Fiction Winner:
James by Percival Everett

From the publisher:

When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, recently returned to town. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.

While many narrative set pieces of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remain in place (floods and storms, stumbling across both unexpected death and unexpected treasure in the myriad stopping points along the river’s banks, encountering the scam artists posing as the Duke and Dauphin…), Jim’s agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light.

Nonfiction Winner:
Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling by Jason de León

From the publisher:

Political instability, poverty, climate change, and the insatiable appetite for cheap labor all fuel clandestine movement across borders. As those borders harden, the demand for smugglers who aid migrants across them increases every year. Yet the real lives and work of smugglers—or coyotes, or guides, as they are often known by the migrants who hire their services—are only ever reported on from a distance, using tired tropes and stereotypes, often depicted as boogie men and violent warlords. In an effort to better understand this essential yet extralegal billion-dollar global industry, internationally recognized anthropologist and expert Jason De León embedded with a group of smugglers moving migrants across Mexico over the course of seven years.

The result of this unique and extraordinary access is Soldiers and Kings: the first ever in-depth, character-driven look at human smuggling. It is a heart-wrenching and intimate narrative that revolves around the life and death of one coyote who falls in love and tries to leave smuggling behind. De León chronicles the lives of low-level foot soldiers breaking into the smuggling game, and morally conflicted gang leaders who oversee ragtag crews of guides and informants along the migrant trail.

If you're in need of a study break or a moment of mindfulness as we approach finals week, stop by the second floor of the library. A number of activities and take & make craft kits are available to help you stay stress-free and give your brain a break.

Work on a puzzle for a while, or grab a coloring page. Leave an encouraging note for your fellow students, and take an embroidery, watercolor or amigurumi kit back to your dorm with you. 

This display will be up through the rest of the term. 

Clare Kramer '22 joins the Library staff as the Access Services Technician II.

After graduating from HWS, Clare spent time working at the Geneva Public Library. Her favorite thing about working in libraries is "connecting people with information and, by proxy, learning new things myself."

When asked about her desire to return to HWS, she said, "I appreciate the campus' proximity to nature, and how welcoming the community has been to me, coming back in a different role after being a student here."

Outside of her work life, Clare is an interdisciplinary artist with a focus on collage, mixed-media paintings and sculpture (she created this month's newsletter deer image). She is also an avid runner. 
Some of Clare's favorite reads recently have been Social Creature by Tara Isabella Burton and The Bloody Chamber and other stories by Angela Carter.

Next time you stop by the library, be sure to welcome Clare back to campus!

The holiday season and the end of the Fall term are fast approaching, so mark your calendars to keep track of when the library will be closed!

Reading Days*
Saturday, Dec. 7: noon - 5 P.M.
Sunday, Dec. 8: noon - 11 P.M.
Monday, Dec. 9: 8 A.M. - 11 P.M.

Finals' Week*
Tuesday, Dec. 10 - Thursday, Dec. 12: 8 A.M. - 11 P.M.
Friday, Dec. 13: OPEN LATE 8 A.M. - 10:30 P.M. 
Saturday, Dec. 14 and Sunday, Dec. 15: CLOSED

Winter Break Hours*
Starting Monday, Dec. 16
Monday - Friday: OPEN 8:30 A.M. - 5 P.M.
Weekends: CLOSED 

*First Floor will remain open 24 hours.

Holiday Hours
Saturday, Dec. 21 through Wednesday, Jan. 1: CLOSED
During this time, the first floor of the library will also be closed.

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