Angela Bauer, abauer@myjournalcourier.com

While Jacksonville Public Library remains closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, heres a closer look at some of its offerings beyond the book shelf:

All of the following items are available as e-resources by visiting jaxpl.org and clicking on Online Resources & Databases or within the apps described. If you need any assistance using any of the librarys resources, please e-mail Sarah at ssnyder@jaxpl.org.

ADULT FICTION

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin (available as an e-book on the Libby and Overdrive apps): What makes a city feel the way it does? Is it the art and the music? The people and how they view themselves? What about the infinite, miniscule details of the place, whether they are recognized or ignored completely? Three-time Hugo Award winner N.K. Jemisin shows us her version of the answers, and they add up to something bigger than the sum of its parts. In this book, a magical novel of breadth and precision, Jemisin builds a version of New York City that is more than the borders of its boroughs. This New York is alive, literally. Cities are living organisms complete with enemies that must be fought off. Adventure awaits.

ADULT NON-FICTION

Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker (available as an e-book on the Axis 360 app): Twelve children. Six diagnoses of schizophrenia. Two parents navigating a meager mental health care system in mid-century America. At the center of this book are the Galvins, who are unlike any family youll ever read about. Hidden Valley Road blends two stories in alternating chapters. The first is about the overwhelmed Galvin parents, Don and Mimi, and how raising a boisterous Catholic family of eight sons from the 1950s to the 70s may have allowed mental illness to hide in plain sight. A boys will be boys attitude excused much aberrant behavior. The second story in the book details the thankless psychiatric research that has gone into defining schizophrenia and establishing treatments. Hidden Valley Road is a must-read for anyone who seeks to understand how far weve come in treating mental illness and how far we still have to go.

FILM TO WATCH

The Florida Project (available on the Kanopy app): Set on a stretch of highway in a budget motel managed by Bobby (Willem Dafoe), just outside the imagined utopia of Disney World, the film follows 6-year-old Moonee and her rebellious mother over the course of a summer. Dafoe was nominated for an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for his performance.

MUSIC ALBUM

3.15.20 by Childish Gambino (available on the Freegal app): Back with his first full-length project since 2016s Awaken My Love, Donald Glover aka Childish Gambino has released a sprawling record with a much more varied palette than his last effort. On 3.15.20, Glover is much more willing to take sonic risks, offering ballads supported by minimal acoustic guitar work right next to massive booming drum patterns. The album benefits from these twists and turns and it makes a much better canvas for Glover to present his lyrics. Glover has absolutely found his way by using every ounce of his influences and points of departure to create a record worthy of praise and exploration.

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Beyond the Shelf - Jacksonville Journal-Courier