Diana Spechler, a Steinbeck Fellow at San Jose State University from 2004-2005, will read from her newly published book on Thursday. Who by Fire is an account of the rending and eventual re-ordering of a family suffering from the loss of their kidnapped child.

From Publishers Weekly:

In her affecting debut, Spechler raises the question of whether, in rescuing others, we risk ruining ourselves. Thirteen years after the abduction of youngest child Alena at the age of six, the remaining members of the Kellerman family are still deeply damaged by their shared loss. The irresponsible oldest daughter, Bits, seeks out random sexual encounters with near strangers to fill the voids in her life. Son Ash, meanwhile, dabbles in a variety of compulsive behaviors before settling on Orthodox Judaism, cutting himself off from the rest of the family and moving to Jerusalem. The mother, Ellie, enlists the help of a charismatic stranger to help save Ash from what she views as a cult, and when Alena’s remains are discovered, Bits determines to bring Ash home for their sister’s long-overdue memorial service. Told in alternating chapters by Bits, Ellie and Ash, the narrative is notable in large part for how little these family members actually interact with one another despite the drama that confronts them all. Though the ending is overly tidy, Spechler’s debut raises provocative questions about religion, violence and the resilience of families and individuals. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The reading takes place Oct. 23 at the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies, San Jose State University, 7:00 p.m. The Center is located in room 590 of the King library and features the world’s largest Steinbeck archive, featuring manuscripts, correspondence, photos, oral histories, first editions, films, memorabilia, art.

Repair work at the Joyce Ellington branch library.

On my way to work this morning I saw that repair work has begun on the Joyce Ellington branch library building in the Northside. The building was damaged on Sept. 7 or 8 when a police chase ended with the fugitive crashing into the southeast corner.

Given the need (I hope) for a competitive bid process to hire the repair workers, and the likely state of city finances, I’m impressed that they’ve gotten started working on this just a month after the damage happened.

This week from Sept. 27-Oct. 4 kicks off an annual celebration of freedom of thought and speech — Banned Books Week.

Check out the American Library Association’s website on banned books here, check out a list of frequently banned books here and here, or become a fan of Banned Books Week on Facebook or Myspace.

The MLK library is already planning some activities:

Sat, Oct 4
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
150 E. San Fernando St. - Rooms 225/229, 2nd Floor
(408) 536-6046

Speakers Dr. Jim Schmidt, professor at the School of Library and Information Science, will speak on Intellectual Freedom, and Amy Sonnie will speak on her challenged book, Revolutionary Voices. There will also be games as well as people reading passages from their favorite banned or challenged books. For additional information contact Heather Devine (408) 536-6046. This event is sponsored by ALASC and LISSTEN.”

I heart me some MLK library. Here’s what’s going on there right now:

• The library is celebrating its 5th year anniversary all month. The big kickoff event was on the 6th, and naturally I miss it. Happy birthday to the largest library west of the Mississippi River, and the only library in the nation that is both university- AND city-owned!
• Guest speaker Ralph G. Latza will help explain to parents the steps they need to take to fund their child’s education. Free. Tue, Sept. 16, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM; Room 255, 2nd Floor.
• For the business-minded amongst you, the Entrepreneurial Society will host Tony Calleja and Jayan Ramankutti, both seasoned entrepreneurs who will impart hard-earned wisdom, I’m sure. Mon, Sep 15 6:15 PM - 8:00 PM; 2nd Floor, Rooms 225/229, check http://www.cob.sjsu.edu/svce/events/. As a side note, the Entrepreneurial Society is the student group responsible for putting on the Silicon Valley Neat Ideas Fair, which showcases SJSU student innovations and business ideas. It’s actually very interesting, each and every year.
• As I previously (barely) mentioned, there is a teen digital photography exhibit called “My World, My Community” that is on display until Sept. 30 on the 4th floor. Teens spent 10 weeks in the summer exploring their surroundings and taking pictures. And as you can see from my very digital, very not-quality camera phone, it has a lot of creative energy , and it’s the kind of project that reminds you why people delve into visual arts in the first place. So go see it in person and support the youth of the community. NOW!

Inadvertently contributing to the celebration of National Library Week, as noted by my fellow Metblogs San Jose cohort, Gary Wiens, I figured now would be a good time to share the status of the demolition of Santa Teresa Branch of the San Jose Public Library.

In 1984, I was 12 years old, and clearly remember the opening of the Santa Teresa library–a bright, shiny facility located on International Circle, by the Kaiser Santa Teresa Hospital. Covering nearly 14,000 sq ft., it was the haven for working on many school projects. It was a surprise for me to see the library being torn down, before I had a chance to dig up some facts about the demolition.

The $13.6 million dollar Santa Teresa Library reconstruction project began with the its closing in late 2007, with demolition beginning in March of this year. The expected opening date for the new facility is June of 2009. The Branch Library Bond Measure, of which Santa Teresa is the 15th project, was approved by voters in 2000, which provides $212 million dollars over 10 years for new and upgraded libraries in San Jose. This new library is designed by STUDIOS Architecture in San Francisco, and is managed by BRCO Constructors of Loomis, CA.

Notable changes to the new library which, will be built on the same spot on International Circle, include an increase of computers from 13 to 33-40; seating increased from 48 to 122-156; group study and storytelling areas (previously lacking in the old library) ranging from 20-39 seats; and an increase in parking of roughly 20 more spaces. source: SJLibrary.org

More pictures of the demolition (click to zoom):

images: Eric Rice, Microsoft Virtual Earth, Google Maps, STUDIOS Architecture

April 13-19 is National Library Week, a time to celebrate the contributions of all libraries, librarians and library workers along with promoting library use and support.

Many of the San Jose Branch Libraries have been or are being rebuilt. The new libraries have more study areas, teen areas, and cool reading areas, along with an increase in the number of computers. Most libraries in the South Bay now have Wi-Fi access. I noticed a large number of computers available at the Santa Clara City Library along with some nice areas to sit with your laptop computer.

If you have not been to the library in some time, then drop by and visit you local branch. You will find DVDs, CDs, books on tape/CD, and of course, a zillion books.

You may get a library card for any Bay Area library by providing proof that you are a California resident.

San Jose Public Library

Santa Clara County Library

Santa Clara City Library

Los Gatos Public Library

Sunnyvale Public Library

Alameda County Library

I mentioned in an earlier post that every second Sunday of the month is free admission day at The Tech Museum of Innovation. There is also, a Tech Pass Program providing discount admission of $3 per person to gallery exhibits at the Tech Museum for a group of up to five people. San José Public Library branches and Santa Clara County Library branches receive 30 passes per month and are available on a first come basis. You must be a library cardholder to receive the discounted pass. This is a great opportunity for families to visit the Tech Museum without breaking the bank.

More information about the Tech Pass Program: San José Public Library and Santa Clara County Library

My wife and I had never really seen San José till the last weekend. We had passed through Downtown several times, found a few things interesting but never stopped by. Last Saturday, we set out to change that. We lined up a few places to visit in and around Downtown, and planned our route.

The first stop was History San José. Gary had aroused our curiosity just a few days earlier. We drove to Kelley Park that houses ‘History’ and got lucky right away — parking was free. No idea why it was so, even though it was a sunny Saturday — no harm done to us. Firstly, I expected more of a museum; but this was in a park setting. There were houses and buildings moved in from elsewhere, similar to a place we had seen in Utah earlier. For us, the highlights of the place were the Light Tower (which was once upon a time used to illuminate the Downtown area), O’ Brien’s Cafe, the trolley ride and the school.

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April 15-21 is National Library Week, a time to celebrate the contributions of all libraries, librarians and library workers. If you haven’t been to a library in some time then visit the library this week and check out all of the resources available, including new books, DVDs, CDs, books on tape/CD, technical books, cook books, the list is almost endless. Many libraries have computers to access the Internet or write a document. There are also reading areas, study rooms, and some have Wi-Fi. Best of all, it is free.

San Jose Public Library

Santa Clara County Library

Santa Clara City Library

Los Gatos Public Library

Sunnyvale Public Library