Good luck to the (#4) Villanova Women’s Basketball team as they take on the (#9) University of Miami today at 2:30 p.m. Tune into ESPN to watch! #MarchMadness #LetsMarchNova #Sweet16 #FotoFriday

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication & Marketing Specialist at Falvey Library. Photos by Joanne Quinn, Director of Communication & Marketing at Falvey Library.

Happy Friday, Wildcats! Falvey Library is delivering you another semester of Weekend Recs, a blog dedicated to filling you in on what to read, listen to, and watch over the weekend. Annie, a graduate assistant from the Communication department, scours the internet, peruses the news, and digs through book stacks to find new, relevant, and thought-provoking content that will challenge you and prepare you for the upcoming week. 

As far as 2010s Young Adult novel-to-movie adaptations series go, The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins is highly regarded by hardcore fans and casual viewers and readers alike. With its captivating (and eerily familiar) world-building, political intrigue, compelling (but not overwhelming) romance, and a healthy dose of angst, its popularity is unsurprising.

In the past few weeks, likely due to Netflix’s featured advertising, the fandom has been experiencing somewhat of a resurgence. Fans, largely on TikTok, have been posting video essays and deep dives into their favorite characters, scenes, and lore. Following this resurgence, this weekend’s recs will dive into The Hunger Games universe and all it has to offer. (And, obviously, spoiler alert for the majority of these recs)

If you have 51 seconds…and are excited for the upcoming The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes film, watch this behind the scenes footage. The new movie, set to come to theaters mid-November later this year, features a well-rounded cast, including Viola Davis, Rachel Zegler, Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, and Tom Blyth.

If you have 1 minute…and want to learn the origins of the iconic three-finger salute from the series, watch this TikTok from luckyleftie, a creator leading the fandom resurgence. If you’re in the mood for some more series analyses and interesting takes, check out their other videos.

Bonus: check out this TikTok discussing Rue and her role in sparking the rebellion in the series.

If you have 2 minutes and 50 seconds…and haven’t heard this absolute bop, listen to the Caesar Flickerman theme from the films. It’s hard to focus on Caesar Flickerman’s problematic role when his song is so catchy.

If you have 15 minutes and 9 seconds…and are interested in the series’ world-building, watch this Youtube video. It discusses the lore of Panem and each of the 13 Districts.

If you have 25 minutes and 26 seconds…and are feeling a bit morbid, watch this YouTube video running through every death in all 4 books in The Hunger Games universe. Unsurprisingly, there are countless deaths in the series, so settle in.

If you have 45 minutes…and are competitive, test your knowledge of the (book) series with The Hunger Games: The Ultimate Quiz Book, available online through Falvey. Although some movie trivia is included, this challenge is definitely for fans of the book series.

Bonus: if you’re more of a foodie, try a recipe from this unofficial Hunger Games cookbook, which includes recipes for the (burnt) nut bread Peeta throws Katniss and the hot chocolate Katniss drinks on the train, available online through Falvey.

Photo by GVZ 42 on Unsplash

If you have 6 hours and 30 minutes…and haven’t read the books (or want to refresh your memory), read The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins’ first book in the trilogy. Not pulling any punches, this introduction to the series really hones in on the horrors of Panem while subtly setting up the in-universe political plot that will become apparent in the rest of the trilogy.

If you have 9 hours…and want to binge-watch the movies before they leave Netflix (on March 30th), watch The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part I, and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part II. Although there are definitely some gripes fans of the books have with the movies, they are arguably the best young adult book-to-movie adaptations with some stellar casting choices, including Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Jennifer Lawrence, and (as always) Stanley Tucci.

If you have another 9 hours…and want to dive deeper into the lore of Panem, read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, available through inter-library loan. This prequel focuses on the younger years of the icy (fascist) antagonist of the series, President Snow and the earlier years of the Hunger Games. Although Snow is the main character, the book also features characters you can root for, such as Lucy Gray Baird.

Annie Stockmal is a graduate student in the Communication Department and graduate assistant in Falvey Library.

By Anna Jankowski, Ethan Shea, and Annie Stockmal

Happy Thursday, Wildcats! This week’s installment of the Curious Cat will be a bit different than usual. Rather than a more traditional question, we asked some Falvey patrons to guess the flavor of a mystery Peep. Check out the accompanying Instagram Reel to watch these students give the curious marshmallow treat a taste!

“Feeling confused … Is it red velvet?”

— Lauren Jones ’23

“Cherry?”

— Lily Daubenspeck ’26

“Cherry Cola.”

— Jack Murphy ’25

“It just tastes like marshmallow.”

— Lauren Arnold ’25

“Cherry Cola, Cherry Coke, or something like that?”

— Ava Eberly ’25

SPOILER ALERT:

And the mystery flavor is …

.

.

.

Dr. Pepper!

Anna Jankowski ’23 CLAS is a Senior Communication Major from just outside Baltimore who ​​works as a Communication & Marketing Assistant in Falvey.

Ethan Shea is a second-year graduate student in the English Department and Graduate Assistant at Falvey Library.

Annie Stockmal is a graduate student in the Communication Department and Graduate Assistant in Falvey Library. 

By Ethan Shea

This photo from Belle Air 2003 shows Villanova Women’s Basketball alum Courtney Mix leaping for a layup while her teammate Katie Davis watches for a rebound. Davis, a co-captain at the time, was recently inducted into the Big 5 Hall of Fame. With 1,293 points, she ranks 16th in school history.

The 2002-03 season was the first and last time the Wildcats advanced to the Elite Eight in the National Tournament. Twenty years later, (#4) Villanova is looking to repeat this feat by winning against the University of Miami on Friday at 2:30 p.m. Tune into ESPN to watch!

Best of luck to our women this week! #LetsMarchNova #TBT

Ethan Shea is a second-year graduate student in the English Department and Graduate Assistant at Falvey Library.

“A few years ago, before COVID-19 and before she retired, I bumped into Robbie and her family at a local ice cream parlor; it was so nice to see her smiling and surrounded by grandchildren. That is how I will remember her.” -Luisa Cywinski, Director of Access Services.

The campus community and Falvey Library are saddened to hear the news of the passing of former library staff member Roberta (Robbie) Rosci on March 7, 2023. She was 68. A resident of Drexel Hill, Pa., Rosci joined Villanova University in 1997. She retired in October 2020, after almost 23 years of service to Falvey Library. David Burke, Metadata Librarian, expressed his gratitude working alongside Rosci in Resource Management & Description. “I admired how she persevered in coming in to work no matter how sick she got (she had Multiple Sclerosis for at least the last 10 years while working at Falvey) and still preserved a friendly, good-natured demeanor.”

Rosci’s “greatest joy in life was being a mother and a grandmother.” Regina Duffy, Communication & Marketing Program Manager, fondly remembers the joy Rosci displayed whenever she spoke of her family and her late husband Michael (Mike) Rosci, Sr. “Robbie was a warm and welcoming presence at Falvey Library. I always enjoyed seeing her at our staff events and chatting about her grandchildren. Talking about them lit up her entire face—she was so proud to be their grandmother. Robbie will be greatly missed by all.”

Her colleague Laura Hutelmyer, former Acquisitions & Electronic Resources Coordinator, expressed her gratitude in working alongside Rosci. “Robbie’s job was to catalog books, but as many books evolved to an online format, Robbie was asked to take on special assignments that required training and perseverance. She always accepted these challenges and worked hard. Even as COVID-19 sent us all to work from home, Robbie attended every morning meeting via cell phone and participated fully, in spite of physical limitations, as part of the team. Robbie was devoted to Falvey Library and, for 23 years, continued a Rosci family Villanova tradition that began with her husband Mike. She was a kind co-worker and a good friend to many in the library.”

Margaret Duffy, Director of Finance & Administration, will remember Rosci for her kindheartedness and friendly smile. “Her family was everything to her…she was always so proud of her boys. As Robbie’s health declined, her husband Mike faithfully brought her to and from work every day, making sure she was settled at her desk, which is where she wanted to be. Robbie was determined to remain active and engaged in work at Falvey Library as long as she was able. I enjoyed sharing our conversations about grandchildren and seeing her at the year-end picnic at the preschool our grandchildren attended together. Robbie was a good friend and colleague at Falvey and will be greatly missed.”

Contributions in Rosci’s memory can be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. View her full obituary here. Robbie will be greatly missed at the Library and throughout the Villanova community.

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Library.

“Every day I would wave to Robbie and her husband Mike as they left Falvey Library. My desk is near a large window and I always looked forward to our brief exchange. They were both kind and generous people.”

Please join us on Thursday, April 13 at 4 p.m. in Falvey Library’s Speakers’ Corner for a Scholarship@Villanova talk featuring Alessandra Seggi, PhD, Visiting Professor, Department of Sociology and Criminology. Dr. Seggi will present a talk titled “Youth and Suicide in American Cinema: All the Silence We Don’t Talk About.“

A large project, which culminated in the publication of Youth and Suicide in American Cinema: Context, Causes, and Consequences (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022), examined the portrayal of youth and suicide in American films (N=187) from 1900 to 2019, with particular attention to the context, causes and consequences of suicide. It also teased out insidious yet fascinating social dynamics around suicidality involving both the suicidal individual and their friends and family. The analysis concluded that the portrayal of youth and suicide in film is controversial, or at least unbalanced, inconsistent, limited, and at times simplistic. Other times it can be stifling in its brutal honesty, yet rich and thought-provoking. Hence, rather than obliterate or block certain content from reaching audiences, or suggest certain reactions to audiences, young audiences need to think for themselves and question the media.

A proactive approach for audiences to interpret film messages can help youth—a media literacy strategy to embrace as active social players, while watching these films. This is a tool for empowering audiences, and helping them watch and analyze films as engaged citizens, and ultimately “for strengthening young people’s participation in civic and political life” (Hobbs, 2011, p. 421–422). Indeed, only when audiences are able to tease apart the varied, nuanced, transient, complex media messages, are they able to negotiate meaning for themselves, act as engaged social players, and perhaps begin to comprehend suicidality, and “heal the hearts or settle the minds of those left behind in its dreadful wake” (Jamison, 1999, p. 18).

Importantly, silence, by intruding into several interactions, dramatically alters them. Yet, it rarely gets talked about. So, for example, the physical and emotional consequences of suicidality on the suicidal individual are almost never tackled in film. The consequences of suicidality on the bereaved are even more infrequent object of conversation. There are yet other ways for silence to complicate relationships and affect someone’s suicidality. Silence hides complicity, when not voicing our concerns when we have some, or not speaking up in front of injustice, or not seeking help when in a crisis. It also demonstrates how we become complicit in perpetuating injustice, how we might aggravate our condition, or how we might perpetuate a life in suicidal mode, as well as perpetuating the path of least resistance. Only a few films, notably Captain Fantastic, Permanent Record, and Surviving Family, offer a vivid depiction of the desolation that friends and family experience after a suicide. Beyond the Lights shows how being embedded in a web of social relationships can offer the suicidal individual mixed messages—on the one hand, suicidality is not to be talked about; on the other, asking for and receiving help are essential steps in one’s recovery. A few other exceptional films from different eras and with varying styles, such as A Girl Like Her, Something Wild and Full Metal Jacket, showcase how silence exacerbates the consequences of trauma.

This ACS-approved event, co-sponsored by Falvey Library, the Department of Sociology and Criminology and the Department of Communication, is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

References:

Hobbs, R. (2011). The state of media literacy: A response to Potter. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 55(3), 419–430.

Jamison, K. R. (1999). Night falls fast: Understanding suicide. Vintage Books.

By Ethan Shea

New Moon Suit (Image courtesy of NYT)

Last week, NASA unveiled their new moon suits, which will be worn by astronauts the Artemis program plans to send to the Moon by 2025.

For temperature regulation, the suits actually used on the Moon will be white instead of the black suit presented here. Temperatures on the surface of the Moon can reach 250 degrees Fahrenheit in the daytime and drop to -208 degrees Fahrenheit at night, so needless to say, astronauts need to take every precaution they can.

Without even taking the extreme temperatures into account, humans could, in theory, only survive a matter of seconds (about 15) on the Moon without a spacesuit. This is because space lacks air, so asphyxiation would occur very quickly, as the body will have used up all the oxygen in its blood in a matter of seconds.

This recent lunar fashion show is a perfect opportunity to highlight some extra-terrestrial threads you can find right here in Falvey’s stacks. Below, you’ll find a collection of iconic space-related outfits from popular literature and even their cinematic adaptations.

“Hidden Figures” promotional poster

Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race

This book turned movie shows that moon suits aren’t the only outfits essential to sending astronauts to space. Hidden Figures tells the story of a group of Black women mathematicians who overcame discrimination to help make the Apollo moon landing possible. The movie’s iconic promotional poster shows three women wearing outfits that just can’t be excluded from this list.

2001: A Space Odyssey

This classic Stanley Kubrick film showcases a memorable spacesuit that goes far beyond the moon. There are several iconic scenes in this flick, featuring everything from apes to robots!

Image from “2001: A Space Odyssey”

Men in Black

Sometimes space-wear is more earthly than you might think. The classic Men in Black suits certainly can’t be left out of any space fashion show.

Gravity

Gravity shows Hollywood stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney sporting more traditional spacesuits. This suspenseful story of survival is a must-see.

Star Trek Beyond

I couldn’t make a list about space fashion without including the iconic Star Trek fits. This most recent Star Trek film stays true to the classic suits. Which one is your favorite color?

Ethan Shea is a graduate student in the English Department and Graduate Assistant at Falvey Library.

Photo courtesy of Isabel Choi.

Your ten-year-old sibling might ask you one morning, “So, what exactly do you do at school?” What if you study thermomechanical and electromagnetic properties of ceramic composites at high temperatures or smooth orthogonal decompositions? What would you say? How would you say it? This is the question graduate students competing in Three Minute Thesis (3MT) are forced to wonder and answer. At Villanova University’s 3MT competition, graduate students had to answer the question, “What do you do?” in three minutes or less. 

Held in The John and Joan Mullen Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, Feb. 24, 13 finalists (master’s and doctoral students at Villanova) presented their research to members of the audience in front of a large slideshow presentation. The stage was setup so that audience members were able to see the three-minute timer. Similar to that of a game show, audience members watched the timer tick down to minutes and then to mere seconds. After each presentation, numerous judges (Villanova faculty) would give feedback before going on to the next contestant.

Towards the end of the event, audience members were able to vote for a “people’s choice” award while the judges calculated the first and second place winners. Before the winners were announced, audience members were able to hear a couple personal comments from the contestants themselves–their process, struggles, and aspirations.

Eliana Uriona took first place for her presentation “Optimizing Biochar Conditions for Heavy Metal Immobilization in Contaminated Soils.” Uriona also earned the people’s choice award. Grace Sutoris, won second place for her presentation “Using Machine Learning to Detect Underlying Heartbeat During CPR.”

Representing Villanova University, Uriona will compete at the Northeast Regional 3MT Competition on Friday, April 28. The virtual competition will be hosted by the University of New Hampshire. Watch Villanova’s 2023 3MT competition here. Be sure to check out Falvey’s blog next year for 2024 3MT announcements.

Isabel Choi ’26, is Communication & Marketing Assistant at Falvey Library.

“Attending the competition definitely inspired me…to see dedicated graduate students present their studies….perhaps graduate research is something I should consider pursuing too!”

Welcome back to Flip or Flick! This edition will tackle Patricia Highsmith’s 1995 classic psychological thriller The Talented Mr. Ripley. The narrative follows the iconic character Tom Ripley through his adventures to Italy. Ripley is off to meet the wealthy Dickie Greenleaf and his travel companion Marge Duval. Tom has been hired by Dickie’s father to convince him to come back to America to run the family business. His time in Europe suddenly takes a turn as murder, theft, and a thick web of deceit ensue. The novel is written entirely from Tom’s point of view and readers are able to see his psychological unraveling as the events go on. It is difficult not to root for Tom as all of the interactions in the story are from his lens.

I’d compare the storyline to Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby as both include luxurious accommodations, an unreliable narrator, and a main character with dreams of mythic proportions. I loved analyzing the twists and turns in the novel and trying to evaluate what my perception of Ripley said about my own sense of self. The 1999 film adaptation stars Matt Damon, Jude Law, and Gwyneth Paltrow. It is extremely visually appealing with gorgeous actors and a picturesque setting. There are several characters added to the film that completely change some of the story arc and ultimately the conclusion. Dickie and Tom’s motivations are characterized a bit differently but the central themes of the story remain true to the original.

So, flip or flick? FLIP!

I loved both, but the book is a classic for a reason. Highsmith’s prose gives us intimate access to Ripley’s inner monologue that is difficult to replicate in cinema. To me, Ripley’s inner thoughts are what make this narrative so special from others in the same genre. I adored the movie and I highly recommend consuming both if you have time! Watching these extremely talented actors in their prime portray complex characters is definitely a special treat. The story has been adapted in several different ways throughout the years, most recently with a new limited series adaptation starring Fleabag’s Andrew Scott coming soon to Netflix. Falvey Library has the critically acclaimed French adaptation from René Clément available to stream for free which includes breathtaking visual scenes that give new life to the story.

Anna Jankowski ’23 CLAS is a Senior Communication Major from just outside Baltimore who ​​works as a Communication & Marketing Assistant in Falvey.