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Hello and welcome to this week's #NoWaitWednesday where we look at a specific title that's ready for just the right patron to check it out in the New Release section at one of our branches right now. Hot, new, and best of all - no waiting! (If you're fast enough, that is! Make sure to click the green "place hold" button in the web catalog while logged in to reserve a copy.)  

For patrons who might like to read a good book but don't have the time, I like to recommend three specific genres: either a romance, a horror, or a thriller. These three genres in particular are engineered to hook readers early, introducing them to compelling characters and taking them on an emotional journey that keeps pages turning. A good thriller, especially, has an energy and momentum all its own - after all, thrill rides are the ones most difficult rides at the amusement park to get off from, because once you're strapped in, you're absolutely committed until the very end. Patrons love novels from thriller authors like Vince Flynn, Jack Carr, or David Baldacci, so for today's #NoWaitWednesday, let's take a look at a new book from an author along those lines.

Remi Adeleke, a former Navy SEAL, makes an impact with a blistering debut - and first in the "Black Box" series - with Chameleon. The main character is Kali Kent, born in Nigeria but raised on the streets of the Bronx and who now works for a super-secret CIA paramiliary group that focuses on only the most difficult missions. (Notice I didn't say "impossible....") The plot kicks off when they get called into investigate Lucas Van Groot, a South African commando who leads a shadowy network that makes money kidnapping business leaders and world politicians, holding them for ransom, and profiting by disrupting the global financial markets in the chaos. Kali and his crew must infiltrate this network and use all of their skills to take Van Groot down, until further revelations lead the group to investigate who's really behind everything, including a secret technology that might destabailise the whole of Eastern Europe and kick the Cold War up several degrees indeed.

Exotic scenery, breathtaking action, a well-developed good-guy ensemble, and a fast-paced twisty plot that keeps readers guessing - this one has it all. Adeleke brings a wealth of his own Navy SEAL experience to the novel, so all the spy-thriller action has more than a hint of authenticity. Speaking of authenticity, Kali Kent is no cardboard cut-out - he's a hero with a history and depth, and readers will appreciate his background and how it contributes to the novel. "Chameleon" also looks to be the first in a trilogy, so action fans won't have to wait long for more. (This has all the makings of a Netflix original, too.) 

Be sure to check back with us next week for more #NoWaitWednesday action! Thanks for reading. 

When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in May 1954 to end legal segregation in public schools, it established one of the most fundamental precedents in the nation’s history.

The Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park in Topeka thus proved a fitting location — right before Independence Day — for a naturalization ceremony where participants swore to “bear true faith and allegiance” to the Constitution and the laws of the United States.

Johnson Countians Monica Fracachan Cabrera and Juan Calderón Táriba took part in that proceeding. The married couple’s participation marked a milestone for them and for the Library’s free U.S. citizenship class, established three years ago by Latino Services Outreach Librarian Christine Peterson.

The Library class now counts 18 new U.S. citizens among its alumni.

The couple credited Peterson and the class for providing the materials and the structured curriculum that prepared them for the rigors of becoming citizens, which starts with a 20-page application through the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Applicants must also demonstrate an ability to read, write, and understand English and pass an oral civics exam with 10 questions selected from a 100-question study guide.

The Library offers the citizenship program three times a year. The program generally runs for about 15 weeks with weekly 90-minute Zoom sessions on Tuesday mornings and Wednesday evenings.

Peterson said the number of attendees is growing. She has approximately 30 people enrolled this trimester.

Originally from Venezuela, Cabrera and Táriba arrived in the United States six years ago after winning a visa lottery system to enter the United States. After spending time in Colombia, they settled in Johnson County because they had family in the area.

Their 12-year-old son, Daniel, is a middle schooler in the Blue Valley School District.

Cabrera is a research assistant for JUNTOS - Center for Advancing Latino Health at the University of Kansas, and Táriba is a mental health language coach at Children’s Mercy Kansas City.

Through Peterson as a translator, Cabrera explained why she and her husband consider it significant to become U.S. citizens.

“It’s important because this is our second home. We weren't born here, but we probably will die here,” she said. “This country opened up its arms to let us come in, and our son is now going to have those opportunities, especially in education.  Maybe my grandchildren will even be born here, but we now have a voice, and we can vote, and we can participate in the government.”

Peterson conceptualized the citizenship program when a friend asked for her assistance in becoming a citizen. Peterson was also encountering Latinos who wanted help preparing to answer the citizenship questions.

Having lived abroad, Peterson knows the limited rights citizens have in other countries. Immigrants who come to the U.S appreciate the freedoms they have here, she said, and Peterson enjoys adding context to what the candidates already know.

“I do not want them to memorize 100 questions and spit out the answers,” she said. “I want them to know the meat of the country.”