Hugh & Hazel Darling Law Library

One last video of the year for you to enjoy from "The Year Without a Santa Claus"

Posted by Donna Gulnac at 12:43 PM | Permalink

More a brief synopsis than review, let me highlight two great reads --- perhaps for your intersession enjoyment?!

Both books are available in the Tower Reading Room: A Guide to the Birds of East Africa and The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood.

Also, there's a complimentary book in the Stacks entitled Exporting American Dreams: Thurgood Marshall's African Journey written by USC Professor of Law, History and Political Science, Mary Dudziak.

Synopsis follows:

Fiction:

A Guide to the Birds of East Africa (Houghton Mifflin, 2008) is a charming tale of love written by Nicholas Drayson. The setting is contemporary Nairobi (and surroundings), with enough historical references to give depth to the narrative space. The basic story-line is: Man steadfastly adores woman from a respectful distance; playboy breezes onto the scene and is attracted to the same. When both gentleman express their desire to invite the lady in question to the social event of the year, the annual Hunt Club Ball, their peers (members of the Asadi Club, "where a fellow goes if he is not white or black but brown") devise a competition to determine who should have the "honor of first invitation."

Let me quickly interrupt here to cite another book (that is available in the Law Library Stacks: KSK 2095 D83 2008) entitled Exporting American Dreams: Thurgood Marshall's African Journey by Mary Dudziak (Oxford UP, 2008). For more in-depth information see (among other websites): http://mdudziak.com/exporting.aspx . My comments are simple: It's a very accessible presentation of the fascinating link between the American Civil Rights Movement and, in particular, the birth of an independent Kenya; a link that has contemporary brilliance in the person of President-elect Barack Obama. What makes me think of this book in relation to A Guide to the Birds of East Africa is that Dudziak writes about the various tribal and racial (ethnic and cultural) tensions within Kenya, which included the precarious position that the Asian community faced as the interplay between colonial and native erupted. Our protagonist, Mr. Malik, is just such a fellow, a Kenyan of Indian descent.

So let us return to Mr. Malik, his rival, Mr. Khan, and the object of their adoration, Rose Mbikwa. Our heroine leads the Tuesday morning bird walk of the East African Ornithological Society, a weekly event that Mr. Malik has faithfully attended for several years, while Mr. Khan has just appeared as the story begins. So, what better augur of affection than a competition based upon who can spot the most avian species within a one week period?! And for all you aspiring lawyers, please note that the competition is duly drawn up, with rules and an oversight committee, and presided over by H.H. (Tiger) Singh, LLB, MA (Oxon.), barrister-at-law.

What ensues is a quiet and steady movement of events and emotions that incorporates past and present, main characters and adeptly-developed and interwoven peripherals, the landscape and, of course, the birds of Kenya.

So who wins? Read, and enjoy!

Non-Fiction:

The House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood (Simon & Schuster, 2008) is written by Helene Cooper, a journalist for the New York Times, previously the Wall Street Journal. There has been so much press surrounding this book (no pun intended) that it hardly seems worthwhile to write much other than the basic story-line and a personal impression, or two. If you do want more information before you decide to spend a few hours unable to put the book down (I couldn't) then simply Google the author and title and you'll find everything from YouTube to National Public Radio to International Herald Tribune, and blogs aplenty.

Ms. Cooper has created a visceral re-telling (or, first-telling: a recounting or reckoning) of her own and her family's experiences: from a childhood securely anchored within the wealthy Liberian elite, through the devastation of the Doe coup (1980) and the family's departure for the U.S., to high school and college in Tennessee and North Carolina, a career, and American citizenship. She speaks of simple pleasures and normal adolescent fears, divorce and a family separated by horrendous circumstances, yet also of cohesion, continuity and love, of exceptional fortune and exceptional violence; and, lastly, after 23 years, of her return to Liberia, and their house at Sugar Beach.

Personal impressions: Her writing is cinematic: I felt like I was seeing the images, hearing the sounds. She made it simultaneously possible and impossible to step into her shoes. I experienced the telling as a delicate mix of one life, and many -- the personal and the universal.

In her author's note (at the end of the book) she writes:

"One thing I've learned from all this: our parents, grand-parents, and great-grandparents are the best resources any of us has when it comes to figuring out each of our individual stories. There was a wealth of knowledge waiting for me; all I had to do was shut up and listen."

Posted by Dumin, Beatrice Lewin (Library) at 1:51 PM | Permalink

Dear Law Students,

As you may know, the Law Library will be closed to the public from December 20 through January 1; however if you need to use the library December 22 & 23, there will be library staff available from 9 am – 4:30 pm. To gain access to the library on these days, simply knock on the front door. Please be prepared to show your BruinCard.

PLEASE NOTE: Because the whole campus will be closed December 24 – January 1, no one, including members of Law Reviews and Journals, will be allowed in the library during that time.

The Computer Lab will also be available the dates and times listed above, but it will not be staffed. You will also have access to the LexisNexis and Westlaw printers and the scanner in the After Hours Reading Room during the listed hours.

On January 2, the library will be open to the public from 9am – 4:30 pm. Regular library hours resume on January 3.

Posted by Donna Gulnac at 9:48 AM | Permalink

I hope at least some of you took my advice and went to the 3rd Annual Aimee Mann Christmas Show at the Wiltern this past Saturday because it was a terrific show. Like last year, she did a series of films and this year's were a spoof on "A Christmas Carol." The clip below includes one of those films with the "Ghost of Christmas Present." I hope the rest of them will be available on YouTube soon! Other clips from the show are availble, so I hope you'll check out some of those as well.

If you did go to the show, feel free to comment below!

Posted by Donna Gulnac at 6:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dear Students,

We would like to wish you the best of luck on your upcoming finals! We hope the library is a comfortable and clean environment to aid in your studies but we could use your help!

If you notice that temperature levels are uncomfortable, observe other problems such as lights out in the study carrels, or discover plumbing problems, please let us know! You can report these problems by e-mailing Nancy Berkowitz (berkowit@law.ucla.edu) or by notifying staff at the Circulation Desk. Helpful information to have is the area where the problem is located – including floor and stack info (2nd floor, KFC, aisle __, for example). It is a big library and we have been working hard to keep it beautiful and comfortable. Your help is greatly appreciated!

And remember -- the Library is a food and cell-free zone. Take a short break from studying and take your food or cell phone outside. Your body, brain, and classmates will thank you!

Again, good luck on finals and we hope you have a relaxing winter break.

The Law Library Staff

Posted by Nancy Berkowitz at 6:25 PM | Permalink

Come and see an exhibit featuring art objects and artists’ books from The Norton Family Christmas Project

Where: East Faculty Exhibit Case, Young Research Library
When: December 4, 2008 – January 5, 2009

Retired computer entrepreneur Peter Norton is a contemporary art collector as well as an active participant in various civic and philanthropic activities. In 1988 the Norton Family began commissioning artists to do original, multiple-edition works that are mailed as holiday greetings to friends, colleagues, and selected institutions.

The Arts Library has been fortunate to receive these wonderful holiday greetings on a yearly basis since 1989. The objects and artists’ books that comprise the Norton Family Christmas Project collection are incredibly varied. Some of the artists have chosen to work in a more traditional book format, while others have experimented with sculptural forms using a wide variety of materials including wood, glass, plastic, and cloth.

Reinvented forms of things found in daily life are a recurring theme: a doll house, salt and pepper shakers, a music box, a teacup. A sense of whimsy runs through many of the pieces: salt and pepper shakers become snow globes, a music box exhorts us to be Silent. Many works also have a sociopolitical focus, addressing issues as varied as slavery, AIDS, and gender identity.

Taken together, the Norton Family Christmas Project objects and artists’ books provide a wonderful snapshot of the last twenty years of activity in the art world at large, presenting the work of both emerging and more established artists. The 2008 edition of the Norton Family Christmas Project will arrive while this exhibit is in progress; who knows what it will be?

Photo: Takashi Murakami, Norton Family Christmas Project 2000 © Takashi Murakami.

Posted by Donna Gulnac at 5:27 PM | Permalink

Posted by Donna Gulnac at 3:30 PM | Permalink

Posted by Donna Gulnac at 1:25 PM | Permalink