#16: Island in the City: How Belle Isle changed Detroit forever by Janet Anderson
This was a Christmas gift from my mother. Belle Isle is my favorite place in Detroit. The conservatory is a must-visit. This book contained a history of the island, from it's use by Native Americans, to trappers using it to breed pigs (because predators couldn't get on the island, hence its French name Ile aux Cochons--Hog Island), to private ownership, and it eventually being given to the city of Detroit and turned into a public park. I know the island is still popular among residents of Detroit and suburbs alike, but you wouldn't believe some of the photos in this book where all four or five lanes of traffic were bumper to bumper with all the weekend swimmers, fishers, gamblers, etc. This book was fresh in my mind when I came up with my derby name--Belle Isle Hurtya (say it out loud)--and my number--1879--is the year that the city acquired the park. I couldn't find a photo of the cover, I found this picture here.
#17: The Lake, the River and the Other Lake by Steve Amick.
I picked this up on a whim at the library, mostly because I liked the cover, and then because it was set in a Northern (Lower Peninsula) Michigan town. But, honestly, I just wasn't wowed as I thought I would be. There were so many different characters that it focused on mostly separately, that it felt like I was always getting backstory, and then when it all came together, it just wasn't all that exciting. And that one part about the priest...well that just creeped me right out.
#18: Zapotec Women: Gender, Class and Ethnicity in Globalized Oaxaca by Lynn Stephen
This was a gift from my friend Blair. I was super excited by the title, but most of the lengthy book is a detailed description of the inner workings of the textile industry in one specific city. It's really an ethnographical study of that city, and textiles, not Zapotec Women as a whole. About halfway through the book it did get in to more discussion of class and gender, and a lot about how the tourism industry affects portrayals of their ethnicity.
#19: Down and Derby: The Insider's Guide to Roller Derby by Kasey Bomber and Axel Rose
I borrowed this book from my friend Sam. It was good, I learned a lot about this history of roller derby. One of my favorite parts was a quote from a newspaper reporting one of the original roller skating marathons (the winner died after skating for six days straight!), saying that the skating rink was, "...a place where good-looking scoundrels do a great deal of damage." I couldn't agree more! It also took you through the birth of modern roller derby. It's good, but had a distinct lack of any mention of the Detroit Derby Girls, whatsoever! They had a whole section on Whip It, and they talked about the girls that trained the actresses, and some of the girls from other popular leagues that skated in the movie, but nothing about DDG eventhough it was filmed in Detroit/Ypsi, and featured a lot of DDGs! I mean, c'mon, Racer McChaseHer got punched in the face by Drew Barrymore! Total oversight.
#20: Cesar's Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding & Correcting Dog Problems by Cesar Milan.
My mom's beau recently adopted a puppy, and since my mom lives with him most of the time, she's navigating her way through the new role of dog owner. Guys, my mom never really liked dogs. She's been scared of big dogs since childhood, and didn't seem to mind small dogs, but wasn't all that in to them. But once my dog learned not to jump all over her when she came over, she's been softening to them. And now she's totally a dog person! It's great to see how much she loves Chance, and that new puppy! (Whose name is Sugar and has a super-sweet face to go along with the name.) After having the puppy at her house for a few nights, she decided she was ready to have Chance over, so we had a little sleepover, and now we have a dog-sitter! At one point, she even had her own dog park, with three dogs running around her backyard. Bonkers. Anyways, she checked out a few of Cesar's books from the library, and had me borrow one. I watched his show Dog Whisperer before I had a dog, and I do love his personality and his humor. And so when I was preparing for dog ownership I looked up a lot of articles on being a "pack leader". But some of the things were just ridiculous and made life way too difficult. Like, the pack leader eats first...but what if we ate awhile after his dinner time? Was I supposed to eat a snack in front of him and then feed him? Or, you can't ever loose a staring contest with yr dog? So every time we lock eyes, I can't look away until he does? Anyways, I just kept getting really frustrated and angry when he wasn't accepting my dominance or whatever, and when I took a dog training class, I realized how ridiculous that approach was and found that positive reinforcement worked so much better for us (just like students!), and kept me from getting frustrated so much. But, I still read this book with a open mind, and certainly learned a few things. I don't doubt what he says, it's just not the right approach for me I guess?
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