Fresh from the Stacks

Sun Valley Writers’ Conference – 2023

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2023 Reading List at The Community Library

Fiction 

  • Dave Barry: Swamp Story | NEW FICTION Foyer – FICTION Barry, Axis 360 eBook and eAudiobook     
  • Hernan Diaz: Trust | FICTION Diaz, Lg Print Fic Diaz, Axis 360 eBook and eAudiobook
  • Jonathan Escoffery: If I Survive You | NEW FICTION Foyer,  FICTION Escoffery, Axis 360 eBook and eAudiobook
  • Mohsin Hamid: The Last White Man | FICTION Hamid, Lg Print Fic HAM, Axis 360 eBook and eAudiobook
  • Emily St John Mandel: Sea of Tranquility | FICTION Mandel, Lg Print FIC MAN – Overdrive eAudiobook, Axis 360 eAudiobook
  • Sarah Thankam Mathews: All This Could Be Different |NEW FICTION Foyer, FICTION Mathews, Axis 360 eBook and eAudiobook
  • Curtis Sittenfeld: Romantic Comedy | NEW FICTION Foyer, FICTION Sittenfeld, Lg Print Fic SIT, Axis 360 eBook and eAudiobook
  • Abraham Verghese: The Covenant of Water | NEW FICTION Foyer Verghese, Axis 360 eAudio, Nook 1 (see librarian)

Memoir 

Nonfiction 

Poetry 

  • Tracy K. Smith: Such Color | New Book Foyer 811.6 SMI, Axis 360 eBook

Download a PDF of this list here.

2023 Community Speaker Series

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The 2023 Community Speaker Series presented by The Community Library and the Sun Valley Writers’ Conference invites you to join us for two free lectures at The Community Library. Advance registration is required to attend. Both events will also be livestreamed and recorded for later viewing.

Solito Zavier Samora

Javier Zamora

Wednesday, July 19

6:00 p.m.

The Community Library

Learn more & Register to Attend

Watch Online: Live & Recording available until September 19

Romantic Comedy Curtis Sittenfeld

Curtis Sittenfeld

Tuesday, July 25

6:00 p.m.

The Community Library

Learn more & Register to Attend

Watch Online: Live & Recording

Click here for the 2022 Summer Speaker Series in Forest Service Park featuring:

Click here for the 2021 Summer Speaker Series in Forest Service Park featuring:

Best Reads of 2022

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Our Librarians have scoured the stacks to curate a list that will help you find your next great read. Drumroll please!

Download a printable version here.

General Fiction

Mystery & Crime

Science Fiction/Fantasy

Nonfiction

Social Influence: Sun Valley in the 1930-40s

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By Kyla Merwin, Communications Manager

She sits in the Reading Room at The Community Library, all tattoos and curiosity. She pours through posters, magazine articles, and photographs in the Center for Regional History. She taps wildly at her laptop. She laughs at her own mad obsession with Idaho history.

This new creature in the archives is Skye Cranney, third generation Idahoan, gender historian, and doctoral candidate in American History at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, who hails from Meridian, Idaho.

Skye Cranney is a Ph.D. candidate researching the effects of the Sun Valley marketing machine on the everyday lives of American women

 I have to ask: What is a gender historian?

“I’m interested in the way gender has influenced and shaped aspects of American history,” states Skye. “I’m interested in questions of how masculine and feminine dynamics reach into everyone’s daily lives in ways they may not expect.”

Gender behaviors and expectations are so ingrained into our society, she explains, that we’re not even fully aware of them. “I want to pull those dynamics apart and understand why people of each gender do what they do.”

For example?  

“My project is looking at how famous women behaved at Sun Valley starting in the 1930s, and how fan magazines were writing about them.”

“What caused that change? How does the fact that celebrity women were in Sun Valley, wearing and doing unprecedented things…How did that influence how the average American woman might change what she wears, how she recreates?”

Through the eyes of this earnest researcher, we can see a distinct change in acceptable ways that women could “recreate and play and be creative about it,” as Skye puts it. We can see how sports for women developed with Sun Valley publicity as a hinge pin.

“Take sportswear,” says Skye. “Today we see pants as an everyday thing. But women weren’t allowed to wear trousers for sports until the 1920s.

“What caused that change? How does the fact that celebrity women were in Sun Valley, wearing and doing unprecedented things…How did that influence how the average American woman might change what she wears, how she recreates?”

Images, artifacts, and memorabilia that Skye is finding in the Center for Regional History are “more helpful than I ever dreamed they would be.”

Take Ann Sothern, she notes. “Mary [Director of Regional History] showed me images of Ann at a party with Claudette Colbert and Norma Shearer. These women would not normally socialize together. Sun Valley brought them together, serving as a leveler, and building commonality that may not happened in Hollywood.”

“From the day I got here I was finding amazing stuff on women influencers from the 1930s; I was so excited. The collection here is extraordinary.”

Regional History Librarian, Kelley Moulton, and Mary have been diving into the archives to present Skye with unique resources. “There isn’t anything I found here that hasn’t helped my research,” says Skye, “including oral histories and many other things I didn’t know existed. I wasn’t expecting the resources to be so helpful, so fascinating.”

From Kelley’s point of view, the best part about working with researchers is the helping them find the unexpected. “This could be a random factoid I know but in a different context,” says Kelley. “And they come at it from a different lens, or something we stumble across together when looking at related materials. My job can feel a bit like a jigsaw puzzle at times because of that!”

Skye explains her lens on the Sun Valley vibe:

“From the beginning, Sun Valley was designed to pull in as many celebrities and as many luxuries as possible. Steve Hannagan [head of the Sun Valley marketing machine] had connections with famous people. His motto was that if you can’t do it right, don’t do it at all.”

Skye and Regional History Librarian Kelley Moulton discuss a vintage poster depicting women in (sometimes startling) recreational pursuits and attire

Not even the weather can tarnish the glitz of Sun Valley.

“There was no snow on the resort’s opening day,” Skye explains, “so Steve brought in a bunch of Hollywood starlets to distract the crowds from the disappointing weather. Sun Valley soon became the height of luxury and glamor.

“But these women weren’t just sitting around being glamorous. They were really talented skiers. You can see that in the artifacts.

“From the day I got here I was finding amazing stuff on women influencers from the 1930s; I was so excited. The collection here is really understated.”

“It’s been such a cool experience being here.”

“Mary and Kelley have been extraordinarily helpful; they really listen to what I’m trying to find and they have such a knowledge of the collections, that, even when I’m vague, they’ve been able to present amazing things. They are so knowledgeable specific details about posters and memorabilia.”

Skye calls to mind Gretchen Fraser’s trading cards and her Wheaties cereal box. “Gretchen wasn’t famous when she came here. This woman athlete was getting a ton of attention from her Gold medal in the [1948] Olympics. She was the only woman in the Wheaties ad campaign that year.”

In contrast to the stars who made Sun Valley famous, Skye is intrigued how Gretchen–because she trained here–helped put Sun Valley on the Olympic map. She became a celebrity because of her Gold Medal and brought Sun Valley along for the ride.

“She’s opposite of the Hollywood people,” says Skye. Her trajectory is really interesting.”

As to Mary and Kelley, Skye gives all the kudos: “They’ve been so kind. Being able to work with them so closely has been a really neat experience and so helpful to the project. I’ve really enjoyed working with them.

“It’s been such a cool experience being here.”

Scrutiny and Wonder

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Reflections on the Path through Dyslexia  

By DeAnn Campbell, Children’s and Young Adult Library Director

My father grew up on a dairy farm and loved animals. He had a gentle way with all of them, but especially large beasts like cows and horses. Apparently, he had wanted to become a veterinarian. After high school he attended a single semester of college where he decided that this path of study would be impossible. He dropped out. My mother once told me that it was likely my dad had a mild form of dyslexia.

My father could read. He always read the newspaper and I saw him (especially later in life) studying intently from scripture. His reading, though, demanded an intense amount of time. It demanded quiet and concentration and was not a casual undertaking; it was work. His favorite section of the paper was the comics. He never did much writing, but when he did there were errors: Bs confused for Ds, missing letters, no punctuation.

Dyslexia is much more complicated than just these signs, which can also be developmental. And, if he did indeed have dyslexia, it was never officially diagnosed. 

First off, I don’t have an educational background or any formal training in the diagnosis or treatment of dyslexia which is defined as “a general term for disorders that involve difficulty in learning to read or interpret words, letters, and other symbols, but that do not affect general intelligence.” What I do have is a grainy photograph of my father on a horse and a handful of notes from him written in block letters that are riddled with spelling errors and missing punctuation.  

My nephew, Ryden, has an official diagnosis. Luckily, Ryden’s diagnosis came early—in kindergarten. His mom is an elementary school teacher and is currently working on a master’s degree with dyslexia as her focus.

Dad (17) on horseback 1967

Up until this point, though, much of what she now knows about dyslexia was learned through her experience of having a child with dyslexia and not through her formal educational studies. Ryden’s family has found that most teachers have no specific training for aiding dyslexic students. Despite all this, Ryden does receive a lot of support and formal tutoring.

“We work with him all the time,” my brother tells me. “He has so many resources and tools available to him.” He attends specialized tutoring specifically geared towards kids with dyslexia in his home state of California. He must travel to a nearby city to access these resources. In one tactile strategy, Ryden traces letters and blends in trays of sand. But even with countless hours of practice and reading instruction and the time and the financial cost, my brother wonders, “How much it is helping? [Reading] simply does not stick in his brain.”  

Ryden’s diagnosis is Severe Dyslexia. My brother’s voice catches at the word “severe.” Over the phone I can hear the emotion and the pain, “It is sad.”  

This year, Ryden has tested at a first grade, third month reading level.  

He is in fifth grade.   

For Ryden, though, none of it comes easy. It isn’t for a lack of trying…Ryden works so, so hard.

My brother reminds me that a first grade reading level is pretty rudimentary. Meanwhile, Ryden’s younger brother, who is in third grade, can read like a whiz. My brother explains that his third-grade son reads “10 times better” than Ryden. One look at a word and he’s got it. He retains the spelling, the pronunciation, and the meaning. For Ryden, though, none of it comes easy. It isn’t for a lack of trying, my brother says. Ryden works so, so hard. And though there are some moments of frustration and tears, overall, he keeps a remarkably good attitude. He tries and tries again. While his brothers and sister are shuttled to sports practices and extracurricular activities, Ryden’s extracurricular activity is learning to read. “He has worked harder on learning to read than my other kids have on any athletic skill,” my brother says. Not being able to read is not his fault.  

Although the reading connections don’t happen in his brain the way they do for others, Ryden is intelligent and bright. He is highly organized and very spatially aware. Misplace something? Ask Ryden. He also has an incredible memory. He excels at puzzles and intricate tasks. He has an uncanny ability to see the big picture and solve problems. He thrives on order.  

“I am not worried about him in life,” my brother says. “Ryden is so, so smart.” 

But worry creeps into our conversation. So much of school and society is based on reading and taking tests. My brother hopes for people willing to give Ryden a chance within a society that places importance on a college degree. “We have a lot of conversations with him about the school system and how it isn’t the best system for you, but it is in the system we are in.” Ryden has an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and accommodations. When texts and math story problems are read aloud to Ryden, he performs well. Still, my brother says that teachers typically don’t have adequate training to deal with such a severe case of dyslexia as Ryden has.

Sometimes, the accommodations, like reading materials aloud to him, aren’t followed. My brother and I talk about text to speech technology and advancements that will surely be made to help those who struggle with dyslexia. We talk about audiobooks and how listening to stories brings him joy. We talk about finding people and resources to be your reader and your voice, if reading and writing aren’t your strengths. We talk about how to find your way in a world that is built for those who excel at reading and writing. These are things I’ve always been good at. I do not live in Ryden’s world.

There is a famous quote about dyslexia, attributed to Albert Einstein*, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” 

I see this in Ryden: A brain that that thinks carefully and expansively. A mind that watches the world with scrutiny and wonder.

I think back to my dad. He still lived and worked around big animals his entire life. Growing up, I watched him pat and stroke the backsides of cows as he milked them. I watched him give cows shots through their thick hide and put pills down their throats when they were sick. He concocted his own recipes to help calves with diarrhea and dehydration. He would wake us up in the middle of the night to watch the birth of a calf. While he never became a veterinarian, he loved those parts of being a farmer. He still carved out a life he loved.  

I’ve watched Ryden stay fixed on a task when everyone else has given up. I’ve seen the way he observes and notices the world. I see that he carries a level of concentration that is missing from most of us. He seems attuned to things the rest of us overlook. Sally Shaywitz, a neuroscientist whose emphasis is on children with reading difficulties, has said, “Dyslexics think differently. They are intuitive and excel at problem-solving, seeing the big picture, and simplifying. They are poor rote reciters but inspired visionaries.”  

I see this in Ryden: A brain that that thinks carefully and expansively. A mind that watches the world with scrutiny and wonder. A child who slows down enough to see and to make connections. I hope for innovative approaches to help him navigate the part of the world that is built on words and stand back in amazement at the part that is not; that is where he soars.   

*This librarian could not confirm that Albert Einstein said this, though Einstein was dyslexic.  

Moral Panic and the Banning of Books  

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by Cathy Butterfield, Collections Manager

The recognition that knowledge is a form of power has shaped libraries around the world and through the ages. 

Our earliest forms of written symbol and history are passed down to us through myriad forms of libraries throughout the ages, from the cave art of Lascaux, to Babylonian clay tablets from the 3rd century B.C., to the website “Archive of Our Own.”  Without the archival passion to preserve, those records would have returned to river mud, or cemented into the walls of fortresses (many were.) 

The emperor Shih Huang-ti of the Ch’in dynasty ordered all historical records other than those of the Ch’in to be destroyed so that history would seem to begin with his rule. Preservation of the earliest records were the province of kings and merchant princes, pharaohs, and conquering generals. 

In 48 BC, a good part of the great Library of Alexandria was sacked and burned—one of the chief suspects was Julius Caesar. One of the first known libraries made accessible to the public, rather than the elite, was launched in Rome soon after Caesar’s death. The historian Pliny understood the significance, praising the founder Asinius Pollio: ingenia hominum rem publicam fecit (“He made men’s talents a public possession.”). That may be the most radical aspect of a public library—it shares the power of information with their entire community, rather than just the powerful.   

That may be the most radical aspect of a public library—it shares the power of information with their entire community, rather than just the powerful.   

The director of the Boundary County Library in Bonner’s Ferry, Kimber Glidden, resigned this last week, citing a “political atmosphere of extremism, militant Christian fundamentalism, intimidation tactics, and threatening behavior currently being employed in the community.” A few short years ago, this same library won the award for Best Small Library in the country. What happened? Boundary County’s own web page has a cogent and concise farewell letter posted on their main page that goes straight to the point. 

“This is about control of what information our community is allowed access to,” wrote Glidden. “What is the weapon a small number of people are using to divide this community? Fear, irrational threats, and moral panic.”

Moral panic is a powerful force, shaped by deception, intimidation, and irrational rhetoric. Those generating moral panic about a community having free access to books have a greater agenda—control of the institution as a whole, and by extension, the community it serves. The forces behind bans and challenges want to be kings and merchant princes, and shape history to suit their needs. As Kimberly Giddens says in her farewell:

“Now more than ever it is imperative that we guarantee the freedom to read, the freedom of expression, the freedom of information, and the right to a fair and balanced education.”

~Kimber Gidden, FORMER Boundary Country Library Director

“Now more than ever it is imperative that we guarantee the freedom to read, the freedom of expression, the freedom of information, and the right to a fair and balanced education. The library will stand to protect the rights of all people. 

“It is time to take a stand against false narratives. Thank you and spread the word.”   

Find a list of 25 Frequently Challenged Books Considered Classic Literature, here.

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