Constitution Day - September 17, 1787

"We the People of the United States,
in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the
United States of America." [Preamble]

U.S. Constitution (text)

 Scene at the signing of the constitution of the United States (1940)
 Howard Chandler Christy (1873-1952)

The painting hangs in the House of Representatives Wing in the Capitol.

 Fun quiz : Which Founding Father are you like?

9/11 Remembrance

 

As I type this post, the band is rehearsing "Dona nobis pacem," Latin for "grant us peace." Yes, Lord, please.





Is this normal? Max Lucado

Four thousand gathered for mid-day prayer in a downtown cathedral.

A New York City church filled and emptied six times last Tuesday.

The owner of a Manhattan tennis shoe store threw open his doors and gave running shoes to those fleeing the towers.

People stood in lines to give blood, in hospitals to treat the sick, in sanctuaries to pray for the wounded.

America was different this week.

We wept for people we did not know. We sent money to families we’ve never seen.

Talk-show hosts read Scriptures, journalists printed prayers.

Our focus shifted from fashion hemlines and box scores to orphans and widows and the future of the world.

We were different this week. Republicans stood next to Democrats. Catholics prayed with Jews. Skin color was covered by the ash of burning towers.

This is a different country than it was a few weeks ago.  We’re not as self-centered as we were. We’re not as self-reliant as we were.

Hands are out. Knees are bent.

This is not normal.

And I have to ask the question, “Do we want to go back to normal?”

Are we being given a glimpse of a new way of life?

Are we, as a nation, being reminded that the enemy is not each other and the power is not in ourselves and the future is not in our bank accounts?

Could this unselfish prayerfulness be the way God intended for us to live all along?

Maybe this, in His eyes, is the way we are called to live.

And perhaps the best response to this tragedy is to refuse to go back to normal.

Perhaps the best response is to follow the example of Tom Burnett. He was a passenger of flight 93. Minutes before the plane crashed in the fields of Pennsylvania he reached his wife by cell phone.

“We’re all going to die,” he told her, “but there are three of us who are going to do something about it.”

We can do something about it as well. We can resolve to care more.

We can resolve to pray more.

And we can resolve that, God being our helper, we’ll never go back to normal again.

September Nonfiction

The invincible microbe: tuberculosis and the never-ending search for a cure / Jim Murphy & Alison Blank

“Crisp, clinical writing . . . discusses medical discovery, technology, art and how people from all walks of life have dealt with a deadly disease that pays no attention to social distinctions.” (www.amazon.com; 8/27/2012)

Temple Grandin : how the girl who loved cows embraced Autism and changed the world / Sy Montgomery

When Temple Grandin was diagnosed with autism, her doctor recommended a hospital; instead, her parents sent her to school. Today, Dr. Grandin is professor of animal science at Colorado State University whose work has revolutionized the livestock industry. This biography takes the reading inside Dr. Grandin’s extraordinary mind and opens the door to a broader understanding of autism. (from Amazon.com;8/25/2012)

We’ve got a job : the 1963 Birminghams children’s march / Cynthia Levinson

The little-known story of the 4,000 black elementary-, middle-, and high school students who voluntarily went to jail in Birmingham, Alalama, between May 2 and May 11, 1963. Focused on extensive interviews with four of the original participants. (www.amazon.com; 8/27/2012)

On the social contract / Jean-Jacques Rousseau

"Man was born free, but everywhere he is in chains." Thus begins Rousseau's influential 1762 work, in which he argues that all government is fundamentally flawed and that modern society is based on a system of inequality. The philosopher proposes an alternative system for the development of self-governing, self-disciplined citizens.(www.amazon.com ; 9/7/2012)

     

The Second treatise of government and A Letter concerning toleration / John Locke

In The Second Treatise, Locke answered two objectives: to refute the concept of the monarchy's divine right and to establish a theory reconciling civil liberties with political order. His Letter Concerning Toleration rests on the same basic principles as his political theory; Locke's main argument for toleration is a corollary of his theory of the nature of civil society. (www.amazon.com ; 9/7/2012)

On liberty / John Stuart Mill

Contains "On Liberty", "Utilitarianism", "Considerations of Representative Government", and "The Subjection of Women". The works delve into the implications of independence from the state and what it means to be truly free -- the sovereignty of man over his own body and mind, Mill's famous "Harm Principle," true and false democratic government, and equality of the sexes. (www.amazon.com ; 9/7/2012)

September Fiction

A beautiful lie / Irfan Master

"Everybody lies. We all do it. Many years ago I told one lie that has taken on a life of its own." In India in 1947 the country is coming apart--and so is thirteen-year-old Bilal's life. He is determined to protect his dying father from the news of Partition, news that he knows will break his father's heart. (amazon.com; 9/6/2012)

Chime / Franny Billingsley

Since her stepmother's recent death, 17-year-old Briony Larkin knows that if she can keep two secrets--that she is a witch and that she is responsible for the accident that left Rose, her identical twin, mentally compromised--no other harm will befall her family. The city engineer’s plan to drain the swamp has made the Old Ones unhappy, particularly the Boggy Mun, who has plagued the village's children with swamp cough in retaliation. When Rose's lingering illness turns into a cough, Briony knows that she must do whatever it takes, even revealing her secrets, to save her. (www.amazon.com; 8/25/2012)

 Endlessly / Kiersen White

Evie's paranormal past keeps coming back to haunt her. A new director at the Containment Agency wants to drag her back to headquarters. The Dark Faerie Queen is torturing humans. And supernatural creatures keep insisting that Evie is the only one who can save them from a mysterious, perilous fate.  Seques to Paranormalcy. (www.amazon.com ; 9/5/2012

 

Gilt / Katherine Longshore

A fictionalized account of Catherine Howard, fifth wife of Henry VIII, and her best friend Kitty Tylney. Court life was a swirl of sumptuous gowns, expensive jewels, and elegant parties with a dark underside of intrigue and affairs. And the price for telling the truth – or lies – might be, literally, one’s head.

Hummingbird heart / Robin Stevenson

Sixteen-year-old Dylan has never met her father. And then, out of the blue, he calls. Dylan soon learns that he is seeking a donor for his sick toddler.  Dylan’s mother is upset. But Dylan has questions for her father. And he has surprising answers. (Junior Library Guild; 8/27/2012)

Seize the Storm / Michael Cadnum

Leonard and Claudette have been living the high life, but their daughter, Susannah, and her cousin, Martin, know that the money is gone. When their luxury boat, Athena’s Secret, crosses paths with the speedier Witch Grass, they find a fortune in cash, plus two dead men. The trip that was a goodbye to a way of life might become a goodbye to life itself. (www.amazon.com ; 8/25/2012)

Storybound / Marissa Burt

When Una Fairchild stumbles upon a mysterious book buried deep in the basement of her school library, she doesn’t hesitate to dive in. But Una suddenly finds herself “Written in” to the land of Story—a world filled with Heroes and Villains and fairy-tale characters. But not everything is as magical as it seems. Una must figure out why she has been Written In—and fast—before anyone else discovers her secret. (www.amazon.com; 8/25/2012)

Stronger : a superhuman clash / Michael Carroll

Gethin Rao wants to be like everyone else, but when his superpowers kicked in, he turned blue and grew to 13 feet tall. Treated as a  monster, Gethin runs till he is taken prisoner. When he finally escapes, he falls in with a group of superpowered teens and becomes the one thing he never thought he'd be: a hero. But Gethin learns that being a good guy is a lot more difficult than he thought. (from Amazon.com ; 8/25/2012)

The vindico / Wesley King

The Vindico are a group of supervillains who have been fighting the League of Heroes. They kidnap five teen to train as replacements when they retire--after all, how hard can it be to teach a bunch of angsty teens to be evil?   Fast-paced action, punchy dialogue, and sarcastic, dark  humor. (www.amazon.com; 8/27/2012)

Dr. Temple Grandin

Dr. Temple Grandin

Lincoln Cultural Center,
Sept. 26, 7:00 p.m.

Dr. Temple Grandin will speak at the Lincoln Cultural Center in Kankakee on Wednesday, September 26, at 7:00 p.m. The event is FREE; the doors will open at 6:00 p.m.

Dr. Grandin earned a Ph.D in animal science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is a professor at Colorado State University. She is an expert in animal behavior and works as a consultant in the livestock industry. A highly regarded author and speaker, Dr. Grandin is also an advocate for autism.

Dr. Grandin's homepage 
Dr. Grandin's autism website

Learn more at the Kankakee Public Library website.

Abraham Lincoln Readers' Choice Award

Abraham Lincoln Award – Illinois’ High School Readers’ Choice Award

Named for one of Illinois's finest, our 16th President, who was a voracious reader.

Twenty two titles have been nominated by a committee of librarians and teens; the winner will be selected by high school students -- including YOU --  all over the state. You must read four titles by March 11, 2013, to be eligible to vote.  To register, contact The Librarian (Ms. Jones)  or speak to one of your teachers by Friday, November 2.

Readers may participate in service opportunities throughout the school year, receive gift certificates from local merchants, and enjoy a celebratory breakfast in March.

Title List