Book Club @ the Union City Library

The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout

 This  is second book by Strout that has been

selected by the book club. Through the novel

we experience the life of a family in a small town.

Please join us for discussion of this very emotional story. 

 The book club community contact is:

 Martha Brown 510-475-7531, 

Martha_brown4673@att.net

 

   The Book Club meets the first Tuesday of the month.

The selected title for the month of June is All the light we cannot see : a novel / Anthony Doerr

                                                                                                                                                                 

 Location: UNION CITY BRANCH – Get Directions

ART for ADULTS @ THE UNION CITY LIBRARY

Christie‘s Creative Cupboard

Thursday May 5, 2016 –6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Create your own design of Mexican Tin Art!

supplies and instruction will be provided; and the class is free!

 This class is 24 attendees.   Please register by calling 510-745-1464.

Monday Children’s Book Reviews for April 25, 2016

When I Grow Up… by Gill McLean

“Fergus is only a little pup, but what should he be when he grows up? His friends all have different ideas and it seems there’s a lot more to being a dog than he first thought! Who will help him decide what to be?”         [JPB McLEAN,G]

The Black Dragon by Julian Sedgwick

“Talented magician Danny, who is half-Chinese, half-British, and dwarf strongman Zamora try to find the connection between the disastrous end of the circus Mysterium, where Danny’s performer parents were killed, and the disappearance of his guardian aunt,who is investigating sinister gangs in Hong Kong.”                          [J SEDGWICK,J]

The Little Girl’s Little Book of Art by Kathryn Dixon

“Paintings by thirty of the most talented and renowned artists the world has produced. Beginning with Leonardo da Vinci and ending with Paul Klee, the paintings in this book have been specially selected to appeal to a little girl. Your little girl can explore the pages of this book and see artworks with colors, subjects and scenes that she can relate to and enjoy. Every painting has the potential to engage her imagination, spark her curiosity, and encourage her to want to learn to know more about art, artists, and the creative process.”                                [J709 DIXON,K]

Monday Children’s Book Reviews for April 18, 2016

Everybody Sleeps (But Not Fred) by Josh Schneider

“Every kind of bird and beast has to sleep, from the monkeys in the jungle to the whales in the ocean to the ants under the ground.

“But not Fred. His to-do list is far too long! Armed with plenty of imagination, this determined little boy and his attempts to resist bedtime are sure to strike a chord with today’s over scheduled families. Drowsy animals of all stripes look on in disbelief as Fred keeps on going and going and going, until . . .

“Could it be that, after so much activity, even Fred needs to rest? Shhh. Close the book softly, and please let Fred sleep.”                            [JPB SCHNEIDER,J]

The Unicorn Hunter by Che Golden

“‘Gripping, mystical and adventurous, young readers will be as hooked as Maddy was the minute she set foot inside that creepy-as-hell old castle,’ raved Irish World said of The Feral Child.

“Maddy’s adventures continue in The Unicorn Hunter. The adults of Blarney have always lived in fear. The faeries of Tir na nOg exist on their doorstep, and they could unleash terror on the mortal realm at any time.

“But eleven-year-old Maddy is not afraid. The unicorn that holds the key to balance and peace in both worlds is injured, and Maddy knows she is the only one who can track down whoever hurt her.

“Can Maddy survive the force and cunning of the Tuatha, who rule Tir na nOg? Or will she end up a mere pawn in their own power games?” The trilogy concludes with The Raven Queen.            [J GOLDEN,C]

Investigating the Water Cycle by Candice Ransom

“Water is essential to life on our planet. Water is constantly moving between Earth’s surface, the air, and the ground. But did you know that water cannot be created or destroyed? Or that water is not only a liquid but also a solid and a gas? See the water cycle in action in this fascinating book.”           [J551.48 RANSOM,C]

Brain Games: The Mind-Blowing Science of Your Amazing Brain by Jennifer Swanson

“QUICK: Name the most powerful and complex supercomputer ever built. Give up? Here’s a hint: It’s housed in your head and it’s the one thing that makes you YOU. Your brain is mission control for the rest of your body and steers you through life. Not bad for something the size of a softball that looks like a wrinkled grey sponge! In this fascinating, interactive book — a companion to the National Geographic Channel hit show – kids explore the parts of the brain and how it all works, brainy news nuggets from a neuroscientist, plus fun facts and crazy challenges.”                        [J612.82 SWANSON,J]

 

Union City Needs Your Input!

Would you like to complete this survey in 

Chinese? click HERE

Spanish? click HERE

Tagalog? click HERE

Alameda County Library | Community Survey

Alameda County Library is developing a master plan for library services and facilities over the next 10-20 years.

Take our community survey and let us know what library services are important to you. The survey only takes 5 minutes to complete. We are committed to incorporating the voice of the community and value your input to help us shape the future vision of Alameda County Library.

Click HERE to give us your opinions, experiences, and ideas!

Click the appropriate link below if you would prefer to take this survey in: 

• Chinese 

• Hindi 

• Spanish 

For more information on opportunities to participate in the development of the plan, please visit www.aclibrary.org . 

 

Thank you for your input!

Poetry– Appalachian to the Golden Hills of California

Appalachian Elegy : Poetry and Place

Author, activist, feminist, teacher, and artist bell hooks is celebrated as one of the nation’s leading intellectuals. Born in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, hooks drew her unique pseudonym from the name of her grandmother, an intelligent and strong-willed African American woman who inspired her to stand up against a dominating and repressive society. Her poetry, novels, memoirs, and children’s books reflect her Appalachian upbringing and feature her struggles with racially integrated schools and unwelcome authority figures. One of Utne Reader’s “100 Visionaries Who Can Change Your Life,” hooks has won wide acclaim from critics and readers alike. In Appalachian Elegy, bell hooks continues her work as an imagist of life’s harsh realities in a collection of poems inspired by her childhood in the isolated hills and hidden hollows of Kentucky. At once meditative, confessional, and political, this poignant volume draws the reader deep into the experience of living in Appalachia. Touching on such topics as the marginalization of its people and the environmental degradation it has suffered over the years, hooks’s poetry quietly elegizes the slow loss of an identity while also celebrating that which is constant, firmly rooted in a place that is no longer whole.

 California poetry : from the Gold Rush to the present

edited by Dana Gioia, Chryss Yost & Jack Hicks

This book brings together 150 years of the finest California poetry by authors of all schools and ideas. California Poetry also reveals the state’s rich cultural and environmental legacy, from the early days of Spanish settlers to the more recent emergence of the Asian and Latino worlds: a reflection of lives closely tied to mountains, deserts, verdant valleys, and the vast shoreline of the Pacific Ocean.

Monday Children’s Book Reviews for April 11, 2016

Love From the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

“You are the cherry on my cake; you make the sun shine brighter; you make my heart flutter.” Using a range of images from the World of Eric Carle, and featuring the Very Hungry Caterpillar, this special gift book gives all the reasons why someone special makes the world a better and brighter place. Perfect for that someone special on Valentine’s Day—or any day.”               [JPB CARLE,E]

In The Footsteps of Crazy Horse by Joseph Marshall III

“Jimmy McClean is a Lakota boy—though you wouldn’t guess it by his name: his father is part white and part Lakota, and his mother is Lakota. When he embarks on a journey with his grandfather, Nyles High Eagle, he learns more and more about his Lakota heritage—in particular, the story of Crazy Horse, one of the most important figures in Lakota and American history. Drawing references and inspiration from the oral stories of the Lakota tradition, celebrated author Joseph Marshall III juxtaposes the contemporary story of Jimmy with an insider’s perspective on the life of Tasunke Witko, better known as Crazy Horse (c. 1840–1877). The book follows the heroic deeds of the Lakota leader who took up arms against the US federal government to fight against encroachments on the territories and way of life of the Lakota people, including leading a war party to victory at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Along with Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse was the last of the Lakota to surrender his people to the US army. Through his grandfather’s tales about the famous warrior, Jimmy learns more about his Lakota heritage and, ultimately, himself.”       [J MARSHALL,J]

Sex, Puberty and All That Stuff: A Guide to Growing Up by Jacqui Bailey

“This friendly book talks to teens on the subject that is first and foremost in the minds of adolescent boys and girls: Sex. Separate chapters titled Boy Stuff and Girl Stuff describe body changes that occur during puberty, with frank and open discussions about male and female genitals, how they feel, and how they function. Chapters that follow discuss typical teen problems, as well as those entirely new feelings that come with sexual development, and offer tips on making it through those sometimes exciting, sometimes crazy teen years. Learn how to deal with crushes, controlling parents, pimples, kissing, dating, hormones, menstruation, sexual activity, condoms, contraception, pregnancy, STDs, sexual impulses, and more. New to this edition is information on social networks, protecting yourself online, maintaining a positive body image, mental health, sexual orientation, gender identity, and more. Includes line drawings on most pages.”           [J613.951 BAILEY,J]

Art @ the Union City Library

Mel Vera Cruz is an artist living in the east bay (Union City) who migrated from the Philippines when he was 31. Born in 1964, drawing is his passion since he was five and had been showing his works since the 1980’s. He had a couple of solo shows in Manila, Oakland and San Francisco and had been participating in group shows with his bay area art collective Epekto Art Projects and Paolo Mejia Gallery.

He believes freedom means being self-sufficient. Mental and spiritual strength are keys in finding the courage to express our essence he says.  That’s why he uses materials that are ‘available’ not the ones we commonly buy from art stores.

He acts as bridge between the conscious and sub-conscious and feels it is important that we all realize that access within us. Mel’s artworks are the physical manifestation of the deepest abyss of his soul. It can be defined any way the person sees it because he feels it represents not only his but our past, present and future.

Mel Vera Cruz worked professionally as illustrator, art director, printer and pre-press artist in various companies for 30 years and is currently employed as graphic designer for the California Department of Transportation.

The installation will be here until April 16, 2016….Check it out!

Afternoon with Filipino American Writers @ the Union City Library

Saturday April 2, 2016 –2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

@

the Union City Library

Two authors Myles Garcia and Mila de Guzman will be present to discuss their newly published books celebrating 30 years Philippine freedom from dictatorship.

“Thirty Years Later…Catching Up with the Marcos-Era Crimes” by Myles Garcia.

Myles A. Garcia is an East Bay resident.  He is also a correspondent/contributor for www.positivelyfilipino.com, an online magazine, where two of his articles have won the PAPC’s Plaridel Prize for Best Sports Story two years in a row.  A life-long Olympic aficionado, he is also the author of Secrets of the Olympic Ceremonies, and a member of the International Society of Olympic Historians, ISOH.  He has also written a play, Murder à la Mode.   

“Women Against Marcos. Stories of Filipino and Filipino-American Women Who Fought a Dictator”

by Mila de Guzman

This book provides a much needed account of women’s leadership of successful movement that was waged in both the Philippines and the U.S. to overthrow the Marcos dictatorship. the book skillfully weaves together deeply personal accounts with a global analysis of this important social movement. A must read for all interested in social movements, women’s studies, ethnic studies and globalization.

-Andy Barlow, Department of Sociology, U.C. Berkeley and DiabloValley college,

and author of Between Fear and Hope: Globalization and Race  in the United State