Lost Treasures of the Dewey Decimal
System
published in Bookmarks magazine, May/June 2003
Cathy Belben, Librarian, Bellingham, Washington
I worked at the Bellingham Public Library as
a teenager, and am now a high school librarian. I’ve always loved the
exactitude with which books are organized according to the system Melvil Dewey
designed in 1872 as a 21 –year-old college student.
Dewey made sure there would be a way to incorporate everything—even
things that hadn’t been invented yet—into his organizational scheme.
Every category yields numerous treasures. These are a few of my personal
favorites.
001.9: (Controversial Knowledge)
The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark © 1995 by Carl Sagan
Sagan rationally offers explanations for
strange phenomena that people insist upon believing in, such as alien abductions
and astrology, arguing that what we encounter daily is so amazing that we
don’t need to search elsewhere to find sources of fascination. His
down-to-earth, commonsense approach laced with humor makes this an entertaining and
informative book.
158 (Applied Psychology)
The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People: What Scientists Have Learned and How
You Can Use It © 2000 by David Niven, Ph.D.
This is a great book to keep in your car for
browsing during traffic jams. Each 2-3- page chapter offers simple, sensible
advice about leading a happier life—such as turning off the TV, joining clubs,
and reading more. Best of all,
Niven includes references to the science behind the suggestions so you can read
more about it. Just reading this short book will make you happier as you realize
all of the possibilities that exist for increasing joy.
282.092 (Roman Catholic Church: Persons
Treatment)
Chasing Grace: Reflections of a Catholic Girl, Grown Up © 1996 by Martha
Manning
Even non-Catholics will find something to
laugh about in Manning’s memoir about the impact of religion on her family and
psyche. Manning has a gift for
illuminating the ordinary and choosing the exact word for each circumstance,
recreating her world on the page and inviting us in.
364.1536 (Deviations)
Remembering Satan: A Case of Recovered Memory and the Shattering of an
American Family ©1994 by Lawrence Wright
Wright recounts the bizarre tale of Olympia,
Washington deputy Paul Ingraham, who confessed to committing twisted acts of
ritual abuse on his children after they claimed to have “recovered” memories
of a graphically violent past. Despite
a total lack of physical evidence, police pressed on and secured an admission of
guilt from Ingraham, who is still in prison.
A fascinating, unforgettable mix of true crime, courtroom drama, and
psychological intrigue.
428.2 (Standard English Usage)
The Deluxe Transitive Vampire:
The Ultimate Handbook of Grammar for the Innocent, the Eager, and the
Doomed. © 1993 by Karen Elizabeth Gordon.
It’s hard to imagine a humorous, entertaining book about grammar, but here
it is. “It is in high spirits
that this opulent, rapturous, vamped-up grammar drama leaps into your lap,”
the author writes in her preface. And she doesn’t disappoint. Using examples
even a teenager could love, Gordon explains the complexities of English from
sentence types to subject-verb agreement. One of my favorites is her example of
a compound sentence: “The lithium worked, and the mania subsided.”
The Parrot’s Lament and Other Tales of Animal Intrigue, Intelligence, and
Ingenuity © 1995 by Eugene Linden
The book that made me a vegetarian!
Linden’s belief that animals have far more going on mentally that we
give them credit for is exemplified in these stories about animals working,
playing, pleasing, and even grieving. As they work through problems and
entertain their keepers, these cheetahs, dolphins, whales, and other creatures
offer compelling evidence that they are thinking much more than we realize.
614.599 (Eyes:
Human Diseases: Incidences)
Slackjaw: A Memoir by Jim Knipfel
There just aren’t many funny books about
going blind—Knipfel has written perhaps the only one. He suffers from
retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease, which renders him blind by age
32. Knipfel describes his loss of
vision without self-pity; instead he writes humorously about the free “blind
man training” he receives from New York State—complete with visits from the
“home survival genie” and training from the transit authority on what to do
if you stumble onto the subway tracks.
796.323 (Athletic and Outdoor Sports and
Games: Basketball)
Counting Coup: A True Story of Basketball and
Honor on the Little Big Horn ©2000 by Larry Colton
Colton’s account of the year he spent
examining the lives and talents of members of the Hardin (Montana) girl’s
basketball team—especially star Sharon LaForge—creates an indelible image of
life on a contemporary reservations, with its infighting and politics, tragedies
and traditions. Readers will root
for LaForge and hope desperately, as Colton does, that she is able to use her
athletic talent as a ticket out of town and an escape from the cycle of poverty,
alcoholism, and abuse that plagues her family.
811.54 (Specific Forms of American
Literature in English: Poetry)
New and Collected Poems © 1992 by Mary Oliver
Poems for the non-poem reader. Over and over
again, Oliver shows us our lives through the lenses of the natural world. Her
poems are snapshots of nature that remind us who we are, what we have to be
thankful for, and where we fit into the world.
They are wise and comforting, and escape the stiff, pretentious language
and imagery that makes so much poetry difficult to read and impossible to enjoy.
920.7 (Biography: Persons by Sex)
The Last American Man. ©2002 by Elizabeth Gilbert.
"What is it that I am destined to accomplish, and how can I make that
happen?" asks Eustace Conway, the subject of The Last American Man. A
natural woodsman from a young age, Conway spent his youth retreating to the
woods and the museum, where he learned the skills he would need for a lifetime
of self-sufficiency. He eventually
left home to live in a self-made teepee in the forest and fulfilled his life's
mission: to educate people about
living in the wilderness, and to try to persuade people to live in a more
earth-friendly manner. Gilbert’s account of Conway’s life is at times funny,
often stunning, and occasionally saddening.