Library News for Adults - Special Edition
July 1, 2020

Have a safe and happy 4th!
- from all of us at Scott County Library


We've begun reading A Good Time for the Truth: Race in Minnesota, and each week we will share a quotation from two essays and give you some points to ponder as you read along with us. Want to read along? Click here to read the open-access eBook in your browser, or place a hold on a print or eBook copy at the library. 

This week, we read the Introduction by editor Sun Yung Shin, and the first essay, "Fear of a Black Mother" by Shannon Gibney. 

In the Introduction, Shin writes, "Race is often invisible to those who benefit, willingly or unwillingly, knowingly or unknowingly. It is entirely visible to those who do not benefit."  
  • What invisible benefits of race do you see? Have recent events like George Floyd's death helped you to see those invisible benefits more clearly?  
In "Fear of a Black Mother", Shannon Gibney uses an encounter between her preschool son and a store clerk to illustrate the dangers her son faces merely by virtue of his gender and skin color, and the challenges of present and engaged parenting while always "bracing for the next 'hit' of bias or racism."
  • Gibney writes, "As a mother, I know it is my duty to protect [my son]. As a Black citizen in a country that has never viewed Black bodies as worthy of protection, I know I cannot." How did this chilling statement affect you? Do you share Gibney's fears for your own children or loved ones, and for the same reasons or different ones?    
Weekly Trivia

Here are the top five finishers from last week's Indigenous Authors trivia . No one got a perfect score. 
  1. Funny Wolf 
  2. Polite Echidna
  3. Fabulous Crane 
  4. Amusing Panda
  5. Adorable Boa
Here's this week's challenge. Good luck!

Trivia Challenge: National Parks

This holiday week, we're challenging you to trivia celebrating some of the best natural and historic features America has to offer - the U. S. National Parks, thanks to Beth in Elko New Market! The multiple choice challenge is timed, so the faster you respond, the more points you get! You have until Tuesday, July 7 at noon to take the challenge.

We've built our trivia challenge in Kahoot!, but there's no need for you to create an account. Just click the link, spin for a randomly-generated player name, and play! The top five winners will be revealed in next Wednesday's newsletter, so be sure to remember your player name!
Library Staff Recommends

All titles are available (or will soon be available) in print, on Cloud Library eBooks or eAudiobooks, or RBDigital eAudiobooks.

Dark humor is an acquired taste, but if you love it, try these. 
  • My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite 
  • American Gods by Neil Gaiman
  • Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
  • Adjustment Day by Chuck Palahniuk
  • Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: a Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream by Hunter S. Thompson 
"Reading is a great escape! I love to read an eclectic mix of fiction and non-fiction."  Submitted by Hilary, Library Associate at the Prior Lake Library.


Crazy Good Sports Reads 

Wait till Next Year by Doris Kearns Goodwin 
 
The Boys in the Boat: NIne Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown

The Blind Side by Michael Lewis

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

State: A team, a Triumph, a Transformation by  Melissa Isaacson

Recommended by Sarah E., Technical Services Coordinator. When she's not working on adult trivia or DVD orders for the library, Sarah is working towards her (completely unachievable) goal of making the LPGA tour.
Scott County Library | Phone | Website
STAY CONNECTED: