Category Archives: 20th century

What You Wish For by Katherine Center

18 Friday Sep 2020

Posted by in 20th century, Fiction, romance, United States

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Samantha was in love with her coworker Duncan when they worked together at the same school. Years later, with Samantha now working as a school librarian in Texas, the two are reunited, but Duncan is no longer the happy, carefree teacher he used to be. This love story is sad but also uplifting, and in these times I appreciated the message that one character shares with another: spread joy whenever you can.

The story’s message, that people should choose joy even (and especially) in difficult and painful times, seems tailor-made for this moment. A timely, uplifting read about finding joy in the midst of tragedy, filled with quirky characters and comforting warmth.–Kirkus (starred review)

“What You Wish For is a bona fide explosion of happiness packaged in book form. A compassionate story of grief and resilience, What You Wish For is also a vital reminder that joy is not just something that happens to us but also something we have the power to choose… Center has created for her readers a quirky confection that celebrates life in all its imperfect glory and delivers a much-needed dose of optimism.” — Bookpage

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Dreamland: the True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic by Sam Quinones

12 Saturday Sep 2020

Posted by in 20th century, Non-fiction

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“Does what ‘Fast Food Nation’ did for fast food to Black Tar Heroin and oxycodone . . . A stunning journalistic journey that follows the history and narrative trajectories that lead to this entirely new style of cultivating drug addiction . . . I just love this book.” – Marc Maron

“Fascinating . . . a harrowing, eye-opening look at two sides of the same coin, the legal and illegal faces of addictive painkillers and their insidious power.” ―Publishers Weekly

“Journalist Quinones weaves an extraordinary story, including the personal journeys of the addicted, the drug traffickers, law enforcement, and scores of families affected by the scourge, as he details the social, economic, and political forces that eventually destroyed communities in the American heartland and continues to have a resounding impact.” ―starred review, Booklist

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Apeirogon: a novel by Colum McCann

24 Monday Aug 2020

Posted by in 20th century, Fiction

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LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE • From the National Book Award–winning and bestselling author of Let the Great World Spin comes an epic novel rooted in the unlikely real-life friendship between two fathers.  (Amazon)

To become a member of the Parent’s Circle, you have to lose a child and be willing to speak.  The author, in real life, met these 2 fathers and was so inspired to write about their stories and their determination to turn their grief into a weapon for peace. This is more than a story about Palestine and Israel. This is 1001 fragments that come together to form a whole – a tour de force unlike anything you’ve read to date.

“Brilliant . . . powerful and prismatic . . . Apeirogon is an empathy engine, utterly collapsing the gulf between teller and listener. . . . It achieves its aim by merging acts of imagination and extrapolation with historical fact. But it’s undisputably a novel, and, to my mind, an exceedingly important one. It does far more than make an argument for peace; it is, itself, an agent of change.”—The New York Times Book Review (cover review)

 “McCann performs his own epic balancing act between life and art, writing with stunning lyricism and fluent empathy as he traces the ripple effects of violence and grief, beauty, and the miraculous power of friendship and love, valor and truth.”—Booklist (starred review)

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Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

10 Monday Aug 2020

Posted by in 20th century, Biography, History, Non-fiction, United States

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER –  If you never read it, do it now.  It is as relevant now as it was then, a must read and see the movie too starring Oprah Winfrey.  Book club selection at the Weston Public Library January 2020.

Just a few of the many accolades this 2010 book received:

Discover magazine 2010 Must-Read
Entertainment Weekly #1 Nonfiction Book of the Year
National Public Radio Best of the Bestsellers
Bloomberg Top Nonfiction
Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
Library Journal Top Ten Book of the Year
Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of the Year
Booklist Top of the List—Best Nonfiction Book
New York Times/Science Bestseller list

“Science writing is often just about ‘the facts.’ Skloot’s book, her first, is far deeper, braver, and more wonderful.” —New York Times Book Review

“The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a remarkable feat of investigative journalism and a moving work of narrative nonfiction that reads with the vividness and urgency of fiction. It also raises sometimes uncomfortable questions with no clear-cut answers about whether people should be remunerated for their physical, genetic contributions to research and about the role of profit in science.”
—National Public Radio

“Skloot explores human consequences of the intersection of science and business, rescuing one of modern medicine’s inadvertent pioneers from an unmarked grave.” —US News & World Report

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The Holdout by Graham Moore

03 Monday Aug 2020

Posted by in 20th century, Fiction, murder, suspense

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“Wow! I loved The Holdout, in which author Graham Moore does the impossible, creating a page-turning legal thriller with a twisty and absolutely riveting plot, as well as raising profound and thought-provoking questions about the jury system and modern justice. All that, plus a strong and compelling female heroine in lawyer Maya Seale, whom you’ll root for as the tables turn against her and she finds herself behind bars, with everything on the line. You won’t be able to put this one down!”—Lisa Scottoline, #1 bestselling author of Someone Knows

“The twists are sharp and the flashbacks that uncover what each juror knows are placed for maximum impact in this rollicking legal thriller. . . . Moore expertly combines deft character work with mounting bombshell revelations in a story that will attract new readers and also seems primed for the big screen.”—Library Journal (starred review)

“This stellar novel from bestseller [Graham] Moore takes a searing look at the U.S. justice system, media scrutiny, and racism. . . . Moore has set a new standard for legal thrillers.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“[A] stemwinder of a murder mystery wrapped in a legal thriller . . . The story is gripping, and the pace is furious.”—Booklist

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Friends and Strangers by J. Courtney Sullivan

27 Monday Jul 2020

Posted by in 20th century, Fiction, United States

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Elisabeth is a new mother who has just moved with her husband to a college town in upstate New York. There, she hires a new babysitter named Sam, a college student who struggles to fit in with her wealthier peers. The two women share a close bond, but their different situations and backgrounds occasionally cause tension. This thoughtful, well written novel explores motherhood, class, and friendship.

 “Sullivan’s intimate, incisive latest explores the evolving friendship between a new mother and her babysitter… Readers will be captivated by Sullivan’s authentic portrait of modern motherhood.”—Publishers Weekly

“Sullivan… writes with empathy for her characters even as she reveals their flaws and shortcomings. And while the story she tells focuses primarily on two women from different backgrounds and at different stages of life, it also illuminates broader issues about money, privilege, and class; marriage, family, and friendship; and the dueling demands of career and domesticity with which many women struggle. This perceptive novel about a complex friendship between two women resonates as broadly as it does deeply.”—Kirkus, starred review

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Deacon King Kong by James McBride

28 Sunday Jun 2020

Posted by in 20th century, Fiction, Historical Fiction

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Set in a Brooklyn neighborhood in 1969, this novel follows a large cast of characters, all of whom are connected in some way. The main one is Sportcoat, an older widower who drinks too much and mourns his late wife, along with his friends, members of his church, local criminals, police officers, and more. This book is really funny and well written, with surprisingly emotional moments too. I grew to love all of the characters, no matter how flawed each one is.

“Much is unpacked by the time the book reaches its lovely and heartfelt climax, as McBride shows what can happen when people set aside their differences. Highly recommended.” —Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

“McBride has a flair for fashioning comedy whose buoyant outrageousness barely conceals both a steely command of big and small narrative elements and a river-deep supply of humane intelligence. An exuberant comic opera set to the music of life.” —Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

“While historical fiction fans will appreciate the richly detailed approach to Brooklyn’s grittiness, McBride’s neighborhood saga ultimately sets a new standard for multidimensional fiction about people of color.” —Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

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Working: Research, Interviewing, Writing by Robert A. Caro

11 Monday May 2020

Posted by in 20th century, Biography

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From the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Power Broker and the Years of Lyndon Johnson series: an unprecedented gathering of vivid, candid, deeply revealing recollections about his experiences researching and writing his acclaimed books.  Inside this short book and, with his self deprecating humor, the reader gains insight into Caro’s work habits, career research highlights, and his passion and integrity for superior storytelling.

 A short book that packs a big wallop . . . Stunningly incisive . . .  James Boswell’s Life of Samuel Johnson is generally considered to be the finest biography in the English language . . . Robert Caro’s monumental works . . . are every bit as impressive as what Boswell achieved. Even more so, actually. . . Caro’s unrelenting pursuit of facts and his insights will leave you in awe . . . After reading this brief, brilliant book, one can only say, ‘Wow!’” —Steve Forbes, Forbes Magazine

 “America’s most honored biographer . . . has paused in the work of the final volume [of The Years of Lyndon Johnson] to publish a conversational, behind-the-scenes compendium addressing the questions he hears most often, starting with, Why do your books take so long to write?” —Karl Vick, Time

 “Robert Caro is one of the most respected historians of our time. His memoir is a masterclass in how great books are built, and is peppered with great anecdotes about people of power.”  —Town & Country

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The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

04 Monday May 2020

Posted by in 20th century, Fiction, Historical Fiction

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Inspired by the true “blue-skinned people of Kentucky” and the brave and dedicated Kentucky Pack Horse library service of the 1930s, here is a story of raw courage, fierce strength, and one woman’s belief that books can carry us anywhere—even back home.

“…a hauntingly atmospheric love letter to the first mobile library in Kentucky and the fierce, brave packhorse librarians who wove their way from shack to shack dispensing literacy, hope, and — just as importantly — a compassionate human connection.”—Sara Gruen, author of Water for Elephants

“A unique story about Appalachia and the healing power of the written word.”—Kirkus

“A timeless and significant tale about poverty, intolerance and how books can bring hope and light to even the darkest pocket of history.”—Karen Abbott, New York Times bestselling author of Liar Temptress Soldier Spy

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The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore

20 Monday Apr 2020

Posted by in 20th century, Biography, Historical Fiction, Non-fiction

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Written from the perspective of the enthusiastic teenage girls who stepped up in the early WWI war effort to work in the factories painting illuminated dials for the military, their sacrifice outweighed their courage.  Mysteriously, they became ill.  But in an age before our technology, each seemed like a random case. Take part in one of the biggest scandals of corporate denial in the 20th century.  Page turning non-fiction that includes remarkable photos of the women you will never forget plus a reading guide.

“This timely book celebrates the strength of a group of women, whose determination to fight improved both labor laws and scientific knowledge of radium poisoning. Written in a highly readable, narrative style, Moore’s chronicle of these inspirational women’s lives is sure to provoke discussion-and outrage-in book groups.” – Booklist-STARRED review

“Moore’s well-researched narrative is written with clarity and a sympathetic voice that brings these figures and their struggles to life…a must-read for anyone interested in American and women’s history, as well as topics of law, health, and industrial safety.” – STARRED Library Journal

“We sometimes need reminding of where health and safety came from, and why it is so very important for progress. The Radium Girls compels us to remember.” – Chemistry World

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