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Howard Markel Discusses His Book: "The Kelloggs: The Battling Brothers of Battle Creek"
University of Michigan Professor Howard Markel, medical historian, and author, discusses his critically-acclaimed new book The Kelloggs: The Battling Brothers of Battle Creek as well as John and Will Kellogg, brothers whose lifelong competition and enmity toward one another changed America’s notion of health and wellness.
John Harvey Kellogg was one of America’s most beloved physicians; a best-selling author, lecturer, and health-magazine publisher; founder of the Battle Creek Sanitarium; and patron saint of the pursuit of wellness. His youngest brother, Will founded the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company which revolutionized the mass production of food and what we eat for breakfast.
Howard Markel, M.D., Ph.D. is the George E. Wantz Distinguished Professor of the History of Medicine, director of the Center for the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan, and editor in chief of The Milbank Quarterly. His books include "Quarantine!: East European Jewish Immigrants and the New York City Epidemics of 1892," When Germs Travel: Six Major Epidemics That Have Invaded America Since 1900 and the Fears They Have Unleashed, and An Anatomy of Addiction: Sigmund Freud, William Halsted, and the Miracle Drug Cocaine. His articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Journal of the American Medical Association, and The New England Journal of Medicine. Markel is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
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Culinary Historian Andrew Coe Discusses His Book: "A Square Meal: A Culinary History of the Great Depression"
The giddy optimism of post-World War I America came crashing down during the Depression, which radically altered eating habits, as author Andrew Coe describes in his new cultural history A Square Meal: A Culinary History of the Great Depression. This book, coauthored with Jane Ziegelman, was awarded the 2017 James Beard Foundation Book Award for nonfiction.
Despite President Herbert Hoover’s 1931 claim that “nobody is actually starving,” Americans, in cities and rural areas alike, existed on subsistence diets and the effects of vitamin deficiencies were felt long into the war years.
A Square Meal is an in-depth exploration of the greatest food crisis the nation has ever faced-the Great Depression-and how it transformed America's culinary culture. Join us for a stimulating learning opportunity about this historic upheaval and the shifting role of governmental aid in response.
Andrew Coe is a writer and independent scholar specializing in culinary history. He and his wife, Jane Ziegelman, are co-authors of "A Square Meal: A Culinary History of the Great Depression." His ground-breaking Chop Suey: A Cultural History of Chinese Food in the United States was a finalist for a James Beard award and named one of the best food books of the year by the Financial Times. He has written books, articles, and blog posts on everything from the ancient history of foie gras to the secret criminal past of chocolate egg creams to where to buy the tastiest bread in New York City. He has appeared in documentaries such as the National Geographic Channel's "Eat: The Story of Food" and "The Search for General Tso." He and his wife live Brooklyn with their two children.
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Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Stacy Schiff Discusses Her Book "The Witches: Salem, 1692 "
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Stacy Schiff discusses the Salem Witch Trials and her acclaimed book The Witches: Salem, 1692, which was selected as one of the best books of the year by Time, USA Today, NPR, The Washington Post, and several other publications. The story began in 1692, over an exceptionally raw Massachusetts winter, when a minister's daughter began to scream and convulse. It ended less than a year later, but not before 19 men and women had been hanged and a 75-year-old man crushed to death.
The panic spread quickly, involving the most educated men and prominent politicians in the colony. Neighbors accused neighbors, parents and children each other. Aside from suffrage, the Salem Witch Trials represent the only moment when women played the central role in American history. In curious ways, the trials would shape the future republic.
As psychologically thrilling as it is historically seminal, The Witches is the enduring American mystery unveiled fully by one of our most acclaimed historians. This event, scheduled just in time for Halloween, includes a book signing and books will be for sale, courtesy of Nicola’s Books.
Stacy Schiff is the author of the #1 bestseller Cleopatra: A Life, which won the PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for biography; Véra (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov), winner of the Pulitzer Prize; Saint-Exupéry, a Pulitzer Prize finalist; and A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America, winner of the George Washington Book Prize.
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AADL Talks To: AA/Ypsi Reads Author Cristina Henriquez
In this episode, AADL Talks To Christina Henriquez, author of the award-winning novel The Book Of Unknown Americans. The Book Of Unknown Americans was the book selected for Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads 2016.
The Book Of Unknown Americans centers on fifteen-year-old Maribel Rivera, who sustains a terrible injury. Her family leaves behind a comfortable life in Mexico and risks everything to come to the United States so that Maribel can have the care she needs. Once they arrive, it’s not long before Maribel attracts the attention of Mayor Toro, the son of one of their new neighbors, who sees a kindred spirit in this beautiful, damaged outsider. Their love story sets in motion events that will have profound repercussions for everyone involved.
Henríquez seamlessly interweaves the story of these star-crossed lovers, and of the Rivera and Toro families, with the testimonials of men and women who have come to the United States from all over Latin America.
For more information and resources related to Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads, please visit the program's website at aareads.org.
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Participatory Budgeting
The League of Women Voters of the Ann Arbor Area, A2Ethics, and the CivCity Initiative hosted an informative session on participatory budgeting, one of the fastest growing democratic innovations occurring in the U.S. and Canada today. It is a new way for residents to have direct involvement in government by deciding how designated parts of a city budget will be spent.
There are 60 cities in the U.S. and Canada with participatory budgeting initiatives, however, the movement has both proponents and critics. This program introduces and discusses the concept through an objective forum.
Jeana Franconi and Michelle Monsegur, directors of the Participatory Budgeting Initiative in Cambridge, Massachusetts conduct this session. They describe the Cambridge Participatory Budgeting project; outline how it works; what it funds; their experiences; and what has worked and what has not. The Cambridge project includes youth and noncitizens in the process and also has a very strong evaluation component. For more information on Participatory Budgeting from A2 Ethics, visit their website.
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Crossing Racial and Social Divides
The United States is moving toward being a majority-minority country where less than half of our population will be classified as white. Already four states and the District of Columbia have more than 50% non-white populations, and, as of 2015, Nevada was evenly split white and non-white. A central question for our multiracial and multicultural United States is how to achieve both unity and appreciation for racial and ethnic diversity. The key is talking and collaborating across differences.
In this presentation, Dr. Patricia Gurin will describe the challenges we face in talking and collaborating with people whose racial/ethnic backgrounds and experiences differ from our own, and offer the example of intergroup dialogue as an effective practice for accomplishing it.
Patricia Gurin is the Nancy Cantor Distinguished University Professor Emerita of Psychology and Women’s Studies at the University of Michigan. She is a Faculty Associate of the Research Center for Group Dynamics at the Institute for Social Research and of the Center for African and Afro-American Studies, and she directs the research program of the Program on Intergroup Relations, a curricular program co-sponsored by the College of LS&A and the Division of Student Affairs. A social psychologist, Dr. Gurin’s work has focused on social identity, the role of social identity in political attitudes and behavior, motivation and cognition in achievement settings, and the role of social structure in intergroup relations.
This program is co-sponsored by the University of Michigan Department of Psychology.
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Huzzah! Celebrating the Rise of Vintage Base Ball
The sport of vintage base ball has taken off in recent years, with Greenfield Village's historic base ball matches and new clubs sprouting up in communities throughout Michigan.
"Honest" Jon Van Hoek, captain of The Monitor Base Ball Club of Chelsea, presents a talk on the growing popularity of base ball played by the rules of the 1860s. He discusses the spirit and sportsmanship of the game, and the noticeable differences in equipment and rules of play from modern baseball.
Hear stories straight from the field, see great photos, learn unusual player nicknames, and find out how you can get involved as a spectator or as a player.
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Sex on TV: What Are We Learning? Why Does It Matter?
The mainstream media has emerged as a prominent force in the sexual education of American youth, with teens consuming nearly 7.5 hours of media a day. Yet relying on media models of sex and courtship can be problematic because portrayals are often narrow, unrealistic, and gender stereotypical. In addition, mainstream media often feature a hyper-sexualized ideal for women that may encourage young women to value themselves mainly for their beauty and sexual appeal. This lecture discusses several studies that investigate how regular exposure to mainstream media affects young peoples’ sexual attitudes, expectations, and experiences.
L. Monique Ward is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan. She received her Ph.D. in developmental psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research examines how media use and parental messages contribute to gender and sexual socialization. This program was co-sponsored by the University of Michigan Department of Psychology.
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Bullying in Our Schools: Strategies for Students, Parents and Educators
Huron High School basketball coach Waleed Samaha lead this informative program on the destructive effects of bullying. The discussion features teens and adults he has worked with to promote a safe, respectful, and positive educational environment at Huron High School and provide strategies for dealing with bullies.
This event was in partnership with the U-M Council for Disability Concerns as part of their 2015 Investing in Ability programming.
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Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist and Bestselling Author David Maraniss Discusses His New Book "Once in a Great City: A Detroit Story "
In Once in a Great City: A Detroit Story, David Maraniss, who was born in Detroit, captures this great American city at its pinnacle. Detroit in 1963 reflected the spirit of the entire country at the time, and its complicated past and future decline could be traced to this era.
It’s 1963, and Detroit is on top of the world. The city’s leaders are among the most visionary in America. It was the American auto makers’ best year; the revolution in music and politics was underway. Reuther’s UAW had helped lift the middle class. The air was full of promise. The auto industry was selling more cars than ever before and inventing the Mustang. Motown was capturing the world with its amazing artists. The progressive labor movement was rooted in Detroit with the UAW. Martin Luther King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech there two months before he made it famous in the Washington march.
Once in a Great City shows that the shadows of the city's collapse were evident even then. Detroit at its peak was threatened by its own design. It was being abandoned by the new world. Yet so much of what Detroit gave America lasts.
David Maraniss is an associate editor at The Washington Post. Maraniss is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and bestselling author of Barack Obama: The Story and others, including When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi which was hailed by Sports Illustrated as “maybe the best sports biography ever published.”