Posts from Harry Belafonte 115th Street Library

This week's reviews include a tale of two teenagers facing jail time after a childhood of abuse, and two different views of World War II from young people.

Read about three top selections that touch on tragedy, change, coming-of-age, and cultural acceptance.

Don't think of the Bronx as beautiful? Think the northern borough of our city doesn't have much to offer besides a concrete jungle? Think again. The Bronx has many areas of beautiful greenery, including the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG). I had the pleasure of visiting the garden several years ago, and was blown away by the beauty of the flowers. The NYBG has many buildings that feature varieties of plants, including cacti, and features gorgeous grounds. I have the privilege of riding on the bus past 

Get inside the minds of two superior members of the sports world - basketball coach Bob Knight and Olympic gymnast Laurie Hernandez - in this pair of autobiographies.

Discover these two fun, personal dramas from author Sarah Darer Littman.

High-school seniors look beyond a friend's wealth and a family's wishes, in this pair of recommended novels.

Celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Teen Author Festival with this recap of the interviews and panels from this year's TAF.

A girl attempts to keep her closest friend from falling prey to the charismatic leader of a cult commune, in the latest edition of Booktalking.

Jewish twin sisters navigate their respective aspirations while dealing with the possibility of Huntington's disease, in this latest edition of Booktalking.

Dan Emmett fulfilled a life's ambition protecting three U.S. presidents. This edition of Booktalking discusses Emmett's autobiographical look at the Secret Service, and his role within it.

Maverick Financial Times columnist Mrs. Moneypenny has plenty to say about being a woman in the workplace. But her advice can be helpful far beyond the professional world.

Two New York City football standouts are recruited to play at a Virginia boarding school with a spotty racial history, in John Feinstein's mystery, a current recommendation.

In honor of Heathcliff, we asked our book experts here at The New York Public Library: Who’s your favorite literary bad boy and why?

Eliot may claim that April is the cruelest month, but we’re pretty sure it’s February.

We asked our experts: “What’s your recommendation for a long, dense, serious beach book?”

My desire to stay close to my west coast granddaughter led me to the library for solutions.

As NYPL's oral history projects continue... we've launched our oral history project in Harlem at 115th Street Library!

The next time we had "no-computer/board game time" I was amazed at the reaction from our regulars. When asked the same question and replying with the standard answer, I heard an exuberant "Ooh! We can play board games now? "

Have you been captivated by Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, the recent follow-up to Carl Sagan's seminal documentary series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage? Me too. While the engaging style would likely draw in high school and perhaps middle grade students, it might be a bit too advanced for the younger crowd, despite some amazing visuals and animations. But why wait to introduce them to basic concept of the world, nay, cosmos they live in? History, nature, and the scientific method can really activate an imagination, stimulate curiosity, and provoke inquiry.