Prisoners of War by Steve Yarbrough; 2004; Alfred A. Knopf, New York; 288 pages; Fiction Yarbrough; 11/2/-11/30

During WWII some German and Italian POW’s were held in rural farming communities to help with farming. This is the story of one such town and how war holds people prisoner in so many different ways. The actual prisoners, their guards, the veteran, the recruit, the father of a fatality and various others. The characters are all very three dimensional and no one is completely likable or unlikable. The ending will leaving you thinking. RRR

On Deck; Moneyball by Michael Lewis

I run a bookstore for the Multnomah County Library. The store is called the Title Wave Used Bookstore. The bookstore was begun in 1988, in response to the large number of discards the library had. First they burned the extra books, then one day the EPA decided that the air quality in Portland was less than desirable, so no more book burning. Then the library threw the books in dumpsters and contributed them to a local landfill. An enterprising TV reporter found out about it and followed the truck to the landfill and filmed the books cascading out of the truck. That ended that portion of the program rather quickly. Then the library donated the books to charitable organizations, who were either overwhelmed or only wanted certain books. Then they tried weekend book sales and still had many left over. In March of 1988 after proposing the idea many times, the Title Wave opened.

It is housed in an orginal Carneige Library. Back in the early part of the 20th century Andrew Carneige helped build libraries all over the world. There were several in the Portland area. Constructed in a Spanish Renaissance style the library was opened in 1912 as the Albina community library. As you walk up the stairs if you look at the light fixtures on each side of the stair you will see a rams head on each corner of the base. Looking above the front door is the seal of the Library Association of Portland, which existed until 1990 when the library became a part of Multnomah County. Looking to either right or left under the large windows is the seal of the State of Oregon. Under each window is both the front and back of the seal. The roof is covered in red brick tile in an inverted u shape. The outside of the building is covered in white stucco. As you stand before the 15 foot tall wooden doors with your hand on the bronze knob, you wonder what awaits you inside.

You pull open the big door and step into a foyer with a 20 foot ceiling and before you are two glass doors, which can be seen in Men of Honor. The Title Wave doubles as a Harlem library. As you grasp the slanted bronze bars on the door and push the glass doors open, you step into the main room of the library. Looking way, way up you see all sorts of fancy woodwork, all sorts of flowers and such. Three large frosted arched windows are on the back wall. Everywhere you look there are books. The twelve foot tall windows let in lots of light. As you stand in the center of the room and look straight ahead are the noted author’s books, to your left is fiction and to your right all the non fiction filed in Dewey Decimal order.

In Honored Glory, Arlington National Cemetery: The Final Post by Philip Bigler; 1987; Vandamere Press, Arlington, VA; 144 pages; 973.09 B593i; 11/25-11/28

A short concise history of Arlington National Cemetery. I remember visiting Arlington while my Dad was stationed in Norfolk, VA. The only things that I remember are reading the words of JFK, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country” and the Tomb of the Unknown soldier. I remember being very impressed with the guards at the tomb. If you are interested in history at all, this little book will be something you might want to read. RR

On Deck; Prisoners of War by Steve Yarbrough

Thanksgiving went oh so well. There were so many new faces there that every one was on their best behavior. Our son’s girlfriend, our niece’s boyfriend and one of my sister’s co-workers were all unfamiliar, so it brought a new dynamic to the festivities. It was a real good day. Thanks Luann for making the asparagus spears and ham especially for me, even without me asking. It was good to be together as a family.

Thanksgiving and today are milestones in my new way of eating. I was able to resist temptation, stuffing, and eat better. Today we went out to eat with some friends. I ate well, but with less carbs. I had a burger without bun and had vegetables with it. This is not a diet, this is a new way of eating.

I but together a biblical mandate today, a statement of how I intend to be a leader, even if it is just within my family. I will write more about it later, right now life intrudes. I have to pick up Daniel.

Esther’s Pillow; Marlin Fitzwater; 2001; Public Affairs, New York; 242 pages; Fiction Fitzwater; 11/23-11/25

In a remote part of Kansas in 1911 (wait, most of Kansas was remote in 1911) gossip and jealousy get out of hand. The uptight men and women of Nickerby decided to run a beautiful schoolteacher out of the county by tarring and feathering her. The women thought that the tarring and feathering would be over her clothes, but the mob got out of hand and tarred and feathered her body by ripping her clothes. She chose to stand and fight in a courtroom. The prosecutor and people came to understand what had happened was wrong. The incident caused death and family fractures in Nickerby. The story is extremely well written and is based on an incident in the author’s family. My recounting does not do justice to the story. RRR

On Deck; In Honored Glory by Philip Bigler