Greetings from the Great Bend Public Library! Here at the library we have been busy gearing up for our Summer Library Program! If you come by, be sure to look around, especially in the children’s area, to see how things have transformed. This year’s theme is Tails and Tales. Look forward to lots of animal-related fun this summer starting with our kick-off event at the Brit Spaugh Zoo, on Friday, June 4. If you want to make sure you stay up to date on all the amazing events like our zoo kick-off event this summer be sure to stop by and pick up a copy of our summer catalog. Packed full of information on all our summer events, a calendar and information about our summer reading program.
Our new bookshelf is overflowing with great new reads, some just released this week! We have so many to choose from it can be hard to know where to even start. While we have books in many, many genres among the new books that I’m sure will fit most everyone’s taste I thought I would share one of the books out of the stacks that I’m particularly excited about, to highlight.
"Come Fly the World" by Julia Cooke is a non-fiction title about the women who served as stewardesses on jet-age giant Pan Am. During the height of the jet age, when it was still a luxury to fly, Pan Am was king. People expected the best on a Pan Am flight and that included the service. Pan Am required stewardesses to be college-educated, speak at least two languages, and possess poise and class including in conversation all while being within strict height and weight requirements and of course young. Women over 140 pounds or 26 years old need not apply. For those who fit these narrow qualifications a life in the sky meant liberation and many women sought the ability to fly with the best. Along with these women’s lives in the sky the author also highlights the nearly unknown role they played in the Vietnam War including offering soldiers rides and a rescue operation involving thousands of children after the fall of Saigon.
Hannah Grippin is outreach manager of the Great Bend Public Library, online at greatbendpl.info and Facebook. Contact the library via a message on Facebook, email gbcirc@gmail.com or call 620-792-2409.
