Cleveland Park Library Presents Book Discussion Series on "Immigrants in America"

The Cleveland Park Public Library has announced its program events for September 15, 2011 through February 9, 2012. It's quite a comprehensive tour of the literary world, all on the theme of immigration to America.

You might want to copy these dates and program notes into your calendar,. Then, at least once a month until February, 2012, you're set for something to do on an otherwise boring Thursday night.

All these events are free and open to the public.

The Cleveland Park Public Library Presents:

New Book Discussion Series with Professor Phil Burnham, George Mason University

Immigrants in America

America is a nation of immigrants, but Americans have long shown ambivalence toward those who seek a better life in our country. 

 
Emma Lazarus’ words, “Give me your tired, your poor,” have often been at odds with how the “tired and poor” have been treated upon arrival. We seem to go through periods of tolerance and intolerance, sometimes related to economic conditions and other times because there is a perception that there are too many people coming from a single place, or they’re “taking over” and tarnishing what it is to be an American.

Well, what is it to be an American? What is life like for those who come here from a different culture and try to become “American”?

Please join us at the library for the 2011 Immigrants in America book discussion series, which will take us through a variety of immigrant experiences, mostly fictional, in different periods of history. Made possible through the support of the Friends of Cleveland Park Library.

September 15, 2011, 7:00-8:45 pm: Elizabeth Street by Laurie Fabiano

October 20, 2011, 7:00-8:45 pm: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

November 17, 2011, 7:00-8:45 pm: A Gesture Life by Chang-Rae Lee

December 15, 2011, 7:00-8:45 pm: Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

January 12, 2012, 7:00-8:45 pm: Brother, I’m Dying by Edwidge Danticat

February 9, 2012, 7:00-8:45 pm: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz

Please Register at the Cleveland Park Neighborhood Library, 3310 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC, 20008, 202-282-3080, www.dclibrary.org/clevelandpark. 

Recommendation: Unloading Your Books

Our companion email list, the Cleveland Park Listserv, is a treasure trove of recommendations. We want to share on All Life Is Local, on a periodic basis, the best recommendations that have been posted on the Cleveland Park Listserv. Just use the search box on this site to type in the category of service you're looking for.

This recommendation is a compilation of advice from various list members about shedding excess books. There are recommendations both for selling used books and for donating your books to a worthy cause.

First, about selling books to used booksellers:

This all pertains to your average box of books. If you have a very large or valuable collection, cash and house calls are available.

Try selling online to Powell's books (the Oregon bookshop); they are pretty fussy about what condition the books are in as they tell you on the website. You put in the ISBN and they immediately tell you if they want the book and how much

they will give you in cash via PayPal or store credit (more for the latter) and they pay for shipping."

Capitol Hill Books buys for cash on very limited days and times and in limited quantities.

Wonder Books in Gaithersburg has the most lenient purchasing policy, though perhaps a pay-out to match. They also take DVDs & CDs.

One person suggested taking things to the Second Story Books warehouse in Rockville for cash instead of downtown. Last time I was in, Second Story no longer offered cash at either location, though I imagine this policy might vary for something rare. The website does say they "buy" books, but in the used book trade this means they might buy for cash or buy for store trade.