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January 27, 2006

Oprah Flips on Frey

James Frey’s literary reputation took another hit this week when his most visible supporter called him on the carpet. Earlier this month Oprah defended Frey on the Larry King Live program, but Thursday morning on her own turf Oprah dumped him. Claiming “I was duped”, Oprah removed him from her book club.

Just one day earlier Frey’s publisher, Random House, attempted to reestablish his ‘street cred’ by offering testimony of his fellow patents at a Minnesota drug and alcohol rehabilitation center.

Based on the growing evidence that his memoir is fictionalized, libraries are now faced with the decision of whether to reclassify A Million Little Pieces, removing it from the non-fiction shelves. But the book’s final shelf assignment will have to wait until it stops circulating.

Posted by hinsdalereference at 4:37 PM

January 19, 2006

Attention, Family History Researchers!

"It is worthwhile for anyone to have behind him a few generations of honest, hard-working ancestry."
---John P. Marquand in The Late George Apley

The Great Lakes Region of the National Archives wants to help you identify your honest, hard-working forebears (and even the ones who weren’t). Now through May 6, it will be open on the first Saturday of every month for microfilm and historical records research. Saturday hours may be continued if enough researchers attend. NARA’s Great Lakes Region is located at 7358 South Pulaski Road, Chicago. Reservations for the microfilm readers are advised. For more information phone Peter Bunce at (773) 948-9009 or email chicago.archives@nara.gov.

Guide to Genealogical Research in the National Archives lists some of the kinds of records in the National Archives and how they can help in family history research.

The DuPage County Genealogical Society also wants to make your search easier. It will hold its 31st annual conference on Saturday, March 4, in St. Charles. Click [Conference] in the menu bar at the top to see the program.

You can do quite a bit of research without leaving town, using Ancestry Library Edition and HeritageQuest. Did you know that we also subscribe to the Chicago Tribune Historical Archive? This database has obituaries and death notices from 1870 to 1985. With your Hinsdale library card you can search HeritageQuest and the Tribune from home.

The library has added several books to fill out our genealogy collection. Here’s a selection.

Finding Your Chicago Ancestors: A Beginner’s Guide to Family History in the City and Cook County, by Grace DuMelle

The Hidden Half of the Family: A Sourcebook for Women’s Genealogy, by Christina K. Schaefer

State Census Records, by Ann S. Lainhart

Ancestral Trails, by Mark D. Herber

The reference librarians would be happy to help you follow your own ancestral trails. Please ask us! Visit the library, phone (630) 986-1976, or email reference@hinsdale.lib.il.us.

Posted by hinsdalereference at 1:25 PM

January 12, 2006

Million Little Holes

Celebrated memoirist James Frey has had a difficult week. After months on the bestseller lists and in the spotlight as an Oprah Book Club selection, Frey’s 2003 book, Million Little Pieces, has been systematically taken apart
by the investigative Web site The Smoking Gun.

Rumors circulated by Internet news services spread the hoax that his publisher was offering refunds to duped readers and vendors, but a Random House press release merely offers support to Frey’s insistence to the merit of his work.
Oprah continues to publicly support the author and phoned in during Frey’s appearance on CNN’s Larry King Live program.

Posted by hinsdalereference at 5:05 PM

January 4, 2006

Bear(s) Necessities

Mere months after the White Sox clinched their improbable World Series title, northern Illinois once again is delirious with playoff fever, now that the Chicago Bears have won the 2005 NFC North title. For the latest Bears news, check out their official Web site or the Sun-Times’ extensive team coverage.

Thanks to their division championship, the Bears have earned a first-round bye and won’t play their first playoff game until January 14 or 15 at Soldier Field. Depending on this week’s wild-card games, the Bears’ opponent could be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Carolina Panthers, or the New York Giants. Scope out these possible conference semifinal opponents and the rest of the playoff field at NFL.com and ESPN.com’s exhaustive professional football page.

Does all this playoff talk make you reminiscent of the Bears’ storied 1985 Super Bowl championship team? Relive the Super Bowl Shuffle and other memories at the Chicago Tribune’s 1985 story gallery (free registration required).

For more team history, visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame Bears page or check out What Bears They Were: Chicago Bears Greats Talk About Their Teams, Their Coaches, and the Times of their Lives, by Richard Whittingham. There's also a new biography, Papa Bear: The Life and Legacy of George Halas, by Jeff Davis.

Itching to impress your friends while showing team spirit? Memorize the lyrics to the Bears’ fight song, “Bear Down, Chicago Bears,” available at the Chicago Public Library’s Web site.

If you're not quite sure exatly what it is you're watching, crib with Holly Robinson Peete's Get Your Own Damn Beer, I'm Watching the Game! A Woman's Guide to Loving Pro Football.

Don't forget the snacks while watching the playoffs! The Food Network, About.com, and Epicurious offer party ideas and recipes.

Go Bears!

Posted by hinsdalereference at 6:23 PM