A Family Farm: Life on an Illinois Dairy Farm

The applause really resounded for local author Robert Switzer at his reading / book-signing last week at the library.  Switzer's recently released book, A Family Farm: Life on an Illinois Dairy Farm is a rich and moving account of four generations who lived, worked, loved and struggled on the family's dairy farm.  Switzer spent most of his adult life as a successful scientist and academic, and so it is a real revelation to see such moving storytelling and such vivid imagery in his book. Through the lens of his family's experiences we see the tremendous shifts in our country's values and way of life; there have been profound changes in agriculture, technology, the role of women, the expectations of childhood,  and more. For a vivid introduction to his story (and to see some amazing paintings of the farm by Switzer's talented wife, artist Bonnie Switzer), check out this amazing slideshow, produced by the University of Illinois News Bureau.  You can also listen to the archived interview that Switzer recently did on our public radio station, WILL. Then, by all means, buy a copy or check the book out at the Urbana Free Library!

Knitting--an obsession! Who knew?

Sweater quest : my year of knitting dangerously

by Adrienne Martini

You all might know that sundry librarians are obsessed with cats, but I bet you didn't realize that there are tons of librarian-knitters out there!  Even though I'm not one of them, I have been known to appreciate their projects--especially the argyle socks. So, it's easy for us to relate to our many patrons who are knitters; we understand the passion. The Urbana Free Library maintains a large collection of knitting books and instructional DVDs. 

I never truly understood what it meant to BE a knitter until I started reading Adrienne Martini's Sweater Quest.  Martini is a author/knitter who decided to spend a year making a ferociously difficult Fair Isle sweater pattern, created by an iconic and reclusive Scottish designer. Knitting is important to Martini; it's helped her through bad times in her life. (She quotes this bumper sticker, seen at a sheep and wool festival "I knit so I don't kill people".)

Deciding to knit is not an easy decision for our author; it is a commitment.  Fair Isle technique has to be learned and practiced. Getting the pattern--out of print--requires quite a bit of time and money. And the yarn! Yarn DOES make a difference, both in color and texture. Many patterns require specific wool and colors, often no longer produced by manufacturers.  I learned all about the subculture of wool--the special knitting language, stockpiling yarn, the quest for patterns and discontinued yarn, the network of knitters--and most of all I learned about Martini's obsession with the Tudor Rose pattern. And her plan to write about the experience.

My small quibble with the book is that the publisher only included a tiny black and white author's photo on the inside back cover.  I wanted to see the sweater itself, in all its glorious jewel-tones colors, so I tracked down pictures on the web.  Curious? Visit these two sites:

Simon & Schuster publisher site for the book, including author book trailer

Martinimade--the author's blog, picturing the sweater & herself wearing it

I, frankly, had trouble putting this book down to come to work.  A page-turner involving obsession, a subculture, inter-craftswomen politics, and KNITTING?  Who knew.  Read Sweater Quest and find out!

Let Us Call to Mind Our Sins

Neil White's memoir In the Sanctuary of Outcasts recounts his life as a successful young journalist and regional magazine publisher, father of two, and happily married man.

His business and ambition allowed his family to live well and to socialize with the Mississippi Gulf Coast's elite.

When White's self-described media empire confronted tough financial times, he began to move money from account to account to make ends meet--a practice commonly known as check kiting.

The federal government prosecuted White, a court found him guilty of fraud, and he was sentenced to a 18 months in prison.

White knew that his crime and incarceration would inalterably change his life--but not in the ways he expected. This is where the story really begins.

When White arrived at a minimum-security facility in Carville, Louisiana, he encountered a forgotten population: men and women suffering from Hansen's disease, residents of the last leper colony in the United States.

Three men were sunbathing on a shuffleboard court. Another man was zipping around the grass on a small, motorized four-wheeler pulling a trailer full of garbage bags. He drove the vehicle in my direction and stopped in front of me. He turned off the engine and let out a loud howl like a coyote.

"You know they got lepers here, don't you?" he said.

"I've heard."

"And you're a convict, right?" he asked.

"I guess so."

The man smiled and said, "Then that makes you a lepercon!" He laughed, threw his head back, and howled again. Then he cranked the engine and drove up a ramp and into a hallway.

The patients who befriend White and share their personal stories--at times hesitantly and with suspicion--ultimately have the greatest impact on his "rehabilitation." This book strives to return that favor.

According to the publisher: "A portion of the author's proceeds go to IDEA, the National Hansen's Disease Museum, and advocacy groups protecting the rights of persons afflicted with Hansen's disease."

"I'm Going to Die with These Dummies"

Matt Latimer spent many years climbing the Republican party ranks as a communications specialist and all-around cheerleader.

An idealistic and energetic conservative, he ultimately arrived at Karl Rove's White House after a stint with then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

In Speech*Less: Tales of a White House Survivor, Latimer chronicles his transformation from starry-eyed delegate at the GOP's first Youth Convention to veteran speechwriter suffering a severe case of morbid humor.

Many political and career memoirs seem retaliatory and revenge-oriented. As a relative low-man on the totem pole, Latimer has no particular axe to grind.

He recounts the foibles and idiosyncrasies of Washington's elite--ranging from Bob Dole and Kay Bailey Hutchinson (whom he once idolized) to Robert Gates and George W. Bush--with the kind of honest self-amusement one might find in a personal journal.

But he also shares his own mistakes and shortcomings in service to the party he loved, which makes this book so entertaining.

Here, Latimer describes his first impressions of the White House:

Many people envision life in the West Wing as something akin to the old Aaron Sorkin TV show: where attractive young people walk briskly through the halls and discuss matters of great importance with snappy dialogue and sexual tension. That was not what George W. Bush's West Wing was like. Most of the senior staff weren't attractive or particularly young. They were balding, middle-aged, overweight men, with pasty white skin untouched by the sun. A 7:30 a.m. senior staff meeting was like walking into the lounge of a high-end golf course in Westchester, New York. The women were almost a perfect division between pretty, young, usually southern sorority girls with strong religious backgrounds and old warhorses who'd fought in the trenches against the Democrats for decades and showed it. Sexual tension was at a minimum.

Trace Adkins takes a personal stand

I didn’t know much about Trace Adkins, other than the fact that he’s a bass-voiced country singer and a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Then while channel-surfing last month, I caught an episode of Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice. I became intrigued by contestant Adkins, who stood out as a calm, honorable man in the midst of chaos. So I put a few of his tunes on the CD player and hunkered down with his book.

A Personal Stand: Observations and Opinions from a Freethinking Roughneck isn’t strictly a memoir or an autobiography, though it certainly reveals the tough life Adkins has lived. He grew up in small town Louisiana, spent a couple years in college, and worked on oil pipelines and offshore before hitting the honky-tonk circuit. Along the way to county music success, he’s been married 3 times, has been injured seriously 4 or 5 times (his second wife accidentally shot him), has fathered 5 daughters, and has overcome addictions to drugs and alcohol. This background has made Adkins a man who knows what he wants from life and for his family.

Intertwined with his story, Adkins presents his own conservative beliefs about Republicans, politics, immigration, unions, education, parenting, working hard, and the music business. Controversial? Somewhat. Will you agree with him? Maybe not. Adkins comes across as a man who thinks for himself and has good reasons for what he believes. You have to admire that in him.

Read A Personal Stand and discover Trace Adkins. The vignettes in his book remind me strongly of the lyrics in one of his country hits, Songs About Me:

“cause it’s songs about me
and who I am
songs about loving and living
and good hearted women and family and God
yeah they're all just
songs about me
songs about me”