Sunday September 11th, 2011 Honouring September 11th

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the first terrorist attack targeting the United States. While we all remember where we were during that historic day, only a few experienced it firsthand. The rest of us watched from a distance, keeping vigil by our televisions; we empathized with the families and the victims, but it is difficult for us to really imagine what it was like for those directly affected. But over the last ten years some fantastic authors have given the rest of the world a glimpse into the disaster’s wake.

Don DeLillo's Falling Man is the story of Keith, a man who walked out of the towers. Escaping just before they collapsed, he decided to head home to his estranged wife. Falling Man is about Keith’s family coming back together and then slowly drifting apart again as time moved on after the event. Falling Man makes you feel as though you are in the collapsing towers along with Keith, which makes this a valuable book for empathizing with those who survived.

A Widow's Walk is Marian Fontana's memoir of her life in the year after 9/11. Her husband Dave was a firefighter who died trying to rescue people from the Towers. September 11 was Marian and Dave’s 8th wedding anniversary. But before they could meet as planned at a coffee shop, Dave was called to the Towers. Dave died a hero trying to save others from the collapsing Towers. Marian documents everything during that first year without Dave: from the terrible grief, endless funerals and the newfound struggle of single parenthood, to the kindness of strangers and her desire to help the remaining firefighters of her husband’s squad. A Widow’s Walk is a beautiful book that offers a glimpse into both the despair and the hope that was the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.

Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is the story of Oskar Schell, whose father was killed in the Twin Towers. While snooping in his dad's room afterwards, Oskar discovers a strange key hidden in a vase. He decides he will find what the key opens, even if he has to try every lock in New York City! Interspersed throughout Oskar's story are chapters written from both of his grandparents' perspectives. These narratives are just as interesting as the main story; they serve to parallel the Dresden bombings with the terrorist attack on September 11. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close reminded me of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon. So if you enjoyed that book, definitely consider giving Foer’s book a try!

Mohsin Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a story within a story. The main character, Changez, narrates the entire book. He tells an American visitor to Pakistan his prior history as a student in America, about his love for a woman named Erica, and the circumstances that brought him back to Pakistan. The narration is rather unusual, as the American never directly speaks; in his narration, Changez simply replies to what the man says. This alone makes for a really interesting read. Changez himself is an intriguing fellow: sophisticated in speech, but never snobbish. And while his is an uncommon narrative in North America, tending to be a bit anti-American near the end, The Reluctant Fundamentalist is an important read because it gives this alternative viewpoint. The September 11 events had implications for the entire world, not just for America; it is important that we do not forget this.

So in honour of the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, why not read one of the many stories available at your Public Library?

Shauna Kosoris

Sunday, September 4th TBPL has an App for That!

“There’s an app for that” has become a catch phrase. There are Apps to help you do just about anything, from playing games to remembering the milk. Apps are programs that work with smart phones (cell phones with internet access) and other portable devices like iPods and iPads. Your Library has a few Apps which can help you connect with some of our online resources.


Imagine you’re tinkering with your 1975 Mustang on a sunny afternoon, and discover you need to remove the steering wheel. You pull out your iPod and with a few clicks bring up the information you need to keep working. You can do this now with AccessMyLibrary.


AccessMyLibrary is a fantastic app that automatically connects you with online resources from Gale, from any public library within a 10-mile radius. Gale is a company that develops databases which help you find reliable information from trusted sources. AccessMyLibrary may be found in the App Store on any iPod, iPad, iPhone and in the Android Market. It’s free and it’s amazing! AccessMyLibrary covers a huge range of topics, including health care, environment, biographies, career choices, car repair, literature, sciences and much much more. Information comes directly to your phone from current magazines, journals, encyclopaedias, how-to-guides and more.


It’s Thursday afternoon and you’re looking forward to the evening’s Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra concert. They’re playing a piece you’re not familiar with. You take out your smart phone, and using NAXOS Music Library’s app, listen to the piece. Your experience at the concert that evening is enriched due to the familiarity you have with the music.


NAXOS Music Library’s app is available in the Android Market, and the iPod/iPhone/iPad App Store. You can log in with TBPLMM as both your username and password, and listen to streaming classical, jazz and world music.



You’re waiting to see your doctor and wishing you had a book to read. You pull out your smart phone, browse the Library’s collection, download an eBook and start reading. You can enjoy this convenience now with the Overdrive Media Console app on your iPhone, iPod, iPad, Android, BlackBerry or Windows Mobile device. You’ll need to log in with your Library Card number and PIN.


You can also access Overdrive’s eBooks from a computer, by going to the Library’s Web site (www.tbpl.ca) and clicking on “Overdrive” under “Quick Links”. There are tips on this Web page for people using the Overdrive App.


For more information on our Apps please visit our Web site www.tbpl.ca and click on Research, then “Apps and Mobility”.


If you would like to learn more about your smart phone or iPad we have some books you might find useful. “iPad made simple” by Martin Trautschold and Gary Mazo takes you through all the amazing things you can do with this device. It includes a section devoted to iTunes, as well as a quick start guide. With lots of screen shots, this is a very user-friendly book.


“ iPad 2 Quicksteps” by Joli Ballew is packed with colour photos and screenshots and truly is a visual guide. It is currently on order in our online catalogue, where you can place a hold on it.


“iPod and iTunes for Dummies” by Tony Bove covers the basics, as well as advanced techniques for experienced users. Also in the popular, easy to follow “Dummies” series we have “Blackberry for Dummies,” “Blackberry Curve for Dummies,” and “iPad All-in-one for Dummies”.

Joanna Aegard

Sunday, August 28th A Traditional and Scientific Look at Fasting

In Anishnaabeg culture, fall is traditionally a time of a special fast. In other cultures and spiritual traditions, too, fasting is used as a means of making people spiritually strong. The following is a brief overview of some of the information the Thunder Bay Public Library has available related to fasting.

According to Basil Johnston, an Ojibway Elder and writer, fasting was a means of overcoming fear while earning a vision. In his book Ojibway Heritage, he discusses how the vision would become a person’s life path, through which “a man found purpose and meaning to his life and to his being.”



Contemporary Ojibway writer, Richard Wagamese, also describes his four-day fast as an important milestone in his sobering empowerment journey in One Native Life. In 2008, this book was selected by the Globe & Mail as one of 100 Books of the Year. I recommend it to everybody.



As I mentioned, fasting is common in other spiritual traditions. Ramadan is one example. In Islamic tradition, fasting is one of the Five Pillars. The pillars are fundamental actions to live one’s life by to be a good Muslim. Fasting is thought to teach humility and thankfulness. If you would like to learn more, check out A Brief Guide to Islam: History, Faith and Politics: The Complete Introduction by Paul Grieve.


Another tradition that includes periodic fasts is Ayurveda, a branch of Hinduism. According to Dr. Vinod Verma’s book, Ayurveda: a Way of Life, fasting is recommended for inner cleansing and for learning self-control. The Ayurvedic variation recommends using a semi-fast, meaning the body isn’t completely without at least some juice.


Although the fasting practices of Islam, Ayurveda and the Ojibway differ in some details, it is interesting to see the similarities for the reasons for fasting. Fundamentally the goal of spiritual empowerment through physical restraint is very much the same. In Ojibway, Muslim and Ayurvedic tradition the fast was to make you spiritually strong, thankful for nourishment usually received, and to make your will strong against materialism. Interestingly, the three traditions have the fall as an important time of ceremony.

For more scientific writing relating to fasting, I recommend the following titles.

In Healthy at 100: the Scientifically Proven Secrets of the World’s Healthiest and Longest-lived Peoples, author John Robbins takes the reader on a journey to places like Okinawa and Abkhasia where people are noted to live to be well over 100 years old, even up to around 130 years old! One of the most telling differences between North Americans and the cultures of the longest lived, the author says, is the amount of calories consumed in a day. North Americans eat far too much, apparently.

Another author, David Stipp corroborates the correlation of caloric restriction and longevity. In his book The Youth Pill: Scientists at the Brink of an Anti-Aging Revolution, Stipp states that “one group of scientists estimated that if everyone reduced calorie intake by 30 percent at around age thirty, life expectancy would climb by nearly seven years.”


If you are interested in researching this topic more, the Thunder Bay Public Library’s Virtual Collection provides access to a number of health databases. Log on to read academic articles on fasting from the Health and Wellness Resource Center or the Health Reference Center Academic. You will need your library card number and PIN.

Chris Waite

Sunday, August 21, Paddle-to-the-Sea

Some books have a strong impact on a child’s imagination. Of those, there are a few that continue to resonate throughout one’s life. Those are the ones which one remembers most fondly, and which surprise us as adults when we see them again. Suddenly we are awash in memories of how excited we were during the reading, and how much it meant to us at that time. One such classic book, and the classic film inspired by the book, is Paddle-to-the-Sea.


I discovered the book at the Brodie Library as a child and remember poring over the luminous and dramatic illustrations and also recall watching the movie at St.Peter’s school. I travelled with the little canoe on its journey as if I were the one paddling from Nipigon and heading for the open sea. I worried when the carved man and his canoe were scooped up by the fishing net, and I felt sad when Paddle was almost lost among the garbage left in the water by an industrial site. I celebrated with him when he navigated the Soo locks and when he finally reached the Atlantic Ocean. I am far from alone in this – ask any group of adults who may have encountered the book by Holling C. Holling or the National Film Board film by Bill Mason and I guarantee the memory will be vivid and bring a smile to their face. It is that type of a story.


The book and film tell the story about a carving of a man in a canoe which was made by an Aboriginal boy who sets it down on a frozen stream in the Nipigon area to await the thaw which launches the canoe on its long voyage from Lake Superior to the sea.
Source: www.nfb.ca


The book was a Caldecott Award winner in 1942 and has never been out-of-print since it was first published in 1941.
Source: Children’s Literature Review Vol. 50

The film was shot by Bill Mason who meticulously reproduced the trek made by Paddle-to-the-Sea in the book. It was originally intended for the educational market, but eventually was blown to 35mm size and shown in theatres. This led to an Oscar nomination for best short subject in 1968.
Source: www.imdb.com


Bill Mason was known as the “patron saint of canoeing” and in addition to Paddle-to-the-Sea, he made many instructional films which were the introduction to technique and the canoeing experience for thousands of Canadians.
Source: Fire in the Bones, Bill Mason and the Canadian Canoeing Tradition by James Raffan


Holling C. Holling both wrote and illustrated the book Paddle-to-the-Sea and virtually invented the technique of blending non-fiction and fiction writing for children. “The action part of my stories is fabricated he said, but I have always tried to make the atmosphere surrounding them authentic”.
Source: Horn Book magazine Vol. XVII, no 5, September, 1941


From his time spent living with native people of various nations, the author learned a lot about their way of life and way of looking at the environment. One key thing he learned played a big role in Paddle-to-the-Sea. He learned the method of teaching about geographic features by drawing sketches to outline them in a familiar, natural form. Thus, the Great Lakes drainage system became bowls atop a hill, and Lake Superior became a wolf’s head. I have always since seen our lake as a wolf’s head without remembering where I first encountered that image until I reread Paddle-to-the-Sea.
Source: “The Teachings of Paddle-to-the-Sea” in Learning, Vol. 5, January, 1977


There is a Paddle-to-the-Sea Park in Nipigon, Ontario. It consists of twelve playground stations which lead children, through play, from the waterfall which represents Lake Superior through all the other key sites mentioned in the book and now reproduced throughout the town.
Source: www.nipigon.net


Both the wonderful book and the NFB film can be found and borrowed from your Thunder Bay Public Library. Why not revisit these classics or introduce another generation to this compelling adventure which begins right here – in “Nipigon of all places” (as the tv commercial used to say).

Angela Meady, Head of Children’s & Youth Services