Communication Quandary

It’s not often that I feel overly sympathetic for inmates of the criminal justice system. In fact we are taught not to feel “sympathy” but instead, “empathy” for their situation. That said, a Hispanic female was housed in my pod the other day. As I was doing a security check I noticed her sitting on the floor of the bathroom crying. Having introduced her to the pod moments before, I was aware of the fact that she spoke almost no English.

After five years of high school and college Spanish I have to say that I can speak very little Spanish. Normally, I would just find another Spanish speaking inmate and have them translate. Unfortunately, out of 36 inmates, she was the only Spanish speaker. I attempted to use an online translator to a degree and hopefully got across a few main points of being in jail. For the most part though, there was almost no communication and I think we both felt a little helpless.

And so, yet another instance of how communication plays a key role in reference, and other, transactions. Is it necessary, as a professional to be able to speak other languages, especially Spanish? Are we obligated to learn a second language? If so, shouldn’t the United States follow the techniques of Asia and Africa where English or a second official language is taught in primary school and earlier?

I’m very torn on this subject because it is frustrating not to be able to get your point across due to a language barrier, when there are already so many other barriers to get over. And yet I feel bad that the US has managed to wipe out so many other cultures in the assimilation process. Ah how I would love to speak German with my grandma. While I did my best to purge the library carts of Spanish reading material, all I can say is that I am glad I wasn’t able to tell her that INS was picking her up in the morning.

Readers Advise....Divisadero

Well, I have been sooo busy lately with school, work and family that I am going back to my roots a little readers advisory, again, and submitting a book review on a recent book I've read (and by recent I mean like two months ago). I don't think reviewing knitting books from the 80's and 90's would be very beneficial...

DIVISADERO

- Michael Ondaatje

“He pushed the glass doors open and walked into the night so the coldness filled his shirt. He noticed the square of a window on the slope of the hill. There was a tightrope between the two farms, and below it an abyss.” (221)

Anyone who knows me knows that The English Patient is not only my favorite movie, but also my favorite book. Ondaatje uses his skill as a poet to write beautiful lyrical prose that simply carries the reader away to the mysterious worlds of Herodotus, Caravaggio and turn of the century France.

Yet, Divisadero is not without its problems. The beginning of the text, which is unusually set in the 1970’s is clunky and without much direction. The plot is slow if not non-existent. Ondaatje focuses on Claire, Coop and Anna who are raised like family since childhood. Anna and Coop have an innocent liaison and then a tragic separation takes place thanks to her father. Then, the story jumps several years down the road to Coop’s self-destructive behavior. The problem is, it isn’t until this section of the novel that the reader really gets hooked onto the characters. Up until then, the reader feels passive, like they are on the outside, looking in. A reader doesn’t want to be on the outside, they want to be there, transformed to where the action is happening.

The final part of the novel transports the reader to turn of the century France, following the life of a recluse writer whose life subtly parallels that of Anna. This was the best and most interesting part of the whole story. Ondaatje’s writing remains beautiful and excels in this section. It is his fluid verse that gives life to the story. Ondaatje also has that gift for weaving history into the mundane and making the whole world seem like one big canvas. Unfortunately, when the writer’s section ends, so does the novel. Anna says a few last words as she reflects on her time spent researching in France, but aside from that there is no conclusion. Part of Ondaatje’s style is that he doesn’t visualize things linearly. The plot starts in the middle, moves backwards and then ends in the present. Ondaatje loves to just end books without a solid finale. This vague conclusion leaves the reader hanging in a most disturbing way. Sometimes the unknown is good, but this is too much.

Overall, the characters all have the beginning of what makes well-developed characters. Unfortunately, the segmented style that guides the text keeps the reader from gaining an attachment to the text. While this method works in The English Patient because the characters come full-circle, it doesn’t work for this novel.

BOOK MARKS...

Since we have recently read about Reader's Advisory in our SLIS textbook, I thought it would be fitting to share my favorite book magazine, "Bookmarks." Technically, I believe it's a popular magazine, unfortunately it's hard to find sometimes. Although, Borders and Barnes and Noble are pretty reliable sources. Bookmarks is published bi-monthly (6 times a year) and is a quick, aesthetically pleasing read. There are several aspects that make this a great and useful source for librarians.

First, it has a list by month of interesting titles that are coming out, usually up to four months.

Secondly, the magazine consists primarily of short reviews, divided by genre, including non-fiction, history, biography, science fiction and crime, etc. Along with the reviews, two authors are featured each month along with a topic. For example, this month the authors are Isabel Allende and Edwidge Danticat and the topic is World War II. The articles are well-written and accurate. I always end up reading about authors I've heard about, but haven't read any of their work yet. The articles for the authors that I am familiar with are still an interesting refresher. Each authors work is highlighted and includes a pretty thorough synopsis of each piece.

There's also a section called "have you read?" that showcases two reader's 10 favorite books. This months reader is from Sheboygan, WI. Go Big Red....

The magazine also features books that have won awards, children's selections and a featured book group that is interviewed. Overall, the reviews are short and useful, but they don't necessarily focus on best-sellers, which is sort of refreshing.

I found this article while looking for a picture of Bookmarks. The author disagrees with almost everything I like about the selection. http://www.flakmag.com/misc/bookmarks.html.

Enjoy.