New This Week
July 26, 2010
Column: At the Library
From: Cranbrook Public Library
By Mike Selby
Exciting news! The Library’s 5th annual Idlewild Music Fest this summer features the legendary Valdy. Also scheduled to play are Aspen Switzer, Heather Gemmell, redGirl, and Old Spice. This all takes place on Saturday, August 21st. Gates open at 2:30 pm, with music starting at 3:30 pm. Tickets ($20 each, donation for children under 13) can be purchased at the Cranbrook and Kimberley Libraries, Lotus Books, and Pages Book Emporium. For more information, please contact Anna at 426-4063.
It is still not too late to join one of our 3 fantastic summer reading clubs.
READING ROCKS SUMMER READIN CLUB.
This program includes storytimes, coloring contests, movie nights, cybercamps, story writing contests and even a rock concert.
Registrations starts June 26th, or sign up any day afterwards
Free for everyone aged 3 to 12.
Toddlers also have a program.
GET INTO CHARACTER TEEN READING CLUB.
Open and free to all teens. Get started at website www.teenrc.ca
This program provides teens the opportunity to read books, post their own reviews and personal writing, participate in online chats with peers and authors, and the chance to win weekly prizes.
PASSPORT TO READING ADULT BOOK CLUB
Open and free to all adults. Simply pick up your passport at the Library, and enjoy a summer full of great reading. Prizes included. Registration begins June 26th.
For more information please contact Kristen at 426-4063, or drop her an email at kmacdonald@cranbrookpubliclibrary.ca
The Friends of the Cranbrook Library present their 2nd annual Aboriginal Stories in the Park, Featuring Herman Alpine, Ktunaxa for Tots, and others. This takes place every Tuesday in July from 11:30 to 1 pm, at Spirit Square (Rotary Park). Brings the kids and a picnic lunch, or wander over on your lunch hour. For more information contact Nancy at 250 426 4063, or nreid@cranbrookpubliclibrary.ca
“Reading Inspires Dreams.” This is the message of the Raise-A-Reader program, a partnership of The Vancouver Sun and CIBC formed to promote literacy across Canada. Due to a generous grant from them, the Cranbrook Public Library was able to purchase the following new books (all geared toward encouraging readers):
YOUNG ADULT & CHILDREN’S NEWLY ACQUIRED ITEMS:
To the Top of Everest " Laurie Kreslet (j 796.522)
Oops " Alan Katz (j 811.6)
The Most Explosive Science Book in the Universe (j 500)
Smelly Locker " Alan Katz (j 782.42164)
Kaboom " Gillian Richardson (j 541.3)
Wangari’s Trees of Peace " Jeanette Winter (j 333.72092
Come to the Castle " Linda Ashman (j 940.1)
Christian the Lion " Anthony Bourke (j bio)
Anasi and the Moss-Covered Rock " Eric A. Kimmel (j pic)
Earthquack -- Margie Palantini (j pic)
Traction Man is Here " Mini Grey (j pic)
Q is for Duck " Mary Elting (j pic)
Duck Rabbit " Amy Krouse Rosenthal (j pic)
Clever Rachel " Debby Waldman (j pic)
Once Upon An Ordinary School Day " Colin McNaughton (j pic)
Froggy Plays in the Band " Jonathan London (j pic)
Toys Go Out " Emily Jenkins (j fic)
Too Much Noise " Ann McGovern (j pic)
Jeremy Draws a Monster " Peter McCarty (j pic)
The Lion & the Mouse " Jerry Pinkney (j pic)
Everybody Needs A Rock " Byrd Baylor (j pic)
Roller Coaster " Marla Frazee (j pic)
The Eleventh Hour " Graeme Base (j pic)
Little Beauty " Anthony Brown (j pic)
Into the Volcano " Don Wood (j pic)
Dinosaurs Roar, Butterflies Soar " Bob Barner (j pic)
Baby Brains Superstar " Simon James ( j pic)
No Talking " Andrew Clements (j fic)
Never Race a Runaway Pumpkin " Catherine Applegate (j fic)
Toes " Tor Seidler ( j fic)
Night of the Howling Dogs " Graham Salisbury (j fic)
The Puzzling World of Winston Breen " Eric Berlin (j fic)
The Fruit Bowl Project " Sarah Durkee (j fic)
Escape Under the Forever Sky " Eve Yohalem (j fic)
The Westing Game " Ellen Raskin (j fic)
Drooling and Dangerous " Mary Amato (j fic)
BC Mambo " Erik Craddock (j fic)
Vertical Limits " Pam Withers (j fic)
The Rising Star of the Rusty Nail " Lesley M. M. Blume ( j fic)
Lost in the Snow " Frieda Wishinsky (j fic)
Babymouse: Queen of the World " Jennifer L. Holm (j fic)
Babymouse: Our Hero " Jennifer L. Holm (j fic)
Babymouse: Beach Babe " Jennifer L. Holm (j fic)
Babymouse: Rock Star " Jennifer L. Holm (j fic)
Mr. Croc Rocks " Frank Rodgers ( j easy)
Safari " Gail Tuchman (j easy)
Indy’s Adventures " Lindsay Kent (j easy)
Death Star Battles " Simon Beecroft (j easy)
Pokemon: Save the Shieldon " Simcha Whitehill (j easy)
Join the Rebels " Catherine Saunders (j easy)
Biscuit Takes a Walk " Alyssa Satin Capucilli (j easy)
Dizzy Izzy " Jon Scieszka (j easy)
Spiderman Versus the Scorpion " Susan Hill (j easy)
My Cowboy Boots " Crystal Bowman (j easy)
What Do I See " Crystal Bowman (j easy)
Mad Maddie Maxwell " Stacie K. B. Maslyn (j easy)
Mud Pie Annie " Sue Buchanan (j easy)
Sister For Sale " Michelle Medlock Adams (j easy)
Snug As A Bug " Amy Imbody (j easy)
Penguins " Anne Schreiber (j easy)
Batman: Meet The Superheroes " Michael Teitelbaum ( j easy)
Strike Three Marley " John Grogan (j easy)
Family Vacation " Fiona Lock (j easy)
The Scary Night " Anastasia Suen (j easy)
The Holocron Heist " Rob Valois (j easy)
Spiderman Versus the Green Goblin " Susan Hill (j easy)
CM Punk " Brian Shields (j easy)
The Big Catch " Anastasia Suen (j easy)
MRs Rosey Posey & the Yum-Yummy Birthday Cake " Robin Jones Gunn (j easy)
Dolphins " Melissa Stewart (j easy)
Jake Goes Fishing " Crystal Bowman (j easy)
Around Town " Victoria Taylor (j easy)
Mairis Mermaid " Michael Morpurgo (j easy)
Follow the Swallow " Julia Donaldson (j easy)
Jake Plays Ball " Crystal Bowman (j easy)
He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands (j easy)
Urgency Emergency: Choking Wolf " Dosh Archer (j easy)
Urgency Emergency: Injured Spider " Dosh Archer (j easy)
Don’t Talk to Strangers " Veronika Martenova Charles (j easy)
Don’t Eat That " Veronika Martenova Charles (j easy)
Don’t Enter The House " Veronika Martenova Charles (j easy)
Don’t Forget " Veronika Martenova Charles (j easy)
Busy Tractors, Busy Days " Lori Haskins Houran (j easy)
The Rainbow Fairies " Daisy Meadows (j easy)
Barnabas Goes Swimming " Royden Lepp (j easy)
Fling Saves the Day " Michael Teitelbaum (j easy)
Diego’s Baby Polar Bear Rescue " Lara Bergen (j easy)
Big Friend, Little Friend " Melisa Lagonegro (j easy)
Moose’s Big Idea " Stephanie Greene (j easy)
Fancy Nancy: The Dazzling Book Report " Jane O’Connor (j easy)
Amelia Bedelia Bakes Off " Herman Parish (j easy)
New Car Design " Peter Economy (j easy)
One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish " Dr. Seuss (j easy)
Baby Elephant " Ginjer L. Clarke (j easy)
The Great Roadrunner Race " Sarah Willson (j easy)
Animalia: The Animal Within " Rachel Rose (j easy)
Road Race " Melinda Melton Crow (j easy)
Snow Trouble " Melinda Melton Crow (j easy)
Bones and the Dinosaur Mystery " David A. Adler (j easy)
Teamwork " Rebecca Frazer (j easy)
Mommy, May I Hug the Fish " Crystal Bowman (j easy)
Mrs. Rosey Posey and the Hidden Treasure " Robin Jones Gunn (j easy)
Mrs. Rosey Posey and the Baby Bird " Robin Jones Gunn (j easy)
Jake Learns To Share " Crystal Bowman (j easy)
Too Many Cats " Lori Haskins Houran (j easy)
Super Ace and the Rotten Robots " Cheryl Crouch (j easy)
Just Ali Cat " Dandi Daley Mackall (j easy)
Ali Cat’s a Scaredy-Cat " Dandi Daley Mackall (j easy)
Zachary’s Zoo " Mike Nappa (j easy)
Stuck in the Mud: Thomas Tank (j easy)
Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure " Melissa Lagonegro (j easy)
Dora: The Puppy Twins " Sarah Willson (j easy)
Mud Mess " Melinda Melton Crow (j easy)
Otter and Owl and the Big Ah-Choo " Crystal Bowman (j easy)
Little Miss Daredevil and the Super-Speed Scooter (j easy)
Stand Aside Bounty Hunters " Simon Beecroft (j easy)
Otter and Owl Set Sail " Crystal Bowman (j easy)
Otter and Owl’s Helpful Hike " Crystal Bowman (j easy)
On the Road " Wade Cooper (j easy)
A Prize Inside " Anastasia Suen (j easy)
On The Farm " Victoria Taylor (j easy)
Beck’s Bunny Secret " Tennant Redbank (j easy)
Curious George: The Perfect Carott " Joe Fallon (j easy)
Barbie and the Diamond Castle " Kristen L. Depken (j easy)
A New Friend " Megan Bryant (j easy)
I Spy Fly Guy " Tedd Arnold (j easy)
Pokemon: Tripe Trouble " Simcha Whitehill (j easy)
Truck Buddies " Melinda Melton Crow (j easy)
John Cena " Brian Shields (j easy)
Olivia Takes a Trip " Ellie O’Ryan (j easy)
Bones and the Birthday Mystery " David Adler (j easy)
The Story of the Wolverine " Michael Teitelbaum (j easy)
Over the Moon " Hilary Robinson (j easy)
The Dinosaur Next Door " Joan Stimson (j easy)
Rooster’s Alarm " Ian Smith (j easy)
The Sad Princess " Lynne Benton (j easy)
Clifford’s Busy Week " Norman Bridwell (j easy)
Charlie’s Be Kind Day " Patricia Shelly Mahany (j easy)
Super Charlie " Clare Mishica (j easy)
Paddywack " Stephanie Spinner (j easy)
Jesus and his Friends (j easy)
Queen Esther Helps God’s People (j easy)
Jesus Saves the World (j easy)
Daniel and the Lions (j easy)
Jonah and the Big Fish (j easy)
Baby Moses and the Princess (j easy)
The Seeing Stone " Kevin Crossley Holland (ya fic)
MIKE’S BOOKNOTES:
When the FBI showed up at his door, Neil White invited them in for coffee. White"a lifelong resident of Oxford, Mississippi, was by all appearances a successful businessman. The magazine publishing company he owned provided White and his family an affluent lifestyle, including beach houses, new cars, and imported furniture. He generously loaned money to friends, and was known to finance numerous community projects. Of course, this was all on the outside. In reality, White could ill-afford this lavish existence, and had been kiting cheques to stay afloat. While most people have experienced the occasional NSF cheque, White soon owed 2 banks over 750, 000 dollars. Thus the FBI.
After a judge sentenced him to 18 months, White found himself arriving at the federal penitentiary in Carville, Louisiana. While the solid brick fortress appeared ominous enough, the history of the building made it extra chilling, as it used to the largest leprosarium in the United States. White’s blood froze as the thought of the unimaginable suffering endured by the prison’s previous occupants; locked away not for any crime they committed, but simply because they had a disease. An inconceivable cruelty forced upon law-abiding citizens.
However, all these thoughts swirled through his head as he entered the cell block which was to be his new home. There he saw a man with no fingers, another one with no lips, and an elderly woman (a woman?) with no arms. White soon discovered what the general public did not know: along with hundreds of inmates, the Carville prison was still a leprosarium. What exactly, was going on here?
Leprosy"now known as Hansen’s disease"is still largely misunderstood. Caused by a bacteria which severely deforms one’s nerve endings, skin and limbs, it has been one of the most dreaded diseases in all of history. Currently treatable, there is still no vaccine, nor an understanding of how the disease is transmitted.
The Carville prison became a leprosarium in 1894, soon housing thousands of “mandatory patients.” Warehouse institutions like this were all (supposedly) closed by 1980. As Public Health discharged the patients from Carville, the Bureau of Prisons was eagerly awaiting for the 500-plus bed facility. This is when the oddest event happened. 130 Hansen’s disease patients didn’t want to leave. They felt there was no place for them, even in the 21st century. A cooperative agreement was signed, and the patients were allowed to stay, living amongst the general population of prisoners.
In THE SANTUARY OF OUTCASTS, Neil White, describes his year of redemption, which he found amongst criminals, leprosy patients, and a handful of nuns. He came to view his incarceration as a gift, a chance to live with the last group of Americans imprisoned because of they were sick. The fast cars and beach houses soon lost any value to him, as he “finally understood the truth. Surrounded by men and women who could not hide their disfigurement, I could see my own.”
White was released from jail in 1994, and continues to be a magazine publisher (albeit an honest one who no longer defrauds banks). He continues to visit the residents of Carville with his children, and has become best friends with the judge who sentenced him there.
