Escape The Mundane With A Family Saga

The habits and interactions within the family structure have always been a subject that can bring numerous emotions to the surface, especially when they are your own family. It seems that the daily lives of others are much more exciting and far less stressful. So, take a moment to escape the mundane with a book from our Family Saga display at the Crawfordsville District Public Library. Dive into an exotic adventure about an all-female diving collective in The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See (FIC See), or stay a little closer to the suburbs and envision the birth of a real estate empire in The Dutch House by Ann Patchett (FIC Pat).

For those of you intrigued by the concept of book-to-film adaptations, consider the historical fiction Pachinko (FIC Lee), and prepare yourself for the upcoming television series. This novel, written by the Korean American author Min Jin Lee, guides the reader through the endless perils experienced by a Korean family from Yeongdo, a fishing community off the southern tip of the (South) Korean island of Busan. The family relocated to Japan where they encountered racism, stereotyping, and other aspects of daily life for Korean families during the 20th century. Lee uses the resentment and unwelcoming attitudes toward Koreans that lingered due to the tragic events of the World Wars, Korean War, and Vietnam War, as the indirect adversary that fills this family’s story. This book is divided up into three sections spanning from 1910 through 1989 and has several short chapters which provide multiple stopping points for busy readers.

If you like something a bit more visually artistic, consider the manga series Lone Wolf & Cub (GN FIC Koi). This series was authored by the iconic Japanese writer Kazuo Koike and beautifully illustrated by Goseki Kojima. Koike is best known for his action-packed manga adventures that were originally promoted to young adult men, and he is a dominant contributor to the growth of interest in Japanese pop culture. Kojima began his career as an advertising illustrator and later refocused his interest on impoverished audiences through manga. He became a major contributor to Japanese-based manga magazines in the 1960s. His Dark Horse Manga tale takes you through the adventures of Ogami and his infant son. He chooses the path of the Ronin after being framed by a rival clan and marked as a traitor. His wife is murdered and he must protect his young son while being a sword-for-hire. This six-volume dramatic tale comes to life with an amazing graphic design layout.

There is an ever-changing collection of reading materials waiting for you at CDPL, incluyendo materiales de lectura en español. For more information about hours of operation or availability of materials, please visit our website at www.cdpl.lib.in.us to plan your visit.

Toni Ridgway-Woodall is a Library Assistant in the Reference and Local History Department @ CDPL