Even though the new school year is fast approaching, La Mesa Branch Library’s Summer Learning Challenge is in full swing.
If you haven’t received your Challenge Log yet, pop into a branch now to claim your prize and be entered into the grand prize draw.
For even more fun, join us on Saturday, August 10th at 2pm with the BTSD Drum Corps. By popular demand, our intergenerational drum corps will deliver a raucous performance not to be missed. For more information and other free events, visit sdcl.org/LaMesa.
There have been some great books published recently that are both entertaining and smart.
Albert J. Mann examines the American labor movement in Shift Happens: The History of Labor in the United States.
This book delves into the origins, development, and current state of labor unions, from colonial American guilds to the impact of COVID-19. You’ll see how global events like the Great Depression and the Civil Rights Movement have impacted workers. While it may sound dry, Mann uses a conversational, compelling narrative that makes this book an engaging read.
In “Our Enemy Disappears: Russian Invasion and the Ukrainian War of Independence,” Yarsarov Trofimov gives us a first-hand account of the current war in Ukraine.
Trofimov is a reporter for The Wall Street Journal whose investigative reporting often takes him to the front lines, not only detailing the destruction across Ukraine but also examining the slogans, speeches and memes Ukrainians are using as they continue their struggle.
As attempts to legalize psychedelics appear on the ballot, take a look at how governments around the world initially used these drugs in Tripped: Nazi Germany, the CIA, and the Dawn of the Psychedelic Era by Norman Ohler.
Readers will learn how the Third Reich tried to discover a truth serum using hallucinogens and that the CIA explored the possibility of using these drugs for brainwashing. Ohler traces how government experiments with LSD have evolved into more recent ideas about how to help people with Alzheimer’s.
There are plenty of great reads to keep you busy during lazy summer days. (Images provided)
Finally, learn more about specific mental illness diagnoses beyond the stereotypes and shame that come with them in Sociopath: a Memoir by Patrick Gagne.
This is more than just a memoir. Gagne tells the reader what a sociopath is, what he is not (it is not the same as a psychopath), the treatments available to those with this diagnosis, and how the millions of people with this diagnosis can live full, emotionally rich lives. This book will give readers a new understanding of the word sociopath.
To learn more about these fascinating topics, visit the La Mesa Branch Library or check out the eLibrary at sdcl.org.