Change is in the air. Spring is beginning to bloom. Baseball season is upon us. There is a new president and administration. People in 2020 protested for change in policing and civil rights matters. Society is adjusting to multi-culturalism, gender issues and calls for equity. The coronavirus is mutating while people scramble to get vaccinated. The BBC reports that the permafrost is melting across the northern hemisphere, and the last decade was the hottest on record. A 2019 report from the United Nations stated that more animal and plant species are now threatened with extinction than ever in human history. It’s a dizzying amount of change. Also, it is a broad topic for a blog post, which I appreciate. There’s a little something for everyone.
Let’s break it down.
Springtime holds some of the most delightful change nature has to offer. Spring blooms start popping up from the ground, while seemingly dead trees come alive with buds and blossoms. If you are interested in gardening, you might find “Growing the Midwest Garden” by Ed Lyon helpful. Birds are migrating south at this time. You can enjoy many species in your own yard. The book “How to Attract Birds to Your Garden” by Dan Rouse can help you create a welcoming refuge for birds to live or simply visit.
Butterflies will return to our yards and parks soon. One of the most interesting changes in nature is the metamorphosis of a butterfly. The book “The Life Cycles of Butterflies,” by Judy Burris and Wayne Richards is full of fascinating pictures and information about the process. For example, a caterpillar does not grow long legs and wings inside of a chrysalis, it actually liquefies and completely reorganizes into the form of a butterfly. It’s quite a magic trick!
If you are concerned about the environment, you might want ideas to help it. “The New Climate War” by Michael Mann will “will reach, inform, and enable citizens everywhere to join this battle for our planet.” In Young Adult nonfiction, the book “De-extinction: The Science of Bringing Lost Species Back to Life” by Rebecca E. Hirsch sounds more like science fiction than actual science but it will light up your mind with possibilities you may have never considered. Read all about the pros and cons of this new science.
In new biographies, “Use the Power You Have: A Brown Woman’s Guide to Politics and Political Change” by Pramila Jayapal “offers a wealth of ideas and inspiration for a new generation of engaged citizens interested in fighting back and making change, whether in Washington or in their own communities.”
If you are a sports fan, we have a brand new book on order. “Our Team: The Epic Story of Four Men and the World Series That Changed Baseball” by Luke Epplin tells a story of the integration of The Cleveland Indians. “The riveting story of four men — Larry Doby, Bill Veeck, Bob Feller, and Satchel Paige — whose improbable union on the Cleveland Indians in the late 1940s would shape the immediate postwar era of Major League Baseball and beyond.”
For good measure, here are a couple of books to help you cope during times of great change. First, “From Sh!tshow to Afterglow: Putting Life Back Together When It All Falls Apart” by Ariel Meadow Stallings “offers a lifeline of support and outside-the-box thinking for times of crisis and confusion, sharing plenty of tactical tips for getting your sh!t together. Along the way, she never lets readers forget that sometimes a life has to be taken apart before it can be put back together better than ever.” Lastly, “To Break or Bounce: Finding Balance, Stability, and Resilience in Our Lives” by Shelley Plumb offers the advice that “balance, not perfection, is the light at the top of the well and is only achieved when the heart and mind are in 
alignment.”
Here’s hoping we all find joy, growth and insight through the changes in our lives and in the world.
For even more books, see the corresponding “Change, Change, Change” book display on the second floor. It will be up through March 31.
