Blog favorites: 'The Psychopath Test'

The recent May 18, 2013 release of the 'DSM - 5', the fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, has been met with some controversy. To read more about the new DSM - 5, read Lizzie Crocker's article in the Daily Beast. In general the criticism is that the listed diagnoses have changed, either been eliminated or added; and the widely held belief that normal human behavior is being assigned a mental health diagnosis. Whether you agree, disagree, don't care or don't know, as a reference librarian I find it fascinating that any new addition of a reference book can stir up readers' feelings to such a degree. When we receive the latest edition of most books in our reference collection, the event is marked only by the reference staff logging it in and shelving it. All this led me to reposting my review of a very funny non-fiction title that does discuss the medicalization of normalcy.

Are You a Psychopath? Take this Test

The Psychopath Test, a journey through the madness industry by Jon Ronson starts with the author, a journalist, being asked to find out who anonymously sent a cryptic self-published book to many psychiatrists worldwide, which then leads him somehow, circuitously to a Scientologist who gets him into Broadmoor Prison to interview a criminally insane inmate who claims he's not insane. Scientologists famously do not believe in psychiatry so they advocate for the prisoner. The author then goes on to learn about the Hare Psychopathy Checklist at a workshop lead by the list's creator Bob Hare himself. Armed with his newly acquired psychopath-spotting ability, the author goes all over the world for a year or so interviewing both diagnosed and suspected psychopaths and mental health professionals while dipping into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychiatric Disorders and exploring the latest top psychiatric diagnoses like bipolar disorder in children. The irony of his research is that Ronson presents himself as an anxious neurotic; he worries a lot about being tracked down by some of the killers he meets and he worries about whether he might have some psychopathic tendencies, constantly referring back to the checklist to self-diagnose.  The book is about at least two topics: psychopaths, or course, but also how mental illness came to be diagnosed by checklists in the DSM and the subsequent increase in number of diagnoses of mental disorders and the increased development of drugs to treat them. That is an ambitiously broad range of topics to cover in only 275 pages. What is  psychopathy? How do we diagnose it? Why has there been an increase in the number of mental illnesses listed in the DSM which seem increasingly close to a normal state?  Are there more psychopaths in positions of great power, like CEO's of corporations?  Ronson raises a lot of questions, so if you are interested in related titles, you could read the following books: (call #'s follow the title)

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychiatric Disorders (Ref 616.89 Dia)
The books of psychiatrist Oliver Sacks
The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande, which is not about psychiatry or madness, but about medicine's use of checklists.(610.28 Gaw)
Opening Skinner's box: great psychological experiments of the twentieth century by Lauren Slater (150.72 SLA)

Related websites:


Laura Miller's review in Salon
Robert Hare's website 

original posted by Anne
http://bhplnjbookgroup.blogspot.com/2011/06/are-you-psychopath-take-this-test.html

Our new, enriched catalog feature: Novelist Select

 

The library online catalog has a nifty new feature which will help our patrons find just the right book to read next. When you search for a book on the catalog (so-called PAC or OPAC ie: patron access catalog or online patron access catalog) and then click on the title which interests you, you will see related titles and authors of interest. If the book is part of a series, the entire series will be listed in order. If the library owns the title, you can click right through to that catalog record. This new feature is produced by Novelist and has just been added to the BHPL PAC. The image in this post is a sample of features you may find now in our catalog.

Reference Question Roundup: computer help

Returning to the ever-popular reference question roundup feature on this blog, today's post is about common computer problems. Six of the public computers that offer free internet access are right next to the Reference Desk at the Berkeley Heights Public Library and throughout the day patrons who use the computers often ask the reference librarians for help. The problems that come up most frequently are:

1. Printing documents, text, and images
2. Filling out online job applications
3. How to use a USB/flash drive or floppy disc (yes we still have floppy drives and give out free discs)
4. Email issues such as:   

• Opening and viewing email attachments
• Printing email attachments
• Adding email attachments versus sending a url or link in the text
• Forgotten email provider, user names, and passwords. Many people have their email set up on their home computer to automatically open when they click on a shortcut on the desktop, but they don't know their user name or password or even what email service they use.  When their home computer goes down, they cannot use another computer to get into their email.
• Confusion about spam and junk mail in email accounts and how to avoid viruses by not clicking on email from people with user names like XXytshadycreepycaractor@formersovietunion.net and subject line 'I am freind neading mony from you right now thankes'
• How to get a new email account when they can't access the old one because they don't know the provider, user name, password and/or the account has been hacked by the virus in the email attachment sent by someone they don't know which they opened by mistake. Whoops!
  

As you can see, email can be tricky, but we are glad to help patrons with it.












For other questions at the Reference Desk, take a look at this past post on our blog
http://bhplnjbookgroup.blogspot.com/2010/06/reference-question-roundup.html

And take a look at the Swiss Army Librarian's recurring column 'Reference Question of the Week.'  http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/2013/05/04/reference-question-of-the-week-42813/#comments

Three Steps to the Best YOU - an afternoon for ladies!

'An Afternoon for Ladies' at the Berkeley Heights Public Library

Sunday, May 5, 2:30 p.m. in the library meeting room

Rosie Battista will be joining us on Sunday, May 5^th at 2:30.  The program,

3 Steps to the Best YOU, will educate, motivate, inspire and amuse.  You will find Rosie’s high energy style to be absolutely contagious, something you will want to catch.  Here is Rosie’s description of the program and her philosophy:

'Rosie Battista shares her story with energy, humor and fun props leaving her audience inspired, motivated and armed with tips and ideas that they can take home.  She believes that every woman has the right and the obligation to treat themselves well and feel healthy, sexy and gorgeous.

The bottom line is that you can use your willpower to go on a diet and that may or may not work for a while.  But when you learn to use your personal power, your whole life will change. PERSONAL EMPOWERMENT is what she brings and shares and she'll leave you inspired and motivated to step it up and make changes for the better in your own life. 

This is not just any talk, self help or motivational speech, and you will find immense value from hearing her speak. Because Rosie is the real deal, she teaches only what she has put into practice for herself and others that has been proven to work and breaks it down into easy, implementable steps that YOU can take home with you. 

Her book Sleeping Naked After 40: A Women's Guidebook to excellence in nutrition and extreme self care, will be available for purchase as a wonderful Mother's Day Gift for yourself and a friend. There will be a raffle and you must be present to win it and some "Naked" treats to taste as well. So don't miss out on this fun, educational and interactive conversation with Rosie Battista (Your Body Stylist, your Confidence Creator, & CEO of Sleeping Naked After 40)'

'Sleeping Naked after 40' can be found on Amazon

 

Frequent Reference Questions: Where was the Nike missile site in Berkeley Heights?

Here is the link to Ellen's original post which answers the question we often get at the Reference Desk: where was the
Nike Missile Site ?

Friday, May 20, 2011

Nike Missile Site

One of the library's perennial reference requests is information on the former Nike missile test site and air base in Watchung Reservation. "With its radar and command on the Berkeley Heights-Summit border and its launching pad in Mountainside, the station was one of 19 Nike AJAX missile bases that ringed New York City, standing ready to blast invading planes out of the sky", according to a Star-Ledger article from 5-28-2000. The Nike air base was in operation from 1958 to 1963 (according to this website).

The subject is not covered in Berkeley Heights' local history books, so I searched The Dispatch, a local newspaper that we have on PDF. Anyone can come in the library and search this newspaper by keyword, although you have to search it issue by issue. Here's a picture of the NIKE exhibit in the lobby of the Summit Trust Company bank in August 1957. The rest of the article follows (yes, there are grammatical errors, which are not mine. The emphasis on electronic brains taking up entire trailers is mine.)

Click to enlarge

The exhibit consists of a mechanically operated model of various NIKE Units at the Watchung base. These consist of a long range radar which continually sweeps the skies for enemy aircraft target radar, then missile radar which is electronically operated launches the guided missile NIKE. The 2 radars follow the enemy guide the missile and explode it at the right moment. The electronic brain that control the system are housed in several trailers. All these units are shown in coordinated action in the exhibit.

Nike is the Army's first combat-ready supersonic anti-aircraft missile designed to follow and destroy an enemy target regardless of evasive action. It's the first guided missile system to help defend American cities against attack from the air. Named after the Goddess of Victory in Greek mythology, Nike is end product of eight years of intensive research, development and engineering in the field of guided missiles. Bell Laboratories, part of a service-industry team also including Western Electric, Douglas Aircraft Company, and the Army Ordinance Corp carried out this conception design and final development of Nike.

You can see photos of Nikesite Road, the former access road, here.

Where the Bodies are Buried by Christopher Brookmyre

Review: Where the Bodies are Buried by Christopher Brookmyre (2011)

Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, Scotland

The Necropolis, Glasgow, Scotland

A woman police detective and a woman P.I. investigate interconnected murders in modern-day Glasgow in this mystery. As one detective describes solving crimes in this city with her staff,
'Anytime you're confused, take a wee minute to remind yourself of that inescapable fact, this is Glesca. We don't do subtle, we don't do nuanced, we don't do conspiracy....We do straightforward. When you hear hoofbeats on Sauchiehall Street, it's guanny be a horse, no' a zebra, because?'
'This is Glesca, she answered.(p 30)

The city of Glasgow itself figures as the dark and brooding atmosphere to this book. The violent drug lords and drug trade of Glasgow are the grimy backdrop to the story and the city itself is in a way a main character. From the sometimes dense local patois and unhealthy foods and snacking habits, Glasgow is to Edinburgh what Baltimore or Philadelphia is to New York city, a city with authentic character, but a wee bit rough around the edges.
Where the Bodies are Buried is recommended for readers who like Scottish authors Val McDermid and Ian Rankin or fans of the American TV show, 'The Wire' and 'Homicide, life on the streets' and its screenwriter/author George Pelecanos.

Related links:
Don't let the book's grim portrait of Glasgow stop you from exploring this fascinating city.

Glasgow City Council website includes history and tourist information 
Lonely Planet Glasgow page
Glasgow City Chambers, a fantastic Victorian building for fans of 19th century architecture

Killing the Poormaster

New Jersey author Holly Metz gave a slide show and talk about her 2012 book Killing the Poormaster, a saga of poverty, corruption, and murder in the Great Depression on Wednesday night, April 10 at the Berkeley Heights Public Library.

From the library press release in the Patch:
'Based on a true crime and murder trial in Hoboken, N.J. during the Depression, ‘Killing the Poormaster’ chronicles the true story of the murder  of Harry Barck, a poormaster who controlled public aid in Hoboken, New Jersey. Unemployed mason Joe Scutellaro was said to have stabbed Barck in the heart with a paper spike after the poormaster  denied aid to his starving family.'

The book describes the dire circumstances of many poor families in Hoboken during the last years of the Depression and the harsh tactics used by Harry Barck to deny starving families even a meager amount of public aid money to buy stale bread. The word that comes to mind of this reader and many reviewers about the bleakness of the situation is 'Dickensian.'

Ms. Metz's slide show of sepia and black and white photos of the principles and of old newspaper and family scrapbook clippings are very evocative of the misery of the times. The author spoke not only about the socio-economic and political setting of the book, but also the murder trial itself. Famed attorney Samuel Leibowitz led the defense of the accused Joe Scutellaro.

The audience which came out on a nasty night of hail and thunder asked probing questions at the end of the presentation and some purchased signed copies of the book. Many readers were very interested in the author's research techniques. The process, as Holly put it to me before her talk, of writing a non-fiction, historical book, interests people and they often ask about that. The research for this book is extensive and fascinating.

Because not everyone had read the book yet, one attendee asked what the verdict was. The library copy of the book has been out six times since January and has three holds on it. Add yourself to the holds list to find the answer to that question. I will say that the library does have the New York Times back to 1857 online which you can access with your library barcode number. You could look it up, as the saying used to go. Or you could read the book. For fans of American history, social issues, non-fiction, true crime and legal stories.

A Medal for Murder by Frances Brody

Kate Shackleton versus Maisie Dobbs!

The jacket blurb compares 'A Medal for Murder, a Kate Shackleton Murder' with Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series. Both series feature an independent woman private investigator who served as a nurse in WWI and came back to England to start a business as a PI. Both feature 1920's settings in the U.K. Both detectives have a working class man as their investigating assistant. Maisie rose from the servant class to the monied class thanks to a benefactor and mentor. Kate seems to come from an upper class family; her mother is titled. So fans of Maisie Dobbs will probably enjoy this series too. The tone is not as somber and contemplative as Winspear's series. Kate is also a war widow like Maisie but seems to not ruminate or be as melancholy in temperament. Kate's investigative methods are more deductive and straightforward and she does not use the meditation and intuition we learn about in the Maisie Dobbs series.

'A Medal for Murder' finds Kate, who is based in the north of England, traveling to Harrogate to track down people whose pawned items have been stolen. While tracking down these victims, she becomes involved in a missing persons case and a murder with roots going back to the Boer War. The horrors of the Boer War are revealed and the aftermath reverberates in the plot some twenty years later. The descriptions of the spa town and theatre crowd are fun.  Chapters dealing with the theatre aspect of the plot begin with a bit of acting lore or language:
'Closet Drama: a play intended only for reading aloud'
'Masking: one actor blocks another from sight'
Some chapters begin with other bits of relevant historical information:
'English teachers do not try to teach Boer children to be English, but to know the English as their friends.'
 - Command Paper 934
begins the chapter flashback to South Africa, 1900 (p193, Chapter 22)

What to Read: Sure Bets

'Sure bets' according to librarian Joyce Saricks in her 'At Leisure' column in the December 1, 2012 Booklist are,
'titles and sometimes authors that appeal to a wide range of readers, that fly off displays, and that we turn to when our minds go blank and we can't think of anything to suggest to a waiting reader. These aren't current best-sellers but, rather, older titles we treasure.'

However you define it, every reference librarian likes to have certain books to recommend for each type of reader that will be available on the shelf. That's why bestsellers don't fit into this category very well. If a patron NEEDS a book to read RIGHT NOW, recommending a book with a weeks-long waiting list is probably not a helpful suggestion.

Of the books and authors Ms. Saricks recommends, I agree that for fun non-fiction, Mary Roach and Bill Bryson might work for readers who like science (Roach's 'Packing for Mars' is very funny and informative) and who like just plain laugh-out-loud writing (Bryson's 'A Walk in the Woods' has been very well-received by many patrons I have recommended it to.)

Here are some 'sure bets' I have recommended and heard back from readers who enjoyed them:

For readers who want an action/adventure type of mystery, Stuard Woods' Florida-based mysteries deliver a good page-turning experience with a tough-guy edge and a little sex but not too much gore.

For readers who like dark mysteries, try Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch police procedurals set in Los Angeles. Readers who liked the TV series 'The Wire' would be a good fit for this author.

For readers who want cozy, reassuring, character-based novels, our Library Director has had success recommending Mary Ann Shaffer's 'The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel pie Society'. Unfortunately the author died before the book was published so this is a stand-alone title. But if readers like this historical cozy, they might enjoy Adriana Trigiani's 'Big Stone Gap' series based in West Virginia.

Trigiani falls almost in the 'chic lit' category but without the shopping aspect. For more good writing in the chic lit genre, try anything by Jennifer Weiner.

Some readers are WWII fans, for them recommend 'Unbroken, a World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption' by Lauren Hillenbrand.

My favorite genre is cozy mystery, so if I find a fellow cozy fan who has not yet discovered Alexander McCall Smith's 'Number One Ladies Detective Agency' series, I can feel confident that reader is going to have a lot of good reading ahead of her.

Putting the right book in the right hands at the right time that suits the reader's mood just that that moment is a great feeling. What are some of your sure bets?

Two Quirky Books

Are you looking for a funny, quirky book with interesting characters and unusual situations to read on these dreary grey days?  These two titles were quick to read last week when I had a bad cold and could not watch another moment of television. Add several gallons of tea and call it a cure for the too-long winter blues. As a bonus, readers might learn a little bit about this, that and the other odd thing from these books.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan (2012) An out-of-work young graphic designer in San Francisco stumbles into a job as a clerk at a very unusual bookstore. Very few books are for sale and the back stacks have books written in code that are checked out to a small select group of patrons. Old knowledge meets the electronic age in the city of Googlers. If our hero can't figure out the code, the bookstore will disappear forever. I liked the inside look at the inner workings of Google and its denizens.

The 100-year-old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson (2012) On his 100th birthday, a nursing home resident makes a break for it, finding adventure on his travels and reflecting back on his long and surprisingly well-travelled life. Like Forrest Gump, Allan Karlsson turns up at the right moment and place in 20th century history often enough to alter the course of history. The easy-going bumpkin as historic catalyst, Karlsson influences the Cold War and more.

Scottish Mystery Trilogy

Mystery fans who like Tartan Noir Scottish mysteries might enjoy A.D. Scott's three mysteries set in a small highland town in the 1950's.

A Small Death in the Great Glen (2010)
A Double Death on the Black Isle (2011)
Beneath the Abbey Wall (2012)

Not quite dark and brooding enough to be considered 'Tartan Noir' and definitely not as dark as Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus mysteries, these books will appeal to fans of Val McDermid or Kate Atkinson. I just finished the third in Scott's series.

Beneath the Abbey Wall finds the staff of the weekly 'Highland Gazette' shocked by the brutal murder of their business manager Mrs. Smart. The assistant editor is charged with the crime while the rest of the newspaper staff try to clear his name. Set in a fictional town in the Highlands of Scotland in 1957, the weather described several times as dreich (dreary, dark, damp etc) sets a somber tone for this mystery, but the appeal of the characters is the bright spot in this series. From the mysterious Jenny McPhee, matriarch of the travelers, or tinkers, to the crusty news editor to the local gentry and the young people enthralled by the new American import, rock 'n' roll, the books evoke a time and place not long after World War II that will appeal to the many Scotophiles (is there such a word?) in the United States.The Canadian visitor who helps out at the newspaper describes his and perhaps many colonial's attitude about Scotland,

"I believed all those tales about Highland hospitality, about everyone looking out for everyone, about the mountains and glens being so bonnie they broke your heart..." (241 - 242) What he finds out about his past is not so bonnie, his pilgrimage to his mother's homeland uncovers some secrets that are difficult to reconcile with the Scotland of his imagination. For all those Americans who can trace their roots to the Highland Clearances, so often mentioned in the book, if we go back, do we find what we are looking for?

The Berkeley Heights Train Station

Berkeley Heights NJ Train Station ca 1920's

Painting of the Berkeley Heights Train Station

The Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, train station was built in 1888. The photograph at top was taken sometime in the 1920's according to the local history book, From the Passaiack to the Wach Unks (130). *

Last week, Sharon Perine came into the library and donated the framed watercolor of the Berkeley Heights train station seen above. The information on the back of the frame says:

'Watercolour (sic) by Jan Dee [or Gee?]

1971 "Berkeley Heights Train Station"

Ms. Perine said the painting hung in the home of her parents, Joseph and Michelina Pecca of Berkeley Heights for nearly 40 years. It's a lovely painting and we thank our donor for this addition to our local history collection. If anyone knows anything about the painting or the painter or has any comments at all, please click on 'comment' below this post and tell us about it. Or email the Reference Department reference@bhplnj.org

*Files of local history clippings and binders of photographs and newspaper clippings can be found in the Reference Department. Ask at the desk.

Eat That Frog

Today's setting on the library Staff Room table caught my eye. No one is owning up to these wacky hijinks, but it seemed to beg for a blog post of its own. The book Eat That Frog has been floating around the Staff Room for a few days. In short, very short, it's a self-help book that advises that to get really organized and motivated at work, do the one task you most dislike first thing. Eat that frog right away and everything after that gets easier, plus you will feel so proud of yourself for getting the worst task done. Maybe a little nauseated, but still... it's nice to cross 'eat the frog' off one's to do list, right? I know there is more to this book. There's even a sequel called Kiss That Frog, so there must have been a lot of material to cover. The library owns both these titles and others by Brian Tracy. For a novel approach to getting organized, try eating, I mean reading, these books.

For more self-help books, take a look at the book display near the Reference Desk or search the catalog using the keywords 'success', 'time management', 'self-help techniques' and 'procrastination.'

FAQ: Tax forms at the Library

It's that time of year again. No, not the time for Cadbury chocolate bunnies. It's the time when reference librarians across the U.S. field dozens of questions daily about tax forms. This year, delivery of Federal tax forms is later than ever. It seems that this has something to do with Congress delaying making a decision about the budget at the end of 2012. I know: shocking, isn't it? We all know that Congress is a model of cooperation and efficiency, so it is really shocking to realize that their procrastination, ruminations and lamentations at the end of last year did have real world consequences. We, on the front line of free tax form hand-out points, know this. Libraries don't have many tax forms to hand out this year. We are very sorry about this. We are as sorry as we can be. If we did have forms, we would put them out and you could take them home and do your taxes and the IRS would get their money and librarians would feel happy that we provided this public service and our patrons would be, well not happy to fork over their money, but at least able to cross 'paying taxes' off their to do list. Everyone is frustrated. We hope this schematic (isn't that what we call a chart these days?) will help answer the all-important questions you may have about The Case of the Missing Tax Forms.

We 'Heart' our Library!

Happy Valentine's Day to all our library patrons!