12 Saturday Sep 2020
Posted in 20th century, Non-fiction
Tags
addictive painkillers, American Dream, drug addiction, drug traffic, heroin abuse, Mexico, narcotics, oxycodone, United States
11 Monday May 2020
Posted in 20th century, Biography
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
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
26 Friday Apr 2019
Posted in Fiction, murder and investigation, suspense, thriller
A family from Korea moves to a small town in Virginia, where they open and operate a small medical treatment facility. When an explosion at the facility kills two people, many of the community’s residents become involved in the subsequent trial. The book is part mystery, part legal drama, while also exploring the lives and motivations of its central characters. This was a well written page-turner that reminded me of Ann Patchett’s books.
A Barnes and Noble Bestseller
An IndieNext Pick
An April 2019 LibraryReads Selection
An April 2019 Book of the Month Club Selection
An Amazon Editors’ Pick
A Best New Book at People Magazine
A Most Anticipated Book of 2019: BuzzFeed, AppleBooks, Refinery29, CrimeReads, Electric Literature, Nylon, The Millions, BookRiot and more; named one of 10 Best Books to Read in Spring 2019 in The Saturday Evening Post; one of Southern Living‘s Best Books of Spring 2019
“Kim effectively uses her background as a trial lawyer, skillfully crafting her narrative by interweaving the stories of her characters, each of whom speak for themselves as the story progresses toward a surprise ending. With touches of mystery, legal thriller, and character-driven storytelling, where nothing is ever quite as it seems, Kim’s promising debut will certainly have readers looking forward to her next offering.” ―Library Journal (starred review)
“A deeply moving story about parents and the lengths they will go for their children . . . readers will be riveted by the book’s genre-bending structure and superb pace. Miracle Creek is a stunning debut about parents, children and the unwavering hope of a better life, even when all hope seems lost.” ―Jung Yun, The Washington Post
09 Saturday Feb 2019
Posted in Non-fiction, United States
Tags
A very readable, honest look plus a guided journey to unpacking the privilege of whiteness. Her questions at the end of each chapter encourage the reader to reflect on one’s lifetime and assumptions, and, with empathy, inspires one to transform.
“I read Waking Up White in one sitting. To say I loved it is an understatement. It’s such a raw, honest portrait …. Irving’s experience on display – warts and all – will help white people, who haven’t noticed the role systemic privilege has played in their lives, start to see the world in a new way.” — Jodi Picoult, author, The Storyteller, My Sister’s Keeper
Irving’s personal and moving tale takes us on an adventure to a world utterly new to her as she wakes up to the reality of how, without her knowledge or active pursuit, she lives in a society which is set up to reward her at the expense of people of color. I cannot imagine a more understandable and compelling invitation to learn about how racism lives on in our homes, communities, and nation. — Bishop Gene Robinson, Retired Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire and Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, Washington, DC
“Waking up White is a brutally honest, unflinching exploration of race and personal identity, told with heart by a truly gifted storyteller. Much as Irving’s family sought to shield her from the contours of the nation’s racial drama, so too do far too many white Americans continue to do the same. For their sakes, and ours, let’s hope Irving’s words spark even more truth-telling. They certainly have the power to do so.” — Tim Wise, author, White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son
05 Monday Nov 2018
Posted in Biographical fiction, Historical Fiction
Tags
author's spouses, Cuba, Ernest Hemingway, Martha Gelhorn, Spain, United States, war correspondents, women journalists, World War II
What woman could hold her own and be married to Ernest Hemingway? Meet Hemingway’s third wife, Martha Gelhorn, who did become one of the greatest war correspondents of the 20th century. I have read both The Paris Wife and Circling the Sun, but McLain’s novel portraying this stormy, passionate marriage is by far the best of the three.
“Wonderfully evocative . . . This is historical fiction at its best, and today’s female readers will be encouraged by Martha, who refuses to be silenced or limited in a time that was harshly repressive for women.”—Library Journal (starred review)
“Propulsive . . . highly engaging . . . McLain does an excellent job portraying a woman with dreams who isn’t afraid to make them real, showing [Gellhorn’s] bravery in what was very much a man’s world. Her work around the world . . . is presented in meticulous, hair-raising passages. . . . The book is fueled by her questing spirit, which asks, Why must a woman decide between being a war correspondent and a wife in her husband’s bed?”—The New York Times Book Review
06 Friday Jul 2018
Posted in Biography
Tags
cabinet officers, Congress, legislature, politics and government, presidential candidates, Robert F. Kennedy (1925-1968), Senate, United States
This book is recommended by a Weston library patron.
“Matthews is skilled at weaving tension and conflict throughout the book. One doesn’t just read the words, but experiences the tension and emotions….The depth of Bobby Kennedy: A Raging Spirit provides insight into this man’s spirit and what drove him to greatness. Matthews does an excellent job of pulling Bobby out from behind any family shadows to give us an in-depth portrait of what could have been.” –New York Journal of Books
“If you love reading about politics, if you ever loved the Kennedys or were fascinated by them, if you love biographical history or if you just like a good yarn about a brooding soul who turns into an uplifting, magnetic force—Chris Matthews’ “Bobby Kennedy: A Raging Spirit” Should be your next read. It’s well-researched, dramatically told. It brings those times—Camelot and after—back to life.” –Lesley Stahl, Correspondent for 60 Minutes
25 Monday Sep 2017
Posted in 20th century, Biography
Named one of Time‘s 100 Most Influential People in the World
Blood, Bones, & Butter meets A Devil in the Kitchen in this funny, fierce, and poignant memoir by world-renowned chef, restaurateur, and Top Chef judge Barbara Lynch, recounting her rise from a hard-knocks South Boston childhood to culinary stardom.
“If you have an appetite for culinary adventure, you’ll devour the feisty and fun memoir by James Beard award-winning chef and philanthropist Barbara Lynch.” —Elle
“Whenever she writes about food, her passion is evident, and she appends a number of recipes that will surely send some readers straight to the kitchen. A rugged tale of a self-made woman in a high-stress profession. ” (Kirkus Reviews)
“Lynch’s love of food and hard scrabble Southie upbringing are blended into a rich and engaging narrative that sheds light on the different influences that helped shape her career. The narrative is evocative of Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential…Foodies will enjoy the vivid language used to describe Lynch’s food exploits, and old neighbors will be treated to a trip around south Boston through the eyes of a local.” (Library Journal)
20 Wednesday Sep 2017
Posted in 20th century, Biography
Tags
autobiography, lesbians, life changing events, marriage, miscarriage, sex roles, United States, women journalists
When 38-year-old New Yorker writer Ariel Levy left for a reporting trip to Mongolia in 2012, she was pregnant, married, financially secure, and successful on her own terms. A month later, none of that was true. Levy picks you up and hurls you through the story of how she built an unconventional life – reinventing work, marriage, family, pregnancy, sex and divorce for herself from the ground up and then watched it fall apart with astonishing speed.
“Every deep feeling a human is capable of will be shaken loose by this profound book. Ariel Levy has taken grief and made art out of it.”—David Sedaris
“A great memoir is not a trip through someone else’s life but a series of long looks into your own. Ariel Levy’s book – grieving, hopeful, painful, funny – is that.” – Amy Bloom
17 Monday Jul 2017
Posted in Biography, History, Non-fiction, United States
Tags
African American women, fugitive slaves, George Wahington (1732-1799), Martha Wahington (1731-1802), Oney Judge, relations with slaves, United States
“Oney Judge’s forgotten story is a powerful reminder that the tentacles of slavery could reach from the South all the way north to the State of New Hampshire. The surprising part of the true history is not that she achieved her freedom, but the lengths to which George and Martha Washington would go to try to recapture a young woman who insulted them by rejecting bondage.” – Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina
“A startling, well-researched . . . narrative that seriously questions the intentions of our first president.” (Kirkus Reviews)
“Erica Armstrong Dunbar combines the known facts of Ona’s life in service to the Washingtons with vivid descriptions of the physical and emotional conditions early American slaves faced.” (New York Post)
“Totally engrossing and absolutely necessary for understanding the birth of the American Republic, Never Caught is richly human history from the vantage point of the enslaved fifth of the early American population. Here is Ona Judge’s (successful) quest for freedom, on one side, and, on the other, George and Martha Washington’s (vain) use of federal power to try to keep her enslaved.” (Nell Irvin Painter, author of Sojourner Truth, A Life, A Symbol)
