1. Nanette Bulebosh [email_address] Proposal for Frank L Weyenberg Library of Mequon-Thiensville, Jan. 2010 A REEL HISTORY OF WWII

2. The idea is that the city that opens the same book closes it in greater harmony.- Mary McGrory, The Washington Post, March 17, 2002 3. Library Mission: The Frank L. Weyenberg Library is a focal point of learning and culture in Mequon and Thiensville and the community center to which citizens turn for the discovery of ideas, the joy of reading, and the power of information. The Library strives to deliver quality informational services, both traditional and innovative, for all ages, needs, and backgrounds. 4. By setting goals you will be able to articulate your plans, your needs for assistance that you hope this program will have on your community. and the impact . - From ALAs Planning YourCommunity-Wide Read, 2003 What do FLWLMT and its partners want to accomplish with the Communities Read project? 5. Library Mission: The Frank L. Weyenberg Library is afocal pointoflearning and culturein Mequon and Thiensville and thecommunity centerto which citizens turn for thediscovery of ideas , thejoy of reading , and thepower of information . The Library strives to deliverquality informational services , bothtraditional and innovative , forall ages, needs, and backgrounds . An engaging title, purposeful collaboration, and a well-organizedcampaign can address all or most components of this mission. 6.

The ideal book will

have the capacity to excite readers

attract the interest of more than one age group

provoke lively conversations or debates

inspire new and interesting program ideas

be relatively inexpensive

be relatively easy to obtain

not repeat the same themes covered in previous years

strengthen existing partnerships and inspire new ones

be written by a Wisconsin native or current resident

who might be willing to make a personal appearance.

7.

Author of more than 30 books

Producer, director and writer of 30 television programs

Time Magazinefilm critic since 1972

Four Emmy nominations

Guggenheim Fellowship

Graduated from UW-Madison

Grew up in Wauwatosa, WI

8.

Elia Kazan: A Biography

D.W.Griffith: An American Life

The Disney Version: The Life, Times, Art and Commerce of Walt Disney

Clint Eastwood: A Biography

Brando: A Life in our Times

Matinee Idylls: Reflections on the Movies

9. 10. GOOD MORNING, MR. ZIP ZIP ZIP: MOVIES, MEMORY, AND WORLD WAR II 11.

Its about growing up in a small Wisconsin community

He couldnt wait to get away (youth appeal)

Midwest boy does well, has fascinating career

Its very accessible, very absorbing

It can inspire participation from a variety of organizations

It explores very popular topics (WWII, Greatest Generation, and war movies)with a provocative twist : He deplores Brokaws label; wants to deconstructthe lies of Hollywood and government officials

Everyone has opinions about the movies theyve seen

Imagine the lively conversations we can have

It offers excellent programming potential

12.

a brutally honest and gracefully written memoir he does a thorough job of illuminating the myths wartime America told itself.- Martin Scorsese

Exhilarating an invaluable remembrance of things and movies past.- Molly Haskell

13.

A testimony to joy, and an honorable account of the tricky business of growing older, of moving on. Jonathan Schwartz

He masterfully links his own singular embrace of movies as a boy growing up in an insulated Midwestern town addresses all our unspoken anxieties and all our dreams of escape. Daphne Merkin

14. Bayles, Martha. Lean Back in Darkness, Review ofGood Morning Mr. Zip Zip. Zip ,New York Times Book Review , April 13, 2003.http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/13/books/lean-back-in-darkness.html Olson, Ray. Good Morning Mr. Zip Zip Zip,Booklist Online , April 1, 2003.http://www.booklistonline.com/default.aspx?page=show_product&pid=1131171 Yardley, Jonathan. Good Morning Mr. Zip Zip Zip.Washington Post , April 6, 2004.http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A19878-2003Apr3?language=printer 15. The Diane Rehm Show . Richard Schickels American University Radio interview with Diane Rehm aboutGood Morning, Mr. Zip Zip Zip , June 19,2003.http://wamu.org/programs/dr/03/06/19.php Morning Edition .NPRs Renee Montagne speaks with Richard Schickel aboutGood Morning Mr. Zip Zip Zip , April 24, 2003.http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1242331 Reel Myths . Transcript from Richard Schickel speaking with Brooke Gladstone on NPRsOn the Mediaprogram aboutMr. Zip Zip Zip , April 11, 2003.http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2003/04/11/08 Wired for Books . Richard Schickel interview with host Don Swaim about his book,Shickel on Film . June 15, 1989.http://wiredforbooks.org/richardschickel/ 16. In the fictions of the war our soldiers were always presented as profoundly normal human beings.You know the cliches: guys getting a dirty job done as quickly as possible so they could return to their girlfriends, their mutts, Moms apple pie.It occurred to none of us that you cannot be a hero in wartime and maintain the fiction of ordinariness.Moreover, maintaining this lie required the culture to sustain other lies that were in some ways more devastating. In this book I am calling into account these institutions (the government and mass media) and, above all, I hope, my all-too-innocent self, attempting to identify at least some of what we missed or were misled about.From Prologue: Wartime Lies Good Morning, Mr. Zip Zip Zip IN HIS DISSECTION OF MORE THAN 100 WWII FILMS, SHICKEL WANTS TO CALL INTO ACCOUNT CERTAIN INSTITUTIONS, AND HIS OWN WISCONSIN YOUTH. 17. Schickel on Sergeant York (1941):Its very obvious metaphorical message was that it was time to stop idling about pacifistically, time to be up and doing, ready to kill or be killed, on behalf of threatened democracy. Men of my generation still speak admiringly of this movie and of how our fathers took us to see it almost as a moral obligation. 18. Casablanca(1943) often a hard, cynical, wisecracking movie, but it always rediscovers its immortal romantic center again its a movie about learning how to say goodbye gracefully. 19. Lassie Come Home(1943): The wartime metaphor is obvious: long, perilous journeys can be survived. We cansome of us come home, no matter what the odds. The movie is the better for never mentioning its implied message. 20. A Guy Named Joe(1943):It suggests that good men enlisted in a just cause can never really be lost, that service to a total war did not necessarily have to stop at the grave. 21. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)I think of it as the last great wartime lie, a fantasia of good feelings eerily out of touch with reality It was what we had not yet learned to call a feel-good movie. This critique is particularly intriguing, since this film is usually praised for its realism 22.

Possibilities for promoting Communities Read visually, using library spaces(upstairs exhibit area and the Tolzman Community Room) and possibly in designated community locales.

Invite families of local WWII veterans (or veterans of any wars) to submit photos for a month-long display (see following slides). Honor the vets at a public reception. Consider recording their stories.

Create a special display of photos, memorabilia and newspaper clippings about area soldiers who did not come home. Set it up either at the library or somewhere in the community (a local church, VFW Hall, etc.)

Collect and display artwork from the era (samples in following slides)

Display WWII movie posters (possibly with the assistance of North Shore Cinema or local collectors).

Invite local artists to submit artwork about the era or about warfare

Host a public reception with special guest speakers (historians from Concordia University or elsewhere) to showcase the exhibit. Play music from the 1940s.

23. Ruth (Jahn) Renz and her brother Carl celebrate Christmas in Mequon in 1946. Pickings were slim; Ruth's gift was the necklace she's wearing and Carl's was a new sweater.- From the collection of Ruth Renz. (Milwaukee Public Museum website) 24. Men from George Schubert and Sons, an International Harvester dealership in Thiensville, examine old farm machines to identify candidates for a wartime scrap drive.- From Wisconsin Historical Society website 25. 26. 27. 28. Left: Ed Bulebosh, 17, at Great Lakes Naval Base, 1945.Above: Dad and me at the WWII Memorial, April 25, 2009 One reason why this topic interests me so much; the Honor Flight was incredible. 29.

Book discussiononGood Morning, Mr. Zip Zip Zipled by local film historians; compare and contrast withThe Greatest Generationor other WWII books

Film screenings(at the library, North Shore Cinema, the Logemann Community Center, one of the college campuses, or somewhere else) featuring some of the films. Follow with discussion led by local film historians .

Teen film festival . Invite local students to submit films (10 min or less) on the topic: parodies ofCasablancaor other films of the era, video interviews with relatives, creative response/critique of the book, their views about war . There are numerous possibilities. (And we dont have to restrict this to teens)

30.

Before Computers, X-Box and TV.Host a youth or teen program that features games, activities, and music enjoyed by young people in the early 1940s. Decorate the room with vintage lamps, small furniture pieces, etc.Borrow and use a 1940s radio.

Readers Theater.Seek actors to perform excerpts from WWII literature (Diary of Anne Frank, Summer of my German Soldier, etc.) Or read portions of letters from Mequon-Thiensville soldiers serving overseas (Are there things like this in the librarys local history section?

Springtime Swingtime.Turn the Tolzman meeting room or another location into a 1940s dance hall, and put together a variety show and dance.Feature local musicians and stand-up comedians (who could portray Burns & Allen, Bing Crosby and Ginger Rogers). Ask local dance coaches to teach 40s dance moves.

31.

Panel discussionfeaturing local veterans or citizens who lived through the era; ask their thoughts on rationing, tin foil collection drives, their views on the war at the time, and of course what movies they saw at the time.

Concertat Cedarburg Performing Arts Center, Concordia, or elsewhere featuring music from the era. Tommy Dorsey, etc.Also perform the song Good Morning, Mr. Zip Zip Zip

The power of music in war . A music appreciation workshop led by a Concordia, MATC or local high school teacher.Compare WWII music with that of other wars. What songs did your family listen to?

News of the War . Ask the Ozaukee Press and local radio/tv stations to search their archives for a sample 1945 front page & and evening broadcast.

Walking touror photo exhibit of well-known landmarks as they appeared in the 1940s. Display sample Gold Star Mothers sign, etc.

32.

Fundraiser(s)for local veteran groups or Stars & Stripes Honor Flights (veterans can fly for free, but guardians must pay $500).

Youth collection drivesof newspapers, cooking oil, tin foil.(ask a local artist to create a sculpture out of the tin foil)

Victory Gardensfor kids; seek assistance from local garden clubs

Good Morning, Mr. Schickel . Special appearance by the author of the book. Sell copies of the book with the assistance of local book stores or his publisher.

Costume party(for youth, teens, adults or all of these). Invite people to dress up as their favorite WWII movie characters (Bogart trench coats and fedoras, Ronald Reagon in uniform, etc.).

33.

WWII-era cooking(everyone then had to do with less) with MATC Culinary Arts instructors

Oral history school project . Ask youth to interview family members and submit video, oral and print histories that will become part of the librarys collection. Seek help from local genealogy groups and/or UW-Madison Oral History Program.

Stalig Wisconsin . A program about German prisoners-of-war in the Ozaukee County area

WWII Aircraft: Reel vs Real Planes . Just how realistic were those flying scenes inthese movies ? ( Casablanaset designers used a model plane with midgets to make it look big) Invite local pilots, historians, airport officials, etc.

34.

What happened to the trains?Host a program on the Milwaukee Roads route from Mequon and Thiensville to downtown Milwaukee, the former Interurban Railroad (closed in 1948), and the local depots.Share memories of military families saying good-bye and welcoming soldiers.

Homefront medical care. Ask officials from Columbia-St. Marys Hospital to talk about how health care has changed in the last 60 years. How did the Polio scare affect this area?

Seek program ideas and assistance from the Mequon Historical Center, the Ozaukee County Historical Center, and possibly the Wisconsin Historical Society. There is a wealth of speakers around the state who can talk about Wisconsin and World War II.

These are just some tentative ideas I came up with as an outsider.Im sure Id think of more after living in the community a few months. 35.

Start early ,develop a planand timetable, andassign responsibilitiesto staff, partnering agencies, and library volunteers. Check progress status regularly via wikis, Ning, or conference calls.

The goal of the public relations campaign is to reach as many community members as possible, inspire enthusiasm, and encourage participation from the librarys regular supporters and (hopefully) newcomers.

Host an initialmini-workshopinvolving key people to establish goals, assign roles, and get commitments from individuals and groups for promotional help.

36.

Publicity/Public Relations .

• Send press releases to newspapers, radio stations and (for the headlining event) television stations.

• A week before, send out a media alert to key contacts.

• Make ample use of the library webpage.

• Create a Twitter and/or Facebook account devoted to this event.Invite followers and fans.

• Record events.Make sure the key events are covered by media, photographed, and recorded for later publication and broadcast (and the librarys archives).Have an evaluation plan in place.

37.

Direct Marketingto a list of target individuals and organizations through mass emails, flyers, postcards, letters and VIP invitations.

Personal Contact -Speak at civic organizations, meet with school and church administrators, visit classrooms and college campuses, and attend Chamber of Commerce meetings to talk about the book and the planned programs.Goal is to generate excitement and create a community-wide buzz.Bring literature to distribute.

Advertising -Try to find in-kind donations to cover printing costs of flyers, discussion guides, invitations, etc.Explore new distribution methods (inserts in church bulletins, school announcements, etc.) Use bookmarks, buttons, signs, flyers as well as the library website to promote. Id use paid advertising sparingly, and would seek discounts when I did.

38. Bradley, James,Flags of Our Fathers - Lafayette, IN2007 - Traverse City, MI 2007 Brokaw, Tom,The Greatest Generation - Long Beach, CA 2007 - Iola, KA 2006 Hedges, Chris,War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning - South Bend, IN 2004-05 OBrien, Tim,Things They Carried - Chicago,IL 2003 - St. Paul, MN2006-07 Zusak, Marcus,The Book Thief - North Reading, MA 2009 - Loudoun County, VA 2007 Books used in otherCommunity Reads or One Book events 39. Books by Wisconsin authors also considered for this project Bakopoulos,Dean,please dont come back from the moon(2005) Set in a working-class, Detroit suburb. Themes: Working class families, teenage boys, fatherless families, unemployment Ellis, Mary Relindes,The Turtle Warrior(2004)WLA Banta winnerSet in northern Wisconsin. Themes:Vietnam War, WWII veterans, working class families, alcoholism, domestic abuse, discrimination, Ojibwe culture Gaiman, Neil,The Graveyard Book(2008) ALA Newbery winner Set in a graveyard. Themes: orphans, death, coming of age, fantasy.Rhodes, David,Driftless(2008) Set in western Wisconsin. Themes:city and town life, farming culture, agricultural issues, corporate malfeasance, disabilities,Watson, Larry,Orchard(2003) WLA Banta winner Set in Door County, WI.Themes: artists and art subjects, apple orchards, marriage, infidelity, rural communities, 1950s, Norwegian emigres. 40. American Library Association Public Programs Office,Planning Your Community-Wide Read , 2003http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/ppo/programming/onebook/files/onebookguide.pdf Dempsey, Beth, One Book, One Community: One Great Idea,Library Journal , Sept. 1, 2009.http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6677269.html?q=one+book Frank L. Weyenberg Library of Mequon-Thiensville website.http://www.flwlib.org/ Library of Congress Center for the Book, Local/community resources.http://www.read.gov/resources/ Mequon-Thiensville Area Chamber of Commerce website.http://www.mtchamber.org/ Wisconsin Library Association, WLA Readers Section and Literary Awards Committee.http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/readers/ 41. For more information: Nanette Bulebosh N8894 Snake Road Elkhart Lake, WI53020 920-876-3184/920-946-9482 [email_address]