Finding Oz: How Frank L Baum Discovered the Great American Story

This interesting book follows the life of Frank L. Baum, not just the history behind the famous Wizard Of Oz classic that we all know and love.
From the beginnings of his life, episodes that affected Frank as a youth and adult, played parts in what became the Wizard of Oz.
Although Baum failed at many ventures, and his family lost their fortune and ancestral home, none of these things deterred him from becoming successful later in life. Baum blends his life and his circumstances into a wonderful classic that has stood the test of time.

Directed Verdict

Directed Verdict by Randy Singer.

Fast paced, twists and turns, mysteries within mysteries, and a dash of romance… I would have to agree with those critics that say Randy Singer is as good as, if not better than, John Grisham in writing legal thrillers. I couldn’t put it down and was racing to read it to the end.

Although it starts out a little slow in building the background for the trial, it quickly turns into a fascinating tale with multiple plot lines that keeps you guessing and at the edge of your seat. The book is about an unprecedented civil rights suit brought against Saudi Arabia and the ruthless head of the Muttawa, religious police, who think nothing of killing those who defy them and the Muslim religion. “A case with David and Goliath odds with one lawyer willing to challenge an entire nation.” Witnesses disappear, jurors are bribed, lives are threatened and the defense team appears to be infiltrated. There is a maze of deception and treachery as the attorney risks his career, his case and his personal life.

I highly recommend this new book and predict this book will be another one that will keep flying off the shelf.

Review by Kathy Stutzman, Community Relations Assistant

So you think you know what happened at Columbine?

Anyone who was alive in America on April 20, 1999 knows how Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold shot and killed 12 students, a teacher, wounded 23 others, and then killed themselves. We've all heard the story of the girl who --- seconds before she was shot --- looked the killers in the eye and told them she believed in God. We've heard about the "Trench Coat Mafia" and the violent video games. And we've heard that Harris and Klebold were social outcasts who, angered by continual bullying, decided to get even by staging the biggest massacre ever at an American high school.

You will be shocked to learn that most of what you've heard is wrong. If David Cullen is even slightly correct, Cassie Bernall was not killed because she said yes (Turns out it was another girl), Harris and Klebold weren't outcasts or bullied,(in fact the two of them did more bullying to others than what was done to them). They weren’t targeting jocks or Christians (anyone and everyone was fair game), and they most certainly weren’t “addicted” to violent video games (They enjoyed playing them). Truth be told, "Columbine" presents a much more terrifying story than the one you know.

David Cullen’s “Columbine” let’s us into the lives of Harris and Klebold and what motivated them to kill. For Eric Harris it was raw hatred, a desire to kill as many people as possible-to end the world if he could. For Dylan Klebold, it was the hunger for love. And when he couldn’t find it, an all-consuming desire for death.

We come to know a side of these boys that was never portrayed in the media. Dylan was a secret drunk who was deeply depressed, while Eric, seemingly obedient, was really a psychotic control freak with a messianic-level superiority complex.

But why should we take Cullen’s word for what happened against the media’s and what was widely reported in the first 10 days after the shootings? Cullen was one of the first reporters to arrive on the scene that fateful Tuesday, April 20th 1999. At first he fell for most of the false conclusions, but after investigating the teen killers for 10 years he came to realize that what happened wasn’t because of bullying, Hitler, violent video games, or Marilyn Manson instead it was the pure unadulterated hatred of one rage filled teenager and his bewildered disheartened sidekick.
If indeed this is the case, and there was no motive apart from hatred and rage, then the nationwide reaction to the Columbine massacre has given us no reason to feel secure --- metal detectors and guards can't tell the difference between a kid with a bit of teenage angst and the grinning psychopath with raging violence in his heart. A bit scary don’t you think?


While reading you will ask yourself who in their right mind would dream up a plan like that? Who would spend years planning it? And who, when the plan went haywire, would settle for taking out as many as possible before blowing their brains out? Some really disturbed kids, if you’re charitable you could say, “sick” if not then “evil” might be a better term. If Cullen got it right (and I believe he did) don’t call them “tormented” or “misunderstood” (which is how I viewed them for years) because they weren’t. They gave away clues, they committed some serious crimes prior to their “day of reckoning” and not only did they bamboozle their parents, but they managed to fool everyone.

It is unfortunate to say that each set of parents has remained tight-lipped even after 10 years. So we cannot truly know how really unaware they were about the gun purchasing, the bomb making, the video diaries and the hate filled journals.

Cullen beseeches us to remember there are psychopaths in every city and small town and that what happened at Columbine can happen anywhere. Most psychopaths are nonviolent, and very few are as diabolical as Eric Harris, but when they are beware, because there are plenty of despondent teens like Dylan Klebold for them to snare.

I would recommend you read “Columbine” for the stunning reportage and the heroism of the students and teachers. And at the end instead of letting out a sigh of relief that this nightmare didn’t happen to our town, you should ask yourself a variation of the infamous question, “Do you know who your children are?”

Double minds

Double Minds by Terry Blackstock

Terry Blackstock is one of my favorite authors. In fact, I wait anxiously for any new books authored by her. As a result, I was excited to see that WCPL had the latest release of hers now on the shelves, Double Minds.

The plot centers around singer/songwriter Parker James who is struggling to make her mark on the Nashville music scene amidst fierce competition,
Parker gets drawn into a murder mystery when a young woman is killed at the recording studio where Parker works. Putting her own life at risk, she attempts to uncover high-level industry corruption and unmask the murderer.
I earnestly plowed through the book, hoping it would pick up speed. It never did. I couldn’t quite put my finger on why I couldn’t seem to get engaged in the story. Was it too much focus on character development and not enough focus on the plot? Perhaps.

Admittedly, it was difficult to figure out who the murderer was. So in that respect, the book succeeded. However, the book bogged down in the long, detailed description of the heroine, Parker James, to the degree that it sapped the energy from the book’s story.

Sooooo… Sad to say, I can’t recommend the book. Perhaps you might think differently, but that’s my say on it.

Review by Kathy Stutzman Community Relations Assistant