CAPSULE COMMENTS

June 12, 2008

June Books

James Russell Lowell once mused, "And what is so rare as a day in June?" Although August appears to have arrived early this year, the sixth month has traditionally been known for its beautiful, mild days. However, June 1 also marks the beginning of hurricane season in the Central Pacific, Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico. Fred Pearce talks about hurricanes and other climatological events in With Speed and Violence : Why Scientists Fear Tipping Points in Climate Change, an eye-opening and informative read. There’s also Hurricane Force : in the Path of America's Deadliest Storms by Joseph B. Treaster, who explains how these powerful storms are formed and talks about some of the greatest to strike the U.S.

At the same time, June is "Effective Communications Month", days set aside to remind us that many worthy enterprises, good intentions, and fond hopes dissolve into storms of other kinds because people too often fail to communicate. The story of connecting with others in the wider world is laid out in Richard A. Bartlett’s The World of Ham Radio, 1901-1950 : a Social History, while Gary Zukov explores sharing on a more personal and intimate scale in Soul to Soul : Communications from the Heart.

During this "International Men’s Month", stop by the Library and read an issue or two of Men’s Journal or Men’s Health. Or, check out This I Believe : the Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women. The title goes back to Edward R. Morrow’s 1950s radio program wherein the host prompted his listeners to explain their most cherished beliefs. Spend some time with the personal creeds of the well-known (Leonard Bernstein, William F. Buckley, Jr., Jackie Robinson, Loudon Wainwright III, for instance) and not so well-known (the surgeon whose illiterate mother changed his early life with faith and a library card) and see why Publisher’s Weekly calls it a "feast of ruminations".

June also happens to mark the 70^th anniversary debut of Superman! In addition to the original and newer film versions of the life and deeds of Krypton’s most famous citizen, visitors can check out the Kevin Spacey-hosted DVD "Look, Up in the Sky! The amazing story of Superman", wherein the exciting history of the Man of Steel is told through interviews and archival footage of Superman films, television shows, and comics.

June is also "National Safety Month" and thus reminds everyone to think and learn about safety matters in our homes and workplaces. Laura Lee’s book 100 Most Dangerous Things in Everyday Life and What You Can Do About Them would be a fine place to start. She casts a wry eye on ordinary tasks and objects that can trip us up and aims to get her readers thinking in terms of "sensible vigilance".

Depending on the age of the children, parents might be interested in taking home Generation MySpace : Helping Your Teen Survive Online Adolescence by Candice M. Kelsey or The Safe Baby : a Do-It-Yourself Guide to Home Safety by Debra Smiley Holtzman. And although it carries an older copyright date, surpassing the wisdom of Gavin De Becker’s excellent work Protecting the Gift: Keeping Children and Teenagers Safe (and Parents Sane) would simply be very hard to do.