Tag: libraries

  • DDC 300-309: Welcome to the Human Jungle

    A Teach Me How To Dewey production

    This Is How We Dewey:

    • 300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology
    • 301 Sociology & anthropology
    • 302 Social interaction
    • 303 Social processes
    • 304 Factors affecting social behavior
    • 305 Social groups
    • 306 Culture & institutions
    • 307 Communities
    • 308 No longer used—formerly Polygraphy
    • 309 No longer used—formerly History of sociology

    Welcome to the 300s! Officially designated for the social sciences, I’m calling it the Human Jungle because it gets into the thick of stuff about people and cultures. I don’t know about yours, but in my library this section went on for sooooo long. Understandably so, since the subjects are so big and broadly defined, with new research and ideas coming out of them all the time. But I was pleased to see just how diverse the books were as I walked down the aisles.

    Though I had very little academic experience in sociology (English and history all the way, y’all), I’m fascinated by how people influence culture and vice versa. Though much of what we know about that becomes outdated as time goes by and new information surfaces, I like to see the variety of books in the 300s as documentation of the evolution of humans’ understanding of humanity. Such a thing has been and always will be incomplete, but that won’t be for lack of trying.

    The Dew3:

    Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy
    By Emily Bazelon
    Dewey: 302.34
    Random Sentence: “I don’t know what else I can do to protect my son.”

    Race Matters
    By Cornel West
    Dewey: 305.800973
    Random Sentence: “Black anti-Semitism and Jewish antiblack racism are real, and both are as profoundly American as cherry pie.”

    American Nerd: The Story of My People
    By Benjamin Nugent
    Dewey: 305.9085
    Random Sentence: “The newt impulse exists among sci-fi fans, but in a much subtler way.”


  • DDC 290-299: Like the ending of LOST

    A Teach Me How To Dewey production

    This Is How We Dewey:

    • 290 Other & comparative religions
    • 291 Comparative religion
    • 292 Classical (Greek & Roman) religion
    • 293 Germanic religion
    • 294 Religions of Indian origin
    • 295 Zoroastrianism (Mazdaism, Parseeism)
    • 296 Judaism
    • 297 Islam, Bábism & Bahá’í Faith
    • 298 No longer used—formerly Mormonism
    • 299 Other religions

    As acknowledged back in DDC 220-229, the 200s have been overwhelmingly biased toward Christianity. But don’t fear, every other religious person reading this: your time has come! The Lords of Dewey have deigned the 290s the “Oh Crap We Forgot All The Other Religions” section. Hence Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and every other possible religious -ism bunched together in the caboose for a SparkNotes tour through ancient and modern religion and spirituality. Certainly not adequate space for the plethora of writing out there, but it’s the best Dewey is willing to do at this point.

    Time for an #OccupyDewey campaign? Only the people can decide. Meanwhile, we’ve concluded what has to be the most contentious section in all of Dewey. (What’s that? The 320s are Political Science?)

    The Dew3:

    Buddha or Bust: In Search of Truth, Meaning, Happiness and the Man Who Found Them All
    By Perry Garfinkel
    Dewey: 294.3
    Random Sentence: “Like any tourist, I was eager to visit what has been dubbed the Disneyland of Buddhist monasteries.”

    Bring Me the Rhinoceros: And Other Zen Koans That Will Save Your Life
    By John Tarrant
    Dewey: 294.34432
    Random Sentence: “Why can’t clear-eyed Bodhisattvas sever the red thread?”

    Heaven on Earth: A Journey Through Shari’a Law From the Deserts of Ancient Arabia to the Streets of the Modern Muslim World
    By Sadakat Kadri
    Dewey: 297
    Random Sentence: “Shafi’i’s vision, as amplified by later generations of students, was destined to prevail.”


  • DDC 280-289: The denomination is in the details

    A Teach Me How To Dewey production

    This Is How We Dewey:

    • 280 Christian denominations & sects
    • 281 Early church & Eastern churches
    • 282 Roman Catholic Church
    • 283 Anglican churches
    • 284 Protestants of Continental origin
    • 285 Presbyterian, Reformed, Congregational
    • 286 Baptist, Disciples of Christ, Adventist
    • 287 Methodist & related churches
    • 288 No longer used—formerly Unitarian
    • 289 Other denominations & sects

    Outside of being Protestant, I don’t have a specific denominational background. In spite (or because?) of that, I find other denominations, sects, and congregational interpretations fascinating. As a non-participant in the holy wars between Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterian, and of course Catholics, I watch with equal parts confusion and admiration for the dedication each section holds for their specific ways. Though all housed under the “Christian” umbrella, their adherents have found many ways to diverge from each other since the very beginning of the faith. (Only those in the culture can appreciate/disdain the irony of “no longer used” being paired with Unitarianism.) Despite the division, there is much to be gained historically, sociologically, and theologically from reading about how each of these parts interact with each other and with the whole of the faith.

    Or, if you’re sick of Christianity, you can just wait for the 290s.

    The Dew3:

    Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint
    By Nadia Bolz-Weber
    Dewey: 284.135
    Random Sentence: “I’m not certain of the exact origins of the idea, but I’m guessing it was a biopic about Jim Morrison.”

    Living the Quaker Way: Timeless Wisdom for A Better Life Today
    By Philip Gulley
    Dewey: 289.6
    Random Sentence: “We spend much time yoked to the very devices we hoped would liberate us.”

    Rumspringa: To Be or Not to Be Amish
    By Tom Shachtman
    Dewey: 289.73
    Random Sentence: “She counters with an additional demand for fenders on the wheels.”


  • DDC 270-279: Persecution junction

    A Teach Me How To Dewey production

    This Is How We Dewey:

    • 270 Christian church history
    • 271 Religious orders in church history
    • 272 Persecutions in church history
    • 273 Heresies in church history
    • 274 Christian church in Europe
    • 275 Christian church in Asia
    • 276 Christian church in Africa
    • 277 Christian church in North America
    • 278 Christian church in South America
    • 279 Christian church in other areas

    As with any honest historical assessment, this section’s books take on the good, the bad, and the ugly of Christianity’s past. 272 Persecutions could fill up an entire library. But many forget that though the Catholic Church has been responsible for some pretty heinous persecution over the years, the Christian church in general were also persecuted themselves for a long time. And even though Western Christianity (and religion in general) is fairly protected from persecution, there are places in the Middle East and Asia where being a Christian can get you killed. That’s what makes books like The Irresistible Revolution (see below)—which call for radical, countercultural living—get real real fast. In whatever time or place, people who really take their faith to heart will face the consequences of it, good and bad. And that makes one hell of a story.

    The Dew3:

    The Irresistible Revolution: Living as An Ordinary Radical
    By Shane Claiborne
    Dewey: 277.3
    Random Sentence: “I’m not sure the Christian Gospel always draws a crowd.”

    The Habit: A History of the Clothing of Catholic Nuns
    By Elizabeth Kuhns
    Dewey: 271.9
    Random Sentence: “Walking was to be accomplished in a calm, demure manner–hurrying was discouraged.”

    The Grand Inquisitor’s Manual: A History of Terror in the Name of God
    By Jonathan Kirsch
    Dewey: 272.2
    Random Sentence: “The old authoritarian impulse was still fully alive.”


  • DDC 260-269: Fred Phelps would hate this

    A Teach Me How To Dewey production

    This Is How We Dewey:

    • 260 Christian social theology
    • 261 Social theology
    • 262 Ecclesiology
    • 263 Times, places of religious observance
    • 264 Public worship
    • 265 Sacraments, other rites & acts
    • 266 Missions
    • 267 Associations for religious work
    • 268 Religious education
    • 269 Spiritual renewal

    Is Christianity cool? Starting with this section through the next few, a lot of the books would give you some proof in the affirmative and in the negative. Obvious examples include the first book featured below, which explicitly asks that question, but also the books that don’t overtly make a claim yet by merely existing make a case.

    Sadly, much of what people see on cable news is the worst of so-called Christian social theology, propagated for clicks and viewers but not based in the day-to-day reality of living out the biggest religion on earth. If you love history or tradition, there is a lot of interesting stuff to explore in Christianity’s past that conveniently also has 0% to do with Westboro Baptist.

    The Dew3:

    Hipster Christianity: When Church and Cool Collide
    By Brett McCracken
    Dewey: 261.1
    Random Sentence: “For some pastors, this means they include references to Paris Hilton and The Hills in their sermons.”

    On Heaven and Earth: Pope Francis on Faith, Family, and the Church in the Twenty-First Century
    By Jorge Bergoglio
    Dewey: 261.83
    Random Sentence: “Christianity condemns both Communism and wild capitalism with the same vigor.”

    Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity
    By Keri Wyatt Kent
    Dewey: 263.2
    Random Sentence: “In play, we shed the shackles of schedule, efficiency, even purpose.”


  • DDC 250-259: Parish Administration: The Movie

    A Teach Me How To Dewey production

    This Is How We Dewey:

    • 250 Christian orders & local church
    • 251 Preaching (Homiletics)
    • 252 Texts of sermons
    • 253 Pastoral office (Pastoral theology)
    • 254 Parish government & administration
    • 255 Religious congregations & orders
    • 256 No longer used—formerly Religious societies
    • 257 No longer used—formerly Parochial schools, libraries, etc.
    • 258 No longer used—formerly Parochial medicine
    • 259 Activities of the local church

    Are you ready for the explosive, blockbuster, wham-bang awesomeness that is 254 Parish government & administration? Can’t wait for a movie to be made out of books in that section. Meanwhile, I was surprised to find a lot of interesting material here. It ranged (as is evident below) from silly to sincere, with some strange mixed in too. I think it’s very important for any subculture to be able to make fun of itself, and there’s a good amount of evidence for that within Christianity, whether by current or former adherents. Of course, as a old religion it has its more rigid types, but we all need to laugh, especially when things are funny. Sounds obvious, but it’s easy to get trapped in the thinking that all sacred things must also be serious and earnest. Sometimes serious things are funny.

    The Dew3:

    Nuns Having Fun
    By Maureen Kelly
    Dewey: 255.9
    Random Sentence: “Protect us, O Lord, for we are upright women–at least for now.”

    Church Signs Across America
    By Steve Paulson
    Dewey: 254.4
    Random Sentence: “A good angle to approach any problem is the ‘try’-angle.”

    Strength to Love
    By Martin Luther King
    Dewey: 252
    Random Sentence: “We can master fear through one of the supreme virtues known to man: courage.”


  • DDC 240-249: Ain’t your mama’s Christian writing

    A Teach Me How To Dewey production

    This Is How We Dewey:

    • 240 Christian moral & devotional theology
    • 241 Moral theology
    • 242 Devotional literature
    • 243 Evangelistic writings for individuals
    • 244 No longer used—formerly Religious fiction
    • 245 No longer used—formerly Hymnology
    • 246 Use of art in Christianity
    • 247 Church furnishings & articles
    • 248 Christian experience, practice, life
    • 249 Christian observances in family life

    The thing I like about sections like this is how it surprises. Even though (or perhaps because) I grew up in the Christian world and am very familiar with its tropes, biases, and tendencies, I love when I find new things—perspectives that challenge conventional wisdom or allow for greater nuance and a rich, learning experience.

    Anne Lamott (featured below) is a good example of this: though she is a Christian writer, she could hardly be more unconventional or irreverent in her approach and writing style. People who have either struggled with religiously oriented literature or written it off entirely would be pleasantly surprised by writers like her who, as the saying goes, ain’t your mama’s Christian writer. This is just one example of how Dewey, and really libraries in general, can surprise you if you take the time to browse and let serendipity be your guide.

    The Dew3:

    Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will
    By Kevin DeYoung
    Dewey: 248.4
    Random Sentence: “Wisdom sounds good but how does it work?”

    Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith
    By Anne Lamott
    Dewey: 248.4
    Random Sentence: “I was an out-of-control alcoholic then–but in a good way, I had thought.”

    Sin Bravely: A Joyful Alternative to A Purpose-Driven Life
    By Mark Ellingsen
    Dewey: 248.4
    Random Sentence: “Such a diminution of sin is what the American public wants.”


  • DDC 230-239: Fresh loaves and fishes

    A Teach Me How To Dewey production

    This Is How We Dewey:

    • 230 Christian theology
    • 231 God
    • 232 Jesus Christ & his family
    • 233 Humankind
    • 234 Salvation (Soteriology) & grace
    • 235 Spiritual beings
    • 236 Eschatology
    • 237 No longer used—formerly Future state
    • 238 Creeds & catechisms
    • 239 Apologetics & polemics

    Probably because, not in spite of, Christianity’s hitherto cultural/religious hegemony in the United States specifically, it has inspired a lot of writing. Some good, some terrible, and some I’m not quite sure about. Reading Jesus (below), for example, seems to bring a new approach to the Gospels, which are arguably the most published and referenced texts in world history. At weddings, funerals, and many events in between we hear many of the same verses quoted as inspiration and encouragement, or as argument or counterargument. It’s easy to cherry-pick and plug in a verse for an occasion, but how often does it go beyond that? There’s a lot to consider if we want to get past the tired, old interpretations of religious orthodoxy, so as someone reared in the Christian world I appreciate those who try to look at Jesus and his teachings in fresh ways.

    The Dew3:

    Disappointment With God: Three Questions No One Asks Aloud
    By Philip Yancey
    Dewey: 231.7
    Random Sentence: “Richard does not know Mother Theresa, but he does know me.”

    Reading Jesus: A Writer’s Encounter With the Gospels
    By Mary Gordon
    Dewey: 232
    Random Sentence: “The darkness of my grandmother’s bedroom.”

    The Great Divorce
    By C.S. Lewis
    Dewey: 236.2
    Random Sentence: “‘Whisht, now!’ said my Teacher suddenly.”


  • DDC 220-229: Blessed is Samuel L. Jackson

    A Teach Me How To Dewey production

    This Is How We Dewey:

    • 220 Bible
    • 221 Old Testament
    • 222 Historical books of Old Testament
    • 223 Poetic books of Old Testament
    • 224 Prophetic books of Old Testament
    • 225 New Testament
    • 226 Gospels & Acts
    • 227 Epistles
    • 228 Revelation (Apocalypse)
    • 229 Apocrypha & pseudepigrapha

    Regardless of how accurate it is in a given situation, deploying “Old Testament” as an intensifying adjective/adverb–i.e. “It’s about to get Old Testament up in here”–is one of my favorite things. To me in implies a righteous fury or a majestic/violent power that descends from above in order to make a plain scenario a whole lot less plain.

    I guess what I mean to say is that “Old Testament” seems like Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction: wide-eyed, vindictive, and not at all safe for work.

    Whether it’s a fight scene in a movie or an argument with a friend, the metaphorical and rhetorical power of the Old Testament is a lot more interesting than people (religious and secular) give it credit for. Those who saw the Darren Aronofsky film Noah will understand this, as that well-worn Old Testament tale got an authentically Old Testament retelling that both does justice to the text and brings that aforementioned righteous fury to the filmmaking and the story.

    What were we talking about again? Oh yeah… It is pretty evident by now that the 200s have a strong predilection toward Christianity. This is probably a remnant of the original Dewey classification of the mid-to-late 19th century, which was born in a much more faith-infused time than ours. I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing, since Christianity is often woefully misunderstood (or not understood at all) by its critics but also by its proponents. That’s certainly the case, too, for other major religions, so I guess the moral here is: Learn!

    The Dew3:

    The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible As Literally As Possible
    By A.J. Jacobs
    Dewey: 220
    Random Sentence: “The floor is exactly like a Seattle mosh pit circa 1992.”

    The Book of Books: The Radical Impact of the King James Bible, 1611-2011
    By Melvyn Bragg
    Dewey: 220.52
    Random Sentence: “Gravity was God’s other face.”

    Water from the Well: Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah
    By Anne Richardson Roiphe
    Dewey: 221.922082
    Random Sentence: “She must have been wrapped in regret.”


  • DDC 210-219: Are you there, God? It’s Melvil

    A Teach Me How To Dewey production

    This Is How We Dewey:

    • 211 Concepts of God
    • 212 Existence, attributes of God
    • 213 Creation
    • 214 Theodicy
    • 215 Science & religion
    • 216 No longer used—formerly Evil
    • 217 No longer used—formerly Prayer
    • 218 Humankind
    • 219 No longer used—formerly Analogies

    Once again we’ve got a number of winning Ghosts of Dewey Past. Perhaps it’s fitting that formerly evil is in the section about God. Whether by divine intervention, miracle, or the fortuitous maneuverings of an OCLC employee, Dewey #216 is no longer the damnable hellscape of sin and evil it once was, and I for one am thankful. I was pleasantly surprised to find a quite varied field of God-related books: some that argue for the existence of God, others that aren’t so sure, and some that make a federal case out of their certitude either way. Personally, I’m more interested in the former than the latter. Doubt, like any tool, serves an important purpose in its right context, so leaving some room for it, I think, is a healthy way to look at the world.

    But what do I know anyway?

    The Dew3:

    Einstein’s God: Conversations About Science and the Human Spirit
    By Krista Tippett
    Dewey: 215
    Random Sentence: “But ‘wonder’ for St. Augustine was a religious experience that drove back to a creator.”

    Divinity of Doubt: The God Question
    By Vincent Bugliosi
    Dewey: 211.7
    Random Sentence: “I’ve said that I don’t believe Jesus was insane.”

    Galileo Goes to Jail: And Other Myths About Science and Religion
    Edited by Ronald Numbers
    Dewey: 215
    Random Sentence: “As Stark sees it, chimneys and pianos, and all the more so chemistry and physics, owe their existence to Catholics and Protestants.”


  • DDC 200-209: The R Word

    A Teach Me How To Dewey production

    This Is How We Dewey:

    • 200 Religion
    • 201 Religious mythology, general classes of religion, interreligious relations and attitudes, social theology
    • 202 Doctrines
    • 203 Public worship and other practices
    • 204 Religious experience, life, practice
    • 205 Religious ethics
    • 206 Leaders and organization
    • 207 Missions and religious education
    • 208 Sources
    • 209 Sects and reform movements

    Y’all ready for this? It’s about to get contentious up in here. Religion has been and always will be a hot topic to tackle no matter where you’re from or what you believe. But the first ten-spots of the 200s is a nice way to ease into such a gargantuan topic, as it covers religion in the broadest way possible. Hence, a book about religion in Star Trek sitting comfortably near another about zen and mysticism by a Trappist monk. There’s a lot to enjoy and delve into in this section, and it’s diverse enough to appeal to many interests. That won’t necessarily be the case moving forward, so I hope you’re prepared for some spice…

    The Dew3:

    Religions of Star Trek
    By Ross Shepard Kraemer
    Dewey: 200
    Random Sentence: “Is the Q Continuum Star Trek’s answer to the Force?”

    Mystics and Zen Masters
    By Thomas Merton
    Dewey: 204.2
    Random Sentence: “This pilgrimage, let us repeat it, does not end at the monastery gate.”

    The Language God Talks: On Science and Religion
    By Herman Wouk
    Dewey: 201.65
    Random Sentence: “What Dick Feynman needs is a swift kick in the arse.”


  • Read books. Often. Mostly print.

    “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

    Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma and The Botany of Desire, made this plain yet meaty declaration concerning best food practices in a 2007 article called “Unhappy Meals” for The New York Times Magazine. It has resonated with me since I read it recently. Deceptively simple, each sentence contains multitudes of implications about food and eating habits that Pollan explains further into his article. This Pollan Doctrine has inspired my own literary interpretation that can serve as the basis for what I see as best reading practices:

    “Read books. Often. Mostly print.”

    Read books.

    We need to eat to live. But Pollan doesn’t just say Eat. He says Eat food. The difference to him is between “whole fresh foods” and “processed food products,” the latter being “edible food-like substances” from the supermarket that will fill your stomach but won’t make you healthy. Likewise, to be head-healthy we need to read, but not only that: we need to read books. We can read listicles and news items and celebrity profiles (and boy do we), but that alone is not healthy. I love to consume high-quality television and cinema and podcasts, but they are not enough either. They are, to extend the metaphor, the fruit and juice and pastries that make the meal tasty, but they are not going to keep you full. They are the parts of a complete breakfast, a meal that hinges on the oatmeal or the eggs on whole wheat bread.

    This didn’t used to be a problem. Before the Internet, television, film, radio, or recorded music, people had few of the intellectually stimulating activities we take for granted today. The theater was an option, depending on your wealth or circumstance, but other than that and perhaps a roving minstrel band, books were it. We have so many options now, so books are increasingly being relegated to the back of the queue. It must not be so.

    I’ve come to view books as arboretums. They are worlds within in the larger world, ecosystems shielded from the chaotic flea-market world of the Internet yet also in debate with it. Every page is a tree, its paragraphs and sentences the branches and vines that stack and intertwine to compose its part of the story. Our senses engage with the created world before us: the smell of the paper like the smell of the buds; the songs of the birds and the dialogue we narrate in our head; the characters we imagine in our head like the colorful trees that align and clash and have backstories of their own. With arboretums as with books, each of us see the same thing yet something altogether different.

    We all need to get outside and deeply breathe in the fresh air. Literally, we can do this by escaping to arboretums, but literarily we do it with books.

    Often.

    I remember the beginning distinctly. I had graduated from college but was still working in my school’s admission office over the summer before I departed for Colombia, where I lived that fall. The week after commencement, with no more classes or papers or textbooks consuming my time, I picked up a book I wanted to read and read it for fun. It was The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. I liked it, didn’t love it, but that wasn’t the point. The point was dominion over what I read no longer rested with my professors. I was free, in the windows-down Tom Petty sort of way, and it felt great.

    Four years later, I’ve had what amounts to another college education’s worth of free reading in topics that fit my fancy. Except during the two-year detour to grad school when my reading once again became more regimented, I have read what I have wanted to read and I have read a lot. On the train, on the bus, during my lunch break, in bed before sleep: I almost always have a book with me that I can whip out when the moment is right.

    This is incredibly invigorating for me. There are so many books out there I want to read, to input into my byzantine repository of a brain. Sometimes the sheer infinities of books I could and want to read overwhelm me. (Bunny trail: while working at the library one night I’d just finished a book and tried to decide what to read next. Novel or biography? Classic or contemporary? Baldwin’s Go Tell It on the Mountain or Wilson’s Angel in the Architecture or Horwitz’s Confederates in the Attic? Ahhh! … I debated for way too long about it and then fifteen minutes before closing, my eye found Mark Harris’ new Five Came Back and I knew immediately I wanted that one. The heart wants what it wants.)

    I learned a lot from the books I read in high school and college, but I have gained just as much from what I have read on my own—especially so from the books I grabbed almost impulsively, because I just wanted to read it. No other reason. I know I will never be able to read all the books I want to read, but that doesn’t stop me from trying.

    Mostly print.

    Bibliophiles will often speak of the allure of the book itself: the smell of the freshly opened pages, the comforting and colorful order of the library stacks, the textile pleasures of a book in hand. I find joy in those things too. But they alone are not why I read printed books, mostly from the library, almost exclusively. I do so because reading should be hard.

    As our smartphones get smarter and more intuitive, as our online reading gets lighter and more listicled, we need something that will challenge us. By reading printed books and reading them deeply, we challenge our brains to resist the Twitter-fueled “fear of missing out,” our nagging impulse to check our phones, our tendency to skim online articles before quickly clicking a link to the next one, and our penchant for immediate gratification.

    By reading print books, we can enjoy a better reading experience while also confronting the oppressive ubiquity of screens. This secondary effect should not be overlooked. I could quite easily, and quite accidentally, go nary a minute during an average day without fixing my eyes upon the radiant glow of a computer or phone or TV screen. Indeed I have lived that day many more times than I would have liked—such is the reach of the invisible android hand upon the market of our attention. But at the end of such a digitized day, my eyes wearied by the spastic technicolor of the internet, I have often taken solace in the decidedly unilluminated grayscale of the printed page, where the words stay in one place, darn it, and don’t link anywhere else except in my imagination.

    This is not to proclaim the objective superiority of paper as a reading format (even though I prefer it), nor to condemn e-books (whose accessibility and convenience are in fact a great catalysts for increased reading). I simply mean to say that with a deficit of attention and a surplus of distractions, we benefit greatly from the challenge and joy of locking ourselves inside the safe and friendly confines of a printed book. Ultimately, reading is better than not reading. Read whatever and however you’d like and you’ll be better for it. But my recipe has nourished me well, and as is true with any good meal I want to share it with others.


  • DDC 190-199: Go west, young philosopher

    A Teach Me How To Dewey production

    This Is How We Dewey:

    • 190 Modern Western philosophy
    • 191 Modern Western philosophy of the United States and Canada
    • 192 Modern Western philosophy of the British Isles
    • 193 Modern Western philosophy of Germany and Austria
    • 194 Modern Western philosophy of France
    • 195 Modern Western philosophy of Italy
    • 196 Modern Western philosophy of Spain and Portugal
    • 197 Modern Western philosophy of the former Soviet Union
    • 198 Modern Western philosophy of Scandinavia
    • 199 Modern Western philosophy in other geographic areas

    As we round the final bend of the 100s Tributary (of the Dewey River in the United States of Libraries), let’s take a moment to enjoy the scenery of this particular ecosystem of knowledge we’ve paddled through in the last ten posts. We’ve had our minds blown by huge universal ideas and by the paradox of formerly infinity; we’ve given a new (and probably better) definition of physiognomy and sat on Freud’s couch; and above all we’ve learned that there is so much to learn.

    When we’re dealing with trying to capture and organize the sum of human knowledge, I’d say that’s a logical and humbling lesson to let sink in as we venture further into the Deweybyss. Or, to put it as one of the Dew3 picks does, let us move forward with fear and trembling as we get ready to tackle one of the two topics traditionally off-limits at Thanksgiving dinner: religion (the other being politics – we’re coming for you, 320s).

    For now, though, let us enjoy the relative tranquility provided by the civil and introspective discussions of the 190s.

    The Dew3:

    The Book of Dead Philosophers
    By Simon Critchley
    Dewey: 190
    Random Sentence: “He was, in G.K. Chesterton’s words, ‘a huge bull of a man, fat and slow and quiet.’”

    Fear and Trembling: And, the Sickness Unto Death
    By Soren Kierkegaard
    Dewey: 198.9
    Random Sentence: “Is this utterance publici juris, or is it a privatissimum?”

    Talking With Sartre: Conversations and Debates
    By John Gerassi
    Dewey: 194
    Random Sentence: “Ah, concrete situations!”


  • DDC 180-189: Questions, questions

    A Teach Me How To Dewey production

    This Is How We Dewey:

    • 180 Ancient, medieval, and Eastern philosophy
    • 181 Eastern philosophy
    • 182 Pre-Socratic Greek philosophies
    • 183 Socratic and related philosophies
    • 184 Platonic philosophy
    • 185 Aristotelian philosophy
    • 186 Skeptic and Neoplatonic philosophies
    • 187 Epicurean philosophy
    • 188 Stoic philosophy
    • 189 Medieval Western philosophy

    I admit that I haven’t been exposed much to ancient philosophy, outside of that college philosophy class I’ve mentioned. I remember being especially taken by Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics and its take on friendship. I love learning about different taxonomies and ways of looking at things we take for granted or don’t really think about that much. Like, what does love actually mean? What does it mean to genuinely love someone? When you start asking fundamental questions about the big yet basic elements of life, you begin quite the journey that will end either with your total enlightenment or a complete mental breakdown. Here’s hoping it’s the former.

    The Dew3:

    How Plato and Pythagoras Can Save Your Life: The Ancient Greek Prescription for Health and Happiness
    By Nicholas Kardaras
    Dewey: 180
    Random Sentence: “But these sorts of abilities are possible–for those very special white crows.”

    Socrates Cafe: A Fresh Taste of Philosophy
    By Christopher Phillips
    Dewey: 183.2
    Random Sentence: “‘A hundred just sounds right,’ she says, affecting a seraphic grin.”

    Mindful Yoga, Mindful Life: A Guide for Everyday Practice
    By Charlotte Bell
    Dewey: 181.45
    Random Sentence: “I didn’t think about the orange-clad long-distance walker again until six years later.”


  • DDC 170-179: What are you reading under there?

    A Teach Me How To Dewey production

    This Is How We Dewey:

    • 170 Ethics
    • 171 Ethical systems
    • 172 Political ethics
    • 173 Ethics of family relationships
    • 174 Occupational ethics
    • 175 Ethics of recreation and leisure
    • 176 Ethics of sex and reproduction
    • 177 Ethics of social relations
    • 178 Ethics of consumption
    • 179 Other ethical norms

    Time to get ethical, everyone. In our continuing journey through the 100s, I’ve noticed that the focus thus far has been on how and what to think vis a vis psychology, logic, and philosophical schools of thought. Now, with ethics, we’ve dipped our toes into action, or more specifically how what we think should influence what we do. Almost every profession or discipline has a branch of professional ethics that tackle the what-ifs and sticky situations of the vocation.

    For libraries, these often involve heady topics like intellectual freedom, the right to privacy, and the dos and don’ts of access and collection development. A popular manifestation of this is ALA’s Banned Books Week, wherein libraries feature frequently challenged books and debate how best to protect the freedom to read when it’s under attack. (Speaking of under, the most frequently challenged book of 2013? Captain Underpants. Yep.)

    So while your local librarians fight to keep a children’s book series about a scantily clad superhero on the shelves, consider the occupational and ethical absurdities you have to deal with in your own profession. Any wild examples?

    The Dew3:

    True Enough: Learning to Live in a Post-fact Society
    By Farhad Manjoo
    Dewey: 177.3
    Random Sentence: “Presidents, for one, don’t matter much, they found.”

    How We Behave at the Feast: Reflections on Living in An Age of Plenty
    By Dwight Currie
    Dewey: 170.44
    Random Sentence: “When all else fails, you’ve always got mail.”

    How to Be A Hepburn in A Hilton World: The Art of Living With Style, Class, and Grace
    By Jordan Christy
    Dewey: 170.842
    Random Sentence: “The same goes for Lifehouse’s hunky front man, Jason Wade.”


  • DDC 160-169: Beam me up, Logic

    A Teach Me How To Dewey production

    This Is How We Dewey:

    • 160 Logic
    • 161 Induction
    • 162 Deduction
    • 163 Not assigned or no longer used
    • 164 Not assigned or no longer used
    • 165 Fallacies and sources of error
    • 166 Syllogisms
    • 167 Hypotheses
    • 168 Argument and persuasion
    • 169 Analogy

    You know what they say about logic…

    Though I am very much not a math or science person, I think Spock is onto something here regarding the stimulating nature of logic. Like a beautifully composed painting or cohesive album, as a simple composition an airtight, symmetrical equation or argument is a wonder to behold. All those Xs and Ys and numbers coming together to make something grand. It’s wonderful, I say. (I realize logic is more than math equations and scientific hypotheses—deal with it.)

    Like the 140s, this section in my library had slim pickin’s, at least compared to the 150s. Perhaps that’s a metaphor for our times. I can only hope that the popularity of the Star Trek reboots will bring logic back in vogue, because there’s nothing people like more than a know-it-all coolly calling out everyone’s BS.

    The Dew3:

    Arguing for Our Lives: A User’s Guide to Constructive Dialog
    By Robert Jensen
    Dewey: 160
    Random Sentence: “That arrogance is what has transformed Earth into Eaarth.”

    Being Logical: A Guide to Good Thinking
    By Dennis Q. McInerny
    Dewey: 160
    Random Sentence: “Every dog has three heads.”

    Crimes Against Logic: Exposing the Bogus Arguments of Politicians, Priests, Journalists, and Other Serial Offenders
    By Jamie Whyte
    Dewey: 160
    Random Sentence: “It is a rare foray into gobbledygook that does not begin with a tribute to quantum physics.”


  • DDC 150-159: Paging Dr. Freud…

    A Teach Me How To Dewey production

    This Is How We Dewey:

    • 150 Psychology
    • 151 No longer used—formerly Intellect
    • 152 Perception, movement, emotions, and drives
    • 153 Mental processes and intelligence
    • 154 Subconscious and altered states
    • 155 Differential and developmental psychology
    • 156 Comparative psychology
    • 157 No longer used—formerly Emotions
    • 158 Applied psychology
    • 159 No longer used—formerly Will

    What’s that saying? Psychology is the study of a tree whereas sociology is the study of the forest? Well, consider it Arbor Day on Teach Me How To Dewey. My library had a robust 150s selection compared to the 140s, which perhaps isn’t surprising given the broad nature and scope of psychology. The human brain is a deep well of possibility, capable of so much (language, intelligent design) and yet so little (YouTube comment sections). Of course Freud and Jung and Co. pop up here, but also pop psychology and books than aren’t quite as obsessed with sex as Sigmund.

    It’s interesting to see how formerly used Dewey sections, like 157 and 159, have or have not been integrated within modern arrangements. Emotions has moved from 157 to 152, yet Will has disappeared, at least from the 150s. Perhaps a more robust study of Dewey would reveal these nuances?

    TheDew3:

    The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth
    By M. Scott Peck
    Dewey: 158.1
    Random Sentence: “Life is difficult.”

    Savage Girls and Wild Boys: A History of Feral Children
    By Michael Newton
    Dewey: 155.4567
    Random Sentence: “They ran on all fours, bowed head-down in the dust.”

    The Plenitude: Creativity, Innovation, and Making Stuff
    By Rich Gold
    Dewey: 153.35
    Random Sentence: “And before Barney it was a well-known Kahuna that only boys like dinosaurs.”


  • DDC 140-149: The sexiest of all -isms

    A Teach Me How To Dewey production

    This Is How We Dewey:

    • 140 Philosophical schools of thought
    • 141 Idealism and related systems
    • 142 Critical philosophy
    • 143 Bergsonism and intuitionism
    • 144 Humanism and related systems
    • 145 Sensationalism
    • 146 Naturalism and related systems
    • 147 Pantheism and related systems
    • 148 Liberalism, eclecticism, and traditionalism
    • 149 Other philosophical systems

    Of all the subtopics in 140-149, pantheism has the coolest name by far. Its definition and substance are certainly debatable, but having nearly all of the word panther in it makes it the coolest and sexiest of all -isms. (Admittedly not a high bar to hit.)

    For probably the first time in Dewey thus far, the number of words in this 10-spot that end in “-ism” far outnumber those that don’t. Translation: It’s about to get ideological up in her’. This is not to say that ideology is bad; it’s simply incomplete most of the time, or limited in its understanding of the world. Believing in only one -ism is impossible, but once you start collecting them your box of -isms becomes a cluttered hoard of old toys that don’t always play well with each other.

    So be smart with your -isms, everyone!

    The Dew3:

    Dancing in the Dark: Romance, Yearning, and the Search for the Sublime
    By Barbara Lazear Ascher
    Dewey: 141.6
    Random Sentence: “‘She’s not in my way, Terrence,’ says Banana Moon Cake Man.’ ”

    Hope in the Age of Anxiety
    By Anthony Scioli
    Dewey: 149.5
    Random Sentence: “Hope lets you breathe a little easier.”

    The Essential Transcendentalists
    Edited by Richard Geldard
    Dewey: 141.3
    Random Sentence: “No sun illumines me, for I dissolve all lesser lights in my own intenser and steadier light.”