VOLUNTARY MADNESS

I just checked out the book Voluntary Madness by Norah Vincent. This book is her follow-up to Self-Made Man, the story of a year spent dressing as a man to see how people reacted to her as a male. During this period she even went so far as to glue finely-cut hair clippings to her face to simulate a beard in order to help with the illusion. After going through this experience she had some psychological issues to work through which brings us to Voluntary Madness. She voluntarily checked herself in at three different mental health facilities in order to both address her own mental health issues, and also study how patients are treated at facilities catering to different socio-economic groups.

Harold Pinter and Donald Westlake

The end of 2008 saw two well-known authors pass away: Harold Pinter and Donald Westlake. I was an English major before deciding to become a librarian, and I can remember reading several of Mr. Pinter's plays for one of my courses. It was the first time I had heard the phrase "theatre of the absurd," which describes a philosophy that life is inherently without meaning, and I struggled a bit in understanding what Pinter and and some of his contemporaries were trying to say. It was a fascinating class, but one I hadn't thought of in years until Mr. Pinter's death. The library owns several of his titles, including a book of essays Death, Etc. published in 2005.

The library also owns many titles by Donald Westlake who passed away New Year's Eve. When I worked at the information desk in Vancouver, I helped patrons find his books in our collection, but I never actually read him myself. Now I would like to give him a try; ironic, isn't it, that an author's passing tends to generate more interest in and sales of the author's work.

CHICAGO 1893

My book group is currently reading The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. It's the story of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair (also known as the World's Columbian Exposition). So much happened at this fair...so many "firsts" that I just couldn't stop reading it. The first Ferris Wheel (so large that more than 2,000 people could ride it at one time), the first sampling of Juicy Fruit gum, the first zipper, the introduction of shredded wheat. The list goes on and on.

In addition to the story of the fair and the architects who made it happen, the author tells the story of the first recorded serial killer in the United States, Herman Mudgett. He built a hotel for fair-goers and only rented rooms to single women (who often subsequently went missing under mysterious circumstances.)

The book group is meeting on Tuesday Jan 13 at 7:30 at the Main Library (1007 E Mill Plain Blvd, Vancouver, WA). Any interested readers are invited to attend.