Category Archives: Books

On the shelf: ‘Have a Little Faith: A True Story’ by Mitch Albom

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By Grand Rapids Public Library

 

“Enjoy yourselves… it’s laaaa-ter than you think…”

 

An eye condition had pretty much knocked out my ability to read very well for a couple of months, and as things gradually improved I began to long for a nice book. I kept bringing books home for weeks, as if I might be reading them the next day, but I never did–I couldn’t.

 

Then, one day a man began describing the book he had just finished in such laudatory terms, that I took it home. It was a small book, easy to hold, with large, clear print and an intriguing cover.  The book turned out to be beautifully written–a sharp, insightful look at the human heart. It had the crisp pacing of a thriller, the philosophical bent of a C.S. Lewis,  and the sociological pondering of an E.O. Wilson, combined with a Mark Twain like humor.

 

It’s the true story of two men, who the author came to know well. The first man is his childhood rabbi, a  scholarly man. The second is a man who came to the cloth from desperation, begging God to spare his life from the drug dealers hunting him down one night. They couldn’t be more different in some ways, or more alike in others. Over the years, Albom becomes more and more involved in their stories, their congregants, and the mystery of how a philosophy of ourselves and the universe can shape our time on earth.

 

From a man whose temple in New Jersey included Auschwitz survivors, to a different type of church in Detroit, where the pastor’s challenges involve finding enough food and clothing for his flock, their stories provide the canvass for Albom to consider his own life.

 

At the end when there are two eulogies to be performed (get out the kleenex!), I felt I would remember this book and the people in it for a long time.

 

On the shelf: ‘Better Than Great’ by Arthur Plotnik

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By Carl Meyering, GRPL Main Library

 

Want a New Year’s resolution that doesn’t make you sweat? How about a book that pumps up your vocabulary? Pick up a copy of Better Than Great. In a world filled with bland adjectives like “amazing” or “fantastic” or “awesome” this 198-page handbook will boost your word choices from boring to bountiful. You won’t become a word nerd, but it will help you become more descriptive and convey what you are really trying to say.

 

Author Arthur Plotnik suggests that you partake his suggestions in small doses and practice in everyday conversations. He has divided the book into several categories (like beautiful, large, intense, exceptional, etc) under which he has listed hundreds of more expressive words. Is that supermodel beautiful or resplendent? Was that symphony performance just great or stellar or transcendent? Is your best friend fun or really effervescent?

 

Mr. Plotnik, who is editor and publisher with the American Library Association, also provides “50 ways to text acclaim” and 75 acclamatory terms for wine.

 

My advice? Consult the book once a day and learn a new way of saying what you really mean. Your vocabulary will go from standard to salient!

 

 

 

 

On the shelf: ‘The Wolf in the Parlor: The Eternal Connection between Humans and Dogs’ by Jon Franklin

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By Lisa Boss, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main Branch

 

A man is haunted by a photograph. Taken at an archeological dig, at Ein Mallaha, in the Jordan Valley, it presents a puzzling tableau. Looking down into a grave site formed 12,000 years ago, the photo reveals the skeleton of a man reaching out to another, much smaller skeleton — a puppy.

 

The author can’t seem to push the question out of his mind.  Why is the old man reaching out to the puppy in his burial site, so long ago?  And why is he so interested in this particular question, when he isn’t all that taken with dogs anyways…

 

Being a Pulitzer Prize-winning science journalist, when a question really gets under his skin, Jon Franklin often ends up turning it into an article, a series, or in some cases, an entire book. And so it was that almost 20 years after contemplating the press release photo of the Jordan Valley excavation, The Wolf in the Parlor was published.

 

This is a great book for any dog lover, but it’s much more. Franklin ranges widely, and the book is like an evolutionary drama, a pre-historical mystery, and a neurobiological puzzle — all forming a Gordian Knot, unraveled by a master storyteller.

 

There is a delicious irony in the book, in that the man pursuing his scientific research ultimately ends up forming his hypothesis, through the quality time that he spends with his wife’s dog. A relationship that he had considered inconsequential at first becomes a key to not only his research, but to the very question that bothered him so much in the first place.

 

Why was the man in the grave reaching out to the puppy, as if his spirit needed the animal to complete him?

 

 

 

 

On the shelf: ‘The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir’ by Bill Bryson

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By Lisa Boss, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main

 

Not since Gahan Wilson’s masterful creation of, “The Kid”, who inhabited the comic strip Nuts, has the childhood of the ’50s been so horribly and hilariously portrayed. I laughed so hard, I was wiping tears away as I drove down the road listening to the author read his memoir with just the right pitch of nostalgia and incredulity over life in the 1950s.

 

If you were alive at any age back then, you’ve got to read this book. Not only for the unique history of an unusual age, but for your health! New studies have proven beyond a doubt that humor can be as good as medicine in some respects, thus putting the Thunderbolt Kid in the “extra strength” category.

 

Who was the Thunderbolt Kid you say? And were his powers used for good or ill?

 

He came out of the heartland: Des Moines, Iowa, conceived by a couple that he suspected were not his true parents for a time. He evolved at the “Kiddie Corral”,  (a haven piled high with the latest comics at the local grocery), where young Bill would be dropped off while his mom shopped. Nurtured at this comic book heaven, with its trove of amazing tales, one afternoon, while down in the basement, Bill discovered an old sweater with a Thunderbolt stitched across it, and the Thunderbolt Kid was born.

 

The heroes of the day were an eccentric bunch: “the Lone Ranger, who was already not the kind of fellow you would want to share a pup tent with, was made odder still by the fact that the part was played on television by two different actors… but the programs were rerun randomly on local TV, giving the impression that the Lone Ranger not only wore a tiny mask that fooled no one, but changed bodies from time to time.”

 

Bill’s super powers were not as awe-inspiring as most, but then, time and chance come to us in different ways. Just as other superheroes took a while to discover the scope and extent of their new powers, young Bryson finally uncovered the fact that his “Thundervision” was useful, but in modest ways: “…my superpowers were not actually about capturing bad people or doing good for the common man but primarily about using my X-ray vision to peer beneath the clothes of attractive women and to carbonize and eliminate people—teachers, babysitters, old ladies who wanted a kiss–who were an impediment to my happiness.”

 

There were many such impediments–but much exhilaration also.

 

It was an age of exotic inventions and everyday solutions: the cafeteria with atomic toilets, the totally cement nuclear bomb proof house, movie theaters with aw- inspiring Egyptian decor, rocket mail, toity jars, the zenith of the comic book, among others. A time when doctors lauded cigarettes for their “calming effects”, and a good squirt of DDT might be beneficial.

 

Who knew?  Anything seemed possible . . .

 

Bryson concludes, “What a wonderful world it was. We won’t see its like again…”

 

 

On the shelf: ‘The Rosie Project’ by Graeme Simison

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By Mary Knudstrup, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main Branch

 

The idea of a multi-page questionnaire to weed out the unsuitable and find the perfect wife might seem terribly off-putting until you get inside the head of Don Tillman, a 39-year-old genetics professor who can’t seem to get past a first date. Don has, to put it mildly, a unique way of looking at life due largely to the fact that he has an undiagnosed case of Asperger Syndrome. Always socially awkward (he has only two friends), Don is searching for the perfect woman to complete his life, thus “the wife  project,” sixteen pages to weed out the smokers, drinkers, and late-arrivers.

 

Enter Rosie Jarman, a total washout as far as Don’s questionnaire is concerned but beguiling in her own way. And she has a project of her own: tracking down the identity of her biological father, the perfect assignment for a genetics expert like Don. What follows is Don’s increasing self-awareness as he loosens up his micro-managed life in his effort to help Rosie. Don’s literal and unsubtle observations often don’t play well with those on the receiving end, but fill his narration with good-natured humor and sly insightful truthfulness.

 

The Rosie Project is a GR Reads pick that will keep you engaged and entertained as you watch Don being nudged away from his spreadsheet approach to life and into the spontaneous and unpredictable world of a totally unsuitable woman.

On the shelf: ‘Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman’ by Jon Krakauer

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By Lisa Boss, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main Branch

 

Krakauer’s book is just what we expect from him and more, as he tackles another of his “enigma wrapped in a mystery” stories of the human heart going up against timeless, unforgiving odds. He’s the perfect author to tell Pat Tillman’s tale, weaving the personal story of the man, alongside the history of Afghanistan, and how the U.S. came to play a part in their politics, and the ensuing historical and political ramifications.

 

The book sorts through mountains of information, all indexed with their sources, distilling it into an intensely readable story with a Greek tragedy feel, where the characteristic that brings Tillman down is his heroic virtue. Krakauer gives us a “warts and all” portrait of Tillman, because that is what the man would have wanted above all. A man who was good, honest, patriotic and loathed deception.

 

But, “In war, truth is the first casualty.” The night of Tillman’s death, against standard operating procedure, his clothes, body armor, and his private journal were all ordered burned, “to prevent security violations, leaks, and rumors”. The two chief medical examiners refused to sign the completed autopsy, due to the fact that the missing uniform was considered crucial forensic evidence. This was just the beginning of a complex cover-up.   Tillman’s family was incensed at their treatment and determined to learn the facts, despite the additional pain and suffering it caused them.

 

“Where Men Win Glory:” reveals why that would have been so important to Pat.

 

 

 

On the shelf: ‘Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant? A Memoir’ by Roz Chast

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By Lisa Boss, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main Branch

 

Chast’s graphic memoir focuses on a time in her parents’ lives, when, after living in the same apartment in Brooklyn for 48 years (not hip Brooklyn, but Deep Brooklyn), they have come to the point where they are, “slowly leaving the sphere of TV commercial old age … and moving into the part of old age that was scarier, harder to talk about, and not a part of this culture.” 

 

Going into their nineties, the trip they’ve shared together is about to hit rough seas. And reality wallops their only daughter in the form of an after-midnight phone call. From the hospital.

 

Fans of Roz Chast (I’m in the “rabid” category) will recognize the skewed wit and unique, pulsating, line style from her cartoons that have been featured in the New Yorker since the ’70s. But the depth of conflicting emotions, and the insights into human hope, love, and frailty are simply breathtaking, as she has taken her work to a whole new level.

 

The first few pages contain the clues to the Gordion’s Knot underlying the psychological gestalt of this family. No wonder people have been so anxious in Chast’s cartoons in the New Yorker for over 30 years.

 

The book’s scope  is daunting: one’s identity vis-a-vis one’s parents, the hopes and dreams that were not–could not–be met, and then, suddenly, the role-reversal of the child-parent relationship. It’s a pretty deep look at some of the toughest challenges of the human condition, and Chast handles the material straight on. The humor she finds in these situations (I often laughed out loud) is painful, but kind of therapeutic. Because despite the constant deluge from the self-help industry, a resonant theme in literature continues to involve our issues with the past.

 

Why do things happen? What could I have done differently? Why won’t the dead leave us alone?

 

Deeply moving, absurdly funny, it’s a book you just can’t forget.

 

 

 

On the shelf: ‘Toxic Charity’ by Robert D. Lupton

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By Karen Thoms, Grand Rapids Public Library, West Side Branch

 

Using the kindheartedness of most Americans as a backdrop, Robert Lupton’s Toxic Charity shows how the choices we make to express our compassion can have negative consequences on the very people we hope to help. It is a hard read because most of us who give have done some of the things he identifies as damaging. Yet he does not leave us to wallow in guilt or shame but quickly charts a course correction for givers that can make a restorative difference in the lives of hurting people.

 

Throughout the book Lupton walks us through actual situations where people or churches are giving time or money. Outcomes of these efforts are gleaned and measured. The stark findings command our attention: much of our giving is a Band-Aid and sometimes the results are disastrous! Lupton is able to turn our good intentions upside down to reveal pages of negative repercussions. We are brought up short story after story and then faced with the hard truth. There are no quick fixes when we are hoping to help people toward wholeness here or abroad. Being willing to consider Lupton’s assessments is a first step toward moving from hurtful aid to wholeness and development. 

 

Helping agencies and compassionate people will be challenged by the evidence in this book. Armed with this new knowledge Lupton turns the reader’s attention to the cure as he proposes an Oath for Compassionate Service, describes in detail what service with dignity looks like, and finally suggests steps to reaching the better outcomes we had hoped for in the first place. After reading Toxic Charity you will likely be changed in how you evaluate the use of your resources.

On the shelf: ‘Stitches: A Memoir’ by David Small

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By Benjamin Boss, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main Branch

 

I was born anxious and angry, my sinuses and digestive system didn’t work as they should have. However, dad was a doctor. He knew what to do. Dad prescribed the medicines for my frequent bouts with this and that. Dad gave me shots. And enemas. Dad put me on his treatment table and “cracked my neck,” our family nickname for the osteopathic manipulations he had learned in medical school. And it was dad the radiologist who gave me the many x-rays that were supposed to cure my sinus problems.

 

And so we are introduced to the terrifying childhood of Michigan author and children’s book illustrator David Small. In this illustrated memoir, Small tells and draws us the story of growing up in a household where he is subjected to his father’s scientific experimentations and his mother’s emotional manipulations. Eventually, due to excessive exposure to radiation, he develops a tumor and is diagnosed with throat cancer and left speechless. The young boy is helpless, alone, and silent. However, in his drawings and art he finds refuge.

 

With the simple lines of his drawings, Small takes his reader’s eyes through a roller coaster of memories and emotions. Furrowed brows, creased frowns, and skewed glances speak volumes. So much is told in so few words. This book will break your heart. Small’s memoir is a touching look at the silences many endure among people called family.

 

Stitches appeals to readers of character driven fiction and memoirs, and is also a worthwhile recommendation for teenagers who enjoy graphic novels.

On the shelf: ‘Roadie: The Misunderstood World of a Bike Racer’ by Jamie Smith

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By Melissa Fox, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main

 

Part manual part memoir, Roadie serves as a personal introduction to the world of bike racing. Because the author is a self-proclaimed roadie, the information and advice he provides not only feels sound, but includes enough of a mix of personal anecdote and humor to come across as honest and genuine.

 

Readers will learn everything there is to know about bike racing, from the reasons why roadies shave their legs to the physics of drafting properly. The chapters on bicycles, training rides, and road racing are enough to motivate anyone to get out, purchase a road bike, and start pedaling. This book is an obvious fit for several different types of readers including those who are interested in getting started in the sport of bike racing, those who are already roadies, or those who live with a roadie and want to better understand their lifestyle and idiosyncrasies.

 

But, because of its lighthearted tone and the author’s individual voice and narrative, this book has wide appeal and is a great read for anyone who enjoys peeking into the secret world of others.

On the shelf: ‘Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell’ by Susanna Clarke

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By Amy Cochran, GRPL, Seymour Branch

 

Every time I read Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clark, I find myself completely immersed once more. Despite numerous efforts, I have yet to find another novel that so perfectly mixes the elements I especially love in a story: Jane Austen-style English manners, British history and subtle fantasy. 

 

In early nineteenth century England during Napoleon’s heyday as a major threat, two magicians work to bring magic back to the world. Quiet, mousy Mr. Norrell and his increasingly successful and confident apprentice, Jonathan Strange find themselves beset both by their own competitive natures and long-forgotten powers that have taken an interest in the mortal world once more. 

 

Clark took took ten years to research and write this huge, complex story, and the effort shows in every intricately laid-out detail. She has painstakingly created a Britain where magic has been intertwined in politics and life for centuries, and gives plenty of fascinating hints to the hidden world that lies behind our own.

 

There is a sly and witty sense of humor in descriptions of situations and characters, and extensive footnotes fill in what we need to know about this slightly different, magical Britain. I happen to love footnotes, especially fictionalized ones, plus I find it difficult to resist any book that makes me feel as if I’m in an ancient, snowy wood where anything could happen.

On the shelf: ‘Romeo: The Story of an Alaskan Wolf’ by John Hyde

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By Lisa Boss, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main

 

Breathtakingly beautiful photos of Alaska, and of a lone black wolf that made his home below the Mendenhall Glacier for almost a decade–John Hyde tracked and recorded the activities of Romeo, a very unusual wolf. Orphaned, but able to live in the wild (the author’s scat analysis showed a diet of mostly deer, lemming and beaver), he was very fond of dogs–as in “playing with dogs”. 

 

An Alaskan Wolf is a very large, powerful creature, with jaws twice the strength of a German Shepherd, yet Romeo became accepted by the townspeople as a winter visitor each year, enamored of their dogs. His canine dominant status is clearly apparent in shots of his romping with the town’s pets, and yet he’s acting as silly as a puppy, getting them to chase him. He towers over the Labs and Boxers he’s shown scampering  with, and you almost feel like yelling to the unseen  dog owners “no, no–this won’t end well!”,  but of course Hyde wouldn’t have produced “Romeo” if there wasn’t an exceptional story to tell. 

 

Kim Elton, Dir. Of Alaska Affairs, U.S.D.I., says of the book, “If wolves can’t inspire awe, what wild creature can?”, and Farley Mowat adds, “I envy John Hyde as I have never envied another human being.”   

 

Over 80 amazing photos will tempt you to book that cruise to Alaska.

 

Nice commentary too, with echoes of Aldo Leopold, and other naturalists, who continue to share their vision of the necessity of wilderness for all of us.

On the shelf: ‘A Stronger Kinship’ by Anna-Lisa Cox

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By Tim Gleisner, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main

 

Every so often, I feel compelled to suggest a book solely not only for the skill of the author’s writing ability, but for its social importance as well. The book, A Stronger Kinship by Anna-Lisa Cox is just such a one.

 

A true story set in the town of Covert, Michigan during the latter half of the nineteenth century, A Stronger Kinship tells the tale of the town’s unique population. Covert is a small town of roughly 1,000 people in Van Buren County just outside of South Haven — a typical rural community in Southwest Michigan. People settled the area because the land was plentiful and could provide an income. Agriculture, in various forms, has sustained this community from the very beginning — first lumber then fruit farming. Families went to church, school, formed businesses; all in all a community within the norm of American life.

 

The quality that set this town apart was that the population of Covert was integrated at a time when America was not.

 

Building on the lives of runaway slaves, freed blacks, and abolitionist New Englanders the reader encounters a group of people who felt that one was equal regardless of color. This attitude was nurtured while the Midwest was experiencing racism in various forms. Families lived on farms side-by-side, as well as within the town. You learn of the first elected African-American official, of the town’s business leaders who came from both sides of the color line, and from families that were integrated and accepted by the populace as a whole.

 

What is remarkable is that to this day this community has stayed true to the original conviction of the pioneer generation. It conveys the sense that intentional community is not always impossible, and that ones morals can be lived out in ordinary life.

 

Anna-Lisa Cox is the recipient of numerous awards for her research. She is an active historian, writer, and lecturer on the history of race relations in the nineteenth-century Midwest.

 

On the shelf: ‘The Swan Thieves’ by Elizabeth Kostova

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By Talulah Sievers, WKTV Citizen Reporter

 

When artist Robert Oliver brutally attacks a painting at the National Gallery of Art, psychiatrist Andrew Marlow, an artist himself, is called in to get to the bottom of Oliver’s motives. Oliver refuses to speak, however, except to offer a cryptic explanation: “I did it for her.” 

 

Marlow’s assignment has him traveling the world in search of “her.” Is the mystery woman Oliver’s ex-wife? The art student with whom he falls in love?

 

Oliver maintains his silence, communicating only by painting a beautiful, dark-haired woman whom no one seems to recognize. Breaking his own rules, Marlow digs deeper than he ever has in the life of a patient and finds himself at the center of a story that goes far beyond the mind of a disturbed artistic genius.

 

The Swan Thieves is a beautifully written story about art, obsession and the mind of a genius.

On the shelf: ‘Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer’ by Lynne Cox

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By Mary Knudstrup, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main 

 

Lynne Cox has spent a lifetime breaking records in the water; at 15, she shattered the men’s and women’s world records swimming the English Channel; at 17, she broke the world record for the Catalina Channel; the next year she became the first woman to swim the Cook Strait between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. She has swum the treacherous Strait of Magellan, the shark-invested waters around the Cape of Good Hope, and the frigid passage across the Bering Strait as a way of opening the borders between the Soviet Union and the United States.  

 

But this book is no mere recitation of accomplished feats. Cox writes with the heart and ease of a true storyteller, taking the reader along on each incredible crossing, whether it’s riding in the slipstream of dolphins or dodging sewage in the Nile River. Her love of the water and the sheer joy she experiences when swimming reveals itself over and over. 

 

“I felt as if I were swimming through a black-and-white photograph of the sea at night. And in the phosphorescent ocean . . . silvery bubbles rolled out of my mouth, and as my arms churned the water, they etched a trail of white iridescent light across the shimmering black sea.”

 

However, it isn’t just her infectious enthusiasm for swimming that captures the reader. Cox’s story is one of overcoming obstacles with amazing patience, determination and good humor. She admits to fear and exhaustion but doesn’t let it defeat her. She warmly gives credit to the individuals and teams that assist her in accomplishing each goal.

 

No longer concerned with breaking records, she has turned her attention to using her talent to quietly foster good-will between countries. Whether it’s jumping from a wind-tossed boat, approaching a Soviet diplomat for permission to swim to Russian soil, or navigating her way through icebergs, her perseverance and can-do attitude is ever present. 

 

Swimming to Antarctica is a great adventure story to add to your reading list.

On the shelf: ‘Pirate Latitudes’ by Michael Crichton

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By Tim Sage, Grand Rapids Public Library, West Side Branch

 

It can be a shock when your favorite author dies unexpectedly. So how would you feel if you stumbled upon a new book by the same author a year later? This recently happened to me when an assistant of Michael Crichton discovered a complete manuscript for a book called Pirate Latitudes.  

 

Crichton, author of books such as Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain, and State of Fear, had died of lymphoma a year earlier. In fact, he was so secretive about his work that not even his publisher knows when he worked on it and if Crichton even planned on publishing it.

 

Pirate Latitudes is set in the Caribbean during the 17th century. A Spanish ship full of treasure is forced to spend the season at the fort of Matanceros and the English Governor of Jamaica wants it captured. He conspires with Charles Hunter to round up the greatest “privateers” (pirates in other words) in port for a daring raid on the island fort. A classic pirate tale full of high seas battles, adventure and betrayal follows. 

 

All Michael Crichton books are well researched. Adept at weaving the historical information into the story, you hardly realize that it is happening. If you liked the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and are looking for a book with all of the action and a little knowledge thrown in check out Pirate Latitudes. Besides, how often do you get to read a book published from beyond the grave?

On the shelf: ‘Making the Rounds with Oscar: the Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat’ by Dr. David Dosa

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By C. Davis

 

A small gem of a book by a geriatrician who works at Steere House, a nursing home. 

 

Dr. Dosa’s parents were both pediatricians, but he was always drawn to the opposite end of life. The careful observations that he shares, reveal that he chose his specialty well. Dr. Dosa has his own problems, and the nursing home offers an effective backdrop for rumination. Against our ultimate fate, what will serve us, what will last in the end? 

 

I found the book oddly comforting and hopeful. The recurring strand running throughout, is Oscar, who is not a medical diagnostician, but a cat. A specialist in his own way, the  staff couldn’t ignore the fact that Oscar would uncannily appear at the bedside of residents in their last hours, and stay by their side steadfastly.

 

 

On the shelf: ‘Empty Mansions’ by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell Jr.

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By Talulah Sievers, WKTV Citizen Reporter

 

The rich really are different, and nothing proves it as much as Empty Mansions, the story of Huguette Clark, heir to the riches of her millionaire father, W.A. Clark, a savvy and ambitious businessman and politician, who made his money in copper mines and founded a town that later became Las Vegas.

 

Authored by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell Jr., a cousin to Huguette, Empty Mansions  tells the story of a woman so wealthy she owned paintings by Renoir and Degas; Stradivarius violins; and several remarkable homes, including an estate in Santa Barbara, California, and three apartments totaling over 40 rooms at a posh Fifth Avenue address.

 

Despite her vast wealth, however, Huguettte chose to spend a large part of her life as a recluse, collecting dolls and abandoning her many opulent homes to live in a small and rather spartan hospital room even though she was not ill. A complex and mysterious individual, she was extraordinarily generous to people she hardly knew but avoided most of her family. 

 

Upon Huguettte’s death, her secluded life was thrust into the public venue as a legal battle over her $300-million-dollar estate ensued. Meticulously researched and filled with illustrations of her homes and possessions, Empty Mansions is an intimate look at an eccentric life. 

On the shelf: ‘Here Comes Trouble: Stories From My Life’ by Michael Moore

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By  Lisa Boss, Grand Rapids Library, Main

 

Love him or hate him — people aren’t usually lukewarm about Michael Moore. This is an “almost memoir” that leaves out all of the dull stuff and serves up anecdotal bites of Moore’s life.

 

Growing up in Flint in the post-war 1950s, Moore was a good Catholic boy who had planned to become a priest. Moore’s life trajectory is fascinating to follow, prompting one reviewer to comment that “Michael Moore is Michigan’s own Forrest Gump.”

 

Moore can be a tad self-serving (who isn’t), but he makes up for that by also being self-effacing, thoughtful, and funny. The portraits of his parents are poignant and especially well done. It’s also a great memoir from the ’50s, when things were a lot different for the average kid. This is a quieter, more thoughtful book than some of his previous works, and I totally enjoyed the audio version, which is read by the author.

On the shelf: ‘Monkeewrench’ by P.J. Tracy

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By Lisa Boss, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main

 

The mother-daughter team known as “P.J. Tracy” pens a mean psychological crime thriller, with a cast of engaging characters, and intricate plotting. Their collaboration has produced a fresh voice in contemporary mysteries, with characters I loved, along with fast-moving story lines.

 

In their first book, the eclectic misfits that make up the computer geek squad known as Monkeewrench, become enmeshed in helping the police, when a series of murders are occurring that mimic their new, but unreleased computer game. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee police team keeps uncovering deeper puzzles involving Monkeewrench, while frantically trying to solve the increasing murders. Who are these people, really, and why are they so underground that even the FBI has lost track of them?

On the shelf: ‘Hannah Coulter’ by Wendell Berry

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By Jenny Savage-Dura, Grand Rapids Main Library

 

A few weeks ago, I was listening to the radio while driving to work and became so captivated by a review of author Wendell Berry’s novel, Hannah Coulter, I actually couldn’t help but arrive to work a little late, stuck in the parking lot, hanging on every beautiful word the radio guest had to say about this powerful novel.

 

Let me say, this radio program certainly did not disappoint.

 

In this novel, author Wendell Berry explores the fictional small farming town of Port William, where many of his books take place, and where many of his characters’ lives intertwine and reappear. With sweeping narratives and character-driven dialogue, the story paints vivid pictures of the community and their rich, yet simple lives.

 

In Hannah Coulter, our twice-widowed heroine looks back on her life story, now in her 70s, reminiscent of where her now-unrecognizable Port William has gone, so far-removed from the way things used to be.

 

Hannah Coulter most clearly communicates to its readers a feeling of ambivalence between two changing worlds: the charming old farming community of Port William and the fast-paced outside world, into which many younger members of Port William are venturing. Hannah’s voice is slow and wise, and Wendell Berry’s writing packs a profound message into a short novel.

 

I highly recommend reading this beautifully written novel and any of Berry’s other short novels about the characters in Port William. There is no real sequence or series to his books, so you can simply pick up and enjoy wherever you choose.

On the shelf: ‘Eco-beautiful: the ultimate guide to natural beauty and wellness’ by Lina Hanson

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By Kalista Castine, GR Public Library, Main

 

Here’s the book for those of us who don’t want to invest in all the oils, powders and equipment needed to make beauty products at home.

 

Starting off with the best foods for our inner beauty, Hanson guides the reader to find the truly “natural” or “organic” products. We must take the time to read the ingredients thoroughly to protect ourselves from the marketing labels. Natural makeup has no added synthetic ingredients like chemical preservatives, colors or fragrances. But, certified organic is better because the ingredients are grown without pesticides.

 

Recommended eco-friendly products are named and discussed in each chapter: cleansers, moisturizers, makeup, lipsticks, lip balm and more.

 

There is a chapter for men too.

 

In less than 200 pages, Hanson covers the subject concisely and also gives a resource guide to eco-friendly suppliers.

On the shelf: ‘Willie & Joe: Back Home’ by Bill Mauldin

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By Lisa Boss, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main

 

Bill Mauldin was maybe the only regular infantry man to go up against General George Patton and win — twice. Mauldin was little and scrappy; part Apache, left a broken home at 14, and never graduated from high school– all of which may have contributed to his lifelong passion for the underdog. He fought in the Sicilian and Italian campaigns, receiving the Purple Heart.

 

His artistic talent was put to work for the armed services paper, Stars and Stripes, where he developed his iconic characters, Willie and Joe. Loved by the “dogfaces” at the front, the irreverent sketches were not as popular with the top brass. They so infuriated Patton, that he went after Mauldin, only to be told “hands off!” by Eisenhower.

 

America is experiencing the return of our armed forces personnel from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, which set me thinking about the veterans of other American wars. Today’s consensus is that the WWII Vets were revered upon return, but Mauldin also shows the sometimes bitter reality that could await them.

 

Once I started reading all of Maudlin’s work, I was mesmerized by the man’s genius. Willie & Joe vols. I and II are essential, but go ahead and read them all — you’ll be glad you did!

 

On the shelf: ‘Demon of the Air: An Aztec Mystery’ by Simon Levack

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By Amy Cochran, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main

 

When I viewed Apocalypto in the theatre, I was intrigued by the Mayan city and glimpses of a complicated society behind the bloody sacrifices, although I still was firmly on the side of Jaguar Paw and his people. In the spirit of learning more about a civilization that practiced blood sacrifice, and in search of a page-turning mystery, I picked up Demon of the Air: An Aztec Mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed the solid mystery but loved the way the author paints a vivid portrait of a complex and brutal society in the last years before it is swept away by European conquerors.

 

Rumors of men with pale skin have just started to reach Mexico/Tenochtitlan, making for an uneasy and paranoid environment among the elite of the great city. We first meet Yaotl, our dubious hero, in a tight spot. As an ex-priest and now a slave, his master has ordered him to escort a doomed man to the temple of the war-god for execution, but the erstwhile sacrifice breaks free and dives to his death over the side of the pyramid. Yaotl barely escapes when the priests would just as soon sacrifice him instead of a useless dead body.

 

As he returns to his master’s house, Yaotl is summoned to a meeting with Emperor Montezuma, who orders him to find several missing sorcerers or end up in prison himself.

 

In his search for the sorcerers, Yaotl must navigate through a society with an elaborate class structure based almost solely around prowess in battle and a belief in the importance of sacrifice and ritual eating. He is soon caught up in a power struggle between the emperor and Yaotl’s own master, an embittered old man who believes he should have been emperor instead of Montezuma.

 

Mysteries such as why the families of the missing sorcerers are being slaughtered and how Yaotl himself is connected to the underlying plot make for an interesting read. But I especially enjoyed the many details of life in the Aztec city, such as how hair length and style depends on your level in society, and how an auspicious date of birth determines your destiny. This is a fun mystery with insights into a lost culture.

 

On the shelf: ‘Jury Rigged’ by Laurie Moore

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By Laura Nawrot, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main

 

If you have not discovered mystery writer Laurie Moore, you are seriously missing out. Jury Rigged is the first (but certainly not the last) of her books that I’ve read. A typical mystery, this story contains a murder or several, numerous twists, and characters quirky enough to rival Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum and friends.

 

The story begins with the engagement of main character, C’ezanne Martin, to Johnson County Sheriff, Bobby Noah, on Christmas day. The pair are semi-colleagues in Texas law enforcement; C’ezanne was a homicide detective in Fort Worth and bordered Johnson County where Bobby is assigned. C’ezanne has just taken a leave of absence from her detective position to launch a new career as a lawyer. The sheriff is called away on duty shortly after his marriage proposal is accepted, and C’ezanne is immediately sucked back into danger from a recently escaped felon that she helped convict.

 

From there, the story becomes a roller coaster ride of mishaps and intrigue, with each new character and event adding to the confusion of C’ezanne’s life. If you think Stephanie Plum has a strange family and finds herself in some tight spots, you must get to know C’ezanne Martin. Similar to Stephanie Plum, C’ezanne seems to have a talent for drawing danger into her life while just managing to squeak though the toughest situations.

 

Even though I hadn’t read anything by Laurie Moore prior to this book, I thought she did a good job of keeping the reader up to date on important events and characters from past encounters without sounding stilted. The pacing within the story was good. Moore delivered enough details without overwhelming reader with unnecessary facts. Moore’s writing is a little darker and more edgy that that of Janet Evanovich, but I think would definitely appeal to Evanovich’s faithful readers who may be looking for something new.

 

 

On the shelf: ‘Sister Sister’ by Eric Jerome Dickey

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By Kristen Corrado, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main

 

Sister, Sister is the book that launched Eric Jerome Dickey’s career. This book follows three women: Valerie, her sister Inda, and their friend Chiquita, who is dating their brother. The women are in various stages of relationships. Valerie is married and struggling to make it work. Inda is divorced and dating again. Unfortunately, it is with all the wrong men. And Chiquita thinks that she has found the perfect guy, but that is all an illusion.

 

This is a fun romance that follows three strong women as they struggle with their relationships with men and how to find strength in friendship. Valerie turns to her sister, Inda, for counsel when she senses her husband has lost interest in their relationship. But Inda has her own problems: first she meets her boyfriend Raymond’s “other girlfriend,” Chiquita; then the pair find Raymond with yet another woman, who turns out to be his fiancée.

 

There’s more: Thaddeus, Valerie and Inda’s brother, falls for Chiquita, who in turn has formed a sisterly bond with Inda, despite the less-than-ideal circumstances of their meeting. Point of view alternates between the various characters as Valerie, Chiquita, and Inda share their thoughts and feelings about their interlocking relationships with one another, with men, with family members, and with the past.

 

All of Dickey’s books have been bestsellers, and most have been about modern relationships. However, in his newer books, he has started writing thrillers. Sister, Sister is a good introduction to his work and a good place to start if you are interested in reading his 14 books.

On the shelf: ‘The Crows’ by Maris Soule

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By Tim Gleisner, Grand Rapids Public Library, Main

 

The Crows is the first mystery novel from local romance writer Maris Soule. The story follows P.J. Benson and her four-month-old Rhodesian Ridgeback, Baraka, as they get personally involved with a series of break-ins and murders that seem to point to Benson as the prime suspect.

 

The book starts with Benson finding a dying man in her house after returning from a walk with her dog. Homicide Detective, Wade Kingsley, begins to suspect that Benson may be involved in the murder, especially after a series of events keep her in the center of the mystery.

 

Part romance, part mystery with a dash of suspense, this book has enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. Set in rural West Michigan, local readers will enjoy glimpsing their region through the eyes of the characters.

On the Shelf: ‘Blood Ties Book One: The Turning’ by Jennifer Armintrout

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Megan Andres, GRPL Ottawa Hills Branch

 

Doctor Carrie Ames would be the first person to tell you she is not a coward. Whatever else she is, you can bet on that. At least until she finds herself attacked while working at the local hospital. Then all bets are off. Carrie is shocked to find herself one of the undead: a vampire capable of many things. She is tied by blood to the one who made her, and there are a lot of people who want to see her dead. Why? Because it is unlawful to create new vampires.

 

Thrust into a world she knows nothing about, Carrie struggles to find allies and a reason to continue living. For someone solely dedicated to the health and welfare of the people around her, can she survive being forced to be a part of something she views as evil and dark?

 

She’s not alone. Carrie soon finds herself a friend in another vampire living in town. It’s really too bad he’s good looking, a successful entrepreneur, and an elite vampire who hunts those who violate vampire law. It’s all well and good except that last little piece.

 

Author Jennifer Armintrout cites her experience working for Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo, Michigan as an influence in her writing. Her Blood Ties series begins with The Turning, a romp into the world and politics of being a vampire. Possession and Ashes to Ashes round out more of this world hidden from view.

 

Carrie is a unique voice and brings the reader into a new understanding — a reality of the choices and decisions that might accompany being forced into becoming something one never imagined. Fans of JR Ward and Patricia Briggs will certainly enjoy this series. I know I did. This southwest Michigan native has done quite well. Pick up a copy of The Turning today!

On the shelf: ‘Big Chickens’ by Leslie Helakoski

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By Sarah McCarville, GRPL Main Library

 

Great for a storytime read-aloud with the grandkids! Colorful, expressive illustrations by Henry Cole are a delightful addition to this title which will help kids conquer their fears.

 

Big Chickens is the story of four fearful chickens who seem to talk themselves into a series of predicaments while trying to escape from a wolf. The chickens are afraid to go home, afraid to jump, afraid of cows, afraid of the water, afraid of caves, afraid of big, hairy animals. Will they remain afraid of the wolf?

 

This predicable tale has some great repetition which invites participation, perfect for preschoolers who will quickly learn the routine. They’ll love to repeat “Me, too!” “Me, three!” “Me, four!” after the first chicken asks about some hypothetical situation. Once a question is asked (What if we fall in the ditch? What if the cows chase us?) you turn the page and find the chickens have to find their way out of that very situation.

 

The story would be a great discussion starter for preschoolers and their caregivers to help with their fears. Showing how the chickens eventually see how the wolf isn’t necessarily the big bully that everyone thinks he is will allow children to put themselves in the chickens’ place.

On the shelf: ‘Sharp Objects’ by Gillian Flynn

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By Amy Cochran, GRPL-Seymour Branch

Gillian Flynn’s disturbing and enthralling first novel delves into the dark heart of a small town and the complex relationship between a mother and her daughters. Camille hasn’t been back home in eight years and is eking out a meager existence as a reporter for Chicago’s fourth-largest paper. In search of a prize-winning scoop, Camille’s editor persuades her to return to her southern Missouri hometown and search out the connections between the murder of a girl the year before and the recent disappearance of another little girl. It’s not long before the missing girl is found dead in a manner strikingly similar to the first death, meaning there is a serial killer in the town.

Busy searching for leads, Camille delays going home as long as possible, but finally shows up on her mother’s doorstep, where she is given a half-hearted and vague welcome. She clumsily attempts to get to know her teenage half-sister Amma and becomes messily involved with the detective handling the investigation.

In one sense, the novel is a mystery, as the search for the girls’ killer provides the framework for everything that happens to Camille. But it is also a story of why certain families’ wounds never heal. Flynn only gradually unveils why it is so hard for Camille to go home and why she has chosen to live far away from her mother. There are hints early on that she is damaged—for example, she can only take baths because the shower spray gets her skin to buzzing and she has a specific coping mechanism that she keeps a secret. But the longer Camille stays in Wind Gap, the more her hard-won emotional distance slips away and she finds herself more involved with her family than she had planned.

Sharp Objects is appropriately named. It is not a comfortable book to read, but the sharp edges in both the characters and the setting add to the power of the novel. Flynn’s portrayal of Wind Gap is nicely full of details that highlight the setting of a small Missouri town and she paces out the revelations perfectly for a sense of suspense. This is a mystery that got under my skin and even missing a traditional happy ending has nonetheless stuck with me as one of the more thought-provoking reading experiences I’ve had this year.

Next, I’ll be checking out Flynn’s second novel, Dark Places, which also deals with past tragedies and the often bizarre interior world of families.

On the shelf: ‘The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted…’ by Elizabeth Berg

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By Laura Nawrot, Grand Rapids Public Library

As far as I’m concerned, you can’t go wrong with Elizabeth Berg. Her latest release is a collection of short stories that celebrates women and moments in their lives. Most of these moments start with a spark of discontent and blossom into something wonderful.

As a lifetime member of Weight Watchers (currently over my goal weight) the title story celebrated food and health and what we go through to maintain ourselves in order to live longer in a manner that I related to. Berg successfully takes the everyday events of our lives and somehow makes them more. Each character in this collection becomes you, someone you know, or someone you’d like to know. For new readers and regular fans, this book won’t disappoint.

 

On the shelf: ‘The Secret Between Us’ by Barbara Delinsky

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By Laura Nawrot, GRPL-Main

Secrets. We all have them. Do we share them? Should we keep them? It was this concept that I found so I intriguing in Barbara Delinsky’s latest book, The Secret Between Us.

Deborah, a recently divorced family physician in a small New England town, and her daughter, Grace, are the principle characters in this deception. The story opens with a car accident during a torrential downpour on an unlit street, and spirals from there. Deborah went out in the rain to pick up Grace from a friend’s house and allowed Grace to drive home with her learner’s permit. The two are arguing when suddenly there is a flash of movement, a hideous thump, and events unravel from there.

While I could totally relate to the maternal instinct to protect your child at all costs, I don’t think this story could have worked without its setting. Everybody in a small town knows, or knows of, everyone else, which is what makes the keeping of secrets so tenuous. They all know each other’s business and each character naturally has something to hide. I found parts of the story to be somewhat contrived, but I was still interested enough to finish the book.

If you’re looking for an opportunity to sort through some small town family dynamics, this is the book for you.

On the shelf: ‘The Devil in the White City’ by Erik Larson

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By Kristen Krueger-Corrado, GRPL-Main

When I started to read The Devil in the White City, I was surprised to discover that it was a nonfiction book. Larson skillfully alternates between two stories about the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair: the story of the men who built the Fair, and the story of the serial killer who used the Fair to lure young women to their death.

I have always been fascinated with the Chicago World’s Fair, however I found the chapters on its creation to drag a little, and I often found myself skimming them so that I could get back to the fast-paced chapters about H.H. Holmes, the charming serial killer and his evil doings. I understand that the author was using the juxtaposition of the light and dark sides of Fair to create tension, but I found the dark side of the story more compelling.

The Devil in the White City is a fascinating read for history buffs and true crime fans alike. The book brings to life turn-of-the-century Chicago, the growth of a nation, and a frightening tour inside the mind of a killer.

 

On the shelf: ‘Sensible Shoes…’ by Sharon Garlough Brown

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By Karen Thoms, Main Library

 

Can a novel deliver entertainment and promise spiritual enlightenment? It can when served up by West Michigan pastor and spiritual director Sharon Garlough Brown. Packed inside her engaging story, Sensible Shoes, is a small non-fiction work on incorporating ancient spiritual disciplines into life. This 2013 Midwest Publishing Awards Show Honorable Mention book chronicles the friendship between four women who meet at a spiritual disciplines class, a class none of them initially wanted to attend.

The back cover of the book describes the women this way:

  • Hannah, a pastor who doesn’t realize how exhausted she is
  • Meg, a widow and recent empty-nester who is haunted by her past
  • Mara, a woman who has bounced from relationship to relationship and who is trying to navigate a difficult marriage
  • Charissa, a hard-working graduate student who wants to get things right

The book is structured around the development of the friendships, how the women are responding to the Saturday morning lessons given over three months, and what the practice of each discipline is dredging up from their pasts. Key to the development of the story and spiritual growth of the women is the seminar leader, Katherine Rhodes, and Charissa’s professor, Dr. Nathan Allen. The reader is set up to understand the conflict in the story by Brown’s effective use of short flashbacks.

Most chapters begin with the handout the women received at the start of a session, followed by the leader walking the women through the new discipline. Brown makes smooth transitions from the seminar to the lives of each woman, which she separates within the chapters. The story flows just like a typical novel.

Do not be deceived. Even if you skip reading the handout page or the explanation of the discipline you will not be able to escape the spirituality because the women share it with you, with either the personal reflection going on in their heads or in dialogue with each other.

At times, the dialogue itself will make the reader feel as if they are sitting with their own spiritual director. Take these examples:

“He (professor) placed his elbows on his desk, still clasping his hands together. ‘Your desire for control is keeping you from entrusting yourself to Christ, Charissa. And your desire for perfection is preventing you from receiving grace. You’re stumbling over the cross by trying to be good, by trying so hard to be perfect.’”

In the session on praying with imagination, the leader, Katherine refers back to the story of Bartimaeus asking for sight: “That’s a courageous thing to ask for, isn’t it? Sometimes it’s easier to remain in our darkness and blindness. But Bartimaeus wants to see.”

In the session about establishing a rule of life, Katherine gives an analogy: “Rules of life are like trellises … helping branches grow in the right direction and providing support and structure.”

Other practices Brown successfully weaves into her story include: Walking a Labyrinth as a Journey of Prayer, Lectio Divina, Praying the Examen, Wilderness Prayer, and Self-Examination and Confession.

Although I believe this book will find only a small audience in readers from West Michigan, readers of Christian fiction, and readers of Christian spiritual growth books, my hope is that others will pick up this gem and be as pleasantly surprised as I was.

 

On the shelf: ‘Nothing to Envy’ by Barbara Demick

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By Jen Andrews, Grand Rapids Public Library-Main 

Nothing to Envy follows the lives of six North Koreans over fifteen years — a chaotic period that saw the death of Kim Il-sung, the unchallenged rise to power of his son Kim Jong-il, and the devastation of a far-ranging famine that killed one-fifth of the population. Taking us into a landscape most of us have never before seen, Barbara Demick brings to life what it means to be living under the most repressive totalitarian regime today — an Orwellian world that is by choice not connected to the Internet, in which radio and television dials are welded to the one government station, and where displays of affection are punished; a police state where informants are rewarded and where an offhand remark can send a person to the gulag for life.

Demick takes us deep inside the country, beyond the reach of government censors. Through meticulous and sensitive reporting, we see her six subjects — average North Korean citizens — fall in love, raise families, nurture ambitions, and struggle for survival. One by one, we experience the moments when they realize that their government has betrayed them.

This is an outstanding work of narrative nonfiction that offers a never-before-seen view of a country and society largely unknown to the rest of the world. With remarkable detail and through a deeply personal look at the lives of six defectors from the repressive totalitarian regime of the Republic of North Korea, Demick brings to life what it means to be living under the most repressive totalitarian regime in the world today.

The reader will find it heartbreaking, pitiful and with every page turn wish it not true.