The Great War Bibliography

The Great War, now known as World War I, took place from 1914-1918. At the time, it was the largest war the world had seen (Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition). In honor of the poster exhibit that will be on display in the Lower Level of the Library during November and December 2011, we have a select bibliography of fiction and nonfiction resources.

 

Bausum, Ann. Unraveling freedom: the battle for democracy on the home front during World War I. Looks at how U.S. presidents from Wilson to George W. Bush have suspended or revoked guaranteed freedoms in the country during times of war, and includes first-person stories and illustrations.

Bosco, Peter I. World War I.  Discusses the circumstances that led to the United States becoming involved in World War I, profiles key figures, and describes major battles.

Freedman, Russell. The war to end all wars: World War I.  Complemented by archival photographs, an accessible introduction to the “Great War” explains its relevance as a conflict that involved many nations and casualties while introducing modern weaponry and military strategies that have shaped all subsequent wars. By the Newbery Award-winning author of Lincoln: A Photobiography.

Frost, Helen. Crossing stones. In their own voices, four teenagers, Muriel, Frank, Emma, and Ollie, tell of their experiences during the first World War, as the boys enlist and are sent overseas, Emma finishes school, and Muriel fights for peace and women’s suffrage.

Hemingway, Ernest. A farewell to arms. An American’s love for an English nurse during the First World War ends in tragedy.

Miller, Sarah Elizabeth. The lost crown. Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia tell how their privileged lives as the daughters of the tsar in early twentieth-century Russia are transformed by the Great War and revolution.

Morpurgo, Michael. Private Peaceful. When Thomas Peaceful’s older brother is forced to join the British Army, Thomas decides to sign up as well, even though he is only fourteen years old.

Murphy, Jim. Truce: the day the soldiers stopped fighting. Narrative illustrated with archival photos explains how World War I soldiers defied their commanding officers and stopped fighting to declare a miraculous “Christmas truce” and celebrate with their enemies.

Readings on All Quiet on the Western Front.  Essays discuss the construction, meaning, themes, and emotional impact of Remarque’s novel as well as the reason war books are popular and the impact of fame on the author.

Remarque, Erich Maria. All quiet on the western front. The horrors of war as told through the eyes of a young German soldier in World War I.

Sedgwick, Marcus. The foreshadowing. Alexandra poses as a nurse to go to France to locate her brother and to try and save him from the fate she has foreseen for him.

Spillebeen, Geert. Kipling’s choice. In 1915, mortally wounded in Loos, France, eighteen year old John Kipling, son of writer Rudyard Kipling, remembers his boyhood and the events leading to what is to be his first and last World War I battle.

Stephanie Cowell

Last night’s author event drew a great crowd! Stephanie Cowell read from her novel Claude & Camille: A Novel of Monet, and treated our audience of historical fiction fans to rarely seen images of young Monet, his model and lifelong love, Camille, their Impressionist circle of friends, as well as many of our favorite Monet paintings.

Last night’s author event drew a great crowd! Stephanie Cowell read from her novel Claude & Camille: A Novel of Monet, and treated our audience of historical fiction fans to rarely seen images of young Monet, his model and lifelong love, Camille, their Impressionist circle of friends, as well as many of our favorite Monet paintings. Stephanie, a former professional opera singer, even sang for us one of the French folk songs which appear throughout the book. A great discussion followed her presentation.

Our conversation on Stephanie Cowell’s work will continue next week when our Evening Book Discussion Group meets to talk about one of her earlier novels, Marrying Mozart.  Join us!

EVENING BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP:
Marrying Mozart by Stephanie Cowell
Thursday, October 20 7:00 PM

 

Find upcoming selections and an archive of previously discussed books on our Library Book Discussion Groups page.

Banned Books Week

Celebrate Banned Books Week!

September 24 – October 1

Celebrate Banned Books Week!

September 24 – October 1


Books challenged or banned in 2010-2011.

 

 



Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle with India by Joseph Lelyveld

The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star by Nikki Sixx

Kaffir Boy: The True Story of a Black Youth’s Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa by Mark Mathabane

Nickel & Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America by Barbara Ehrenreich

Push by Sapphire

Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

We’ll Be Here for the Rest of Our Lives by Paul Shaffer



April Is Long Island Reads Month

This year’s Long Island Reads selection is Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead.

Each April, during National Library Week, book lovers in Nassau and Suffolk come together to read the same book, participate in discussions of the selection, and enjoy related events in their public libraries.

This year’s Long Island Reads selection is Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead.

The time is 1985. Benji, the son of a lawyer and a doctor, is one of the only black kids at an elite prep school in Manhattan. He spends his falls and winters going to roller-disco bar mitzvahs and trying desperately to find a social group that will accept him.

But every summer, Benji and his brother, Reggie, escape to the East End of Sag Harbor, where a small community of African American professionals has built a world of its own. Except Benji is just as confused about this all-black refuge as he is about the white world he negotiates during the school year.

In this deeply affectionate and fiercely funny coming-of-age novel, Colson Whitehead—using the perpetual mortification of teenage existence and the desperate quest for reinvention—beautifully explores racial and class identity, illustrating the complex rhythms of the adult world.

SAG HARBOR BOOK DISCUSSIONS AT THE LIBRARY
Tuesday, April 12, 11:00 a.m.
Thursday, April 28, 7:00 p.m.

COLSON WHITEHEAD AUTHOR EVENTS
Colson Whitehead will be speaking on Thursday, April 14 at the Rogers Memorial Library in Southampton at 3:00 p.m. and at the Plainview-Old Bethpage Public Library at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are not required.  Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

Meet the Candidates and Budget Information Meeting on Monday, March 21 at 7:30 p.m.

YOUR VOTE COUNTS!
The annual Budget Vote and Trustee Election will be held on Tuesday, April 5, from 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. at the library. Please plan to attend the Meet the Candidates and Budget Information Meeting on Monday, March 21, at 7:30 p.m.

YOUR VOTE COUNTS!
The annual Budget Vote and Trustee Election will be held on Tuesday, April 5, from 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. at the library. Please plan to attend the Meet the Candidates and Budget Information Meeting on Monday, March 21, at 7:30 p.m.

College and High School Students
Have your voice be heard! You are eligible to vote if you are 18 or older and a registered voter. Register at the Cold Spring Harbor School District Office, 75 Goose Hill Road.

Out of town April 5th?
Come into the library for an absentee ballot application!

Election Day

Election Day is Tuesday, November 2. The polls will be open from 6:00am to 9:00pm. This year, voters will be using paper ballots and optical scanning equipment; the old lever machines will not be in use. Polling places will also have at least one ballot marking device that makes it possible for individuals with disabilities to vote independently and privately.

Visit the library or follow the links below for more information.

Find your polling place

View a demonstration of the new voting machines

Voting & candidate information