Logicomix
Written By Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos H. Papadimitriou
Illustrated by Alecos Papadatos and Annie Di Donna
Logicomix is not about superheroes or zombies. This comic book is about something even more nerdish.
Ready?
Meet a comic about the intersection of mathematics and philosophy - that slippery dark mountain known as logic. That's right - this is a 347-page word-balloon and illustrations dive into a topic previously reserved for dense textbooks.
Our hero is the real-life British philosopher Bertrand Russell, telling his life story during a lecture to a group of Americans demanding to know his political stance on whether the U.S. should enter the Second World War, just days after fighting in Europe has broken out. Russell and many of the great intellectual minds of the early 20th century are featured here, grappling with abstract concepts that have real world applications.
For example, infinity can be reproduced in mathematics, physics, philosophy and art but not observed in nature (black holes may be an exception but we're not sure). So how can the concept of infinity help us understand ourselves and the world?
In case your head isn't hurting yet, mathematics as we know it would be impossible without the number zero but there's no such thing as nothingness in the physical universe as we understand it (anti-matter may be an exception... but again, we're not sure).
A comic book is the perfect place to dive into these questions because these are heroic pursuits into the exploration of who we are and what the universe is. The villains are madness (personal and collective) and a lack of curiosity (also personal and collective).
The writing here is clever. Humans using human constructs to understand not just humanity but life and the physical universe are juxtaposed inside a comic book where the writers and authors appear throughout Logicomix to debate the merits of the arguments and how the story should be presented to the reader.
Put another way, scientists and philosophers make a point of keeping themselves out of their complex formulas.
Many writers and artists, however, have made a point in their work of constantly reminding the reader and/or viewer that they are reading or looking, often by making the audience part of the creative discussion. So, as you read Logicomix, you are, at times, reading about the creators debating what you will read and see next. While this is not a new phenomenon in comics, it is jarring here when put against the concerns of great mathematical and philosophical minds who sought to create logical foundations of understanding that didn't require human intervention or maintenance to work properly.
This isn't the only comic the library has exploring these concepts. The five-part Promethea series by Alan Moore also tackles many of these same concerns but uses mythology and mysticism, not math and philosophy, as the diving board.
Logicomix and all five Promethea books can be found in the graphic novels section on the second floor of the Bob Harkins Branch.
- Neil Godbout is the Administrative Communications Coordinator for the Prince George Public Library
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
By Jacqueline Kelly
It's 1899 and eleven-year-old Calpurnia Tate wants nothing more than to roam the countryside around her family's Texas estate. Unfortunately, her mother has other plans for Callie, who is the only daughter in a family with six brothers and is therefore destined to become a fine lady.
Determined to avoid a domestic life at all costs, Callie forms an unlikely relationship with her grandfather, a naturalist and the eccentric in the family, after he presents her with a copy of Darwin's Origin of the Species. Neither Callie nor her grandfather look kindly on having their lives set out before them and the pair of loners team up to search the hills, fields, and rivers around their home looking hopefully for an undiscovered species of plant.
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate is an enchanting tale that weaves together history, science, and the pressures of growing up as a girl all in a great little package. Teens will laugh as Callie tries in vain to learn how to cook and sew, only to ruin one project after another. Callie's sharp mind and keen intellect make her a fantastic main character, and readers will learn along with her as she devours book after book from her local public library. Older elementary and teen readers, especially girls who aren't like the rest of the crowd will find a reflection of themselves in Callie. Callie's strong personality with her spunky "I can do anything" attitude and natural curiosity of the world around her will win readers over.
Find The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate at both branches of the Prince George Public Library. It can also be downloaded for free as an audiobook to your computer, mp3 player, or iPod.
- Reviewed by Amy Dawley, Teen Librarian at the Prince George Public Library
