Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Romance Book Discussion


Great news romance readers! WPL created a Facebook romance book discussion group for those of you who love to read about love! It`s an ongoing discussion about the romance novels you`ve read, are currently reading, or want to read.

Click here to join.

This is a great way to get book suggestions, rant or rave about what you`ve read, and interact with fellow romance readers. If you want suggestions on what to read, you can ask our romance librarian, Tara, who will be moderating the group. You can also check out the "units" tab, where Tara will put all of her recommendations. See you there!

Monday, March 30, 2020

Update: Trying to Search for Grants for Your Non-Profit From Home? Use Foundation Directory Essential Remotely.

                             
                                   
Candid (Candid.org) offers resources and links for nonprofits seeking information on philanthropy and the grant-making process including free online trainings. While the library is partially closed during the COVID-19 crisis, you can access Candid's Foundation Directory Online (Essential) through our website here.

Candid has made the Essential version of the database available for remote access through 2021. We can still assist you with funding searches if you need to access the Professional version of FDO. Contact the business librarian by emailing her at this address: jdzugan@mywpl.org.

Sunday, March 29, 2020

Tips for Using Library Resources with Alex: Heritage Quest

Reference Librarian Alex teaches us how to effectively search online genealogy databases using HeritageQuest as an example. HeritageQuest is available to use from home for free with your WPL card at mywpl.org/local-historygenealogy

 

Friday, March 27, 2020

Introducing Tips for Using Library Digital Resources from Home with Alex

Stuck at home and want to know how to access digital resources from the library and beyond?  You're in luck thanks to our new series of short videos, Tips for Using Digital Resources from Home with Alex.  In this new, weekly series, Reference Librarian Alex will be introducing you to how to best utilize digital resources from home.  These will include library resources and databases, as well as other recommended websites and digital tools to boost your research and quality of life.  Check out the first episode all about tips and tricks for searching for genealogical information with the Worcester Public Library's genealogy databases here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NngRi5jyeY.  Look forward to new episodes being posted to our social media every Saturday morning.

Temporary remote access to Ancestry.com Library edition now available to WPL card holders



We are super excited to inform you that the providers of Ancestry.com database (library edition) are temporarily allowing remote access to our patrons!! We are all stuck at home due to the current situation with Coronavirus, but you can still continue your genealogy research from home! Look up your Irish ancestors, your grandfather's military records or just work on your family tree!! Hooray!!

Ancestry.com, the largest and most comprehensive of genealogy databases contains thousand of collections and millions of names. This popular database provides access to census records, voter lists, ship's passenger lists, vital records, military records and much more.

Go to mywpl.org to access this resource from the library. Under Resources, click on Online Databases. Under Subject category, select Genealogy. You will need a WPL library card to log in. Have fun exploring your family's rich genealogy!

Friday Kanopy Movie Pick: Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart


You can watch movies via Kanopy at any time. To watch Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart now, click here, then sign into your account.

If you do not have a Kanopy account, you can create one. Click here for instructions.

Although the library is closed, you can still enjoy our Friday afternoon movie matinee from home at any time via Kanopy. In honor of Women`s History Month, the main branch had scheduled a showing of Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart.

This documentary sheds light on all aspects of Lorraine Hansberry's play, A Raisin in the Sun. It discusses the daunting challenge of securing investment and a venue for the production of a story about a working class Black family, as well as the casting process, artistic debates and its public reception. The film features interviews with the play's original cast members, including Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Louis Gossett, Jr. and Glynn Turman, director Lloyd Richards, and producer Phil Rose.

About Lorraine Hansberry

Lorraine Hansberry was born on May 19, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois to Carl Augustus Hansberry, a real estate broker, and Nannie Louise, a driving school teacher and ward committee member. After attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison for two years, Hansberry decided to pursue a career in writing and move to New York, where she attended The New School. In 1951, she moved to Harlem, where she continued her work as an activist.

Her best-known work, A Raisin in The Sun, premiered on Broadway on March 11, 1959, becoming the first play on Broadway to be produced by an African American woman. At the age of 29, she became the youngest American playwright and fifth woman to win the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play. After the success of A Raisin in The Sun, Hansberry continued to publish essays, articles and write other plays. Her play The Sign in Sidney Brustein`s Window ran for 101 performances on Broadway. On January 12, 1965, at age 34, Lorraine Hansberry died of Pancreatic Cancer. This was also the night of the last performance of The Sign in Sidney Brustein`s Window.

How to use Kanopy

Kanopy is a streaming service that is free to use with your WPL card. Your account has 4 watch credits per month. If you do not use your credits, they do not roll over to the next month. You will see a "play credit tracker" at the top right of your library's Kanopy platform to alert you of how many play credits you have remaining for the month.

To use a play credit, you must press play on a video and have the video play for at least 5 seconds. Once a play credit is logged, you will have a full 3 days (72 hours) to watch the video as many times as you would like without using another play credit, even if a new month starts and your credits reset. Your Viewing History will show any video that is still available to view in your 3 day window. After the 3 day window has expired, another play credit will be used if you press play on the video again.

Kanopy is currently offering credit-free viewing for select films. If you watch any of the movies on this list, you will not be using your credits. Once you log into your account, click the “credit free viewing" link on the top.

Thursday, March 26, 2020

April Fools' Day

Have you ever told someone something not true, and then shouted "April Fools!"?

April Fools' Day is an annual observance on April 1. On that day each year participants play practical jokes or tell big whopping lies. Then, when their victim falls for their nonsense, the first person shouts out "April Fools!", which is intended to make the victim feel abashed for falling for the original silliness. The victim becomes the "April Fool" and the perpetrator laughs.

So where did this very odd custom come from?

Some historians date the custom to ancient Roman times and a festival cycle called the Hilaria. During Hilaria, a multi-day holiday celebrating the fertility goddess Cybele and the resurrection of her son Attis, there was much merriment and the playing of tricks on one's co-celebrants. The Hilaria were originally celebrated twice a year: in November and at the spring equinox and the renewal of life. Not far from "Hilaria" to our word "hilarity"!

Other historians point to 16th century France and changes in the calendar. In the Julian calendar, New Year's Day was in April. In 1564 King Charles IX had his country change to the Gregorian calendar, and in this system the first day of the year is January 1. This was not a popular decision, nor was news about the edict easily communicated to all of his subjects in those pre-internet days. Those who didn't get the message, or believed the king shouldn't interfere, were mocked. They were called Fools. In modern-day France people who fall for these lies or pranks are called Poisson d'Avril, which means "April Fish".

Today, the USA, Poland, Lebanon, Israel, France, Italy, Belgium, the Scandinavian countries, Ireland, and the UK all have some version of April Fools' Day, each with their own "foolish" customs.

Although most hoaxes played on April Fools' Day are small-scale and mild, some have been implemented on a much larger scale:

In 1957 the British Broadcasting Corporation had a TV program showing people harvesting spaghetti trees. On April 1, 1998 a radio announcer from England called South African president Nelson Mandela claiming to be Prime Minister Tony Blair. On April 1 in 1996, Taco Bell, the fast-food chain, took out ads in 7 newspapers, announcing that they had purchased the Liberty Bell. And just last year on April Fools' Day mutual-help website StackOverflow updated its homepage with unicorns and sparkles.

Want to read about more pranks? There's an eBook you can download called Pranklopedia. Just click here

But on April 1 this year, be kind to your friends and colleagues: with COVID-19, we have enough on our shoulders.

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

WooReads Adult Patron Book Reviews: Biographies

Weekly patron book reviews are back! Given the current state of things, we all have a little more time on our hands. Being cooped up at home does not mean being bored. Enjoy these books reviews submitted through our WooReads: Adult Reading Challenge (Beyond Summer). Join our challenge to log your reading and share your book reviews.

Intrigued by the reviews below? These titles are available in e-format through Overdrive. Borrow or put a hold on a title today.

Me

By Elton John


Comprehensive and honest look at one man's rise to the top, decent into addiction, and return to a healthy and fulfilling life. Elton's self-deprecating and humorous descriptions of family, fame, fortunes and philanthropy go right up to 2018 with his final on-the-road tour and brush with cancer. Anyone who grew up with his music or came from a family with difficult parents will relate to the remembrances, reminiscences, and cautionary tales.

~Linda J.




Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom

By Catherine Clinton




Excellent readable biography of Harriet Tubman.

~Jeanne C.







Becoming

Michelle Obama




A-MAZE-ING!!!! Such a great biography about growing up with struggles and overcoming them and working hard to get where she wanted to be and what she wanted to be! Glad I chose the audio version because I feel it wouldn’t have had the same impact on me if it was me reading it because her soul and passion was put into reading it and after all is it her story!

~Tammy F.



Monday, March 23, 2020

The Big Library Read, "Funny, You Don't Look Autistic" by Micheal McCreary




In light of the recent closure of many libraries due to the spread of COVID-19, our ebook provider, Overdrive, has released the next title for The Big Library Read a week early. Funny, You Don't Look Autistic by Micheal McCreary will be available from March 23 - April 13, 2020. Users from libraries around the world can participate in this global digital book club. The Big Library Read connects readers with the same ebook at the same time without any waitlists or holds.

From The Big Library Read page, "Like many others on the autism spectrum, 20-something stand-up comic Michael McCreary has been told by more than a few well-meaning folks that he doesn’t “look” autistic. But, as he’s quick to point out in this memoir, autism “looks” different for just about everyone with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)."

After you read the book, join the discussion here!

To borrow the title, go to mywpl.org. Under Resources, select eBooks and Digital Media. Then click on OverDrive to go to the digital catalog to check out the book.

Or simply go to Overdrive or Libby on your handheld device and borrow the title in the app.

Saturday, March 21, 2020

Diane Arbus, Photographer

Portrait of Diane, taken circa 1949.
Diane Arbus was born in March of 1919 into a talented family. Her parents owned a large department store in NYC, her sister was an artist and designer, and her brother was the United States Poet Laureate. Diane, however, got her parents’ disapproval at the age of 14, when she professed her love for the man she would marry 4 years later.

Her husband, Allan, worked as a fashion photographer for the Arbus’ department store, and Diane joined in. She also took photography classes and created photos on her own. At first she took photographs of children and her family members, but today Diane Arbus is remembered for different subjects.

At first she explored different neighborhoods, waiting for the moment a passerby noticed her before snapping a photo. In this way she caught images of interracial couples, young boys smoking cigarettes, and even friends walking through Central Park with hot dogs. Later she photographed what were considered to be fringe groups: circus performers, nudists, cross-dressers, the disabled, and others.

Masked woman in a wheelchair, 1970.
Some who viewed her photos were made uncomfortable by them, and some considered themselves to be insulted by them. But Diane was known to grow her relationships with her subjects so that she was trusted, and her goal was never to exploit them. After Diane's death, some people speculated that she documented fringe groups because she herself felt like an outsider.

If you want to learn more about this controversial photographer who is still considered important today, here are some online reading suggestions as well as some books you might want to check out later.

Online Reading to Browse from Home

"A Fresh Look at Diane Arbus" by Tessa DeCarlo @ Smithsonian Magazine

"Diane Arbus: Portrait of a Photographer" by Anthony Lane @ The New Yorker
"How Diane Arbus became 'Arbus'" by Arthur Lubow @ The New York Times

Books in Physical Formats

Diane Arbus: Revelations by Diane Arbus
Her subject matter and photographic approach have established the greatness of Diane Arbus. She had a gift for rendering strange the things we consider familiar, and uncovering the familiar in the exotic. Her treatment of her subjects and her faith in the power of photographs has produced a body of work that is shocking in its purity. This book reproduces 200 full-page duotones of photographs spanning her career, many never before seen. It also includes an essay by Sandra S. Phillips, senior curator of photography at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and a discussion of Arbus’s printing techniques by Neil Selkirk, the only person now authorized to print her photographs. A 104-page Chronology by Elisabeth Sussman, guest curator of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art show, and Doon Arbus, the artist’s eldest daughter, illustrated by more than 300 additional images and composed of previously unpublished excerpts from the artist’s letters, notebooks, and other writings, makes this a kind of autobiography. 


Diane Arbus: An Aperture Monograph: Fortieth-Anniversary Edition edited by Doon Arbus
When Diane Arbus died in 1971, she was already an influence—even a legend—for serious photographers, although only a small number of her pictures were known at the time. The publication of Diane Arbus: An Aperture Monograph in 1972—along with the posthumous retrospective at The Museum of Modern Art—offered the public its first encounter with the breadth and power of her achievements. The response was unprecedented. The monograph, composed of 80 photographs, was edited and designed by the painter Marvin Israel, Diane Arbus' friend and colleague, and by her daughter Doon Arbus. Universally acknowledged as a photobook classic, Diane Arbus: An Aperture Monograph is a timeless masterpiece.



An Emergency in Slow Motion: The Inner Life of Diane Arbus by William Todd Schultz
Diane Arbus was one of the most brilliant photographers in the history of American art. Her black and white portraits seemed to reveal the psychological truths of their subjects. But after she committed suicide in 1971, the presumed chaos and darkness of her inner life became inextricable from her work. William Todd Schultz's An Emergency in Slow Motion reveals the creative and personal struggles of Diane Arbus. Schultz veers from traditional biography to interpret Arbus's life through the prism of four mysteries: her outcast affinity, her sexuality, the secrets she kept and shared, and her suicide. He seeks not to diagnose Arbus, but to discern some of the motives behind her public works and acts. His analysis is informed by the recent release of some of Arbus's writing and work by her estate, and interviews with her psychotherapist.

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Romance to Read Now


If you`re struggling to find a book to read while you`re at home, take a look at our Romance Librarian`s top picks for e-books & e-audio that are still available. Spend less time searching for the perfect romance story and start reading one of the titles listed below. Skip the frog and go straight to the prince!

Don`t forget to join our romance book discussion group on Facebook! Click here to join 

Suspense

The Obsession by Nora Roberts. E-book. Click here to borrow.

Queen of Romantic Suspense, Nora Roberts, does it again with The Obsession. Set in the small town of Sunrise Cove in Washington, photographer Naomi Carson attempts to escape her past as she restores an old house. Although she tries to keep her distance from the town residents, the determined Xander Keaton tries to get her to reveal her secrets, ones that have come back to haunt her.


 
Sting by Sandra Brown. E-audio. Click here to borrow.

When Jordie Bennet & Shaw Kinnard lock eyes across a disreputable backwater bar, something sparks. Shaw is a man who gives off a dangerous vibe that makes other men stand back & women take notice. No one feels this more strongly than Jordie, a woman who doesn't belong in a seedy dive bar on the banks of a bayou. Hoping to get his hands on the $30 million Jodie`s brother stole, Kinnard decides to kidnap Jordie instead of kill her. However, he isn't the only one. Jordie's brother made a deal with the FBI, and his ruthless boss will stop at nothing to find the money first. Now on the run from the feds & a notorious criminal, Jordie & Shaw must rely on their wits & each other to stay alive. 

Comedy

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan. E-book. Click here to borrow.

When New Yorker Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, she envisions a humble family home & quality time with the man she hopes to marry. However, Nick has failed to give his girlfriend a few key details. One, that his childhood home looks like a palace; two, that he grew up riding in more private planes than cars; and three, that he just happens to be the country's most eligible bachelor. Rachel may as well have a target on her back the second she steps off the plane, and soon, her relaxed vacation turns into an obstacle course of old money, new money, nosy relatives, & scheming social climbers.


The Bride Test by Helen Hoang. E-audio. Click here to borrow. 

If you liked The Kiss Quotient then try this next story by Hoang. Khai Diep has no feelings. Well, he feels irritation when people move his things or contentment when ledgers balance down to the penny. His family knows that his autism means he just processes emotions differently. His mother decides to return to Vietnam to find him the perfect bride. As a mixed-race girl living in the slums of Ho Chi Minh City, Esme Tran has always felt out of place. When the opportunity arises to come to America & meet a potential husband, she can't turn it down. Seducing Khai, however, doesn't go as planned.


Science Fiction

Allegiance of Honor by Nalini Singh. E-book. Click here to borrow.

A staggering transformation has put the Psy, humans, & changelings at a crossroads. The Trinity Accord promises a new era of cooperation between disparate races and groups. When a kidnapped woman's cry for help washes up in San Francisco, The Consortium turns its murderous gaze toward a child who is the embodiment of change, love, & piercing hope: a child who is both Psy and changeling.

Born of Fury by Sherrilyn Kenyon. E-audio. Click here to borrow. 

Counted among the fiercest Andarion warriors ever born, Hauk is one of the five founding members of the Sentella: an organization that has declared war on the League. They rule the Ichidian universe with an iron fist. Sumi Antaxas is one of the best assassins the League has ever trained. In her world, failure is not an option and she has never met a target she couldn't execute. So when she's assigned Hauk, she believes it'll be a quick and easy mission. But nothing is ever as simple as it seems, & Hauk is far better skilled than any she's faced before.


Historical

A Rogue of her Own by Grace Burrowes. E-book. Click here to borrow. 

For Miss Charlotte Windham, the best way to maintain her spinsterhood & her independence is a tiny brush with scandal. She chooses wealthy, handsome upstart Lucas Sherbourne as her unwitting accomplice. What Charlotte doesn`t count on is that one kiss will lead them straight to the altar. Sherbourne isn`t keen on being anybody's husband of last resort. He is attracted to Charlotte's boldness and social influence. Without a title, he knows he'll never truly be part of their world, even as he and Charlotte inch closer to a marriage that means much more than convenience. But  a scheming business partner is about to test that tenuous trust, forcing Sherbourne to make a drastic choice: his wealth or his wife.



Secrets of Sloane House by Shelley Shepard Gray. E-audio. Click here to borrow. 


Rosalind Perry has left her family's rural farm in Wisconsin to work as a housemaid at Sloane House, one of the most elegant mansions in Gilded Age Chicago. But Rosalind is not there just to earn a living and support her family; she's at Sloane House determined to discover the truth about her sister's mysterious disappearance. Reid Armstrong is the handsome heir to a silver fortune. His family is on the periphery of Chicago's elite because their wealth comes from "new money.” Marriage to Veronica Sloane would secure his family's position in society. When Reid begins to realize that Rosalind's life may be in danger, he stops thinking of marriage prospects & concentrates instead on helping Rosalind. Dark things are afoot in Chicago and, he fears, in Sloane House. If he's not vigilant, Rosalind could pay the price.

Fantasy

Stars of Fortune (Book 1 of The Guardians Trilogy) by Nora Roberts. Click here to borrow.  

In this trilogy Roberts combines fantasy and romance for a thrilling story set on a Greek island. Sasha Riggs is a reclusive artist, haunted by dreams & nightmares that she turns into extraordinary paintings. Her visions lead her to the Greek island of Corfu, where five others have been lured to seek the legendary fire star, part of an ancient prophecy. Sasha recognizes them, because she has drawn them: a magician, an archaeologist, a wanderer, a fighter, a loner. All on a quest. All with secrets. Click the link above to borrow all installments of the trilogy. 


Second Star to the Right by Mary Alice Monroe. E-audio. Click here to borrow. 

Single mother Faye O`Neill takes a job at a top advertising firm in London where she hopes she & her children can find a fresh start. But then a strange light begins to appear in her children's rooms at night. To make matters worse, Faye, who has sworn off men, discovers her downstairs neighbor, Jack, is a disturbingly handsome professor with a talent for charming women & children alike. Before she knows it, Faye has embarked upon a whole new adventure into a world where anything might be possible. 

Paranormal

Covet (Book 1 of the Fallen Angels series) by J.R. Ward. E-book. Click here to borrow. 

Known for her Black Dagger Brotherhood novels, Ward takes on fallen angels in this exciting series. Redemption isn't a word Jim Heron knows much about. But everything changes when he becomes a fallen angel & is charged with saving the souls of seven people from the seven deadly sins. Vin diPietro surrendered himself to his business; that is until fate intervenes in the form of a tough-talking, Harley-riding, self-professed savior, & a woman who makes him question his destiny. With an ancient evil ready to claim him, Vin has to work with Jim to win his beloved and redeem his soul. If you enjoy vampire romance, try the Black Dagger Brotherhood series or authors such as Lynsay Sands, Kerrilyn Sparks, and Jeaniene Frost.


Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost. E-audio. Click  here to borrow.

Half-vampire Catherine is going after vampires with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father. Then she's captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, & is forced into an unholy partnership. In exchange for finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the handsome night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. Cat`s training is derailed when she & Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side . . . and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.


Wednesday, March 4, 2020

Hold Redelivery For eBook And eAudio Is Now Live On OverDrive !



OverDrive has introduced a new feature called hold redelivery (or the “Deliver later” option) for your ebook and eaudio holds that become available. This feature gives you more control over your holds, so you can borrow and read titles when it’s most convenient for you. Watch this video segment to understand more about it!

To support this feature, the automatic hold checkout setting will be removed from the library’s OverDrive collection. Any current holds will be updated to remove that setting, meaning you will need to manually borrow them when they’re available.

How does hold redelivery work?
  • When a hold becomes available, a user will receive a notification and have 3 days to pick up the hold.
  • The user can then borrow the hold, have it delivered later, or cancel it.
  • When a user chooses to have a hold delivered later, they pick the earliest possible date to receive the title, keep their place in line, and pass the copy to the next person in line.
  • After the “deliver later” date, the user will receive the next available copy.
  • If a user takes no action during the hold pickup window, the “deliver after seven days” option will be automatically applied as a one-time courtesy.
  • If the user takes no action a second time, their hold will be canceled.

What are some benefits of hold redelivery?
  • Users can borrow and read titles when it’s convenient for them.
  • Wait lists will move more efficiently as users pass books to the next person in line.
  • The next user in line will be delighted when the user ahead says, “not now.”

How else can users manage their holds?
Users can still use the “suspend hold” feature before holds are ready to borrow. Hold suspension lets the user continue moving up on the wait list without the hold becoming available to borrow. This means users can now manage their holds before and after they become available, giving even more flexibility and control.

Read more FAQs about holds on Libby Help (for Libby) or on OverDrive Help (for your OverDrive website or the OverDrive app). Still need help? Call us at 508-799-1655, ext 3; stop by one of our service desks, or attend our ebook/ereader Q&A on Thursdays from 2:15-3:30 and a librarian will assist you!

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

A True Story of Crime and Poetry

The illustrator, Landis Blair, is known
for his cross-hatched drawings.
When my coworker recommended a graphic novel entitled The Hunting Accident, I hesitated. Why would I want to read about a hunting accident? But then I read the description, saw the illustrations, and I was hooked. I breezed through half of this 437 page graphic novel in one night, and finished the rest not long after. I’ve been trying to get more coworkers to read it, and now I’m going to try to get you to read it, too.

Set mostly in Chicago during the mid-1900s, the story starts with the main character, Charlie, moving in with his father after his mother’s death. Charlie’s father, Matt, is blind and lives with his guide dog in a small apartment. Matt explains to Charlie that he lost his sight during a hunting accident. Having lived with his mother in California, transitioning to Chicago is difficult for Charlie. One of the things he gets used to is his father endlessly typing on his Braille typewriter.

When Matt’s work is transcribed into printed text he has Charlie read it aloud to check for errors. His work, it turns out, is poetry. One of the things I loved about this graphic novel was the layers of story. First, there is the relationship that forms between the father and son. Then, there is the story that’s being told through Matt’s poetry that is interspersed throughout the reality of the father and son’s day-to-day life. Lastly, there is the background story of Leopold and Loeb.

Blair's black and white illustrations
enhanced imagined parts of the story.

If you don’t know who Leopold and Loeb are, they are Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb: two wealthy young men who killed a 14 year-old boy in Chicago in 1924. They killed the boy because they believed that they were too smart to get caught. They were caught, however, and both sentenced to life in prison. The story of Leopold and Loeb is 100% true, and because it happened in Chicago the two men were larger-than-life to those who resided in the city.

It’s difficult to not tell you everything about The Hunting Accident: A True Story of Crime and Poetry. Let me say that the last page of the story shocked me (in a good way), and that if you are interested in illustrations, poetry, Dante, mafia-wannabes, or complicated family relationships, then you should read it. And if you don’t know anything about Leopold and Loeb, here's some information on that, too.

The Hunting Accident: A True Story of Crime and Poetry 
By David L. Carlson, Illustrated by Landis Blair 
It was a hunting accident that much Charlie is sure of. That's how his father, Matt Rizzo--a gentle intellectual who writes epic poems in Braille--had lost his vision. It's not until Charlie's troubled teenage years, when he's facing time for his petty crimes, that he learns the truth. Matt Rizzo was blinded by a shotgun blast to the face but it was while participating in an armed robbery. Newly blind and without hope, Matt began his bleak new life at Stateville Prison. In this unlikely place, Matt's life and very soul were saved by one of America's most notorious killers, Nathan Leopold Jr., of the infamous Leopold and Loeb.



For the Thrill of It: Leopold, Loeb, and the Murder that Shocked Chicago 
By Simon Baatz 
It was a crime that shocked the nation: the murder in Chicago in 1924 of a child by two wealthy college students who killed for the thrill of the experience. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb were intellectuals; too smart, they believed, for the police to catch them. When they were apprehended, state's attorney was certain that no defense could save them from the gallows. But the families of the murderers hired Clarence Darrow, entrusting their sons to the most famous lawyer in America in what would be one of the most sensational criminal trials in the history of American justice. Set against the backdrop of the 1920s; a time of prosperity, self-indulgence, and hedonistic excess on the brink of anarchy.




American Experience: The Perfect Crime
When Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, two college students from a wealthy suburb of Chicago, confessed to the brutal murder of 14-year-old Bobby Franks, the story made headlines across the country. The unlikely killers not only admitted their guilt, but also bragged that they had committed the crime for the thrill of it. As the case unfolded during the summer of 1924, with defense attorney Clarence Darrow and Cook County Prosecutor Robert Crowe debating the death penalty, the question of motive would be turned over and over again. What seemed like a simple matter of evil would give way to an assessment of the murderers' minds and an indictment of the forces that had shaped them, and set off a national debate about morality and capital punishment.