Why Do We Celebrate Labor Day?

For most of us, Labor Day signals the unofficial end of summer.  Vacations are finished, the kids are back in school and the cool autumn weather isn’t too far off.  Labor Day is sometimes one of the few remaining days left to fire up the grill and to enjoy one last summer cookout and picnic.  Have you ever wondered why we celebrate Labor Day and what its origins are?

The first Labor Day was celebrated in New York City in 1882.  Even with its relatively recent history there is some controversy over who first championed the idea of a labor holiday.  According to the Department of Labor’s website, Peter J. McGuire, general secretary for the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and later a founder of the American Federation of Labor, suggested a day to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold."  Initially, this version of Labor Day’s history went unchallenged until the late 1960s, when a retired machinist claimed a deceased union brother of his, Matthew Maguire, originated the idea of a labor holiday.

Matthew Maguire, then serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union, proposed a

“workingman’s holiday” be celebrated.  The Central Labor Union was made up of members from many different unions as a way to increase their collective strength.  In May 1882 a “monster labor festival” was proposed for September.  Although the first Labor Day parade began haphazardly with a small number of participants, by the time the parade concluded at Wendel’s Elm Park, located at 92^nd Street and 9^th Avenue in New York City, nearly 10,000 workers had assembled.  The post-parade activities included a picnic, speeches by union officials, and "Lager beer kegs... mounted in every conceivable place."  The festivities of the first Labor Day carried on until 9:00 pm that evening.

Initially Labor Day celebrations were an entirely local affair.  During 1885 and 1886 various cities and municipalities passed ordinances recognizing the holiday. New York, New Jersey and Colorado were among the first states to legally establish the holiday. New York legislators first introduced a bill recognizing Labor Day.  However, Oregon holds the record as being the first state to pass a bill, February 21, 1887.  It wasn’t until 1894 that Senator James Henderson Kyle of South Dakota introduced a bill establishing the first Monday in September as Labor Day, making it a Federal holiday.  The bill was approved on June 28, 1894.

From its origins as a way to commemorate workers and their unions, Labor Day has become a civic holiday.  Besides featuring labor unions, Labor Day parades will also include various civic and fraternal groups, business members and elected officials.  This year, while having one last picnic take a little time to remember all of America’s workers-past and present, male and female who work hard to make this country what it is.

Check out these links from the Department of Labor for more information on Labor Day and its history.

The History of Labor Day 

Department of Labor's Historian on History of Labor Day 

Labor Daze-Pride, Chaos and Kegs on Labor's First 'Day' 

If you would like to learn more about Labor Day and the history of the modern labor movement the library has a wide selection of books.  Here are some of the available titles:

For children and young adults:

 Labor Day by Geoffrey Scott

Labor Day by Lynn Hamilton

Labor Day by Meredith Dash







General history on the labor movement in America:

"All Labor Has Dignity" by Martin Luther King Jr.

Sweat and Blood: A History of Labor Unions by Gina Skurzynski

Working Americans, 1880-2011 by Scott Derks

Good Girl Work: Factories, Sweatshops and How Women Changed Their Role in the American Workforce by Catherine Gourley

What We're Reading Now!

Jamie: Bundori by Laura Joh Rowland

Bundori is the second novel in Laura Joh Rowland's historical mystery series featuring samurai detective Sano Ichiro. In feudal Japan, Sano is the shogun's sosakan-sama: Most Honorable Investigator of Events, Situations, and People. In this book, he must find a serial killer who has been leaving clues in the form of an ancient war ritual: severed heads to nailed boards. The clues lead Sano to several suspects. The problem is, one suspect is the shogun's Chamberlain. The shogun himself has asked Sano to catch the murderer. Sano is torn between serving the shogun and serving justice. ​Sano's life is always in danger. Luckily, he has a loyal assistant helping him. A knowledgeable, scholarly elder, and deadly female ninja complete the cast. As Sano learns hidden secrets and narrows his list of suspects, suspense mounts.

This is only the second book about Sano but I enjoy reading about historical Japan and samurai culture and I love to see the character of Sano develop. His integrity and skills are admirable and I'm always cheering for him. Rowland's historical details are accurate and contribute to the story. The shogun of Sano's time is a real historical figure: Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. There are currently seventeen novels in the series, so there is still much to learn about Sano and historical Japan. (This series may not be for everyone due to graphic scenes and violence.)


Chris: Attack On Titan by Hajimie Isayama

I had a mystery lined up for my new post, but since this series is so hot right now and I'm apparently the sole anime/manga fan in Kirtland, I wanted to talk about this one.

Attack On Titan takes place in a Concentric city that is protected by three giant stone walls. For the past 100 years, these walls protected humans from monstrous humanoids called Titans. For youths such as protagonist Eren Yeager, his adopted sister Misaka, and their friend Armin, life within these walls are all they know and the peace from it. Until one day, a massive 50 meter tall skinless Titan appears above the wall and smashes a hole through it, allowing smaller yet incredibly deadly Titans to breach through. The ensuing chaos for escape is gruesome as the Titans begin to tear apart and devour humans. People are evacuated to the inner walls, but not without Eren losing his family in the most brutal of fashions. Swearing vengeance, Eren joins up with the Survey Corps to leave the walls and take the fight to the Titans.

When I tell another adult I watch anime or read manga, I will occasionally get a scoff, an eyeroll, or am told that cartoons are for kids. This series is decidedly not for kids, and I challenge readers to give it a try. It has drama, betrayal, mystery, gruesome combat, and for the most part moves at a fast pace. You could tear though 3 volumes of these graphic novels in less than an hour, so there is no reason not to give it a shot.


Maria: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has never left her tiny village. Recently let go from her waitressing job at the Butter Bun Cafe, she finds she needs a job fast because her parents rely on her paychecks. So when the job center recommends Lou try for a job as a caretaker for a quadriplegic, she reluctantly goes for the interview. Lou's interview takes her to the affluent side of town, to the Traynor family mansion. They are moneyed and infamous in Lou's small town, but she never knew about the troubles they've had at home . . . the eldest Traynor child, Will, was in an accident two years ago that has left him a quadriplegic. He has movement of his neck, but minimal control of his hands and fingers. Everything else is paralyzed, and he is confined to a chair and needs 24/7 care, especially after a suicide attempt that put the family on high-alert. Mrs. Traynor is adamant that she does not want a nurse-maid for her son. She just wants him to spend time with someone who will entertain him and be companionable. Louisa is chatty and quirky, dressing in colorful tights and sparkly gumboots. She's just the sort of positive influence Will needs in his life right now.

But Will Traynor is not the easiest person to get along with. He's bitter and depressed - constantly reminiscing about his life `before' and `after' the accident. He used to ski, bungee jump, rock climb and just generally travel the globe looking for the next adrenalin-rush. Now he is chair-bound and suicidal. But Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living. Lou has six months to prove her worth to the Traynors and make a difference in Will's life. And what originally starts as an easy paycheck and cozy new job turns into a mission of hope. . .

Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn’t have less in common—although heartbreaking, this book had me laughing out loud in many parts of the book. Great character development, great writing…what more can you ask for?

Books into Movies: Coming soon!

Here are five books you should read before they hit the big screen.

 

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.  Sixteen-year-old Hazel is a stage IV thyroid cancer patient who has accepted her terminal diagnosis until she meets fellow cancer survivor Augustus Waters and the two fall in love, despite their inevitable fate.  This story is both hilarious and heart-wrenching.  Coming to the big screen on June 6, 2014 and starring Shailene Woodley.

The Hundred Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais.     When tragedy pushes Hassan and his family out of India, they eat their way around the world, settling in Lumière, a small town in the French Alps. The family opens an Indian restaurant that becomes wildly popular among the residents, infuriating their French rival Madame Mallory. After she wages a culinary war with the family, Mallory finally agrees to mentor Hassan, leading him to Paris and the launch of his own restaurant. The hundred foot distance between a new Indian kitchen and a traditional French one can represent the gulf between different cultures and desires.  Opening August  8^th and starring Helen Mirren; produced by Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg.

 The Giver by Lowis Lowry.  In this classic young adult novel everything is perfect:  diseases have been eradicated, everyone is equal and society is under control.  Each person is assigned a position in the Community and 12-year old Jonas has been named “Receiver of Memories.”  He becomes the receiver of memories shared by one other, “The Giver”, in the community and discovers the terrible truth about the Community.  Stars Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, and Taylor Swift and will be released on August 15^th.

  Dark Places by Gillian Flynn.   When Libby Day was 7 years old, her mother and sisters were murdered in what was called The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.  After Libby’s testimony her brother Ben was sent to prison for the crime.   Twenty-five years later and needing money, Libby starts selling off family artifacts causing her to re-examine her memories of the crime.   The movie debuts on September 1^st and stars Charlize Theron and Christina Hendricks.  Flynn also authored Gone Girl which will be released as a movie in October, 2014.

 This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper.   Judd Foxman’s father has died and his wife is having an affair with his boss, a radio shockjock.  Now Judd must spend seven days and nights sitting shiva with the entire dysfunctional Foxman family, facing the loss of his father, his wife, and dealing with family confrontations and longstanding  grudges.  The book is a very funny and emotionally raw description of love, marriage, divorce, family and the ties that bind whether we like it or not.  Starring Jason Bateman and Tina Fey, this movie will be released on September 12^th.

Book Review: Necromancing the Stone.

In one of my previous posts about Young Adult Reading material, I earnestly waved the flag of a title by new author Lish McBride in her debut book Hold Me Closer, Necromancer. It was a book with a fairly ridiculous premise that proved to be an interesting, fun, and side splitting read from page to page. Cover to Cover. My only real complaint is that the book eventually had to end.

Lucky for me, I've come to find out this was the first part of series.  We've received our shiny new copy of the sequel Necromancing the Stone and I've wasted no time tearing through it.

Our tale picks up about 6 weeks after the closing of Hold Me Closer, Necromancer. Douglas has been defeated, Sam LaCroix and Brid Blackthorn have been rescued, and everyone is licking their wounds in the safety of Brannoc's werewolf pack. It's been a rough couple of months for Sam since he learned he was a necromancer, and he isn't exactly taken with is new role yet or what to do with his abilities.

He's getting really tired of everyone kicking his butt, he's fairly sure his new house and everything in it wants to kill him, he's assumed Douglas's place on the magic council in the Seattle area, his best friend has been infected and can turn into a were-bear, he's constantly getting bothered by spirits, and he's having a hard time fitting in with his new sort-of-girlfriend's were-wolf pack.

Things don't get much better when someone starts leaving ominous threats to Sam's family, and the group gets torn apart from the unexpected and unexplained death of a close friend. Sam tries to come to grips with his new powers and solve these mysteries, but doing so raises a terrifying question: is Douglas really dead?


My Thoughts: Its really hard to not love this series of books. Lish McBride's tongue and cheek style of writing makes it fun an easy to read. I like the style she uses when jumping from perspective to perspective. When the book follows Sam, the book is spoken in the first person perspective. But when it switches to the other characters, it takes a 3rd person point of view.

I love the new characters brought into this series, namely Brid's brothers and the rest of the council. They bring in new interesting dynamics to the story and makes it quite the ensemble piece. The series can easily break from Sam and use any of these fun characters as protagonists.

There were only two negatives I could come up with in this book. One, the pacing is really off. Chapters will shift from funny to sad tones back and forth rather sporadically  It makes it hard to settle or build tension in certain scenes. My other issue is with the conclusion of the whole thing. It didn't fit logically for me. Perhaps it was how I read it and I don't want to play spoiler, so I'll leave that up for you to read. 

That aside, I'm totally in love with this universe and can't wait to see what else McBride has in store. Here's hoping this series gets picked up for a movie or tv show.

Young Adult Reading

As some of you may or may not know, I am still technically a student trying to get his library degree. I am currently taking a class in Young Adult Literature and Materials and I had to read over 20 books in about 5 weeks. No small task to be sure, but it did give me an opportunity to start reading recreationally again. I would like to take moment to talk about some of the books that really stood out to me.

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride

About: Sam LaCroix is a slacker, a skater, and college drop out. He works at a Plumpy's flipping burgers for a living. The job sucks, but he's determined to enjoy himself. But a little bit of fast food mischief leads to a busted tail light and caused Sam to have a chance meeting with Douglas. Douglas is a powerful necromancer and one evil dude. He seems to think Sam is too, and he's not happy about having any competition. This is all news to Sam, but Douglas makes him an offer: Learn to control his powers or die by his hand. Sam's life becomes flooded with the supernatural which doesn't make his decision any easier, but he's only got a week to figure it out.
 

My Thoughts: I found it incredibly hard not to laugh through this whole book. It paints itself as kind of a Comedy/Horror, but really its not much of the latter. Almost every scene in the book has some funny dialog exchange or ridiculous situation. I can best describe it as like watching a great B movie. Everyone in the book seems realize how ridiculous the situation is, so all the reactions are overblown and just as goofy. I laughed pretty much the whole way through it, it had some cool action moments, and even a few spots to tug at your heart strings. This was easily my favorite book of the project and I'm hoping this one gets picked up for a movie.
 

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

About: Jacob's grandfather used to tell him stories of a place where children with superhuman abilities resided. Jacob took them as truth as a child, but start to pull away as he grew older and matured. But when Jacob turned 16 his grandfather was murdered by what seemed to be a monster. Nobody believes him. Overcome with grief, he tries to solve his grandfathers dying wish and find the home of peculiar children in the hopes of proving if the stories he had been told as a child were true, and hopefully solve the reason behind his grandfather's murder.

My Thoughts: I put this one off to the side a couple of times. By cover alone and blurb on the inside cover I was pretty much convinced I wasn't going to like this book. Oh how wrong I was. The book is full of interesting and fun characters, and has a interesting mix of emotional themes. There are points of mystery, action, romance, comedy all through out the book. It was just one of those stories where I genuinely sympathized with the protagonist, and fell in love with pretty much all of the characters. I couldn't put this one down and pretty much cover to covered it in a few hours. 

 

Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon

About: Ai Ling is a girl with troubles. On the day of her first betrothal... and rejection, she discovers that she has the ability to connect with someones spirit which allows her to hear their thoughts and dreams. Her troubles don't end there though, as he father goes missing.  She take off for the emperors palace to find him, and learns that she is tasked by the divines to put an end to an evil that has lived on for more than 2 centuries. On her travels she meets Chen Yong, a man on a quest for his own father who's fate seems intertwined with her own, all they while battling demons on each step of the way.

My Thoughts: Another one I was just ready to write off on because of its cover. Mine was different than the image presented and the blurb made me thing this was just a run of the mill coming of age tale of a girl in China. So I was pleasantly surprised when within a few chapters Ai Ling is fending off demons with a magic pendant and a dagger.  This story spans across all sorts of ancient Chinese mythology featuring demons, dragons, goddesses, and a giant monster constructed out of corpses. There is a lot of adventuring and action in the book so it provided to be anything but a dull read. If you are a fan of fantasy or mythology I would suggest giving this one a try.

 

That's all I have for now, I will be sure to make sure to post again with others from this project as there were many of them that I enjoyed reading. Each of these are the start of a series, and hopefully will have sequels in the near future.