What a Horowhenua librarian is reading
As a child, I was a rebellious little thing. I left school at 14 and never would have thought that I would become a librarian! But through hard work and adult education — well, it was night school back in my day — I did indeed become a qualified librarian. It’s been 30 years this year, and I am privileged every day to serve the community in what I do.
It’s also fortunate that I LOVE books, which bodes well with being a librarian! To me, it’s like Christmas every day to see all the new books that come into the library. My preference is non-fiction, and to be honest, there won’t be enough lifetime to read everything that’s on my list. I like finding different books that challenge my thinking or increase my learning.
So this week, I’d like to share a couple that are on my list to read:
Waiting to be Arrested at Night: An Uyghur Poet’s Memoir of China’s Genocide by Tahir Hamut Izgil. Tahir, a poet and intellectual, tells the story of his escape from China when the persecution against Uyghurs became unbearable. Many of his friends were slowly disappearing, most would have ended up in internment camps. This book highlights the family’s journey as they escaped from China and the horrors of genocide.
A Whaler at Twilight: A True Account of Whaling and Redemption in the South Pacific by Alexander R Brash and Robert W Armstrong. At first glance, I thought that this would be a book that I just would not read! The thought of the history of whaling is not something that interests me. However, upon closer inspection, my
love of history and family heritage has made me put this book on my reading list.
A manuscript that had lain undiscovered for over a century was found in the bottom of an old leather trunk. It was the writings of one Robert Armstrong and his search for redemption. When both of Armstrong’s parents had died, he was sent to live with an uncle in the bustling city of Baltimore in the 1840s. It was here that he attended America’s first dental school but struggled when he started to drink himself into oblivion. In 1849, he sold the few possessions that he had and signed on a whaling ship.
What follows is 10 years of adventure on the high seas, which captures the times and the new explorations around the world.
Winnie & Nelson: Portrait of a Marriage by Jonny Steinberg. Being a great follower of Nelson Mandela, this book piqued my interest. This book looks at the marriage. Every aspect of their lives has been analysed over the years, but for me, this one is a bit different as it goes deeper into the relationship. Played against the backdrop of apartheid and the political environment of South Africa, it almost reads like a Shakespearean drama!
So, keep reading, keep learning. There’s always something new to uncover between the pages of a book.