In One Person

In One Person John Irving

Adult CD Book Irving


The early part of In One Person focuses largely on the amateur theater
productions of First Sister Playhouse for which Billy's mother is the
uptight, rigid prompter, his Grandpa Harry prefers to play women, and the
director, Harry's business partner is an hysterical Norwegian who
constantly gets his word order wrong and brings levity to a pretty heavy
book. There is also the theater at the Academy where Billy plays Ariel in
The Tempest, Ariel whose sexuality is mutable.



Following graduation, Billy leaves Vermont and goes on to college, travel,
explore his sexuality with gay men, transsexuals, and women. Perhaps it
bogs down a bit here, but as the 80s commence, the novel takes on a
deepening cast as friends and lovers start to get sick and die. Irving
goes into much detail about the ravages of AIDS, not wanting us to forget
what it was like.



Told from the point of view of a nearly 70 years old William Abbot, the
novelist, he will confront many ghosts from his past before the novel ends
and he will support the younger generation of GLBTQ teens that he comes to
teach. This is an extraordinary novel from one of my favorite novelists,
one that bears rereading.



I listened to the audiobook and found the narrator, John Benjamin Hickey,
quite good. I would have liked him to have more of a Vermont accent for
Grandpa and other family members, but he reserved accents for foreign
characters, which was okay and perhaps for the best.

The False Prince

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Teen Zone New Fiction – Main Level - NIELSEN

High-spirited orphan Sage, always a troublemaker at his orphanage, is sold to the noble Lord Conner, who is buying up orphans the right age who resemble Prince Jaron. Prince Jaron was lost four years ago, and presumed to have been killed by the pirates who took the ship he was on. Lord Conner’s plan is to train all four boys to impersonate the prince, and thus prevent the civil war that would otherwise break out when it’s discovered that the king, queen, and crown prince have all been poisoned. There’s a lot at stake, as it’s clear from the get-go that the boys who don’t get chosen won’t have any future at all. While Sage refuses, somewhat inexplicably, to buckle down to his studies, the other boys are doing their level best, including studious and sycophantic Tobias and the less educated but tough and street-smart Roden. Sage is too smart to want to be a pretend prince, forever doing Lord Conner’s bidding, but he’s walking a tightrope between making it clear that he won’t give in to Conner’s demands while co-operating just enough not to get booted out altogether. All too often, his open defiance gets him hard knocks from Conner’s toughs. He’s got two weeks to learn enough to stay in the contest, figure out what Lord Conner’s real motives are (surely not as virtuous as he claims), and find a way to get out of the whole situation alive, preferably saving the lives of the other boys as well. Sage is cagey about his history, even with the reader, and it’s clear he’s got secrets of his own. Having read reviews of this other places, I already knew the Big Secret. (Hint: why does Sage both refuse to pretend to be the prince forever if he’s chosen and tell Conner “I am your prince.”?) Theoretically, knowing this ahead of time could have spoiled the book for me, like already known whodunit in a mystery. Not so. There are still so many gaps in Sage’s story, past and future (and present, the wily kid) that I was sucked in. Ultimately, Sage has to decide if he should go for being a prince or not – and how to get there without Conner coming with him if he does. As I get tired of books leaving me hanging waiting for the next in the series, I was somewhat surprised to see that the catalog record for this says “Ascendance Trilogy Book 1”. Nielsen has been very considerate with her series making: while I definitely want to read more of Sage’s adventures, this is a nicely rounded story in its own right, without being awkwardly chopped off at the right page count. The False Prince combines strong characters with fast and tricky plotting, similar to – dare I invoke the name? – Megan Whalen Turner’s the Queen’s Thief series. That series has similarly strong characters who hold on to their secrets to the end, combined with top-level politics with a small number of players, though the gods and magic don’t play a noticeable role in The False Prince. That means that despite it not being set in any place definitely on our earth and having a very similar feel to fantasy books, it not really fantasy. Still, highly entertaining and well worth reading.

Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

Before I go to sleep by S. J. Watson

Here is a thrilling read for the beach this summer! This is the story of Christine Lucas who has amnesia. Christine wakes up every morning thinking that she is in her twenties with life waiting to be lived. However, throughout the day she learns that she is married, is in her forties, and was in an accident that erased her memory. She holds on to her memories throughout the day but as soon as she goes to sleep...everything is erased. With the help of a therapist Christine begins writing in a journal as a way to have a memory, even if it's on the page.

After a few days of writing in her journal, her adult memories come back and the memories she is remembering aren't matching up with the realities of her life. As she writes more she starts to suspect that the man claiming to be her husband isn't her husband, that there is something he's not telling her, and then there is the problem of how she got her amnesia--which may not be the car accident she's been told about.

This mystery by S.J. Watson will keep you reading through the night to unravel Christine's past and all of the unanswered mysteries surrounding her new memories.

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen
Adult Biography - Upper Level - JANZEN

After a difficult divorce and a car accident, Rhoda Janzen returns home to her Mennonite parents to heal. She recounts her Mennonite upbringing and finds that all the things that drove her away as a young adult are the same things that she finds safe and comforting now. The author is funny in a sarcastic, plain-spoken way, and the passages about Mennonite traditions are especially entertaining. This is an easy, fast read - perfect for a summer weekend!

American Salvage

American Salvage Bonnie Jo Campbell

Adult Paperbacks Campbell


American Salvage is a highly atmospheric collection of short stories set in rural Michigan. The author, Bonnie Jo Campbell, is from the rural Kalamazoo area and in this collection she introduces us to her neighbors, people who know how to survive but have no clue as to how to prosper. The stories are gritty and dark yet compassionate and quirky, and have an authenticity that moves them along. These are people we know – damaged people who are somehow salvaged like the old trucks and machinery that they keep alive. This book is part of the Made in Michigan Writer Series and was a finalist for the National Book Award in Fiction. It’s a quick and worthwhile read.

Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron #1

Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde

No, not the OTHER Shades of Grey. In fact, this book couldn’t be different! “Shades of Grey” takes place in a future world, after the mysterious “Something That Happened”, where people’s eyes have devolved to only see certain colors and certain resolutions of those colors. Because of this, society has created castes and rules based on which colors you can see and how well you can see them. The story follows Eddie Russett who is accompanying his father to the Outer Fringes, away from the marriage that will bring his family up the social ladder and away from the life Eddie has been dutifully planning all his life. It is in the Outer Fringes that Eddie discovers that not everything is as peaceful as it seems in his safe and controlled existence.

In this world, good behavior is rewarded with merits and bad behavior is punished by demerits. The manufacturing of spoons is forbidden. Eddie, through his dangerous curiosity and questioning, becomes low on merits and must risk his life by going to High Saffron, a city untouched since the “Something that Happened.”

Fforde has crafted an uncanny love story between Eddie and the Grey peasant called Jane and a hilarious mystery that leaves you eager for the second book to be written. Fans of Douglas Adams and the Thursday Next series will devour this quirky read!

After Dark by Haruki Murakami

After Dark by Haruki Murakami

“after dark” is set in Tokyo and takes place during the night, after the trains have stopped running. The story follows Mari, a nineteen year old woman who is seeking a reprieve from her home, though it’s not clear why until the end of the novel. While reading studiously at a Denny’s, Mari is recognized by Takahashi, who once went on a double date with Mari and her sister, Eri. Mari describes her sister as very beautiful and herself as very plain and ugly. Through Takahashi, Mari meets a retired female wrestler who works at a Love Hotel. She helps save a young Chinese prostitute who has been beaten and left with nothing at this Love Hotel after speaking with Takahashi. The novel investigates the man who beats the prositute as well as the pursuit of the man by the gang responsible for her. The novel also follows the mysterious sleep of Eri, Mari’s sister, who has been asleep for two months. There is a ghostly quality to the sleep and the story becomes more dream than reality following her into a world in which she is trapped and running for her life.

Murakami writes this story as if writing a script for a film. The imagery and description will keep you reading and invested in this ethereal narrative. "after dark" is wrapped in mystery about the night, about the people who live and play at night, and about what it means to be searching for who you are. A perfect summer read!

Rogue Island

Rogue Island by Bruce DeSilva
Adult Mysteries - DESILVA

Rogue Island is a noir mystery about newspapers that really delivers! It's a fun read with lots of humor amidst the action - in the tradition of Robert Parker, Lawrence Block, Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich, etc. A wise-cracking newspaper reporter investigates a spate of mysterious arsons in the seedy part of town, which also happens to be his old neighborhood. There's intrigue in high places, petty corruption, wiseguys, a rumpled hero, romance and all the other elements of good noir. A must read for Red Sox fans!

101 Places not to see before you die

101 Places not to see before you die by Catherine Price
Travel Collection-Upper Level 910.4 P

Human beings love to travel to various places in the world. Earth is filled with natural wonders or breathtaking man-made creations. Many people have a desire to see more than what they grew up being around at their homes. However, author Catherine Price warns us with her 101 Places Not to See Before You Die that some locations around the globe may be best to skip during the next family vacation this summer.

Price’s book is filled with places that run the gamut from the bizarre to the slightly unexpected. For instance, have you ever been to the Seattle Gum Wall or taken a literal beer bath at the Chodovar brewery in the Czech Republic? How about chasing a piece of cheese off a cliff during the Gloucester Cheese Rolling Competition? Not your idea of a well spent summer vacation I imagine. Many tourists may already see little reason to sightsee in locations such as the Beijing Museum of Tap Water or the Great Pacific Garbage Patch but the author also makes convincing arguments against touring more popular destinations such as Mount Rushmore, Stonehenge, or Times Square on New Year’s Eve. Some of the entries are also included for pure comedic effect such as Jupiter’s worst moon or a Monday morning at the Department of Motor Vehicles. More of a wacky trivia book than an anti-travel one, 101 Places Not to See Before You Die reminds us just how unique and occasionally weird the planet can be at times.

Reduced Shakespeare

Reduced Shakespeare by Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor.
Adult Nonfiction – Upper Level – 822.33 M

I’ve had Shakespeare on my Official List of Favorite Authors for years now, and only just realized that while I have a handful of Shakespeare plays that I love and have read and watched over and over again, there are many, many more that I haven’t read. I’m too tired these days to put out the effort that reading or watching Shakespeare demands, especially if I don’t know ahead of time that I’m getting into one of the good ones. The Reduced Shakespeare Company to the rescue! Like their show (which I loved on DVD), this is short and funny, as well as alarmingly accurate. This book covers all the bases in just 244 pages – Shakespeare’s biography (what’s known and the vast amounts that aren’t), the plays, poetry, authorship controversy, industry and films. I was most interested in their analysis of the plays and film adaptations, but I learned a lot about the authorship controversies that I’ve always been too skeptical to pay attention to before. For each play they include the title, date published, class (history, tragedy, comedy), setting, source, best known for, major characters, plot, one-sentence plot encapsulations, moral, famous quotes, best & worst features, a rating in bard heads, an interesting fact, and an essay question. Here are a few even more abridged examples:
Cymbeline
Best known for: Not being very well known. Two bard heads.
Hamlet
One-sentence plot encapsulation: Hamlet avenges his father, and it only takes four hours. Best feature: In all likelihood, this is the best play ever written. Five bard heads.
Henry IV
Essay questions: Does the sequel Henry IV, Part 2 have more in common with Godfather II or Rocky II? Why?

Because they are comedians, all of the reviews are so funny that I found myself laughing out loud and reading bits out loud to whatever hapless colleagues happened to be in the break room with me while I was reading it. The reviews for the less popular plays are probably even funnier than the ones for the good ones. Still, the bard head ratings could come in handy if you were trying to decide whether or not it would be worth hiring a babysitter to go see whatever Shakespeare play happened to be coming by locally, or even just reading through the text.

The reviews for the films also are very funny and include the bard head ratings as well as notes on how faithful to the play they are and whether or not they work as movies. They are organized by the original play, with straight-up adaptations (hint: the movie has the same name as the play) followed by films inspired by the play, like West Side Story and 10 Things I Hate About You, which they like better than any of the straight-up film adaptations of the Taming of the Shrew. Hilariously, they include the 2001 Charlie’s Angels as a Lear adaptation. There are also critiques and yet more funny making-of-the-film bits from classic and modern Shakespeare films. Now I need to check the book out again to make a list of all their favorites that I haven’t seen to add to my too-watch list. The biggest shortcoming with the book is its publication date – 2005 – which means they’ve not covered the many film adaptations and spin-offs that have come out since then. Update, please! In general, though, whether you’re a fan of the Bard or just need a little cultural literacy, this book is an entertaining way to learn more, and points the way to further (alas, more serious) learning if you want it.

Because of Winn-Dixie

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Youth Cd Books - Lower Level - DiCamillo

Because of Winn-Dixie is a story about the true love that exists between a human being and their animal. It is an absolutely touching tale that will withstand the test of time.

Ten-year-old India Opal Buloni lives with her father who is known as "The Preacher" since he is a minister. They have just moved to the small town of Naomi, Florida. Young Opal is afraid and scared to be in a new town. Moreover, she has a profound sadness in her heart because her mother abandoned her and her father seven years earlier. However, one day Opal meets her absolute best friend at the local grocery store, a stray dog that she names Winn-Dixie. Once Opal has Winn-Dixie, the sadness of her life starts to fade. For instance, she begins to make new friends including: Miss Franny Block, Gloria Dump, Sweetie Pie Thomas, and Otis. She also learns some life lessons about not judging a book by its cover, letting grudges go, and finding joy in life in spite of sadness.

Because of Winn-Dixie was awarded the Newbery Honor in 2001, and it is not hard to see why. The novel portrays universal themes of love, forgiveness, and friendship and is beautifully written. The characters are richly drawn and well-developed including the hero of the story, Winn-Dixie. Smiling Winn-Dixie is such a precious dog, and all dog lovers will understand the blessings he presents to everyone within his path.

On a side note, I listened to the book on Cd. The narrator, Cherry Jones, did a WONDERFUL job creating all of the different characters. She used different voices so believably that the story truly came to life. I highly recommend this book to all ages!

The Curse of Chalion

The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold. Read by Lloyd James.
Adult Science Fiction – Main Level – BUJOLD
Eaudio book, mp3 and WMA formats.

Lord Cazaril was once a castle-warder and a military captain. Now he is homeless and broken from brutal treatment on a Roknarri slave ship. He’s walked across Chalion on foot to get to the Provincara of the country estate where he was a page in his youth. He’s hoping for a place in the kitchens; instead, he is assigned to tutor the Royina Iselle, sister to the heir of Chalion, and her companion Betriz. Iselle is full of sixteen years of innocent passion and belief in justice, of the type that causes her to publicly expose a judge for suspected fraud. After a few months of trying to teach the girls diplomacy and caution along with the languages and geography of the surrounding countries, Iselle and her brother Tadez are both summoned to court. The king, their older half-brother, is weak and ill and wants them to become familiar with courtly living. Unfortunately, returning to court for Cazaril also means facing the very men that Cazaril knows deliberately betrayed him to the galleys, now the king’s trusted advisers and the most powerful men in Chalion. Cazaril’s loyalty is tested to the utmost, as he becomes literally bound up with the curse that he learns is on all of the royal family of Chalion. He asks for the help of the Gods, and the Gods make it clear that they wish to work their will through him – if only he can figure out what their will is in time to save Iselle and Tadez. I found it impossible not to hope for Cazaril not only that he would find his way through his dilemmas, but also that he could find a way to hope for a future for himself beyond his duty.

Despite being a book filled with bad things happening to good people, the story isn’t depressing. There’s love and beauty and plenty of humor. Politics are part of the driving force of the plot, but there are only a handful of major players to consider, so it doesn’t get confusing. The book is filled with interesting characters, including Royina Ista, Iselle and Tadez’s mother, and the Roknarri divine of the Bastard (see below) who works, oddly, as the head groom in Roya Orico’s private menagerie. The gods are major players as well, allowing the plot some literal Deus Ex Machina moments. I suppose I can think of a handful of other fantasy novels where religion and theology play such a major role, but I really enjoy Chalion’s unique religion, somewhat similar to earthly paganism, with the buildings, bureaucracy and culture of earth’s major religions. Chalion and a few of the neighboring countries are Quintarian. The five gods are the Mother, the Father, the Son and Daughter (each assigned to a season of the year, sexes, and stages of life), and the Bastard, who watches over bastards, people of non-mainstream sexuality and events out of season. The Daughter of Spring, Iselle’s patron, and the Bastard are the most featured in this book. Several other neighboring countries are Quadrenes, who do not hold the Bastard to be a god. Naturally, both sides hold the other to be heretics, and it echoes into politics as people who are natural followers of the Bastard flee from Quadrene countries to Quintarian. Though I’m condensing it here, the theology comes up naturally through the story as it is lived. The whole world is set up just as well, without long expository sections. Lloyd James has just the right voice to pull off the battle-weary Lord Cazaril, if the voices of the two girls sound just a little young for young women who are definitely taking charge of their own destinies. This is top-notch fantasy, with something for everyone. Bujold may be better known for her science-fiction Vorkosigan saga, but this and her other Chalion books show her to be a master of the fantasy genre as well.

Other Chalion books:
Paladin of Souls
Adult Science Fiction - Main Level - BUJOLD
Also on eaudio.

The Hallowed Hunt
Adult Science Fiction - Main Level - BUJOLD
Also on eaudio.

Guardian

Guardian by Julius Lester
Teen Zone Fiction-Main Level - Lester

Here's a small (119 pages) book by the award-winning Julius Lester. If you have not read anything by him, I encourage you to give him a try! Fair warning, though: his books are gritty and unapologetic. This is powerful stuff. Parents are encouraged to read before or with their mature teens! There is difficult language, implied (though not graphic) sexual situations, and violence.

This is the story of two boys in a small town in Mississippi in 1946. One (Ansel) is white, the son of a general store owner. The other (Willie) is black, the son of a handyman. The town of Davis is named for the Davis family, and Zeph Davis III terrorizes everyone in it. He is mean, nasty, and as racist as they come. When Willie’s father witnesses Zeph committing a horrible crime, he is afraid that he will be blamed for it – which he is. He is lynched, even though everyone in town knows that Zeph is to blame. They are afraid to publicly blame the young, rich white teenager.

The adult nature of this story is actually appropriate for its time and place, and makes the impact that it is meant to make. It is not easy to read, but the message resonates. This is historical fiction that evokes serious emotions, and which is so important that we never forget.

Campaigns

Campaigns: A Century of Presidential Races by Alan Brinkley and Ted Widmer
Adult Non-Fiction-Upper Level 324.973 N


The presidential campaigning season is upon us. As the country becomes bombarded with political ads and nonstop debate on how important certain issues or states will be in this election, Americans need a reminder of how political campaigning in our democracy has both changed during the last one hundred years yet oddly stayed very much the same. Alan Brinkley and Ted Widmer’s Campaigns: A Century of Presidential Races examines the varies contests for the White House from years 1900 to 2000. While the authors do analyze the elections and issues of each era, this book is very much a visual guide as well. The New York Times has supplied over 350 election photographs along with 75 photos of campaign memorabilia. Political junkies and history nuts will find much to enjoy here.

Campaigns is striking in illustrating the changes that took place in America over these hundred years but also shows how many election strategies never change. Do you think that only modern politicians try to emphasize how just like the common man they can be by working low paying jobs for a day? Warren Harding pulled a publicity stunt by becoming a printer for a day at his Ohio newspaper in 1920. Have the political pundits or candidates convinced you yet that our current election is the most important in history and a literal apocalypse might occur if votes do not go their way? This bombast is nothing new as Teddy Roosevelt proclaimed, “We stand at Armageddon and we battle for the Lord” in 1912. The inventions of radio and television would clearly dramatically alter the nature of political campaigns and would usher in the modern campaigning structure and tactics all Americans love to hate. Campaigners could now spread their messages to millions more Americans. Appearance and image became vital as Nixon would discover by losing a television debate to the youthful and more confident looking Kennedy in 1960. Overall, Campaigns shows the paradoxical nature some Americans have with politics. We love democracy but seem to be perpetually frustrated with politicians in general just as people were a hundred years ago. The more things change the more they stay the same.

City of Orphans

City of Orphans by Avi
Youth New Book Shelves - Lower Level - AVI

Also available in audio book form:
City of Orphans by Avi
Teen Zone CD Books - Main Level - AVI

The audio version of this book is exceptional. The reader is fantastic! I love all of Avi's books, and this is one of my favorites.

The setting is New York City in 1893. The city is filled with immigrants and the streets are filled with orphaned children. Times are tough, and families are just trying to get by. The Geless family are from Denmark, and their oldest children have jobs - including Maks. Maks is a 13-year-old "newsy," selling World News newspapers and trying to steer clear of the Plug Ugly gang. The Plug Uglies are violent and nasty, and have been known to shake down newsies for their paper money.

One night, the Plug Uglies come after him. A street orphan named Willa comes to his rescue, beating the gang off with her stick. Maks owes her for her help, and takes her home to be fed by his mother.

When they get home, they find out that Maks's sister Emma has been arrested for stealing. Maks and the family know she would never have done such a thing, and embark on a plan to prove her innocence. Willa and Maks are particularly helpful, enlisting the help of a private investigator who teaches them how to find clues.

This is a fast-paced story, and highly recommended to upper-elementary and middle schoolers!

Wild: From lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail

Wild: From lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail
by Cheryl Strayed

New Adult Nonfiction 813.6 S


No stranger to impulsive decisions, Cheryl Strayed, a young woman from Minnesota with zero backpacking experience decided to solo hike 1100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail. The PCT is the lesser know cousin of the Appalachian Trail, running from Mexico to Canada. Although the reader gets a pretty good sense of the trail and all its challenges – yes, there are bears and rattlesnakes -- this is not a travel guide. It is about her personal journey. And it’s a stunner.


Cheryl was a woman lost. She was 22 when her mother died, her remaining family crumbled, and her marriage disintegrated. She dabbled in all the dangerous things that lost people dabble in and she comes clean about all of it. A few years later, as she was hitting bottom, she decided that while she had done and been many things “A woman who walks alone in the wilderness for eleven hundred miles? I’d never been anything like that before. I had nothing to lose by giving it a whirl.” Nothing to lose? That might sound crazy to most people but Cheryl sold all her possessions, learned everything that the good folks at REI could teach her, and sent boxes with provisions ahead to all the outposts of civilization she would be near. And then she strapped on the backpack she refers to as “Monster” and headed off on the trail.


Cheryl quickly came to the conclusion that while she felt like an experienced backpacker due to all the advice she had received at REI, she really was ill-prepared for the journey. Her boots were too small; her backpack, too weighty; the money she sent ahead, too little. And yet… this woman has a fighting spirit that is just amazing. She endures.


Cheryl has a writing style that makes you feel like you are right there with her, every painful step of the way. Hers is a fascinating story of courage. And proof that, if you want to badly enough, you can change your life.

Laundry Day

Continuing with the immigrants in the city theme, here is a cheerful look at the city of old and its residents aimed at the younger set.

Laundry Day by Maurie J. Manning.
Youth Graphic Novels – Lower Level - MAN

Laundry Day falls somewhere between a graphic novel and a picture book, with a comic book-style layout of cells in a picture book size and target age. Our hero is a little shoeshine boy in a big city, probably around the 1910s. He’s looking fruitlessly for customers when a bright red cloth drops down on him from the tall buildings above. One level up, he sees a Chinese laundress, so he climbs up to ask if it’s hers. It isn’t, but she offers him a moon cake and sends him to a neighbor whom she thinks might be the owner. The little boy’s journey goes on, as he climbs up balconies and across laundry lines, meeting and helping neighbors in small ways. In one case, he takes a penny to an Italian organ grinder from a Ukrainian mother with a crying baby, to see if some music will calm the baby. They are Chinese, Italian, Polish, Jamaican, Ukrainian, and Jewish, as revealed by their hanging laundry and tiny bits of their native languages sprinkled in (pronunciations and definitions given in a glossary at the end). Not until he reaches the roof of the building does he meet the owner. Once he is down on the ground again, the neighborhood is filled with friends instead of strangers and his shoeshine business is booming. One of my youth librarians points out that this is a rare book for preschool/early elementary that takes place during the “Olden Days” in a city rather than on the frontier. This is joyous celebration of the New World and of community.

New to America

Here are two new adult graphic novels that look at recent immigrants in old New York City, two very different takes on the same dilemma: how to survive in a country that isn’t entirely sure it wants your kind here, especially if you don’t have a husband to support you. In both cases, the graphic novel format brings the place vividly to life.

Gone to Amerikay by Derek McCullough. Art by Colleen Doran.
Adult Graphic Novels – Main Level - GON

This graphic novel interweaves the story of three periods of Irish people coming to America. In 1870, Ciara O’Dwyer comes with her young daughter Maire, expecting her husband Fintan to follow soon. She moves in with family in the slums of New York and starts working as a laundress to support herself. Months pass, and even though a letter arrives saying that Fintan is on his way, he never turns up. Only Tim O’Shea, an altar boy with her husband when they were small, comes. Tim tells Ciara that Fintan changed his mind, joined the military, and might turn up in a few years. Meanwhile, he gets involved with the Irish gangs in New York and starts drawing Ciara into his Life of Crime. Meanwhile, in 1960, Johnny McCormack, a young would-be actor, immigrates to New York and finds work performing traditional and original Irish music instead. He falls in love with another Irish boy, a less recent immigrant, who introduces him to the right people but also breaks his heart. Finally, in 2010, businessman Lewis Healy, made rich by the Celtic Tiger, comes with his assistant who is giving him a tour of the origins of “Ciara’s Song.” This was the least interesting story for me – nothing really happens to Lewis himself – but it holds key information to both of the other stories. There is a wee bit of ghost story mixed into this – really just one creepy spread - but lots and lots of Irish song lyrics and an old story or two. I never really got a feel for the modern character, but both Ciara and Johnny have for me a deep inner integrity that lifted them out of their sordid circumstances and gave the story, despite its many distressing elements, an overall upbeat feeling. I never lost confidence that both Ciara and Johnny would live out their American dreams, despite the many setbacks. Colleen Doran, famous for her work on Sandman, does not disappoint with the beautiful work that captures the people and places of all the different times. There is some violence that might make this unsuitable for young children, but overall, this is an uplifting tale of the Irish immigrants in America.


Unterzakhn by Leela Corman.
Adult Graphic Novels – Main Level - UNT

“Unterzakhn” is Yiddish for “underthings”, which seems to refer both to our main characters, on the bottom end of the social ladder, tied together with views of laundry lines drying underthings between chapters. This story takes follows two girls growing up in the tenements of New York, from 1909 to 1923. Fanya and Esther are six when we meet them, according to the back cover. Fanya is sent to find Bronia, the Lady-Doctor, because Mrs. Gold is bleeding out in the street. Unfortunately, Bronia is too late, and she refuses to tell Fanya just what has happened, despite her persistent questions. However, Bronia comes back to their mother to ask for permission to teach the girls to read. Permission is granted only for Fanya, as the mother doesn’t really think learning necessary for girls, and wants help still with their little sister Feigl. Even so, Esther finds herself drawn to the nearby burlesque and whorehouse. She’s interested in the dancing, and starts learning despite teasing from some of the other dancing about her Jewish looks. As the girls grow older, Fanya starts helping Bronia more with her work of helping women with childbirth, while also providing illegal abortions (mostly very early on, via herbal teas) and family planning training, just as controversial. In this world where death in childbirth is frequent and those who survive end up with more children than they can feed, Bronia’s advocacy for total celibacy seems reasonable. Meanwhile, Esther starts working on both sides of the House. After their father dies, a flashback shows us his journey to America from Russia, forced out by a regime willing to kill any Jews who won’t leave on their own. After his death, Fanya and Esther’s lives diverge further, as Esther gains fame and wealthy patrons, while Fanya’s work starts gaining her enemies. Spoiler alert: by the end of the book, only one member of the original family of five is still alive.

This is a much darker view of life in New York City than we see in Gone to Amerikay. There’s a lot of blood and unglamorous nudity, though not as much actual sex shown as one might expect for a book starring a prostitute. In spite of this, Corman’s characters are so full of life and joy, her strong black-and-white drawings so vibrant, that the book comes across as a celebration of the strong people of the tenements, determined to live their life to the fullest, no matter how shoddy the hand they are dealt.

The Wind

The Wind by Warren Zevon
Cd Bins - Rock Z



The best songwriters and musicians always seek to leave a legacy in their field that will hopefully be inspiring for those that come after them. Rocker Warren Zevon had a very successful career filled with multiple accomplishments that included the album The Wind. The album would be the last artistic achievement of Zevon as he would pass away from an inoperable form of cancer mere weeks after it was released in 2003. He began recording the album shortly after his diagnosis and many of the songs paint the picture of a man coming to terms with the end of his life but still trying to fight on and enjoy what he still could. On any other album, a cover of the song “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” might seem as a simple tribute to Bob Dylan but knowing the circumstances surrounding Zevon’s health gives the song extra poignancy.

Not all the offerings on the album deal with sentimentality as tracks such as “The Rest of the Night” show Warren was still a rocker at heart. But it is the final song that is the most impactful and moving on the album. “Keep Me in Your Heart” was written by Warren Zevon especially for his family members. The song is a testament to how easily good music can convey the emotions we feel regarding personal loss and the desire to be remembered by the people who were special in our lives. It is a shame that we will never know what else Warren Zevon could have contributed to the music industry but his legacy is already one that will most likely influence future musicians.

The Sisters Club

The Sisters Club by Megan McDonald
Youth Cd Books - Lower Level - McDonald

The Sisters Club by Megan McDonald is a very humorous and sweet tale. It tells the story of three sisters: the oldest Alex, the middle child Stevie, and the youngest Joey. All of the sisters are very different. Alex is almost 13 and loves acting. Stevie is 10-years-old and is "the glue" of the family. She always tries to make things better. Finally there is 8-year-old Joey. Sweet yet mischievous Joey loves homework, writing in her journal, and pioneers.

The three sisters engage in typical fights about parental affection, missing items, and crushes. Yet they also share sweet and tender times where they play the "remembering game" and have Sister's Club meetings with a sock monkey puppet. The sibling relationships are absolutely believable and hilarious. While their parents are included in the story, the real stars of the novel are the sisters.

The Sisters Club is the first book in a series. The other titles include The Rule of Three and Cloudy with a Chance of Boys. I listened to the title on Cd, and the narrators were absolutely wonderful in capturing the different personalities of each sister. It is an absolutely fantastic listen for parents and children alike. I guarantee that you will be laughing and smiling the whole time!