Henry Louis Gates is well known for the documentaries that he produces for PBS television. The latest one is called "Black in Latin America". In this series, Gates explores the history and roots of Black African slaves in Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Mexico and Peru. This documentary is about 240 minutes long but is well worth viewing. Gates poses the question in each country, "Who are we first and foremost?" Is racial identity more important than national identity? For some the answer is yes. For others the answer is no. For most people the answer is a complex mixture of both. I found it both fascinating and disturbing, especially the Memín Pinguín discussion. Here's a preview of the documentary below. If you think you might like it, the library has one copy.

"The report of my death was an exaggeration." Most people have heard this famous quote by one of our most beloved writers. Mark Twain: Man in White focuses on the last four years of Twain's life when his fame was at its peak, and the problems that dogged his life, including the bad health of loved ones and the stealing of his money by associates also continued.

But what a wonderful man Twain was--always up for a good practical joke, always putting his entire self into his writing and gosh, thoroughly addicted to playing pool. Not only addicted to it, but he was one of those hosts that had to beat you if only by a little.

During this time he wrote a few things: a scathing attack on Shakespeare, some short stories, and a heartfelt account of how his personal secretary and her husband had taken advantage of him. Twain had some insight into fame and could not understand why if Shakespeare had written so many great plays, the people of his time and posterity would not know more about his personal life.

Most endearingly, this book shows Twain as father. By this time in his life, he had lost two children and his dear wife Livvy. His two surviving daughters were the singer, Clara, and his epileptic daughter, Jean. Throughout the book Clara fights hard to achieve fame with her singing--but she wanted adulation based on her talent and not on her father's name, and Jean struggles to return home from time spent in sanitariums.

The title comes from Twain's famous white suit, the one he wore to the Library of Congress to testify for a new copyright law that eventually passed in 1908. He fought hard for a better law not only because he thought an author should receive fair compensation for his labor in the same way as a carpenter or tradesman did, but also because he wanted to provide for his daughters after his death. This book presents Twain in all his humor and humanity. It's an inspiring read for anyone.

If you love Mark Twain's voice, you might want to check out his autobiography, the one whose views he thought were so controversial that he would not allow it to be published for a century after his death--The Autobiography of Mark Twain. It will be a multi volume work; the first volume came out in 2010.

I ran across an article this morning that mentioned that Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind turns 75 this month. In June of 1936, Mitchell published this now classic saga while recovering from a broken ankle. It was an instant hit, and brought immediate fame to the Atlanta journalist.

What is it about? Well....er...I haven't actually read it. "I'll never go hungry again!", right? But I only know that from the movie. It is high time to put this book on my to-read list.

But in the course of reading the article, I was reminded of two of my favorite civil war novels, both of which feature complex and interesting female characters.

Cold Mountain is a book that is hard to describe and the simple plot elements don't seem like they would add up to much. Warning! For the most part, not much happens. Inman walks. Ada grows. Ruby softens. Despite the action at the end, that is about it for plot details. But the combination of those three unforgettable characters is enough to fill more than the written 400 pages. The movie starring Nicole Kidman and Jude Law follows the book very closely, but the language and writing of the book make it a fantastic read.

Widow of the South by Robert Hickman is based on a true story of Carrie McGavock and the bloodiest battle of the Civil War - the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee. Carrie's plantation is requisitioned for a Confederate hospital, and the ghosts of the past and future change Carrie's life forever. The real Carnton Plantation is now the location for the largest privately held Confederate cemetery, and was originally carefully arranged and documented by Carrie.

Learning how to be patient can be a difficult skill to acquire -- as many parents of young children can attest! Recommended for ages 3-6, the new picturebook Betty Bunny Loves Chocolate Cake by Michael Kaplan with delightful watercolor illustrations by Stephane Jorisch, humorously portrays Betty Bunny's efforts to tame her desire for instant gratification and perfectly captures this battle of the will that so many of us (younger and older alike) struggle with!

Betty Bunny is a handful we learn right from the start. She also is the youngest of four siblings and their playfully teasing interactions are pitch-perfect. But their wise advice and witty comments do not help Betty Bunny have patience -- or control her temper. Denied the cake she so desperately craves because she was not willing to eat a healthy dinner first, Betty Bunny storms off to her room. At bedtime, her mother consoles her with the thought that her piece of cake is waiting for her in the refrigerator. Before Betty Bunny leaves for school the next day, she says goodbye to the cake, and ... puts it in her pocket!

Does Betty Bunny eat the cake at school? Does her mother teach her how to do her own laundry? Does Betty Bunny ever learn what it means to be patient? Well, I don't want to give away the delicious ending, you'll just have to be patient and find out for yourself! (Let me just say that the conclusion is as satisfying as a slice of chocolate cake!)