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Recommendation for the Week of February 6, 2012
Transparent
by: Lemon, Don
B Lemon Don Lemon
Don Lemon is a CNN Anchor who has also been a Today Show Correspondent. All of this after a professor at Louisiana State University once told him that he wasn’t going to make it in the business. He has won multiple Emmys for his work, is an avid user of social media and was one of the first journalists to 'vlog' as a means of communicating with viewers.
Lemon tells his story of perseverance, determination and hard work that helped him to overcome many adversities in his life. His openness will motivate anyone who is discouraged. He writes honestly about issues such as family, racism, loss, secrets, faith, happiness and embracing change.
Discussing the lessons that he has learned in life, Don Lemon tells a story that will invite readers to engage life's daily challenges without fear.
- recommended by Denise Smith, African American History Committee
Recommendation for the Week of January 30, 2012
Blood of the Prodigal
by: Gaus, Paul L.
MYS G274b
This is the first of the Ohio Amish series of mysteries that Gaus has set in Holmes County, Ohio, which according to the book jacket is "home to the largest Amish and Mennonite settlements in the world." The story involves a son who has been exiled from his family for failing to live by the Amish code. There's a kidnapping and a murder. An Amish bishop reluctantly asks a couple of "English" (non-Amish, in other words) for help.
The novel opens with Jeremiah Miller, an Amish ten-year-old who has discovered that he loves solitude. The start of his morning is so nicely captured that I was almost disappointed when reminded that this was a mystery, and that this kid was going to be caught up in some plot. But the story, and the involvement of outsiders with the Amish, are well handled. The library owns six more titles in the series, and I'd like to read on, even though I have doubts about the author's ability to set that many murder stories in the Amish community. I guess there's only one way to find out how he does it.
- recommended by Glenn Halberstadt, Information Technology
Recommendation for the Week of January 23, 2012
The Novel: An Alternative History: Beginnings to 1600
by: Moore, Steven
809.3 MOO
Our author is fed up with Tom Wolfe and other complainers who insist that fiction should fit the "realistic" mold that they understand and practice. Such carping reminds Steven Moore of the totalitarian insistence on "realism" in Soviet fiction. He's also impatient with the story that the English invented the novel during the 18th century. "Wrong. The novel has been around since at least the 4th century BCE (Xenophon's Cyropaedia) and flourished in the Mediterranean area until the coming of the Christian dark ages." So Moore comes out snarling.
Once you get past the intro, you may be surprised and even offended by some of the literature that he classifies as fiction (e.g., the narrative portions of the Bible) and you may not have read many of the works that he discusses. He seems to have read everything in the world, though, and makes me want to read more of it. Unlike him, I love Eric Clapton's song, "Layla," and Moore's commentary has whetted my appetite for the medieval Persian novel that inspired the song. (Yes, George Harrison's wife inspired the song. There was also this novel.) Our library doesn't own all these titles, but you can apply for interlibrary loans or request that we purchase something.
- recommended by Virginia Gamely, Lake of the Coheeries Branch
Recommendation for the Week of January 16, 2012
In the Sanctuary of Outcasts: A Memoir
by: White, Neil
B: White, Neil
Neil White was a successful businessman who wanted to become even more successful. Unfortunately, his publishing business couldn’t support his lifestyle and he resorted to kiting checks to keep his business afloat. The law eventually caught up with him and he was sentenced to 18 months in a federal prison. Carville, Louisiana penitentiary not only housed prison inmates--it was also America’s last leprosarium (leper colony).
After his initial surprise and fear, White started to form relationships with some of the patients. He learned that they preferred the name Hansen’s Disease rather than leprosy and that many of them had spent most of their lives at Carville. One patient, Ella, had been taken from her home as a 12 year old child and left to live out her life at the leprosarium. White developed a bond with Ella. She offered him advice on making the most of his time in prison and showed him that though life might be difficult it doesn’t have to leave you bitter and unhappy.
This is one man’s story of hubris, downfall, and redemption. Neil White tells his story with humor, compassion, and insight and an understanding that a person can change his life for the better.
- recommended by Kim Vanderwilt, Lawrence Branch
Recommendation for the Week of January 9, 2012
The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements
by: Kean, Sam
546 KEA
Where was this book when I was taking chemistry and trying to pull information from the periodic table? Kean takes the reader through the entire periodic table and along the way he includes odd facts, history, mythology, and stories of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them. His often witty insights make the reading and learning entertaining and useful. There are a lot of funny and intriguing stories about the development and use of the table, such as how the founder of Parker pens was able to corner the market in the 1940’s by using ruthenium in the tips of fountain pens; or the purported CIA plan to poison Fidel Castro by putting thallium in his socks; or using gallium--which looks like a solid metal at room temperature but melts into a puddle if held in the hand--in magic tricks. This is a good read even if you only read it for the stories and not the science.
- recommended by Lygia Bischoff, Pike Branch
Recommendation for the Week of January 2, 2012
Out of America: A Black Man Confronts Africa
by: Richburg, Keith B.
306.0967 RIC
The author landed in Nairobi, Kenya, to begin his three-year tour as the Washington Post’s African bureau chief with some misgivings. His undergraduate courses in African studies and the popular "African roots" idea among black Americans painted a rosier picture of the continent than contemporary news reports would seem to justify. Before long he would be standing on a bridge watching hacked-up bodies and body parts floating down the Kagera River, some of the hundreds of thousands of victims of the Rwandan genocide. Later, as an early advocate of U.S. intervention in the chaotic tribal butchery in Somalia, he would see our ignominious retreat after the bloody failure in that effort, dramatized in the movie "Blackhawk Down." In country after country he saw the dispiriting slide of independent former colonies into tribal warfare and corrupt kleptocratic dictatorships that impoverished their people. His guilty conclusion: that the slavery his ancestors endured had the lucky result of making him a black American, but not an African-American.
- recommended by Melinda Mullican, Wayne Branch
Recommendation for the Week of December 26, 2011
The Pact: Three Young Men Make A Promise and Fulfill A Dream
by: Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, and Remeck Hunt
926.1 DAV
Three impoverished Newark-area high school students view a pass to a college information session as a break from school. Instead, they listen. What began as one student's dream to be a dentist leads the friends to make a pact with each other to seek scholarships and see each other through whatever comes, which includes arrest, injury, frustration, coping with death, failure, and financial struggles. The young men are torn between study, fun, the street, love, and even some success as rappers. The trio's stubbornness and loyalty helps them succeed and start a foundation to help others fulfill educational dreams.
- recommended by Diane Palguta, College Avenue Branch
Recommendation for the Week of December 19, 2011
Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated into What America Eats
by: Ettlinger, Steve
641.308 ETT
Being deep-fried, chocolate-covered, smothered in strawberry syrup or plain doesn’t matter because at the beginning it is a Twinkie. Just what is in that Twinkie? If you’ve ever wondered (and wanted to know the answer) then
Twinkie, Deconstructed might be the next great read for you. Steve Ettlinger takes a close and personal look at how the ingredients are grown, mined, created, and processed on their way to becoming Twinkies. Twinkies are just cream-filled cakes, right? Well, not exactly, according to our author. Take the example of flour, the processing of flour from the field to the cake involves a multitude of steps. Steve Ettlinger explains the purpose of the steps and how they contribute to the creation of each Twinkie. Whether you love Twinkies, detest Twinkies, or are just curious to know what they are made of, this is a book you can sink your teeth into.
- recommended by Erin Murphy, Irvington Branch
Recommendation for the Week of December 12, 2011
22 Britannia Road
by: Hodgkinson, Amanda
FIC HOD
In 1939, Janusz Nowak left his wife and baby to go off and fight against Hitler and the Nazis. It is now 1946, and Janusz has not seen his wife, Silvana, and little boy, Aurek, since he left them in Warsaw, Poland, all those years before. Janusz manages to locate his wife and son and have them brought to England, where he is now living. In anticipation of their arrival, Janusz buys a house at 22 Britannia Road; he is determined to put his family back together again. But when Silvana and Aurek arrive, it becomes apparent that the intervening years have been brutal for them all, though in vastly different ways. They each have secrets they feel unable to share and the secrets deepen the rift between them. The war, it seems, continues to devastate long after it has been declared officially ended. This is the story of three people who have lived through horrific experiences and are trying to mend, individually and as a family.
- recommended by Cheryl Holtsclaw, West Indianapolis Branch
Recommendation for the Week of December 5, 2011
The Christmas Shoes
by: VanLiere, Donna
FIC VAN
Both Robert Layton and Nathan Andrews are at difficult points in their lives. Robert has a wonderful wife and two beautiful children, but his marriage is close to ending. Eight-year-old Nathan's childhood is being overshadowed by the fact that his mother is dying of ovarian cancer. A chance happening between the two in a department store on Christmas Eve causes profound changes for both. As Robert observes Nathan trying to buy shoes for his mother to wear in order to be beautiful when entering heaven, he realizes that there are much more important things in life than money and prestige. This book, based on a song by the musical group Newsong, was adapted into a made-for-television movie. While a quick read, it will definitely touch your heart.
- recommended by Jill Wetnight, Franklin Road Branch
Recommendation for the Week of November 28, 2011
Nightlife
by: Thurman, Rob
SF THU
Fans of Anita Blake and others who battle preternatural baddies will be intrigued by a new member of that heroic club in this first book in a series by Indiana author Rob Thurman. Cal (Caliban) Leandros is half human and half Auphe. The Auphe are an ancient race of elves, but these are not the beloved, benevolent elves of Middle Earth and other recent places. These creatures date back to the folk and fairy tales of old, where elves were dangerous, evil beings who stole human babies and human souls. The Auphe are even worse. Cal and his totally human half-brother Niko have spent most of their life running from the Auphe. For Cal, the only worse thing than being captured by that side of his family is the fear that same monster lurks within him. But when he is attacked by an Auphe one night after work, and realizes that they need him for a purpose that puts all of humanity at risk, he decides to stop running and fight back.
- recommended by Doriene Smither, Pike Branch
Recommendation for the Week of November 21, 2011
The American Leadership Tradition: Moral Vision from Washington to Clinton
by: Olasky, Marvin N.
973
Although Dr. Olasky writes from a staunchly Christian perspective, he provides balance and nuance in the vignettes of thirteen American leaders, most of whom were Presidents. Andrew Jackson’s courage and pugnacity are known to the most casual student of history, but his intellect, vision, discernment, morality, and even cleverness, emerge in his chapter. Meanwhile, his callous attitude toward Indians and slaves, while not defended, is at least explained. The Lincoln chapter could well have been called "Feet of [Henry] Clay" in reference to some proclivities the two men shared. The chapters, at about twenty pages each, are long enough to illustrate the subject’s character in historical context--warts and all--without letting the reader’s interest flag.
- recommended by John Ridge, Wayne Library
Recommendation for the Week of November 14, 2011
The Tenderness of Wolves
by: Penney, Stef
MYS PEN
It's 1867 and winter is beginning to bear down on the Canadian Dove River community. Mrs. Ross, A Scot immigrant, finds a French fur trader's body, murdered and scalped. In this expansive, well researched who-done-it, many loners, fugitives, fur traders and trappers are suspect. The crime investigation is orchestrated by two who represent the greedy, pervasive Hudson Bay Company. Mrs. Ross is astonished that her seventeen year old son, one of the suspects, has gone missing. She sets out with an Indian guide to find her son before the impending snow obscures his tracks. The wilderness is so breathtakingly described that the reader feels a part of the landscape. By journey's end we've learned more about the unsolved disappearance of two young girls many years ago, a fur trading empire falling into ruin, an ancient Indian artifact, and a deteriorating marriage. Chapters are written from several of the community members' voices, each describing their theme and perspective. This sparkling debut novel leaves a craving for a continuation of this desolate, wintery tale.
- recommended by Sharon McKittrick, Lawrence Branch
Recommendation for the Week of November 7, 2011
Pinched: How the Great Recession Has Narrowed Our Futures & What We Can Do about It.
by: Peck, Don
330.973 PEC
What happens to a generation coming of age during a recession?
First appearing in article form under The Atlantic headline, where it received a 2011 Media for Liberty award, Pinched offers its reader some history and economic policy along with solid investigative journalism. Comparing the modern Tea Party to the populist movement of the 1890’s, Peck begins with similarities before shifting his attention to the rise of women in the workforce, bemoaning the lack of civic virtue in today’s elite, and tracing the decline of the suburban environment as unique aspects of the current recession. Going forward, his policy prescriptions will please and offend in equal measure as he recommends tax reform, entitlement reform, spending decreases, immigration reform, vocational training programs, and unemployment wage insurance programs (just to name a few).
Pinched is at its strongest, however, when Peck’s background in journalism asserts itself. His report on the long term effects of economic recessions makes for sobering reading. He valiantly argues for swift and decisive action at a moment in time when restraint would seem to be the more prudent course.
- recommended by Chris Murray, Haughville Branch
Recommendation for the Week of October 31, 2011
Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare?
by: Shapiro, James S.
822.33 AB SHA
Mark Twain and Henry James held each other in contempt, but they had at least one thing in common. They both knew that William Shakespeare didn't write those plays and poems. Helen Keller agreed. Sigmund Freud, too, though he disagreed with the other three about who did write the stuff. Sir Francis Bacon and Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford, have been the chief contenders for authorship (the new movie Anonymous is pro-Oxfordian) and Contested Will relates the history of the conspiracy theory that supported each one.
A major component of each theory is the assumption that all writing is autobiographical. Will didn't have the variety of experiences that would have allowed him to pen those plays. A more snobbish component is the belief that you have to be a gentleman, go to university and all that, to be as creative as whoever this Shakespeare person was. Will was the grammar-school-educated son of a glove maker.
The passion with which anti-Shakespearean views have been held (Freud foisted a pro-Oxfordian treatise on some poor soul whom he was supposed to be analyzing) gives this book a charge, as does author Shapiro's presentation of the case for Shakespeare. Go, Will!
- recommended by Glenn Halberstadt, Information Technology
Recommendation for the Week of October 24, 2011
Blood Oath
by: Farnsworth, Christopher
FIC FAR
This is a political thriller with a twist. Nathaniel Cade is the ultimate secret weapon known only to the President of the United States and his personal staff. Nathaniel was bound to the President by a blood oath over 160 years ago. This oath forces him to follow the Presidents every command. Zach Barrows is a young man on the political fast track until the President assigns him to a secret new job; special handler for Cade. Cade’s mission is to protect the American way of life from forces both domestic and abroad. This is not an easy job, but what can you expect when you are the President’s Vampire?
- recommended by Judy Clem, Garfield Park Library
Recommendation for the Week of October 17, 2011
Fire Monks: Zen Mind Meets Wildfire at the Gates of Tassajara
by: Busch, Colleen Morton
363.370979476 BUS
Tassajara, the oldest Zen monastery in the U.S., may be known to some readers for its cookbooks including the Tassajara Bread Book. Located east of Big Sur in the Ventana wilderness area, it is accessible only by way of a winding unpaved road. In the summer of 2008 dry lightning storms in the region sparked what would become one of the largest wildfires in U.S. history.
Fire Monks is both the gripping tale of a particular fire and an inside look into the heart of a community or sangha. A Zen student herself, Busch tells the individual stories of a handful of monks who defied an evacuation order to stay and fight the fire. This book caught my attention partly because the classic Young Men and Fire by Norman Maclean is a favorite of mine and any book about wilderness firefighting owes something to it. Fire Monks did not disappoint. It conveys the excitement and urgency of the time as well as elucidating the Buddhist way of paying attention and being fully present in the moment.
- recommended by Sue Kennedy, Irvington Branch
Recommendation for the Week of October 10, 2011
Hard Ground
by: O'Brien, Michael
362.5 OBR
When Hard Ground caught my eye one day I felt compelled not only to look at the photographs but to read the accompanying text by the photographer Michael O’Brien and companion short poems by Tom Waits. The book is a series of portraits of many homeless people, most of whom are posing for the camera. O’Brien was originally inspired by a homeless man he met in Miami at the start of his career in the 70’s -- he wanted to find out the story of the man’s life and what led him to become homeless. The portraits are hard to look at in some cases, but very compelling. They remind us that the face of homelessness is changing as more women and children and teenagers join the population. The portraits also remind us that each of these people is an individual, and not just a member of a faceless group of "bums". If you are a fan of the great photographer Diane Arbus, you will like this book.
- recommended by Joan Harvey, Central Library
Recommendation for the Week of October 3, 2011
The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History
by: Barry, John M.
614.518 BAR 2005
At this time of year, with the cold and flu season approaching, I found this book a little alarming but very interesting. In 1918, during World War I, influenza began to appear first in US troops and then throughout the world. Everyone thought, "It’s just the flu." I mean we’ve all had the flu, right? But this flu was like no other seen before. It became a worldwide pandemic that "killed more people in a year than the plague in the Middle Ages killed in a century; it killed more people in twenty-four weeks than AIDS has killed in twenty-four years." The author documents the battle both socially and scientifically to combat and control this disease. At times the story reads like a detective novel and at others like a scientific journey of discovery. Barry documents the research done at this time and how it changed and expanded American science, public health and the medical profession. These discoveries have changed how disease is handled today and brought us lifesaving treatments. It was easy to get drawn into this story and it held my attention throughout.
- recommended by Lygia Bischoff, Pike Branch
Recommendation for the Week of September 26, 2011
On Borrowed Time
by: Rosenfelt, David
MYS ROS
What if everything you thought you knew about somebody was wrong? Richard Kilmer is an investigative reporter. He has met a woman, fallen in love, and is planning to marry her. But while visiting her family, he and Jen go for a drive. A storm comes up, the clouds so dark he cannot see his hand in front of his face, and his car goes off the road, tumbling repeatedly down an incline. When it comes to a stop, he cannot find his fiancée. Not only that, but none of his friends remember her. It’s as if she never existed. Half mad with his loss, he does what he does best: he investigates. The deeper he digs, the more bizarre things become. Is it some giant conspiracy? How could a conspiracy be so vast as to include everyone he knows, everyone he and Jen have met? Is he losing his mind? Little by little he unearths the truth.
On Borrowed Time will make you wonder if what you know is really true.
- recommended by Cheryl Holtsclaw, West Indianapolis Branch
Recommendation for the Week of September 19, 2011
You Had Me at Woof: How Dogs Taught Me the Secrets of Happiness
by: Klam, Julie
636.70887 KLA
Julie Klam is ready for a man in her life. What she finds is Oscar. He meets every requirement she can possible think of. One small problem: Oscar is a Boston Terrier!
You Had Me at Woof is a warm and fuzzy "tail" about how Oscar, and others, taught Klam important life lessons. Klam’s wit and humor come through as she writes about her experiences volunteering with Northeastern Boston Terrier Rescue Group, and fostering dogs (both naughty and nice) in her home. Along her journey she finds the love of her life (a human this time) and has a beautiful daughter. And through it all, her love of Boston Terriers and her desire to help others (humans and dogs) remains constant. This delightful book is a quick and satisfying read. You won’t be able to put it down!
- recommended by Laura Avery, formerly of the Glendale Branch
Recommendation for the Week of September 12, 2011
Carrots 'N' Cake: Healthy Living One Carrot and Cupcake at a Time
by: Haupert, Tina
613.2 HAU
Tina Haupert started the blog Carrots 'N' Cake while trying to get in shape for her wedding. It soon became one of the most popular blogs on the Internet. The blog evolved into a book and Haupert’s views on dieting evolved into a balanced, healthy living philosophy. The book includes healthy recipes, work out tips and Haupert’s experiences with incorporating it all into having a social life with friends that can include alcohol and desserts. This is a philosophy you can live with, not a diet. She is frank and honest about her good days and bad days and successes and failures. I found her style refreshing and her stories relatable. She includes tips that worked for her, as well as healthier versions of some of your favorite recipes. And sometimes she stress binges just like the rest of us! You might also enjoy visiting her website at
www.carrotsncake.com. This is a realistic approach to eating and living a healthier way and a fun read at the same time.
- recommended by Kathy Helmond, Spades Park Branch
Recommendation for the Week of September 5, 2011
Because I Said So . . . and Other Tales from a Less-Than-Perfect Parent
by: Meehan, Dawn
306.874 MEE
Who did that? Not me! How many times a day does a parent hear this? And just who is this character "Notme?" According to author Dawn Meehan, "Notme has been responsible for coloring over my oldest child’s homework, breaking my eyeglasses, unrolling whole rolls of toilet paper, and smearing lipstick on the mirror in the bathroom." Dawn has 6 children, all named after cities, (read the book to find out why) so life in her household is certainly never dull!
Because I Said So is a humorous account of her everyday family life, from sibling rivalry, shopping and eating out, to trying to have a phone conversation or shower without children interrupting. Even though she is a very busy mom, she writes "enjoy this time, even when they make you crazy. These are the best days of your life." The library also owns a paperback edition. After you read the book, drop by her blog
www.becauseisaidso.com to follow her current adventures!
- recommended by Jill Wetnight, Franklin Road Branch
Recommendation for the Week of August 29, 2011
The Crime of Sheila McGough
by: Malcolm, Janet
345.73
Janet Malcolm's most recent book, Iphigenia in Forest Hills, is about a murder trial; and while reading it and writing a Reader's Connection post about it (http://www.imcpl.org/readersconnection/?p=18042) I thought back to this 1999 book about a trial gone wrong. Attorney Sheila McGough wasn't accused of murder, but of becoming criminally involved with a con man defendant. Malcolm's books often involve well-known parties--Sigmund Freud and his debunkers, Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes--but I liked the celeb-free nature of this one. It was all the more moving to watch this obscure lawyer be drawn into legal quicksand because of her own stubborn ethics and truthfulness.
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE: "What Sheila’s case illustrates with special vividness is something all attorneys know, which is that truth is a nuisance in trial work. The truth is messy, incoherent, aimless, boring, absurd. The truth does not make a good story; that’s why we have art . . . The prosecutor prosecuting an innocent person or the defense lawyer defending a guilty client actually have an easier task than their opposite numbers. In the unjust prosecution and the lying defense, much of the work of narration--of transforming messy actuality into an orderly story--has already been done."
- recommended by Glenn Halberstadt, Information Technology
