I probably can't talk about this book without spoilering it, so proceed with caution, especially Danna, to whom I am going to mail it as soon as it's safe to go back to the post office. (i.e. after Santamas)
The first back of the book blurb likens the title character to a 21st century Lolita, but I think she's more similar to a blogging Go Ask Alice.
Tricia Burmeister has illustrated some of her favorite Library of Congress Subject Headings from the September and October 2009 Weekly Lists.
I particularly like the photo she chose for Weapons of mass destruction in art [Not Subd Geog] [sp2009007321]
It's likely I never would have heard of, much less read this book if I hadn't gone to high school with one of its authors. We went to the same high school, but lived in different universes. However, it seems that even Liz Welch's closest friends didn't have much more of an idea of what was going on in her life than I did.
Searching for a long-lost (actually never known to her) family member, 15-year-old Maya eludes an icky foster care placement (Christians, with a would-be-Dad whose eyes rest at chest level) and takes to the mean streets of northwest Nevada and southeast Idaho. Ayarbe (Freeze Frame) draws a convincing sketch of teenage life on the run and also the familial bonds that develop between traveling companions. Bad things happen in this book and there is no romantic subplot.
Dear Gay Cataloging Mafia and other concerned parties:
The Lezbrian Yahoo! group is a talkin' about subject headings. Brenda J. Marston wonders why if "Bears (Gay culture)" has been adopted as a Library of Congress Subject Heading, why not "Butch," "Femme (Lesbian culture)," and "Butch and femme." Me, too!
I might argue for "Femme (Queer culture)" though, since the femmes whose zines I catalog use Queer almost exclusively over Lesbian. Brenda tells me that Cornell has a 653 for "Butch and femme (Sexual orientation)."
LCSH Week 46, November 18, 2009
This week on LCSH Watch:
A year or two ago I read Stephanie Grant's Map of Ireland, which I liked and admired, but don't remember all that strongly, and I didn't like and admire it enough to seek out other books by Ms. Grant. That was dumb because The Passion of Alice, her first novel is the perfect balance of cerebral and engaging. It's about a 25 year old in treatment for anorexia.
LCSH Week 45, November 11, 2009
The Cultivate Diversity database is a nifty tool from the Ocean County Public Library in New Jersey. You use it to find program and collection ideas for different service populations, by community, age group, or difficulty (amount of work it takes to produce).
