Wednesday, April 13, 2016

K: Katharine Graham and Kalamazoo, Michigan



When I was a volunteer at the library's used book store, I used to joke that I was always my best customer.  This is another one of those books that I purchased used.

I am not sure what made me take it off the biography shelf, other than that I enjoy reading biographies.  I certainly was not all that familiar with Katharine Graham (1917 - 2001) before I read the book.  I enjoyed it very much, enough that I decided to keep it in the bookcase.  Maybe it is because I really admire strong women.

Born into a family of means, she eventually became the publisher of the Washington Post (1963), which had been purchased in 1933 by her father.  How she got to the top is a fascinating story.


Kalamazoo, Michigan
The attraction for me in Kalamazoo is the art museum.  Several years ago they had a wonderful exhibition of Chihuly glass.  If you are in the Seattle area, consider yourself lucky enough to be able to see his glass garden there.

Architecture lovers may want to try and get a glimpse of Frank Lloyd Wright designed homes in Parkwyn Village.

Kalamazoo also has a castle: Henderson Castle was established in 1895.  At one time it was to be the home of the Art Center, but that did not come to pass.  The home is open to the public.

For those of you more familiar with the Big Band sound, you might remember this:

7 comments:

  1. As you know I enjoy learning about strong women too. Nice post, thanks!

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  2. I've actually bought a few autobiographies because I saw them used and they appealed to me at the time. It leads to some interesting reading!

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  3. She sounds interesting; I'll have to check out that autobiography down the road after the challenge. I think I would have been the same if I worked at the library's used bookstore. Always fun to browse them (and of course purchase one here and there)

    betty

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  4. A library with a used book store? We have libraries here with book sales, but none with actual bookstores. I'm too addicted to those booksales. I wouldn't dare volunteer to work for one once I'm retired. Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com

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    1. Yes, our Friends of the Library, a volunteer group of supporters, run the bookstore. They have large sales three times a year with a conference room full of books. It brings in a lot of money. Plus they sell all sorts of interesting items, like purses, scarves, jewelry, educational games...

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  5. This lady is fascinating and one strong lady. I loved reading about the balls she attended. I always thought it was wrong how she passed away. I like this song and always loved this city name.

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