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Monthly Archives: October 2015

The Train to Crystal City: FDR’s Secret Prisoner Exchange Program and America’s Only Family Internment Camp During World War II by Jan Jarboe Russell

28 Wednesday Oct 2015

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Biography, History, Non-fiction

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concentration camps, Crystal City Internment Camp, evacuation of civilians, forced repatriation, German Americans, Japanese Americans, Texas, World War 1939-1945

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Combining big-picture World War II history with a little-known event in American history that has long been kept quiet, The Train to Crystal City reveals the war-time hysteria against the Japanese and Germans in America, the secrets of FDR’s tactics to rescue high-profile POWs in Germany and Japan, and how the definition of American citizenship changed under the pressure of war.

The author humanizes the harrowing experience by following the lives of two young women who were American citizens, and their families, all of whom were herded into the hot and isolated Crystal City camp on the Texas border with Mexico.

“Engrossing…Russell documents in chilling details a shocking story of national betrayal.” (Kirkus)

“This is an informative, disturbing, and necessary reminder of the dangers produced by wartime hysteria.” (Booklist)

“Both scholars and generalreaders interested in World War II will agree, this book is a gripping storyfrom start to finish.” (Library Journal)

“Russell pulls no punches describing the cost of war and the conditions internees endured….a powerful piece.” (Publishers Weekly)

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The Bookseller: The First Hugo Marston Novel by Mark Pryor

21 Wednesday Oct 2015

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction, mystery

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Americans, booksellers, detectives, embassies, France, missing persons, mystery, Paris

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Get ready for suspense and red herrings in the world of the bouquinistes –  the book stalls along the Seine in Paris. Hugh Marston, the head of security at the US embassy in Paris, passes many a lunch break perusing old books to find the perfect gift.  And then one day, we watches helplessly as his favorite bookseller is dragged away at gunpoint. Surprise – the police couldn’t be bothered even as more booksellers begin to disappear.  Taking matters into his own hands with the help of his long time friend Tom, CIA, and short term friend, Claudia, a journalist, he uncovers an obscure past that may explain matters. But can he piece the puzzle together before his time runs out?

“Pryor’s steady and engrossing debut combines Sherlockian puzzle solving with Eric Ambler-like spy intrigue. With a cast of characters you want to know better and a storyline cloaked in World War II betrayals…the author winningly blends contemporary crime with historical topics.”  –Library Journal Starred Review

“A real page-turner. This is what thriller writers always aim to produce and so often fail to get right…. You can’t ask for better than this.”  –San Francisco Book Review

As strong and welcome as a hot coffee on a chilly Paris morning. Bibliophiles, Francophiles, and mystery addicts rejoice! The debut of Hugo Marston is one you don’t want to miss.”  –Steven Sidor, author of Pitch Dark

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Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling

14 Wednesday Oct 2015

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Biography, Humor

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actors, adulthood, comedy, conduct of life, television culture, United States

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My next pick is going to be Mindy Kaling’s new memoir/essays “Why not me?”. It comes out today.  I absolutely loved her last book “Is everyone hanging out without me?”, which I listened to on CD (read by the author, even better). If anyone is a fan of her comedy TV writing (The Office, The Mindy Project), this new book is a must-read. Her writing is very funny, sweet and honest.

“…insightful personal essays from one of Hollywood’s cleverest writers… Intrepid and often irreverent, Kaling humbly probes her own triumphs and defeats with laugh-out-loud results”. —Kirkus Reviews

“Kaling has written a second book that’s funnier, sharper and more confident than her 2011 collection of personal essays and pop culture riffs called Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns).  Even the title of that initial effort implied that Kaling was trying to find her place; the tone of this new one announces that she’s found it and is more than comfortable inviting people to spend time with her there.”—Washington Post

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Bastards: a memoir by Mary Anna King

07 Wednesday Oct 2015

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Biography, Non-fiction

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childhood and youth, children of single parents, family reunions, New Jersey, Oklahoma, poor families, sisters

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The cover of this book, a photograph of a child’s face peeking over the edge of a box, will immediately grab the attention of the reader.  And of course, the title seems a bit sensational. However, this memoir of a little girl growing up in poverty in Camden, New Jersey is moving and ultimately heartwarming.

Mary and her older brother, Jacob, are the first two of seven siblings, the last five of whom are each given away shortly after birth. Or as the author describes the situation, my parents were “great at making babies, but not so great at holding on to them.” When her mother is no longer able to even care for Mary and Jacob, the siblings move to Oklahoma where they are adopted by their maternal grandparents.

Because of their absence, Mary is continually haunted by her phantom sisters and her birth mother. Finally, as she reaches college age, the missing family members are reunited one by one.  This is a poignant and at times wickedly funny account of a young woman’s search for her family and ultimately, herself.

“This searing book explores how identity forms love, and love, identity. Written in engrossing, intimate prose, it makes us rethink how blood’s deep connections relate to the attachments of proximity.” (Andrew Solomon, author of Far From the Tree)

“An impressive debut. . . . [Mary Anna King’s] prose moves with lyrical wit and cultural texture as she persists with all of her protean self to figure out the nature of family and the deepest human connections amid trauma and confusion.” (Peter Balakian, author of Black Dog of Fate)

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