What Our Staff is Reading

The following are fiction and non-fiction titles that have been read and recommended by members of our staff. The initials or pen name of the contributing staff member are noted after each review. The titles may include award winners, not-so-recent bestsellers or a new look at the classics.

October 2006

The Attack by Yasmina Khadra
Fiction 2005
An Arab doctor who converted to Judaism is living and working in Tel Aviv with his wife. When a bomb kills several children in a market, his wife is suspected to be the suicide bomber. His life unravels as he searches for answers.
Reviewed by SYH

The Bright Forever by Lee Martin
Fiction 2005
Sent to the library to return some books at dusk, nine-year old Katie Mackey disappears. This is the story of a small Indiana town's coping with a tragic event and the effect it has on everyone's lives. It is beautifully written and hard to put down!
Reviewed by AJS

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Fiction 2003
This novel, a first person narrative by a mathematically gifted, 15 year old autistic boy, offers profound insights into the world of people with autism. The main character, in this coming of age story, struggles to make sense of a world filled with people unlike himself. Autism has been termed a "social deafness." Haddon makes us understand what that means. Simply written yet powerfully moving, highly recommended.
Reviewed by Minerva

The Disposable American: Layoffs and Their Consequences by Louis Uchitelle
Nonfiction 2006
The negative impact of layoffs on a community and personal wellness. The author uses interviews and studies to show how the government and companies devalue the employee in pursuit of higher profits.
Reviewed by SYH

The Ladies Of Covington Send Their Love by Joan A. Medlicott
Fiction 2000
Grace, Amelia, and Hannah find themselves in a boarding house to live out their lives. These 3 different personalities decide to run away and find new lives at Amelia's inherited property in North Carolina. This begins a great friendship and a great series of books. They discover themselves and have disagreements, but friendship holds them together.
Reviewed by MJC

The Mayor of Lexington Avenue by James Sheehan
Fiction 2005
This story of a mildly retarded man wrongly convicted of first degree murder and the characters who come together to determine his fate is such a complex, assured novel, it's hard to believe that it is a first effort. The Florida locations and flashbacks to New York City in the 1960's add interest and atmosphere to this dramatic legal thriller.
Reviewed by MMS

Mystery of the Nile: the Epic Story of the First Descent of the World’s Deadliest River by Richard Bangs and Pasquale Scaturro
Nonfiction 2005
While it is hard to believe in this age of instant information that any unexplored areas of the globe still exist, Pasquale Scaturro managed to find one. Mystery of the Nile takes the reader on an exciting and dangerous 3000 mile journey down the Nile to the Mediterranean Sea in a raft.
Reviewed by MMS

The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner
Nonfiction 2006
Chris Gardner chronicles his life from childhood to Navy veteran and later as a medical researcher. A failed marriage leads to homelessness for him and his son. Patience and perseverance leads him to a career as a stockbroker with his own firm in Chicago.
Reviewed by SYH

The State Boys Rebellion by Michael D’Antonio
Nonfiction 2004
To prevent so-called undesirables from polluting the national gene pool, more than 250,000 children were separated from their families and placed in institutions. Using the newly designed IQ tests these children were misdiagnosed and mistreated. This is the story of a group of boys placed in the Fernald School for the Feebleminded. From their childhood through to adulthood we follow them on a journey that should shame us as a nation.
Reviewed by SJC

These is My Words: the Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine by Nancy E. Turner
Fiction 1998
Set in the Arizona Territories in 1881- 1901, this book tells the story of Sarah Agnes Prine. And what a story it is! Turner gives the reader a glimpse into what the westward movement was like for ordinary people, their hardships and joys, and most of all their perseverance. I laughed, I cried and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Reviewed by MJC