New items are available at the Hancock County Public Library.
The following items are available at the Hancock County Public Library, 900 W. McKenzie Road. For more information on the library’s collection or to reserve a title, visit hcplibrary.org.
Adult Fiction
“House of Broken Angels,” by Louis Alberto Urrea
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In his final days, ailing patriarch Miguel Angel de La Cruz, affectionately called Big Angel, summons his entire clan for one last legendary birthday party. But as the party approaches, his mother, nearly 100, dies herself, leading to a farewell doubleheader in a single weekend. Among the guests is Big Angel’s half brother, known as Little Angel, who must reckon with the truth that although he shares a father with his siblings, as half gringo, he has not shared in their lives. Across two bittersweet days in their San Diego neighborhood, the revelers mingle, celebrating the lives of Big Angel and his mother, and recounting many tales that have passed into family lore, the acts both ordinary and heroic that brought these citizens to this country and allowed them to come to call home.
Adult Nonfiction
“Superfans,” by George Dohrmann
There are fans, and there are fanatics. In this look at American sports fandom, George Dohrmann travels the country to determine what distinguishes the everyday enthusiast from that special breed known as the superfan. In Minnesota, Dohrmann meets the generals of the Viking World Order, a Minnesota Vikings fan base organized along military lines. In Oregon, he shares a beer with a determined soccer fan who amassed — almost singlehandedly — a 4,000-strong cheering section for the fledgling Portland Timbers. In Illinois, he talks with the parents of a five-year-old boy whose intense hatred of Tom Brady went viral on YouTube. Through these and other profiles, Dohrmann shows us the human faces behind the colored face paint, the real people inside the elaborate costumes who prowl the stadiums from coast to coast. Additionally, Dohrmann talks with experts in sports psychology — during a spirited round of miniature golf at the annual Sports Psychology Forum — to unravel the answers to burning questions such as: How does fandom begin? What are its effects on everyday life? When does it go too far?
