Summer is the best time to kick back with a good book. Be sure to stop by our summer reading display and check out the perfect read for you!
Here are our Top Ten recommendations.
You can preview all the books on our Summer Reads 2013 list on Pinterest.
Or download the Summer Reading 2013 recommendation list.
Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to learn more about the Sunshine State with writer T.D. Allman.
About the Book
“FINDING FLORIDA is an immense and important work, an overdue survey and indictment of the Sunshine State – and of the way Americans increasingly live now.” –Bookforum
“A rich and lively history of Florida, minus the Disney gloss. . . . [Allman] shatters five centuries of mythmaking to tell the real story . . . A splendid rendering of the messy human story of our fourth-most populous state.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
FINDING FLORIDA
The True History of the Sunshine State
T.D. Allman
At once an exuberant media dream and the political pivot of the nation, the state of Florida plays an essential role in 21st century America. Taken in the grips of multiple conquests and then sold as a resort paradise, Florida has emerged as a multicultural mirror of our nation as we know it today. In FINDING FLORIDA: The True History of the Sunshine State (Atlantic Monthly Press; March 5, 2013; 978-0-8021-2076-2) T.D. Allman reassembles the extraordinary story of Florida that has suffered distortion throughout decades of rupture and healing. As provocative as it is genuine, this fascinating, comprehensive history of our fourth most populous state takes us from its Eden-like beginnings to the sidewalks of today’s South Beach and everything in between.
Like much of America, Florida is a dynamic byproduct of invasion, rich with 500 years of secrets. After the loss of Florida’s 925,000 natives to early Spanish expeditions, the state underwent years of power politics, racial violence, and the squandering of wealth. The once pristinely isolated territory, blessed by geography, was transformed by the tugs-of-war between the Spanish, French, and British. American maneuvers followed, introducing Florida to slavery, racism, and violence as a result of Andrew Jackson’s military campaign. Reframed over the years as a righteous defeat of villains, Allman reveals the true story of Jackson’s 1816 attack on the peaceful Negro Fort, which killed hundreds of civilians. The following Seminole Wars were shockingly explosive, bloody conflicts. Political corruption followed Florida into the 19th century as racist rule prevailed even after the Confederate defeat in the Civil War.
Thanks to revolutionaries like Harriet Beecher Stowe and Joseph Kittinger, Florida has become one of our most diverse states and now perhaps our most influential. In chronicling Florida’s transformative past, Allman unapologetically tackles issues of native genocide, slavery, racial violence and politics that retain a timely importance. He shows Florida as a state of rapid adaptation, an example of this country’s battle through years of hardship and endurance and, at the same time, sets the stage for its prosperous future.
FINDING FLORIDA has a myth-busting spirit that promotes honesty and gumption, rather than the sugarcoating that has left cracks in Florida’s, and our nation’s history.
T.D. Allman is the author of bestseller Miami: City of the Future. A native Floridian, Harvard graduate, and former Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal, Allman was for many years the foreign correspondent of Vanity Fair, and is credited with uncovering the CIA’s “secret war” (a phrase he coined) in Laos. He has written about Florida for Esquire and National Geographic, and his work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Harper’s, The New Republic, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, Le Monde, and The Economist, among other publications. He divides his time between Miami, New York, and the south of France.
Press Release by Deb Seager || dseager@groveatlantic.com
Don’t miss any of our exciting events for Women’s Leadership Month! Save the Date and see you soon!
On display in the library atrium, the works Mo Yan, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Mo, Y., & Goldblatt, H. (1994). Red sorghum: A novel of China. New York: Penguin Books.
Mo, Y., & Goldblatt, H. (2010). Change. London: Seagull Books.
Mo, Y., & Goldblatt, H. (2011). Shifu, you’ll do anything for a laugh. New York: Arcade Pub.
Mo, Y., & Goldblatt, H. (2012). The republic of wine: A novel. New York: Arcade Pub.
Mo, Y., & Goldblatt, H. (2012). Big breasts & wide hips: A novel. New York: Arcade Publishing.
Mo, Y., & Goldblatt, H. (2012). Pow!. London: Seagull Books.
Mo, Y., & Goldblatt, H. (2012). Life and death are wearing me out: A novel. New York: Arcade.
Mo, Y., & Goldblatt, H. (2012). The garlic ballads: A novel. New York: Arcade Pub.
Mo, Y., & Goldblatt, H. (2013). Sandalwood death: A novel. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
Image by Isabel M. Medina-Pascu.
Did you miss Larry’s presentation on the best apps for college students? Here’s a recap of Larry’s recommended apps.
For more information on this presentation, contact Larry Treadwell at ltreadwell@stu.edu
The University Library will be celebrating National Games/Gaming Day on Monday from 11:00am until 4:00pm in the Convocation Hall.
Gaming Day is part of an initiative organized by the American Library Association to showcase gaming in libraries and the value of gaming in literacy development, social skills development, education, and recreation. Thousands of libraries around the world host Gaming Day for groups of all ages.
Take part in this exciting event and try your hand at one of our games! We’ll have multiple gaming systems and board games available for play, as well as snacks and refreshments.
If you’d like to learn even more about the role of gaming in libraries, education, and society, check out one of these books on display in the library, or browse through our E-book Collection.
Books on Gaming available at the STU LIbrary
Cogburn, J., & Silcox, M. (2009). Philosophy through video games. New York: Routledge.
Edery, D., Edery, D., & Mollick, E. (2009). Changing the game: How video games are transforming the future of business. Upper Saddle River, N.J: FT Press.
Gee, J. P. (2003). What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Gibson, D., Aldrich, C., & Prensky, M. (2007). Games and simulations in online learning: Research and development frameworks. Hershey PA: Information Science Pub.
Grenville, B., Johnson, T., Wright, W., & Vancouver Art Gallery. (2008). KRAZY!: The delirious world of anime + comics + video games + art. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Jones, S. E. (2008). The meaning of video games: Gaming and textual strategies. New York: Routledge.
King, B., & Borland, J. (2003). Dungeons and dreamers: The rise of computer game culture : from geek to chic. Emeryville, Calif: McGraw-Hill/Osborne.
Kutner, L., & Olson, C. K. (2008). Grand theft childhood: The surprising truth about violent video games and what parents can do. New York: Simon & Schuster.
McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality is broken: Why games make us better and how they can change the world. New York: Penguin Press.
Reeves, B., & Read, J. L. (2009). Total engagement: Using games and virtual worlds to change the way people work and businesses compete. Boston, Mass: Harvard Business Press.
Ryan, J. (2011). Super Mario: How Nintendo conquered America. New York: Portfolio Penguin.
Sheff, D. (1993). Game over: How Nintendo zapped an American industry, captured your dollars, and enslaved your children. New York: Random House.
Singer, D. G., & Singer, J. L. (2005). Imagination and play in the electronic age. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.
Wolf, M. J. P. (2012). Encyclopedia of video games: The culture, technology, and art of gaming. Santa Barbara, Calif: Greenwood.
Wolf, M. J. P. (2012). Before the crash: Early video game history. Detroit: Wayne State University Press.
Celebrate National Gaming Day
November 5th from 11:00am – 4:00pm, Convocation Hall
Join us for video games, chess, Scrabble, and more!
I Am a Strong Woman – book talk with author and photographer Susan Buzzi
November 7th at 11:30am, encore presentation at 6:00pm, Library Atrium
Ms. Buzzi, an STU alum, will be discussing her book and her role in raising breast cancer awareness in our community.
Faculty Book Talk Lecture Series – Dr. Cam Caldwell
November 13th at 11:00am, Library Atrium
Dr. Caldwell will be discussing his latest publication: Moral Leadership: A Transformative Model for Tomorrow’s Leaders
Faculty Book Talk Lecture Series – Dr. Francis J. Sicius
November 14th at 12:30pm, Library Atrium
Dr. Sicius will be discussing his latest publication: Daily Life through American History in Primary Documents: The Colonial Period to the American Revolution
Bobcat Read – A Hobbit Harvest
November 19th at 12:00pm, Library Atrium
Join us for a harvest festival in honor of The Hobbit, the Bobcat Read selection for the fall semester. There will be Hobbit inspired treats, a Lord of the Rings trilogy viewing, and more. Be sure to check out a copy of The Hobbit to read during the holiday break.
Hands on with Apps – Presented by Larry Treadwell
November 27th at 2:00pm, Library Atrium
Learn about some of the best apps for students!
