Leaving Coy’s Hill by Katherine A. Sherbrooke
07 Monday Feb 2022
Posted in Biographical fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction, United States
Tag Archives: history
Justice and Mercy: a Post Civil War Mystery by Lea Wait
11 Wednesday Aug 2021
Tags
The author, Lea Wait, died last year and was known for her cozy mysteries, though this one is an historical mystery. It was independently published. I really liked this book.
It’s April of 1865, disabled Civil War veteran lawyer Aaron Stone, visiting his Aunt Cornelia in upstate New York State and hoping to end the pain and nightmares only opium and morphine can mitigate, finds a bludgeoned body revealed by receding Erie Canal flood waters. He determines to identify the unknown man and bring peace to that man’s family.
Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
10 Monday Aug 2020
Posted in 20th century, Biography, History, Non-fiction, United States
Tags
African American women, biography, cancer patients, cancer research, cell culture, heath, HeLa cells, Henrietta Lacks 1920-1951, history, human experimentation in medicine, medical ethics, Virginia
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
The Mirror & the Light (Wolf Hall Trilogy Book 3) by Hilary Mantel
20 Monday Jul 2020
Posted in England, Fiction, Historical Fiction
Tags
courts and courtiers, Earl of Essex, Great Britain, Henry VIII 1509-1547, history, King of England, Thomas Cromwell 1485?-1540
This book concludes the acclaimed Wolf Hall trilogy by Hilary Mantel. These engrossing works of historical fiction follow Thomas Cromwell, an influential adviser to Henry VIII. In this final novel, Cromwell begins to lose favor with the king, who is on his fourth marriage and turning on many of the people around him. If you haven’t read the other books, be sure to read Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies first.
“Deep, suspenseful, chewy, complex and utterly transporting―truly a full banquet. Most miraculously of all, it’s every bit as good as the first two books, both of which won the Booker Prize…. ―Elizabeth Gilbert, The Wall Street Journal Magazine
“The Wolf Hall trilogy is probably the greatest historical fiction accomplishment of the past decade.” ―The New York Times Book Review
“This is rich, full-bodied fiction. Indeed, it might well be the best of the trilogy simply because there is more of it, a treasure on every page…The brisk, present-tense narration makes you feel as though you are watching these long-settled events live, via a shaky camera phone… Mantel has…elevated historical fiction as an art form… At a time when the general movement of literature has been towards the margins, she has taken us to the dark heart of history.” ―The Times (London)
Find this book large print audio cd’s
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
04 Monday May 2020
Posted in 20th century, Fiction, Historical Fiction
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
The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore
20 Monday Apr 2020
Posted in 20th century, Biography, Historical Fiction, Non-fiction
Tags
20th century, consumer's leagues, diseases, history, industrial hygiene, radium paint, toxicology, United States, war work, watch dial painters, women, World War 1914-1918
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
Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite
14 Tuesday Jan 2020
Hang-on! Debut sister writers! 17 year old Alaine has stepped off the path to college for now after “the incident”. Join her on her punishment suspension doing community service in her mother country Haiti to which she has never visited. It is a roller coaster of surprises, family secrets, and even a family curse!
“…. Alaine Beauparlant is that rare character who feels like your complicated but indispensable friend, one you wish you could stay in touch with and hear more fascinating and absorbing stories from long after finishing the book.” -Edwidge Danticat, author of Breath, Eyes, Memory
“The Moulite sisters’ well-conceived debut is an alternately funny and bittersweet story of loss, regret, love, and sacrifice… Seamlessly blending story lines and allusions to Haiti’s history and culture, the authors create an indelible, believable character in Alaine-naive, dynamic, and brutally honest-who stretches and grows as her remarkable, affectingly rendered family relationships do.”-Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“Alaine’s adventures in Haiti were so intense and engaging, I could almost feel the dirt beneath my fingernails, could almost smell the peanuts and plantains. But I think my favorite part was ultimately the female empowerment that permeated every part of this tale, past and present. It left me with a sort of Practical Magic feeling, and that is never a bad thing. Maika and Maritza Moulite have created quite the masterpiece here. I look forward to seeing what they do next!” –Alethea Kontis, NPR
The Yellow House: a Memoir by Sarah M. Broom
25 Monday Nov 2019
Posted in 20th century, Biography, memoir, United States
Tags
20th century, African American authors, African American families, history, Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans (LA), the Broom family
****Winner of THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR NONFICTION****
A brilliant memoir about place, race, and class, Sarah Broom escaped East New Orleans (often just blank space on early maps) to become a successful journalist yet feels that monstrous pull to return to her home with 11 siblings in the yellow shotgun house that was wiped off the map by Hurricane Katrina. Meet her vibrant family and breathe in the quirky French Quarter where, as a child, she never knew existed.
“A heartfelt but unflinching recovery project . . . Broom’s lyrical style celebrates her family bonds, but a righteous fury runs throughout the narrative at New Orleans’ injustices, from the foundation on up. A tribute to the multitude of stories one small home can contain, even one bursting with loss.”―Kirkus Reviews
“A great, multigenerational family story . . . Broom is an engaging guide; she has some of David Simon’s effortless reporting style, and her meditations on eroding places recall Jeannette Walls. The house didn’t survive Katrina, but its destruction strengthened Broom’s appreciation of home. Broom’s memoir serves as a touching tribute to family and a unique exploration of the American experience.”―Publishers Weekly
A Necessary Evil (book 2) by Abir Mukherjee
30 Monday Sep 2019
Tags
assassination, British occupation 1765-1947, detective, history, India, investigation, Kolkata, mystery, princes
I just discovered this detective murder mystery series. Once I finished the first book, A Rising Man, I had to rush to read this second one immediately and am anxiously waiting my turn on the wait list for the third, Smoke and Ashes. That’s because Captain Sam Wyndam, former Scotland Yard detective, and Indian born, Sergeant Banerjee are quite the pair and it all takes place in post WW I India where there are still elephants, palaces, jewels, opium, temples, maharajas, harems, etc. It is a delectable read!
“Brilliant. Wyndam is an intriguing protagonist, offering crisp narration that’s sometimes slightly arrogant, sometimes amusingly self-effacing. Add in clever dialogue that’s laden with double entendre, and what more can a hardcore whodunit fan ask for?”- Bookpage (Top 10 Mystery of the Year)
“Mukherjee is adept at multifaceted, slow-burn plot manipulations. Packed with incident and intrigue, yet never in a way that sacrifices historical verisimilitude or character development for the sake of a thrill. At its heart, the novel and its prequel, A Rising Man, take the buddy-cop formula and turn it on its head in endless rotations. From the cars to the flowers to the moth-eaten flags, Wyndham sees empire for the lie that it is. This makes him an intriguing embodiment of the intricacies and hypocrisies of the period―especially in Mukherjee’s hands.”
The Mold in Dr. Florey’s Coat: the Story of the Penicillin Miracle by Eric Lax
21 Saturday Sep 2019
Posted in History, Non-fiction
Tags
This is the first selection for the Non-Fiction Book Discussion Group this September 2019 at the Weston Public Library.
“Beautifully researched and written, alive with scientific and human insight, Lax’s fine book likely will become the classic account of penicillin’s true medical beginnings.” ―Los Angeles Times Book Review
“Admirable, superbly researched . . . perhaps the most exciting tale of science since the apple dropped on Newton’s head.”—Simon Winchester, The New York Times
feastonbooksblog 