(828) 526-0173 | [email protected] | Copyright 2024 – All Rights Reserved.
In the Know: Author John Cribb
Written By: Deena Bouknight | Issue: 2020/10 - October
Author John Cribb, who introduced his September 15 published Old Abe historical novel at Hudson Library, said the idea for the book was “born in a library.” George Santayana, a Spanish-born American author of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, first said the oft-repeated quote: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Many, including Cribb, argue that not studying history leads to repeating past mistakes.
Libraries are the ideal places at which to learn not only general American history, but political history, especially during this election year. For one, Old Abe, available at libraries, delves into the crucial election 160 years ago and reminds readers why America’s values and political processes are distinct and enduring.
Cribb writes in Chapter 3: “The choice was clear. The Declaration of Independence was right. All men, regardless of color, are created equal. All were meant to be free. He [Lincoln] walked as the sun climbed the prairie sky, listening to the wind pass over the corn and contemplating all these things: ambitions fulfilled and unfulfilled, struggles between right and wrong, and life as swift as an arrow.”
Part of Cribb’s intention in writing Old Abe was not only to present the 16th president as flesh and blood, but to remind readers that there are modern parallels to draw from truly learning history and understanding politics – then and now.
An easy search on the Hudson Library and Albert-Carlton Cashiers Community Library websites lists endless titles to peruse: What You Need to Know About Voting and Why by Kim Wehle; The Declaration of Independence, a study in the history of political ideas, by Carl Becker; Hats in the Ring: An Illustrated History of American Presidential Campaigns, by Evan Cornog.
Plus, there are free history and political science courses on the sites’ Universal Class offerings, as well as documentaries galore.
Librarians at both libraries plan to offer pre-election-day displays with in-depth resources, and they will gladly pull books or point visitors in the direction of helpful resources.
