Learning

Margaret Cullison writes: I looked down at the farms below us, my eyes tracking the highway that led into town. Then I saw the swimming pool, the grade school, and finally our house. The little plane banked deeply as we circled. I held onto the edge of my seat and looked out the window at my side, which was now almost beneath me. The roof of our house loomed large below us, and then Dad pulled the plane out of the circling turn and dipped the wings in greeting. He turned his head towards me, the gold rim of his glasses glinting in the sunlight, and he grinned at the show we'd put on for the groundlings. more »

"The allegations made in the articles of impeachment are very serious. As a Senator-juror, I swore an oath, before God, to exercise “impartial justice.” I am a profoundly religious person. I take an oath before God as enormously consequential. I knew from the outset that being tasked with judging the President, the leader of my own party, would be the most difficult decision I have ever faced. I was not wrong... I support a great deal of what the President has done. I have voted with him 80% of the time. But my promise before God to apply impartial justice required that I put my personal feelings and biases aside. Were I to ignore the evidence that has been presented, and disregard what I believe my oath and the Constitution demands of me for the sake of a partisan end, it would, I fear, expose my character to history’s rebuke and the censure of my own conscience." more »

Ferida Wolff writes: "Sometimes there is ice on the morning windshield and by afternoon jackets aren’t needed. Snow may be predicted but we haven’t seen a snowstorm yet. One day the wind was so aggressive that it moved things sideways. Another day was so foggy that it was hard to see beyond a few feet. The weather has been puzzling for a while now." And another source: "Solving jigsaw puzzles is a low-cost, intrinsically motivating, cognitive leisure activity, which can be executed alone or with others and without the need to operate a digital device." more »

Titles include: The Roots of Rap: 16 Bars on the 4 Pillars of Hip Hop by Carole Boston Weatherford, a picture book that traces the history and heroes of rap and hip hop; Pet, the fantasy novel for teens by Akwaeke Emezi; the soon-to-be adapted for television Normal People by Sally Rooney; Library of Small Catastrophes, a book of poetry by Alison C. Robbins; and a picture book about a father-daughter motorcycle ride Mi Papi Tiene Una Moto by Isabel Quintero and Zeke Peña. (Editor's Note: Don't forget the NYPL book Peculiar Questions and Practical Answers, A Little Book of Whimsy and Wisdom from the Files of the New York Public Library ... see illustration)   more »