace Society at Forest Green

The Dallas Lace Society began meeting at Forest Green fifteen years ago when their

Lace Display at Forest Green

Lace Display at Forest Green

original locale, a lace selling business in the shopping center, Olla Podrita, closed. Club members pursue an ancient craft dating back to pre-history, hand making lace from individual threads.  The club has just celebrated its thirtieth year.  Dallas Lace Society has thirty-seven members, half from Dallas, others from Austin, Arkansas, Kansas City, and Massachusetts.  The club is affiliated with the International Old Lacers Society with organizations in Europe, South America, Asia and Australia. In Texas there are seven affiliated clubs, from San Antonio and Houston to Lufkin’s Chat and Tat.  Lace makers worldwide also have a blog, called Arachne, after the Greek word for spider, who is nature’s perfect weaver. All clubs exist for the promotion and study of the art of handmade lace.

Lace Society members work on individual projects at their weekly meetings and welcome anyone who wishes to become a member.  There is a social element to the club; there can be no doubt that the members enjoy their weekly meetings.  They exchange presents at an annual Christmas party.  Of course, each present is some piece of handmade lace.  The club is very visible in Dallas.  Members can be found demonstrating at local venues such as the Renaissance Fair, the quilt shows, El Centro, the Heritage Festival, or Girl Scout meetings. And, they welcome men as members; they have had them before, once even a teenage boy. 

Lace is made by hand many ways.  Various kinds include bobbin lace, tatting, crocheted or knitted lace, hairpin, drawn, tambour, filet, Battenberg or tape lace, and needle lace. The lace patterns come from many places:  friends and other lacers, books, blogs, and the internet.  What would be tedious for many is relaxing for lace makers.  The concentration demanded for lace making takes the mind off anything else. Lace Society members compared it to working a puzzle.  You must enjoy the challenge. One quality required they said was persistence; keep on going until you are finished with the piece.  Since these women are crafters it is not surprising that some also craft other things.  Several were quilters and one built miniatures. 

The Dallas Lace Society has provided many interesting displays for the Forest Green Library cases, and would be willing to do the same for other libraries.  The contact person is Debbie Stone; she may be reached at dlstone@swbell.net .  Also contact her if you are interested in pursuing this ancient craft and becoming a member of the Dallas Lace Society.

Some interesting books about lace making available at the Dallas Public Library are:

             Frances Johnson, Collecting antique linens, lace & needlework
             746.075  J66C 1991.  Available at the Central Library, Fine Arts, 4th floor.

             Annette Feldman, Handmade lace & patterns
             746.2    F312 H 1975.  Available at the Central Library, Fine Arts, 4th floor.

An interesting DVD is available with a small section on lace making.

             On the road with Charles Kuralt.  791.4375  O58 2009. 

Lace making seems to have inspired lots of fiction.  You can read Carolyn Keene’s Nancy Drew and the Secret in the Old Lace or Kinky Friedman’s Armadillos and Old Lace.  And who could forget Texan Mary Karr’s description of her grandmother who made bobbin lace in The Liar’s Club?  It’s a small part of the book but leaves an indelible impression.

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Book Review: Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain by David Eagleman

Incognito

The mind-body problem has been a subject of philosophical conversation since the time of Descartes, but modern neuroscience offers new techniques to bring the topic into the realm of the sciences. David Eagleman’s Incognito (ebook verion) is a lucid, thoughtful examination of the relationship between the biological processes of the brain and the mental processes of the mind. Eagleman deftly challenges some of the more intuitive ways we think about ourselves and our minds, and goes on to explore what a shift in our perception of consciousness might mean for our society, culture and laws.

One of the most common misconceptions about our minds is that the conscious mind is the one in control of our thoughts, perceptions, and actions. Eagleman argues that it is instead the unconscious processes of the brain that exert the most influence and control. The first half of Incognito is an enjoyable exploration of multiple experiments and case studies that demonstrate this theory. From alien hand syndrome and split-brain studies to synaesthesia and Anton’s syndrome, the examples are presented in a fascinating and easy to understand manner. Eagleman also devotes a good amount of time to explaining how our brains work and why they evolved to work that way. Perfect for the lay reader with no background in neuroscience, Eagleman offers clear explanations about sensory perception, neural plasticity, and neural circuitry.

The latter half of the book is dedicated to exploring the implications of the role of biology and subconscious mental processes on behavior. There is already a well-established tradition of excusing poor behavior when there is an obvious biological cause, such as a brain tumor or dementia. However, if the role of the subconscious is a large as it appears, and subconscious processes are not ruled by will and personality but rather by biology, how do we determine personal accountability? Eagleman argues the most productive way to approach criminal responsibility is to avoid blame, and to correct criminal behaviors through cognitive rehabilitation. While these arguments may go too far for some, it is still a well-reasoned and thoughtful presentation that is sure to spark both reflection and discussion.

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