December 2008

In the age of video games, cell phone texting, and the instant message, the idea that books shape a nation may seem like a stretch.

But look back across American history, and at nearly every key moment of definition, of transition, there stands a book that nails the change.

Novelist, critic, and poet Jay Parini has sifted out of his list a baker’s dozen of books that shaped the nation’s very understanding of itself. “Huck Finn” is in there. So is “Walden.” Lewis and Clark’s journals. “The Souls of Black Folk.” “The Feminine Mystique.” “On the Road.”

This hour, On Point: Thirteen books that changed America.

You can join the conversation. Can the idea of this country, as it’s evolved, be found in thirteen books? What would be on your list?

[ Listen to Jay Parini's interview with Tom Ashbrook of NPR's "On Point" ]

[ See a video clip from NECN.com ]

MONTPELIER – To mark the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, a number of groups and organizations will coordinate contests, speeches and readings around the state over the next year.

The bicentennial will be celebrated without state money, a necessary result of the current economic climate, said John McCardell, a history professor and former president at Middlebury College and the head of the state committee coordinating the events.

“This entire program of events has been put together without a penny of state money,” he said. The program of events begins with an essay contest at Hildene, the Lincoln family house in Manchester.

But despite the lack of state money – organizers had originally hoped for about $50,000 – the series of events will be “far from the modesty we would expect” in the absence of public money, McCardell said.

The bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth is “a teachable moment that can re-engage the public” McCardell said, an event made more teachable by the fact that President-elect Barack Obama is about to assume the presidency and, like Lincoln, will appoint a cabinet that includes former rivals.

“It is a remarkable coincidence that in the 200th birthday year of Abraham Lincoln a black person from the state of Illinois assumes the presidency,” agreed Howard Coffin, a historian who joined other members of the Lincoln bicentennial committee in the Statehouse’s Cedar Creek Room on December 11.

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We were saddened to learn last week about the death, at the age of 77, of Odetta, a legend in the music world, and in the civil rights movement. Once a winter term faculty member at Middlebury, Odetta received an honorary doctor of arts degree from the College during commencement in 1990.

In honoring Odetta, then-President Olin Robison said, “From the coffee houses of the West Coast to the major concert stages of the world, you have provided through your songs a vision of the people who make up America. With the heart beat of your guitar, you have given new meaning to the songs of our childhood, turning simple folk tunes into powerful anthems of a new age. For more than 40 years, through jazz, folk, rock, reggae and other musical movements, you have persisted as a musical and spiritual force providing strength to movements and spirit to generations. You are a unique artist, combining the qualities of politician, actress, minister, philosopher and teacher, and you have already make a mark on this College. Today we welcome you into the distinguished ranks of Middlebury College’s family.”

Odetta’s voice and wisdom will be sorely missed, here at Middlebury and around the world. You can learn more about her life, and listen to her music, at the National Public Radio archives.

STARKSBORO, Vt. — Old-timers in this hill town remember when a car driving through at night would draw residents to their windows. Now headlights routinely gleam on the narrow roads well past dark, as people who commute to jobs in Burlington and Montpelier come home to a place where the prospect of change looms larger each year.
 
Like other New England towns rich in history and tradition, Starksboro, 20 miles south of Burlington and population 1,900, is eager to preserve its uniqueness in the face of growth. But hoping to head off the conflict that often stymies planning, this fall it tried a new approach.

Starksboro asked students from nearby Middlebury College to spend the semester interviewing its residents to document what they value most about the place. It intends to use their thoughts to influence decisions about its future.

[ Read more and view a slide show ... ]

Middlebury, Vermont – December 1, 2008 — “I was just watching the news for two days,” Rohan Kamalia said.

The Middlebury College senior had to watch, from thousands of miles away, what was happening less than 10 minutes from his house. “Watching from here was a little hard. I would have liked to be there,” he said.

The economics student is from Mumbai — the city strangled by fear last week as rampaging terrorists killed more than 170 people at several sites in the city. One of the spots — a popular café — was Kamalia’s favorite hangout.

[ Read more and view the video ... ]