Tag: books

We READ, We TALK Book Club – March

The second and last discussion of The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston will take place at the Main Library on Saturday, March 7th at 2:00 p.m. & Saturday, March 14th at 4:00 p.m.

As a girl, Kingston lives in two confounding worlds: the California to which her parents have immigrated and the China of her mother’s “talk stories.” The fierce and wily women warriors of her mother’s tales clash jarringly with the harsh reality of female oppression out of which they come.

Get ready for some great conversations, good food and tons of fun!

Email bmartin@gallupnm.gov or call 505-863-1291 for more information.

Book Signing with Author

Visiting Author: Jeffrey Hass

Join us at the Main Library on Saturday, February 8th at 4:30 p.m., for a book signing and discussion of The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther by Jeffrey Haas.

Discover Haas’s personal account of how he and People’s Law Office partner Flint Taylor pursued Hampton’s assassins, ultimately prevailing over unlimited government resources and FBI conspiracy.

Email bmartin@gallupnm.gov or call 505-863-1291 for more information.

We READ, We TALK Book Club – February/March

The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts

By Maxine Hong Kingston

An exhilarating blend of autobiography and mythology, of world and self, of hot rage and cool analysis. As a girl, Kingston lives in two confounding worlds: California to which her parents have immigrated and China of her mother’s “talk stories.”

The fierce and wily women warriors of her mother’s tales clash jarringly with the harsh reality of female oppression out of which they come.

Get ready for some great conversations, good food and tons of fun!

Email bmartin@gallupnm.gov or call 505-863-1291 for more information.

MUST BE ABLE TO ATTEND ONE (1) OF THE FOLLOWING BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION MEETINGS:

  • Saturday, February 22nd at 2:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, March 7th at 2:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, March 21st at 2:00 p.m.

Discussion Questions:

  • “The Woman Warrior” opens with the dramatic story of the “no-name woman,” Kingston’s deceased aunt who was shamed and ultimately lost her life, for having a child with a man who wasn’t her husband. What do you think Kingston wants us to take away from this story?
  • Early on, Kingston asks how Chinese-Americans like herself can separate what is peculiar to her own family’s stories vs. what is Chinese. What are some of the other challenges of growing up as a second-generation immigrant?
  • The original title Kingston chose for this book was “Gold Mountain Stories.” What does “Gold Mountain” signify, and why would she have picked that name?
  • ”Women in the old China do not choose,” Kingston writes. What are some of the ways women were oppressed in her parents’ and parents’ parents’ generations? What about her own?
  • What role does disgrace and shame play in the book? Where does it come from?
  • What do you make of Kingston’s mother’s “talk stories,” which are a mix of folk tales and family lore? Do you believe them? Does it matter?
  • Who is Fa Mu Lan? How does Kingston become her, or imagine becoming her?
  • How does the urban renewal that tore down her parents’ laundry business affect their family?
  • Kingston’s mother teaches her that all white people are “ghosts.” What does she mean by this?
  • Why is Kingston’s mother, Brave Orchid, so intent on her sister, Moon Orchid, finding her husband in America and demanding more from him?
  • The last of the book’s five interconnected stories is about speaking and not speaking, and the theme of rebellion. Why do you think Kingston closes the book this way?
  • “The Woman Warrior” was written in 1976. How does it remain timely or relevant today? Does it also feel dated?
  • Since its publication, “The Woman Warrior” has sparked controversy by Asian American scholars who say it presented a distorted view of Chinese culture in its blending of fiction and fact. What do you make of that critique?
  • How was the writing style, and the experience of reading this book, different from other selections in our book club? 

Email bmartin@gallupnm.gov or call 505-863-1291 for more information.

Blind Date with a Book

The Library is celebrating Valentine’s Day by playing matchmaker!  You shouldn’t always judge a book by its cover. Put your trust in fate and choose a book without knowing the title.  Maybe you will fall in love!

Check out a book from our display through the month of February and rate it by filling out the “Rate the Date” card with each book.  Return the card to the Library by March 15th and be entered in a drawing to win a prize. 

Post a picture with your blind date on our Facebook or Instagram pages for a second entry into the drawing. 

Email bmartin@gallupnm.gov or call 505-863-1291 for more information.

Book Signing with Author: Farina King

Join us at the Main Library on Saturday, January 18th at 4:00 p.m., for a book signing and discussion of: The Earth Memory Compass: Diné Landscapes and Education in the Twentieth Century.

The Diné, or Navajo, have their own ways of knowing and being in the world, a cultural identity linked to their homelands through ancestral memory. The Earth Memory Compass traces this tradition as it is imparted from generation to generation.

The book follows Farina King’s search for her own Diné identity as she investigates the interconnections among Navajo students, their people, and Diné Bikéyah—or Navajo lands—across the twentieth century. Farina King, a citizen of the Navajo Nation, is an Assistant Professor of History and affiliated faculty of Cherokee and Indigenous Studies at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, OK.

Email bmartin@gallupnm.gov or call 505-863-1291 for more information.

Book Signing with Local Author: Dee Thompson

Join us at the Main Library on Saturday, January 11th at 3:00 p.m., for a book signing of: Shattered Dreams, Bondage and Hope.

Dee Thompson describes the turbulent and often traumatic past of a woman who struggled to overcome her past traditions and establish her own identity as a scholar. Growing up in the early 1900’s on the Navajo Reservation, her life was largely influenced and dominated by ancient teachings and practices of her culture until she was introduced to an ominous evil that held her captive for many years.

Thompson was born on the Navajo Reservation in Pinedale and is a native of New Mexico now living in Gallup.  The inspiration behind her book will be presented along with a book signing.

Email bmartin@gallupnm.gov or call 505-863-1291 for more information.

Young Adult Book Trailer Competition.

Would you like to pursue a career in the film industry? Work behind the scenes directing, producing, lighting, and more.

Here is your chance to showcase your talents with a Young Adult Book Trailer Competition. We will be hosting workshops in scripting, videography, editing, and more!

Book trailers will be showcased at the end of the competition & Prizes awarded.

Registration deadline is January 31st, 2020 and is available below.

Competition is for anyone ages 13-18 and begins February 1st through April 4th, 2020.

Email jwhitman@gallupnm.gov or call 505-863-1291 for more information.

We READ, We TALK Book Club – January

REGISTER HERE

Register at either library during the month of January or online above for a free copy of The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston.

An exhilarating blend of autobiography and mythology, of world and self, of hot rage and cool analysis. As a girl, Kingston lives in two confounding worlds: the California to which her parents have immigrated and the China of her mother’s “talk stories.”

The fierce and wily women warriors of her mother’s tales clash jarringly with the harsh reality of female oppression out of which they come.

Get ready for some great conversations, good food and tons of fun!

Email bmartin@gallupnm.gov or call 505-863-1291 for more information.

REGISTER HERE

Magic for Muggles: Bingo

Join us at the Children’s Branch on Friday, December 13th at 4:00 p.m. for an afternoon of testing your trivial knowledge with Harry Potter Bingo with themed Bingo cards which include characters, spells, and books from the Harry Potter franchise.

Watch Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban as we continue our magical adventures.

Email jwhitman@gallupnm.gov or call 505-726-6120 for more information.

Available Prizes for Bingo

  • Three (3) Harry Potter Uno Game Decks.
  • Two (2) Harry Potter Coloring Books.
  • One (1) Harry Potter Water Bottle with Aquamenti spell.
  • Three (3) Harry Potter Funko Pops featuring Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ronald Weasley.
  • One (1) Harry Potter Book Collection featuring Year One through Seven.
  • One (1) Harry Potter Wizards Chess Set
  • One (1) Harry Potter DVD Collection featuring Year One through Seven.
OFPL does not own the rights to this video. Courtesy from YouTube.