The book that my local library book group was scheduled to read in June but could not obtain enough copies of was Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate. I used my audible credit to obtain a copy of the audio book and finished listening to it on my way home from work tonight. The book is a spellbinding story that is fiction but based on true events. It is the story of a fictional family of children who were stolen from their birth family during the depression. After being abused in a home where they were warehoused till adopted at least four of the family in the novel found good homes. What became of the others was not told in the story. While the family is fiction, stories like this happened in real life from the organization the book is about. It was an adoption ring out of Tennessee that operated from the 1920s till 1950. While the story is mesmerizing in itself, Lisa Wingate's use of metaphorical language is exemplary and her descriptions place the reader into the setting of the story. I enjoyed the book's story line but I also greatly admired the writing. I have no doubt that this book will make my top ten list this year. If you have not yet read it don't wait any longer. Please click on the author's name and book title above to learn more and enjoy the video that follows.
I renewed this book twice from the digital library service and it isn't because it is a bad book or a hard book to read. It was last month's library reading group selection and I attended the meeting with only having read about one third of it. The rest of the group members really enjoyed it and so it is no fault of the book that I took so long to get it finished. I have just been busy. My audio books I have finished due to listening while I commute but my reading has been limited to other projects. But I just finally finished Kate Anderson Brower's The Residence and she does a great job of giving the recognition where it is due to the scores of men and women who keep our presidents and their families well cared for and comfortable. Many of the stories I was familiar with already but there was new information for me within the covers of this book too. I would not call it a history book because much of what she covers was current events during my life time. But for those younger than me it contains a lot of history. It is an interesting read and an easy read and many would enjoy this book. Please click on the author's name and book title above to follow the links to more information and enjoy the interview with the author that follows in the video.
Some states, and Ohio is one, have programs where seniors can go to college at no charge. Ohio's version of this idea is called Program 60. Any one over 60 can enroll in college classes at participating schools. The participant audits the class and does not get college credit or grades for the class. But they do get the information and the same attention from the professor as the other students. And if enrolled in an OSU class, participants also have full access to all remote data bases from the OSU library, which includes both Ancestry and JSTOR. I had my first experience at auditing an online class from Ohio State last month. I have been very busy as a result because it was a four week "summer" class. But first, program 60, please view the video that follows:
It was a little complicated to get all set up with things like DUO mobile and I am still not on the same page with the schools health clinic that wants proof I have had, along with all the others that I don't have a record of any more, a chicken pox vaccine. I have not - but I did have the chicken pox as a child back in the 1960s. Unfortunately there is not a box to check for that. But I am hopeful all of those little glitches can be worked out and I can continue to enroll in classes from time to time. While Ohio State is in Columbus which is farther than I want to drive, the online option is available for many classes and other state school in Ohio participate. For a complete listing of the schools in Ohio that have Program 60 available click HERE. For more information on Ohio State's program click HERE. The only expense that I had in auditing the online class was my books, which I purchased as ebooks so the cost was minimal.
The class that I selected as my first class was entitled "An Introduction To Historical Research". It was very intense and I have had a busy month of May. The class challenged me and I learned a great deal. The professor was Allison Beach and she really used the technology available to provide a mix of audio visual and group participation type activities. She even had online chat times with us. Her web site can be seen HERE. She provided a video at the beginning of each week with her announcements and went over what her expectations were for the week. It was very cool.
My favorite of the four weeks was the unit on Martha Ballard's Diary. We read parts of a BOOK, watched a video and reviewed the actual DIARY online. Please watch the trailer of the video about Martha's diary:
The one unit that some students liked best was the unit on Jack The Ripper. While that was not my favorite, I did enjoy the program we were required to watch some of the episodes of. I would like to finish watching them all. It is called the Victorian Slum House. Please watch the trailer that follows:
I consider my first Program 60 experience a resounding success. I hope to get the shot record issue straightened out so that I can continue to take online classes. I would encourage others to check and see if their state has a similar program. I would also encourage Ohio residents to take advantage of Program 60 here in our state.
The original book we had selected for our library reading group this month was not available because it was a best seller that had a long waiting list. So our book group leader substituted The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian. I had not read any thing by this author since his book Midwives, which I read several years ago and enjoyed very much. I am not sure why I have not returned to this author sooner because I now have really enjoyed two of his books. We are fortunate as a group to have had this book substituted this month. I remember growing up being told to think of the starving Armentains when I was being encouraged to eat my vegetables but it never sunk in what that meant. After reading this book I know understand the reference. While the people in this book are fictional the events are real as often is the case in historical novels. I never realized that there was a holocaust in the First World War too. I am aware that genocide is more prevalent throughout history than I want to know but this story was a new historical event for me. This is a hard book to get through but a very important book. It is hard to read because the events are so tragic. It is one that will stick with me forever. I highly recommend that every one read this very important book. Please click on the author's name and book title above to follow links to more information. And watch the video that follows.
