The first episode of Wolf Hall, a six-part TV adaptation of Hilary Mantel's prize-winning pair of historical novels, premiers this Sunday, April 5, at 10 pm, ET, on PBS's Masterpiece. Mantel's tempestuous period pieces, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, follow the struggle of England's King Henry VIII to cement his dynastic legacy by siring a legitimate, male heir. Thomas Cromwell, ambitious commoner, political deal-maker, and Henry's hatchet man narrates the action. Expect Sunday's performance, which PBS calls an "unromanticized retelling," to teem with political intrigue, backstabbing, bribery, and seduction. Mark Rylance stars as the wily, enigmatic Cromwell and Damian Lewis plays the handsome, volatile
Henry VIII.
Wolf Hall set a 10-year record for viewers when it debuted in the UK on BBC Two.
To learn more about this turbulent period and its players, read Thomas Cromwell:The Rise and Fall of Henry VIII's Most Notorious Minister by Robert Hutchinson or The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir. And be sure to watch the award-winning film, A Man for All Seasons, about Thomas More's heroic refusal to obey the King.
The Roosevelts: An Intimate History, a seven-part PBS series that chronicles the lives of Theodore, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, premieres this Sunday, September 14, on WFYI at 8 PM. PBS describes the 14-hour documentary created by acclaimed filmmaker, Ken Burns, as follows: "The series encompasses the history the Roosevelts helped to shape: the creation of National Parks, the digging of the Panama Canal, the passage of innovative New Deal programs, the defeat of Hitler, and the postwar struggles for civil rights at home and human rights abroad. It is also an intimate human story about love, betrayal, family loyalty, personal courage and the conquest of fear."
Look for the companion volume, The Roosevelts: An Intimate History at the Library. Kirkus Reviews calls the book, co-authored by Roosevelt scholar Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns, "[A]n eye-opening look at a political dynasty worthy of the name and at a state of politics far better than our own."
Other fine books about this distinguished American family include: Young Mr. Roosevelt: FDR’s Introduction to War, Politics, and Life by Stanley Weintraub; The Man He Became: How FDR Defied Polio To Win the Presidency by James Tobin, No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II by Doris Kearns Goodwin, Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough, and The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey by Candice Millard. (Coincidentally, Millard's newest book, The Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President, a gripping account of events surrounding President James A. Garfield's assassination, is the Library’s 2014 United We Read selection.)
“Why did I ever start this? I must have been mad! There were dozens of other things I could have been—a model, air hostess, or a ship’s stewardess. The ideas run through my head, all glamorous, highly paid jobs. Only an idiot would choose to be a nurse. And now a midwife. . .” Thus begins Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times by Jennifer Worth, now available at the Library. You may already be familiar with the acclaimed BBC drama based on Worth’s remembrances. (The series, distributed by PBS, is now in its second season on WFYI; the Library has Season 1.) If not, you’re in for a treat. Worth writes about life in London's working-class East End in the 1950s when midwives--not obstetricians--delivered babies at home with little fuss and even less anesthesia. The memoir opens with Worth's arrival at Nonnatus House, a training center for midwives. Worth (played by Jessica Raine in the series) is fresh out of nursing school, and it is through her eager, inexperienced eyes, that we come to know the compassionate and sometimes quirky nuns, as well as their memorable patients. Chapter by chapter, we follow Jenny as she pedals on her rounds, ultimately coming to appreciate not only her personal achievements, but the heroic efforts of this entire band of dedicated nurses. So, if you're in the mood for a compelling drama with plenty of heart, Call the Midwife is just what the doctor ordered.
