Iowa Soldier Boy

During the Civil War, more than half of the state's prewar military-age population served in the Union. In total, 13,000 Iowans would lose their lives. Charles O. Musser was one of the lucky ones, surviving the war.

Soldier Boy (973.777 MUS) tells the story of Charles O. Musser's life in the military through his letters. Almost from the first letter to family and friends, he talks about the waiting for the enemy to come, and whether he will survive another day.

Musser described one of the bloodiest battles west of the Mississippi when the Confederates attempted to capture Helena, Arkansas.

Soldier Boy, edited by Barry Popchock, is a very poignant story of a man's struggle to survive the worst war on U.S. soil.

By the time he left the service, he held the title of sergeant.

c Waterloo Public Library 2007

Did you know several Tom and Jerry cartoons were produced by Hanna Barbara?

In the group of friends I play cards with, there is one person who is very fond of anything that has to do with "Scooby Doo." I may love cartoons but I'm more partial to another Hanna-Barbara cartoon - "Tom and Jerry."

When you think of Hanna-Barbara, you might think of those iconic cartoons like the "Flintstones," "Yogi Bear," and "the Jetsons," but not "Tom and Jerry."

In Tom and Jerry: The Definitive Guide to their Animated Adventures, author Patrick Brion writes that Hanna and Barbara were hired by MGM to be cartoon directors. They directed the first "Tom and Jerry" released in 1940. For the next 17 years they directed over 90 more before leaving MGM.

I consider those to be the classics, so did the Academy Awards. From 1940 to 1954, 13 of these cartoons were nominated for Oscars, with 7 winning.

After Hanna and Barbara left the studio, other well known producers stepped in. Remember Chuck Jones from the Warner Brother cartoons? He took their place.

You know, I think I'll check out Tom and Jerry (number 791.43651) again. With this book, maybe I can persuade my card-playing friend that "Tom and Jerry" is superior to "Scooby Doo."

c Waterloo Public Library 2007

The Smart Set

The Smart Set: George Jean Nathan and H.L. Mencken
by Thomas Quinn Curtiss


These two men were *THE* arbiters of what counted as quality literature and drama in the early 1900s - or at least so this book would lead you to believe.

These days, it seems Mencken's name is primarily recognized from curmudgeonly quips appearing in desk calendars.

I have to admit those quips are what made me remember the name, and pick up this book. It's a bonus that I learned more about Mr. Nathan as well.

Nathan and Mencken served as the drama and literature critics for the magazine "The Smart Set" from 1908 until 1923. They were responsible for nurturing young writers and dramatists such as Eugene O'Neill, Theodore Dreiser and F. Scott Fitzgerald, giving them a venue to publish writing that was considered radical for its time. They were also responsible for the American debuts of some European talents such as James Joyce and Lord Dunsany (an Irish playwright also known for writing fantastic tales).

In their search for quality, Nathan and Mencken often found themselves in the center of the cultural controversies of the day, which they revelled in.

The best thing that I found in this book was a quotation that was finally able to sum up my feelings about what qualifies as art. Nathan, in his book The Critic and the Drama, states, "Art is a reaching out into the ugliness of the world for vagrant beauty and the imprisoning of it in a tangible dream."

You can find this book on WPL's 2nd Floor, 818.5209 CUR.

c Waterloo Public Library 2007

A whole new (underground) world

Cave Passages

by Michael Ray Taylor

I was a little skeptical about reading this book at first, because I'm not very into sports/outdoors writing. That's probably because my idea of an outdoor adventure is taking a walk to our local Dairy Queen!

However, ever since I visited the Yucatan Peninsula about 15 years ago, and saw some of the cenotes there, I have to admit that I've wondered about what other beauties could be found underground.

I don't, however, think I'd be up to the caving exploits of the people described in this book. Taylor recounts his experiences in deep, dark places with names like the "Grim Crawl of Death," "the Claustraphobia Crawl," and "the Agony."

However, in exchange for braving the dangers of caving - such as hypothermia, broken bones, or death -- cavers get to see beautiful sites seen in person by few other humans, such as the Chandelier Cavern in Lechuguilla Cave in New Mexico.

Taylor writes entertainingly and well, and he knows his material. I highly recommend this book if you'd like to get a sense of the sport and the world of caving.

You can find this book on WPL's 2nd Floor, 796.525 TAY.

c Waterloo Public Library 2007

It's a Small World

I happened to catch a rerun of one of my favorite fantasy TV shows, "Charmed." For those of you who aren't familiar with it, it's centered around three young female witches. The story lines borrow from mythology and other folklore. Elves and leprechauns are just a few characters that are featured. Of course, dwarfs play those parts, reminding me of this book, In the Little World (599.949 RIC).

Reporter John Richardson (a tall person) introduces us to them when he finds himself at a hotel with over a thousand dwarfs who are there for a conference. Many are there to find romance or get help with their physical problems. After the conference, Richardson continues to correspond with some of those he met.

The stories he tells of these people are very sad.

Their desire to find love and romance is the same as any other group of people. For them it can be more of a challenge. Some only want to date people of normal height. Others only wish to date those who have no crippling disabilities. Many have trouble meeting others who are of the same stature. Just as with other groups of people, Internet dating services are very popular.

At the conference, the author finds people who hold many different jobs. Many are hired in the entertainment industry, but there is a segment of their community who disdains those who have these jobs perpetuating old stereotypes, such as being hired as elves and leprechauns ( in "Charmed"). After reading this book, it has definitely made me think of this show in a different light.


c Waterloo Public Library 2007

An Amazing Race

I have another confession: I don't know how to swim very well. OK, not at all. In fact, I'm so bad, I'd have to wear a life jacket in the kiddie pool.

Of course, I am exaggerating a little - but not much. I do know that I wouldn't make a good "Boy Friday" for Hall Roth, the author of this book.

So, the idea of doing what Hal Roth did seems absolutely incredible. As Roth writes in Chasing the Long Rainbow (910.41 ROT), in August 1986, he set to sail around the world - a total of 27,550 miles - by himself in a race to win the American Flag. It took 171 days to complete, which is more than can be said about some of his competitors. One sailor was swept overboard; one boat sank; another ran aground.

He begins the story with trying to get sponsors to support him and going through the proper rigorous training to endure such a feat. Then the book gets thrilling with his fight against the unpredictable seas.

In my timid opinion, reading this book in the comfort of your own home is best way for others who are into being armchair travelers.

c Waterloo Public Library 2007

Did you see the Live Earth concert?

Were you one of the estimated 10 million viewers who saw the Live Earth Concert on MSN? For those of you who don't know, it was a 24 hour, 7 continent concert series held on 7/7/07. Check out their website for more info: http://www.liveearth.org/.

With the exposure of Al Gore's movie, "The Inconvenient Truth," there has been quite a stir about this topic. Whether you believe global warming is or isn't happening, it's still wise to think of impact on the environment by humans, called the carbon footprint. See the website: http://www.carbonfootprint.com/.

That's where this book, America's Environmental Report Card, comes in. America's Environmental Report Card (363.7 BLA) identifies how we are altering the environment. It is a rather serious book, for a very serious topic when you think of the percentage of world resources that the U.S. uses.

Some media reports have stated that the concert was not earth friendly, causing a huge carbon footprint. However, I was one of those 10 million viewers. What a wide variety of talent!

c Waterloo Public Library 2007

The day: August 7, 1930. The location: Marion, Indiana.

Three black men, accussed of murdering a white man and raping a white female, were forcefully taken out of the jail by a mob to be hung.

As the graphic cover of A Lynching in the Heartland (call # 305.896 MAD) shows, two of these black teenagers did not survive the lynching. The third, James Cameron, was lucky enough to not be hung. Cameron was later convicted of voluntary manslaughter, which was later pardoned by the governor.

Throughout the rest of his life, James Cameron declared that he was innocent. Cameron wrote a book about his life and devoted his time to organizing the Black Holocaust Museum.

Author James Madison writes about the political and social changes that occurred, explaining how such an awful event could happen.

c Waterloo Public Library 2007

What would you do?

Imagine getting accepted for a good paying job in a large company where there is plenty of advancement. Emil Stache felt very fortunate when he was hired, with good pay, at a company making electronic relays. The relays were used in everything from ignition systems for starting cars to room thermostats for turning on the furnace. Many of the contracts were for the government.


The name of the company was Teledyne. His job was in quality control.

It wasn't long before he realized something was wrong. A large quantity of product that he tested was not passing the specifications set by the government. Even with his reports saying this, they were still being sent out as good product.

He had a dilemma: How do you get the employer to accept the fact that the products are defective without losing your job? When Emil told his supervisors, they said they would handle it. When nothing was done, he requested to talk to the president, with no luck.

After agonizing over the situation, Emil came up with a plan. Without identifying these products as being for the U.S. government, Emil recorded the product as defective. The person who received the information did not realize who the product was for, sending it through to have the product pulled and have the problems fixed. Because of this, the government had to be notified about the unsatisfactory product. This would reflect badly on the company when it came to getting new government contracts.

Emil was in trouble now.

This is only one of the stories in the Giant Killers by Henry Scammell (call number 347.7353 SCA).

c Waterloo Public Library 2007