Happy Holidays from the West Allis Public Library!

From all of us at the West Allis Public Library, we wish you a very happy holiday season. Remember the Library will be closed Friday, December 25th. We'll be open from 9 am-6 pm Saturday, December 26th.

If you got a smartphone, tablet, or e-reader for Christmas, did you know that you can download library books onto your device? If you have questions, be sure to stop by. We'll be happy to help.

Battle Lines: A Graphic History of the Civil War by Ari Kelman

Less of a history than an examination of the lives of citizens caught in the maelstrom of the American Civil War, Battle Lines: A Graphic History of the Civil War uses its drawings very effectively to depict the horrors of war. Each chapter begins with a news report of Civil War events. The chapter then continues with an illustrated slice of life of ordinary people and the effect of war on their existence. Soldiers, wives, children, slaves, doctors, nurses, immigrants, gravediggers and farmers are some of the groups represented in the excellent drawings as they face fear, death, hunger, injury, amputation and all the other hardships that war brings to both civilians and soldiers. To write Battles Lines: A Graphic History of the Civil War, artist Jonathan Fetter-Vorm and historian Ari Kelman formed a partnership and created a brief but accurate account of the four year struggle between North and South. They have created not a "graphic novel" but a "graphic history" in which art, as art should, depicts not just the facts but also the emotions of war.

Letters to Santa Claus by Pat Koch, Head Elf

Letters to Santa are synonymous with the holidays. How else is Santa Claus supposed to know what's on those holiday lists? When children (and even adults) address their letters to Santa Claus, quite often they wind up going to Santa Claus, Indiana, a little town in southern Indiana. After being asked to play Santa Claus while being stationed in New York during World War I, Raymond Joseph Yellig promised that if he made it through the war, he would forever be Santa Claus. Since his death, his daughter Pat has worked with a team of elves, to continue to answer the letters that begin to arrive in the small town come November.

This book, Letters to Santa, features many letters written by children and adults asking for things as simple as warm underwear to a tricycle to a new husband. Many of the letters ask Santa to please remember those who are less fortunate. Many of the children writing come from households which might not necessarily be as affluent, so their letter to Santa is their only hope of getting a Shirley Temple doll or a computer.

Images of the actual letters sent to Santa have been included in this book. Organized by decade with letters dating back to the 1930s, this book is quite entertaining to look at. From the letter from Richard Sims telling Santa how he'll leave a bottle of beer and a liverwurst sandwich out for him on Christmas Eve to the letter from Sabrina just wanting her parents to stop arguing, this book will make you feel the hope that we all still look for as the holiday season approaches.

The Hours Count by Jillian Cantor

From the author of Margot, comes a new historical fiction book set in New York from 1947-1953. In The Hours Count, Cantor begins to weave the story of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg and Millie Stein together. Millie, her Russian immigrant husband Ed, and toddler son David, who doesn't speak, have just moved to the more upscale Knickerbocker Village apartments. Ed pays no attention to Millie or David as he's gone to work all day and comes home to drown his sorrows with vodka. Feeling completely alone and in desperate need for a friend, Millie meets her neighbor Ethel Rosenberg, and they bond over motherhood.

With World War II just over and the Soviet Union becoming more powerful, the United States is on the brink of the Cold War. With Communism, Joe McCarthy's Communist hunt, espionage, and the threat of an atomic bomb on the horizon, much of America is on high alert. When Millie meets Jake, a psychotherapist, at a party held by the Rosenbergs, she begins to question everything about her life. Is Ed really who he says he is? Could he be a KBG spy? As Jake works with David on his speech issues, it's clear to see that Jake isn't necessarily who he says he is either. Millie and Ethel's friendship winds together even more as the FBI begins to close in the Rosenbergs. As she sees her friend's life begin to unravel, Millie begins to realize that her life isn't what she once she thought either.

Paying close attention to detail, Cantor paints a clear picture of the hysteria that ensued surrounding McCarthy's Communist witch hunt. Although Millie is a fictional character, Cantor has researched the Rosenbergs and told an interesting story of a dark time in American history.

Happy Thanksgiving from the West Allis PublicLibrary!

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at the West Allis Public Library! The West Allis Public Library Staff Reads blog is taking a break over the Thanksgiving holiday. Remember that we're closed today Friday, November 27th, but we'll reopen tomorrow Saturday, November 28th with our normal hours. Take today to snuggle up and read a great book.

Who Do You Love by Jennifer Weiner

Rachel Blum has had a congenital heart defect from birth, one which she says has left her with a broken heart. Born into a loving family with parents who loving dote on her, Rachel can be a bit spoiled. After spending time in and out of the hospital until she was eight years old, Rachel became a "pro at this hospital thing." Her life will change forever the night she tells a story to a scared boy with a broken arm who is all alone in the hospital ER.

Andy Landis is the only child to a single parent, sometimes absent mother. Andy, whose father is African American and whose mother is white, doesn't quite fit in. With a father who is presumed dead and a mother who works all the time, but can never seem to make ends meet, Andy is often forced to wear clothing from the donation pile at church--even if it winds up being from his arch enemy in school. Headed down the wrong path, Andy meets his neighbor Mr. Sills who acts as a stand-in father.  After throwing a brick through a car windshield one night, Andy's mom suggests he channel all of his anger into running. From then on, Andy runs.

Little did Rachel and Andy know that their meeting in a hospital ER would change the course of their lives. Told in alternating view points for the next thirty years, the stories of Rachel and Andy lives begin to unfold. Coming from different walks of life, Rachel and Andy's love seems to defy it all. Weiner once again does a great job telling the story in Who Do you Love and leaves the reader questioning what true love really feels like.

Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor

It sounds like the opening of a joke: marine biologist, soldier and famous rapper are all on a beach… These three strangers are all walking on a Bar Beach in Lagos, Nigeria when they are interrupted by the sound of an explosion followed by a rising wall of water from the ocean.  The three are sucked out to sea and miraculously, re-deposited on the sand later unharmed.  Then, the unthinkable happens: the representative of an alien race makes first contact with Earth. 

The story of the three strangers picks up pace as we meet the alien envoy herself: a being who can change her appearance at will; a “woman” the biologist names Ayodele.  Soon, everyone is trying to meet the alien and use her for their own ends: young men hoping for money, priests who want to “convert” the entire alien race, crazies who are convinced the world is ending.  Panic engulfs the masses and we see the three strangers and Ayodele fighting to convince people that the aliens are here because they love the potential of Nigeria and they want to live among humans. 

Okorafor does a great job of describing the invisible anxiety that lies underneath all of Lagos in these new, uncertain times.  She describes people from all walks of life who are just living their lives and then have to figure out how to live now that everything has suddenly changed.  The pages of this book are charged with superstition and old-world magic; with the unknown and unknowable.  This is an examination of contemporary society under the guise of a science fiction novel.

Lagoon is available now.  

The Cherry Harvest by Lucy Sanna

Set during World War II in Wisconsin's beautiful Door County peninsula, The Cherry Harvest follows the story of Thomas, Charlotte, and Kate Christiansen, the owners of a cherry farm. With their son Ben and most of the men on the peninsula sent away to fight the Nazis, Thomas and Charlotte worry how they're going to survive the harvest season, until the mention of German POWs enter the picture. Many in Door County fear that these German POWs are nothing more than Nazi sympathizers. With enemies on Wisconsin soil, many living in Door County fear for their safety. Even though it's unpopular, the Christiansens, needing all the help they can get to make this cherry harvest successful, agree to have the POWs work on their property.

Much of this story focuses on the relationship between Kate and her mother Charlotte. Their relationship is not rooted in love. Kate is a typical teen, interested in fashion, her friends, and boys, particularly Clay the son of an Illinois senator vacationing in Door County for the summer. When a secret threatens to tear the family apart, Kate and Charlotte are forced to deepen their relationship.

The Cherry Harvest is written by the Wisconsin-born Lucy Sanna. Although this is a work of fiction, there were in fact German POWs who worked the cherry orchards of Door County. During 1944 and 1945, Wisconsin was in fact a harboring place for many German POWs. POW camps were scattered throughout the state from Door County to Eau Claire and Rockfield, just outside of the Cedarburg/Germantown area.

Wisconsin Supper Club Cookbook by Mary Bergin

Wisconsin is famous for its food. Beer, brats, and cheese are often staples in any Wisconsinite's diet. There's also the famous Friday night fish fry and the classic Wisconsin drink the Old Fashioned. Wisconsin is a state rich in food history. With that food history comes the supper club. Bergin's Wisconsin Supper Club Cookbook points out that each Wisconsin supper club is as unique as the small town in which it's located. Traditionally owned by a "local," these establishments are a toss back to a more simple time--homemade food, a small town feel, and a regular crowd.

Bergin's new book takes a look at some of Wisconsin's classic supper clubs. Broken up by geographical location, the book features some of the most favored recipes from of Wisconsin's most well know supper clubs. From cucumber dill spread from Redd Mill Supper Club in Stevens Point to bacon wrapped water chestnuts from Milwaukee's The Packing House, this unique cookbook is sure to have something for everyone. With a bit of a history about each supper club and lots of pictures, this book provides a unique glimpse at Wisconsin history and culture.

Ana of California by Andi Teran

Fifteen year old Ana, from East Los Angeles, has been in and out of foster families for most of her life. With only the option of a group home left, Ana and her social worker explore the possible options of emancipation, but only after Ana successfully completes a semester long farm trainee program. Willing to try just about anything, Ana agrees to being placed on the Garber family farm in Hadley, California.

Emmett and Abbie Garber are a brother and sister duo that have been running the family farm; however, times have been tough in more ways than just financial. Abbie makes the decision to take part in the farm program that brings Ana to them. Unlike Emmett, Abbie is thrilled to have Ana living with them, appreciating both Ana’s hard work and her positive presence.

Ana begins to acclimate to life in Hadley. Ana and Abbie bond over art, music, and life in general. While Emmett is a bit more gruff in his interactions with Ana, it's easy to see that she's beginning to create a soft spot in his heart. Ana's found a friend in the eccentric Rye Moon and has developed a crush on bad boy Cole Brannan. Tangled in small town secrets and gossip there are reasons Emmett and Abbie refuse Ana to see Cole. With setbacks along the way, Ana's biggest concern is being sent back to life in a group home.

Ana of California loosely emulates L.M. Montgomery's classic Anne of Green Gables series, but spinning it with a modern twist. For those who liked the classic L.M. Montgomery books, this will be an interesting read as you draw connections from Emmett and Annie to Matthew and Marilla, Cole to Gilbert Blythe, the nosy Minerva Shaw to Avonlea's Rachel Lynde. Avid Anne of Green Gables fans are sure to see the humor in this new take.

After You by Jojo Moyes

Jojo Moyes is back with her new book, After You, the sequel to her New York Times bestselling Me Before You. After You follows Louisa Clark after Will Traynor's assisted suicide. Louisa finds herself in the throws of grief, unable to move on. Much to her dismay, she's joined the Moving on Circle for those dealing with the loss of a loved one. She's working at a job she hates, with a horrible boss that makes her wear the outfit of an Irish dancer, right down to the curly haired wig. Though her luck can't get much worse, Louisa winds up taking a tumble off of her balcony, severely injuring her hip. Her life is a mess.

As if Louisa's life needs any more chaos, a teenager named Lily shows up to Louisa's flat with some shocking news--that she's Will's daughter. Wanting to know what her father and his family was like, Lilly befriends Louisa. For Louisa, already struggling with the loss of Will, the constant memories and once again dealing with the Traynors is often a bit much. Even though Lilly creates some chaos while she's staying with Louisa, she's the catalyst for Louisa's ability to begin to let go of her grief. Louisa finally feels complete enough to begin dating someone and do things she never thought she'd be able to do, including contemplating taking a caregiver-type job in the New York City.

With many of the same characters from Me Before You, Moyes' new book will make you laugh while also pulling on your heartstrings. From the sad ending of Me Before You, it's nice to see where Louisa's life ends up.

More Than You Know by Beth Gutcheon

More Than You Know is a novel that lies somewhere between a ghost story and a romance.  In the small coastal town of Dundee, Maine sits an old home referred to as "the Schoolhouse."  This building was once a schoolhouse on the nearby Beal Island and was moved to the mainland by an enterprising man who intended to rent the house to vacationers in the summer months.  Though he attempted several times, the families who had come to stay left almost immediately after arriving; demanding their money back without saying why.

The book is told in two parts: from the point of view of an elderly woman looking back on the summer she met the love of her life and as historical blurbs from a family who lives on Beal Island. We see flashbacks to the life of Claris Haskell- a woman stuck in an unhappy marriage, bound to a lonely life on Beal island away from her family. You learn about young Hannah, a teenager from Boston, who is staying with her half brother and reproving stepmother in the Schoolhouse for the summer.  She falls in love with local badboy Conary Crocker and the two soon find that they have more than just a mutual attraction- they can both see the malevolent spirit that haunts the Schoolhouse and Beal Island.  Soon Hannah discovers that a grisly murder was committed on Beal Island and was blamed on Haskell's daughter.  Could this murder be connected to the apparitions Hannah and Conary keep experiencing?

More Than You Know is the perfect creepy read for a dark October night.

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Ta-Hehisi Coates, a journalist who works for The Atlantic Magazine, is a writer who is constantly being mentioned in the realm of African American intelligentsia.  The great Toni Morrison has even gone so far as to consider him the next James Baldwin.  Coates' new book Between the World and Me proves this to be a grandiose but true statement in many ways.

The immediate comparison comes from the mirror between writing conventions.  Coates' work is written as a letter to his son explaining the experience of the damage done to black bodies in America.  This is very similar to Baldwin's "A Letter to my Nephew on the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Emancipation," a section of his book The Fire Next Time.  A section of "Letter" states:

I know what the world has done to my brother and how narrowly he has survived it and I know, which is much worse, and this is the crime of which I accuse my country and my countrymen and for which neither I nor time nor history will ever forgive them, that they have destroyed and are destroying hundreds of thousands of lives and do not know it and do not want to know it.

It is this concept of "the Dream" that Coates often refers to- the idea that the country as a whole is complicit in the crimes against African Americans and does not care to admit it- that shadows his words.

Coates follows the themes of exploitation, segregation and violence. What is it like to live in a black male body in the United States today?  What is it like to have a constant threat of violence enveloping your person?  What is it like to live in fear but with a hope that your child will be safe?  Coates explains "I tell you now that the question of how one should live within a black body, within a country lost in the Dream, is the question of my life, and the pursuit of this question, I have found, ultimately answers itself."

He goes on to explain his childhood in Baltimore.  That black children were told to be "twice as good" and yet ended up with half as much. That there was a delicate dance if one wanted to survive the streets but that the schools were no protection nor were they a pass into the Dream.  He says that:

The streets were not my only problem.  If the streets shackled my right leg, the schools shackled my left.  Fail to comprehend the streets and you give up your body now.  But fail to comprehend the schools and you gave up your body later.

 Coates compares the personal discoveries of injustice between himself and his son.  He discusses at length the day when he discovered that one of his college friends had been murdered by an undercover police officer just steps away from his fiance's home.  The author then says this about his son's experience:

That was the week you learned that the killers of Michael Brown would go free.  The men who had left his body in the street like some awesome declaration of their inviolable power would never be punished.  It was not my expectation that anyone would ever be punished.  But you were young and still believed.  You stayed up til 11 P.M. that night, waiting for the announcement of an indictment, and when instead it was announced that there was none you said, "I've got to go," and you went into your room, and I hear you crying.

Coates' views are only those of one black man living in America today.  He doesn't claim to speak for everyone and he doesn't want absolution.  He writes to wake up his whit.

Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling

The always funny Mindy Kaling is back with another hilarious read, picking up where her New York Times best selling Is Everyone Hanging Out Without ME? (And Other Concerns) left off. Why Not Me? touches on subjects like her days as writer and actress for The Office, writing, starring in, and producing The Mindy Project, how she truly feels about her friends getting married, awkwardly filming sex scenes, her friendship with B.J. Novak, and body image. And in true Mindy fashion, she goes off on ridiculously, funny tangents.

With her usual wit and charm, Kaling writes as if you're having an actual conversation with her over a cup of coffee or a few drinks. Just your average girl, she dreams about what her life would've been like had she not moved to LA and would've married a Jewish guy like she always planned. She understands what it's like to be thirty-something while all of her friends are getting married. Mindy Kaling candidly writes about her body, and how she's [still] learning to embrace her curves.With parts that are laugh out loud funny, Kaling's new book is difficult to put down. It's no wonder she's currently Hollywood's it-girl.

The Tusk That Did the Damage by Tania James

In The Tusk That Did the Damage, by Tania James tells the story of ivory poaching in southern India from three different points of view: the poachers; American documentary film makers; and an elephant, a rogue man-killer who buries his victims after the kill. Orphaned and captured by poachers as a young calf, the Gravedigger eventually escapes captivity and terrorizes the countryside, destroying crops and human life at will. The poachers hunt elephants to protect their crops and community and, also, for the valuable ivory tusks.  Brothers Jayan and Manu have lost a cousin to an attack by the Gravedigger and set out to kill the elephant as much for revenge as for his tusks. Jayan has killed elephants previously and even served prison time for the crime, but Manu is a gentler soul and very conflicted over the plan. Meanwhile, the American film makers document the work of an Indian veterinarian who has devoted his life to protecting elephants. Elephants are a species that needs protecting, but a rampaging elephant can destroy the lives and resources of people who have very little to start with, people who have their own need for protection. This struggle involves both man versus nature and man versus man. It’s an age old conflict with the addition of two modern elements: overpopulation and endangered species. 

The Stories We Tell by Patti Callahan Henry

In The Stories We Tell, Eve and Cooper Morrison have everything they could ever want. They have money, perfect careers, a beautiful house in Savannah, and the perfect, well-to-do, old family. Eve owns a letterpress studio, where she focuses on designing and making homemade cards, invitations, and special paper items. Her husband, Cooper, owns an e-magazine company. On the outside, everything is exactly how it should seem.

While everything appears perfect from the outside, that facade couldn't be farther from the truth. Eve's sister Willa is staying with Eve and Cooper just until she gets her life "sorted out." Eve's teenage daughter is going through a rebellious state. And as if that isn't bad enough for Eve, Cooper thinks that she's is so busy devoting time to everything else except her marriage to him.

Amid all of the chaos in the Morrison family, Cooper and Willa wind up in a car accident that leaves Willa with some memory loss. When Cooper tells what happened the night of the accident, things don't seem to match up. Why would Cooper say that Willa was drunk when she wasn't? Where did the money in Eve's business bank account go? Why is Eve receiving cryptic messages written in greeting cards designed by letterpress ?

Sorting through Coopers story, Willa's memories, and the real facts, Eve has to decide if her perfect life is really worth all of this.

Lila by Marilynne Robinson

The marriage of Lila Dahl and John Ames did not seem to be a match made in heaven, if heaven there be. The Reverend Ames, a minister with deep roots in Gilead, a small town in Iowa, was an elderly man who lived in the same house and preached in the same Congregationalist church that his father and grandfather had. Lila was a younger woman, a homeless vagrant laborer without religion, education, family, or even her own last name. However, when she stepped into Reverend Ames’ church during a service, seeking shelter from a rainstorm, she immediately caught his interest. Over the summer, they cultivated a relationship that eventually led to marriage and the birth of a child.  Lila had long been an independent woman and she did not easily accept anything the minister offered her, including security and, most particularly, his religion.

During the 1920’s, in the rural Midwest, a woman named Doll had snatched a very young Lila away from neglectful and possibly dangerous caretakers. They joined a small group of migrant workers, walking from farm to farm, seeking out a precarious existence by providing extra hands for the planting, weeding and harvesting that needed to be done. This life sustained them until the dust storms destroyed the farms, impoverished the farmers and eliminated any work for itinerant labor. But no matter how difficult their circumstances got, Doll always put Lila’s needs first, even ensuring that she received a small amount of education.

So, when in the early post-War years, an adult Lila wandered into Gilead and into Reverend Ames’ life, she resisted his theology or any theology at all. Quite a disadvantage for a friend, let alone a wife, of a small town minister. But Lila had her own ideas and looked at Christian teaching with a cool, analytical eye. Doll and her friends were uneducated in all matters except hard work. They were too busy surviving in a hard world to consider matters of religion or patriotism. Yet, they provided for and protected Lila for no other reason than their own human decency. Lila was not willing to abandon them or believe them to be in Hell for eternity because they were not baptized and did not know their prayers. They were “people no one would miss, who had done no special harm, who just lived and died as well as they could manage.”

John Ames was a patient and thoughtful man who did not insist that his wife adopt his religious beliefs. Lila was a thoughtful and introspective woman who eventually came to her own accommodation with Christian teaching. Their natures made their marriage possible.

Lila by Marilynne Robinson is a prequel to her Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Gilead although it can be read as a stand-alone book. (After reading this beautifully written book, some may be interested in reading [or rereading] Gilead. Definitely not action-packed, this is a book for readers interested in ideas and personalities.

Born With Teeth by Kate Mulgrew

These days, you’re most likely to recognize longtime actress Kate Mulgrew from her role as “Red” Reznikov on the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black.  But Mulgrew has a varied acting history that spans decades.

 In her new memoir, Mulgrew talks in detail about many of the stages of her life.  She details her upbringing in a large, Catholic family on a beautiful Iowa farm, going to New York to study acting with Stella Adler and the death of her younger sister.  A young Kate has to make a decision to work on not one, but two prestigious projects while quitting her training.

She has several intense romantic relationships and as a young woman, becomes pregnant and gives the baby up for adoption with no knowledge of the child’s whereabouts.   This painful decision colors much of her future and mental health but Mulgrew continues working at a staggering pace.  She eventually marries and has two sons with artistic director Robert Egan. By the end of the book, the reader sees two of the actress’s biggest life events: the search for her biological daughter and her role as Kathryn Janeway on Star Trek: Voyager. 

The actress who plays colorful roles on the stage and screen is no less vibrant in real life.  Mulgrew’s memoir is written with honesty, wit, and beautiful language.  Check out Born With Teeth from the library today!

The Book of Aron by Jim Shepard

When Aron was eight years old, his large Jewish family moved from their impoverished Polish village to Warsaw so his father could take a better job. His older brothers also found work and his mother took in laundry. Aron and his younger brother attended school. But their relatively better circumstances did not last long. The German army soon marched into Poland and into Warsaw. Eventually they established the Warsaw Ghetto, literally walling in the Jewish population, forcing 400,000 people into a small area of the city. Families had to double and triple up. Not only shelter, but food, medicine, fuel and clothing were in very short supply. Families began to rely on their smallest children for support. The children were able to leave the ghetto through small openings in the wall and then return, smuggling in the necessities of life. Aron joined a gang engaged in this activity. It was risky labor and getting caught could be fatal. Consequently, life became cheap. The children became inured to the pain and death of others, easily betraying and sacrificing cohorts to protect themselves. Aron lost all the members of his family, one by one, to disease and deportation. Then his fellow gang members either died or turned against him. Eventually he was put out of his own home by a squatter family and nearly died on the streets. Only the efforts of Dr. Janusz Korczak, a real life hero who advocated for and protected children even before the war, saved his life. Dr. Korczak found and brought Aron into his orphanage. Eventually, under the patient care of the doctor, Aron recovered his strength and, more importantly, his ability to empathize with others. He became a valuable assistant to Korczak, accompanying him on the begging excursions needed to feed the orphans. All in the ghetto were in bodily danger, but Aron’s humanity had been saved. Few stories on this subject have a happy ending but the right unhappy ending can be uplifting. 

Check out The Book of Aron at the library!

The Obituary Writer by Ann Hood

The year is 1960, and JFK has just been elected. With the election of such a young president, the entire country has the hope that with John and Jackie Kennedy in the White House, there will be change. Nobody hopes for this more than, Claire, a suburban house wife and mother of one daughter, with another baby on the way. Claire has everything she could want; a house in the suburbs, a loving husband, a family, and a group of friends. Despite having everything she could want, Claire is unhappy. She doesn't love her husband and feels stifled by her life. When Claire and her husband go away for his mother's birthday, Claire's life changes.

It's 1919 in San Francisco, where Vivien is looking for her long lost love who seems to have vanished during the terrible San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Refusing to believe that her lover, David, was killed in the earthquake, Vivien spends time looking for David. Vivien, who is an obituary writer, helps people deal with grief, yet can't come to terms with her own grief or the thought that David is dead. When death hits Vivien close to home, she realizes life is too short to spend life wondering what if.

Ann Hood does a wonderful job weaving together the two stories of Claire and Vivien in The Obituary Writer. For both women, who grieve different things, it's easy to see how their stories just might inspire one another. The Obituary Writer is a beautiful glimpse of two really interesting historical time periods. Hood's writing style makes this a quick, fun read while making you empathize with both Claire and Vivien.

A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson

Teddy Todd was the favorite child of mother, father and aunt. Sweet-natured and accommodating, his favorite boyhood activity was walking through the countryside near his home. He loved his pets, literature and Nancy, the girl next door. As an adult he maintained the same accommodating nature and was rather apathetic about adult endeavors, particularly employment. Before World War II, for want of any other interest, he followed his father and older brother into banking. After the war, he worked for local magazines and newspapers and married Nancy just because it seemed to be the thing to do. He lived and died as his wife, and later his daughter, wanted him to. But during World War II, he was different. War inspired him to join the RAF, become a leader of men and fly bombing raids over Germany. The gentle man who loved flowers and animals and poetry found his calling in raining down destruction on civilian populations. In years to come, he, like many other war veterans, found that later generations (represented by his self-absorbed, unlikeable daughter, Viola) did not appreciate, and even disparaged, his service and accomplishments.

A God in Ruins is a companion piece to Kate Atkinson’s award winning book, Life After Life but also a contrast, particularly in the aspects of wartime bombing. In Life After Life, Atkinson skillfully and with horrifying detail created a London suffering through a ferocious effort to bomb its populace into submission. A God in Ruins examines war from the perspective of the young men who, in the face of great personal danger, flew many times over enemy territory, bombing its cities.

Much of the appeal of this book lies in the author’s great descriptive abilities. Whether it is fear and camaraderie in the fuselage of a British bomber, contentment in walking through the countryside, the comfort of huddling around the warm stove in a cold kitchen, revulsion at the horror of war casualties, grief for the dead, or annoyance and irritation caused by many people and situations, Atkinson easily puts the reader in the psyche and physical space of her characters. 

Everybody Rise by Stephanie Clifford

It is spring in 2006.  Evelyn Beegan is 26 and is treading the same waters that most recent college grads have to brave: the first real job.  Evelyn is the newly minted director of membership for People Like Us, a new social networking site.  Think Facebook for the society set complete with invite-only membership.  As a teen, Evelyn attended Sheffield Academy- an exclusive eastern boarding school.  Now, we find our main character returned to her alma mater for the annual Sheffield-Enfield lacrosse match in order to do a little networking.  The book begins with Evelyn’s obsession to sign up all of the “right” people for the website but before we know it, she is desperately attempting to sprint to the top of New York City’s social hierarchy. 

Several reviews have likened Clifford’s Everybody Rise to an Edith Wharton novel set in the 21^st century.  This is an apt description, but Evelyn’s evolution throughout the book seems a much more positive one than any of Wharton’s female characters.  Evelyn must learn how to be a self-sufficient adult in a world outside that which her parents have always wanted her to find.  And more than that, to find a purpose in life.

Everybody Rise is available August 18^th.  Check out a copy now.

Royal Wedding by Meg Cabot

Princess Mia is back in Meg Cabot's newest book Royal Wedding. Like the generation of girls who grew up reading The Princess Diaries books, Mia is all grown up. The original cast including Michael, Lilly, Tina, and Grandmère are back and witty as ever. Mia is still struggling with everything that comes along with being the princess of Genovia including dealing with hounding paparazzi who nearly keep her trapped in the Genovian consulate. That's until Mia's longtime boyfriend Michael plans a surprise trip to the Bahamas. While on their own private island, Michael gets down on one knee and proposes to Mia. As if a royal wedding isn't enough for Mia, there are more surprises in store.

The Royal Wedding is sure to resonate with readers who grew up reading The Princess Diaries books. A generation of teen girls grew up along with Princess Mia, and now we're all feeling the same way she is--faced with relationships, first jobs, and figuring out how to be an adult.  Written in her usual way, Meg Cabot's Royal Wedding pokes fun at current pop culture, gets you laughing, and makes you want to re-read all of The Princess Diaries books.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

New York Times bestseller Kristin Hannah's newest book The Nightingale is set in 1939 France. With the world set for war, sisters Vianne and Isabelle are put to the test as World War II rages through Europe. Vianne, the oldest of the sisters, says goodbye to her husband Antoine as he heads to the eastern front. With an empty house, Vianne quarters a Nazi officer. Life is no longer what it was as Vianne's every move is watched, forcing her to act cautiously to protect her daughter Sophie. Vianne decides to make a bold move when the Nazis implement anti-Jewish laws in France. Realizing that she can't just stand by, Vianne does all that she can to make sure Jewish children are safe, even if it means risking her family's safety.

Younger sister Isabelle has always had the rambunctious streak. She doesn't sit by idly as chaos erupts. She's never been afraid to speak her mind, even if it gets her into trouble. Life in war-torn France is no different. Risking her life, Isabelle, known as the Nightingale, takes in downed airplane pilots. She doesn't just make sure they're safe from the enemy, she actually leads them over the Pyrenees to safety in Spain.

The Nightingale beautifully tells the tale of two women in the French Resistance movement. Kristin Hannah has the ability to paint the picture of just how desperate World War II made people in this heartbreaking, beautiful story.

Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West by Hampton Sides

Many Americans know little about the history of the American Southwest, other than the false impressions we have gotten through cowboy movies. In some of our minds, the fight for the Alamo was part of the Mexican-American war; “Manifest Destiny” was a righteous ideology justifying the absorption of western lands by the United States; the Indians were savages; and Kit Carson gets jumbled in with those other buckskin-wearing frontiersmen, Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett. The actual history of the area and its people is far more complicated and interesting than these stereotypes would make it seem. Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West by Hampton Sides is a well-researched, detailed, and entertaining history of the territory taken from Mexico by President James K. Polk as a result of the Mexican-American War. Basically a biography of Kit Carson-- hunter, trapper, explorer, guide, U.S. Army officer and both friend and foe of Native Americans—this book sets Carson’s life in the context of the greater American experience. And a violent and bloody experience it was, as emigrants from the East struggled to wrest New Mexico, Arizona, California and Colorado from the control of the indigenous people and residents still loyal to Mexico.  Later, after the discovery of gold in California and Colorado, and still later the Civil War, additional factions contributed to the turbulence in the area. Carson was at the center of much of the action. He lived in the vast wilderness west of the Missouri River from the age of sixteen and, although illiterate, could speak English, Spanish and various Native American languages. He became the go-to man when Santa Fe Trail merchants or the U.S. Army needed a scout or guide. He assisted John C. Fremont’s exploration of California. He was a scout and messenger for General Kearney, the first U.S. Army officer in the newly acquired territory. He was an agent for peace and war with Native American tribes, particularly the Navajo. And he was an officer in the Union Army, fighting in little known battles of the Civil War fought in New Mexico. The life of Kit Carson and the story of New Mexico are intertwined and filled with contradictions: cruelty and kindness, courage and cowardice, nobility and dishonor.  Blood and Thunder is fascinating reading, relaying an American history we should all be aware of. 

Happy Fourth of July!

The blog is taking a break today in honor of the Fourth of July holiday. Remember the West Allis Public Library will be closed July 3rd-5th. We'll reopen Monday, July 6th at 9 am.

The Girl Who Came Home: A Novel of the Titanic by Hazel Gaynor

Inspired by true events, The Girl Who Came Home: A Novel of the Titanic tells the story of Maggie Murphy, a seventeen year old Irish girl. Maggie, along with thirteen other members of her small Irish town, set sail on the maiden voyage of the unsinkable R.M.S. Titanic, in search of a better life in America. For Maggie, the trip is bittersweet as she leaves behind the man she loves.

Although the group of fourteen who set sail on Titanic from a small town in Ireland are third class passengers aboard the ship, Gaynor still paints a lovely picture of just how beautiful everything aboard the Titanic must have been. From the beautiful china with the White Star Line logo, to the description of the first class passengers, and the impeccable food served aboard the glorious ship, Gaynor makes the reader feel as if they're sailing on board with Maggie.

On that fateful night in April, when Titanic hit the iceberg, Maggie is the only one from her group of fourteen to make it aboard the Carpathia, and eventually to safety at a New York City hospital. With a bit of recovery ahead of her and no family with her, Maggie is unsure what to do next.

Fast forward to 1982, where Grace, a young journalism college student begins to drift after the unexpected death of her beloved father. That is until Great-grandmother Maggie tells the story of what happened aboard the Titanic the horrible night of April 15th, 1912. After hearing Maggie's story, Grace once again feels the fire to write. After having Maggie's story published, Grace's life slowly begins to rebuild itself. When the offer presents itself Grace and Maggie find themselves in Ireland. It's proof that you're never too old to go home.

With Gaynor's attention to detail and her ability to tell a story, this book will suit the reading interests of Titanic and historical fiction enthusiasts alike.

When Books Went to War by Molly Guptil Manning

World War II was a war that united the American population like no other. Young men enlisted to serve in the Armed Forces and civilians pitched in by making whatever sacrifices they could make: planting Victory Gardens, living with food and gasoline rationing, turning possessions into scrap (metal, paper, cloth), and donating books for the troops. Unfortunately, the book donation program was not entirely successful. Many titles donated were not of interest to young American men (knitting, theology, and foreign policy, just to name a few of the not terribly enticing subjects.) But an even bigger problem was the size of the books. Before the 1950’s, very few books were published in paperback. The hardcover books were simply too big and bulky for an infantryman to add to his already heavy load of over 60 pounds. A solution was proposed and accepted—small, lightweight books printed especially for the men in the Armed Services. ASEs (Armed Service Editions) were designed. Titles were chosen, printed and distributed to the far corners of the earth. And they were greatly appreciated by men in foxholes, in jungles, in deserts, on ships and in hospitals. Surprisingly perhaps, the most popular title was A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. Many soldiers and sailors wrote to her, describing the comfort they found in her story of a Brooklyn family, living an American life much like theirs. Second in popularity was Chicken Every Sunday by Rosemary Taylor, a memoir of life in her mother’s boarding house with many mouth-watering descriptions of good old American food. There were many other popular authors like Ernest Hemingway, Marjorie Rawlings, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Mark Twain and Charles Dickens, as well as histories, biographies, poetry and numerous other subjects. Many of the service men were readers who took solace in books. Others were introduced to reading for pleasure by the ASEs and returned home with a new interest in literature. Librarians and publishers fought shortages of funds, shortages of paper and, eventually, even censorship to keep the program running and, in the end, they were as victorious as the American Armed Forces.  Anyone reading a blog like this one can appreciate the contribution the ASEs made in the quality of life of the American G.I. When Books Went to War lists all the titles published by the program, year by year. Some of the titles are out of print, but, for the information of the omnivorous and curious reader, many are available in our library system.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simson

Meet Don Tillman, a brilliant genetics professor at an Australian university. Within the first few pages, the reader realizes that Don isn't your ordinary person. He's a bit socially inept--he has few friends beside Gene (a fellow professor studying attraction to women of different decent, by, of course, sleeping with women from different countries) and Claudia, plans his daily schedule down to the minute, and calculates people's BMIs upon their first meeting. As the reader learns a bit more about Don, they realize that Don's social inadequacies have clearly hindered him from falling in love. Realizing that the perfect girl is the part missing from his life, Don takes it upon himself to create a questionnaire with crazy, detailed questions to find the most suitable female partner.

Enter Rosie, who is nothing like Don. She's constantly late, disorganized, and is in no way a suitable match for Don. When Don thinks that Rosie is a woman who filled out his questionnaire, he garners up enough courage to ask her to dinner. The first night Don and Rosie meet turns into a fiasco, in true Don fashion. As the two begin to talk about their lives, Rosie tells Don that she doesn't know who her father is. This piques the ear of Don, the genetics professor. It's then that the Father Project develops. Don agrees to use his love of academia and the study of genetics to help Rosie find her dad.

As the two of them work to find out who Rosie's dad is, it seems as if a chemistry is built. 

The Rosie Project will have you laughing until the very end, while constantly rooting for the socially awkward protagonist to find the love that he so desperately deserves.

Big Little Lies by Lianne Moriarty

Big Little Lies follows three women, all at a crossroads in life. Meet Madeline, a forty-something, divorced and remarried mom of a teenager and two elementary school age children. To put it lightly, Madeline is never afraid to speak her mind. Her oldest, Abigail would much rather live with Madeline's ex-husband and his new wife, Bonnie, much to Madeline's chagrin. As if that wasn't bad enough, Madeline's youngest has just started kindergarten with her ex-husband and Bonnie's daughter. Awkward.

Enter Celeste. Seen as the gorgeous, wealthy mom of two twin, kindergarten-aged boys Celeste has all that she could ever need...on the outside. Although money has never been an issue and she's tall and beautiful and her life appears otherwise perfect, that couldn't be farther from the truth. Though pretending to have a perfect marriage on the outside, Celeste tries desperately to hide the fact that she's the victim of domestic abuse. There's a constant inner struggle for Celeste...should she leave Perry? What about the boys?

Then there's new to town, young, single mother Jane. Jane is plain. reserved and often appears sad, worrying about her five year old son, Ziggy. While Jane's mom is so enamored with the fact that Ziggy is his grandfather reincarnated, Jane is concerned that Ziggy has inherited some questionable behavior from his father, Jane is constantly on edge trying to protect the little life she's created, but will it be enough to protect them?

When all of these women meet at kindergarten orientation, they realize that though their stories may be different, they completely understand one another. This whodunit  type story revolving around murder, bullying, and domestic abuse, will definitely keep you reading, laughing, and guessing who exactly did what.

The Ploughmen by Kim Zupan

Two men who have very little in common are thrown together by crime and punishment in the Montana penal system. Valentine Milimaki is a young Copper County sheriff assigned to guard psychopathic serial killer, John Gload, an old man finally caught after years of criminal activity.  They are able to make a connection despite their very great differences. Both grew up essentially motherless on hardscrabble Montana farms. Both love their wives but have trouble with their relationships. And neither one can sleep. Gload was a ruthless killer who robbed and mutilated his victims to cover up his crimes. He had been a careful killer, so although he began his life of crime as a young teen, he was not caught until he reached his seventies. After Gload’s arrest, Milimaki must sit guard outside of Gload’s cell, listening to him chain smoke and talk about his past, all the while worrying about his wife, who seems about to leave him. Other deputies try to interfere with their odd relationship, believing the deputy to be too soft to handle a killer. They don’t realize that Gload can still be just as dangerous in prison as he was out of it.   In The Ploughmen, Kim Zupan has written, in a spare style, a thriller and an evocative description of Montana’s landscape as well as its rural inhabitants.

One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

Jess Thomas is a single mom, raising not only her math whiz daughter Tanzie, but her makeup wearing, bullied stepson Nicky. Oh, not to mention there's also the family's beloved, slobbery, often lazy dog Norman that Jess has to worry about. Life hasn't been easy for Jess since her husband Marty left two years ago. Since then, she's been working like crazy cleaning houses and bartending just to make ends meet. With money being tight and Jess needing to find a way to get Tanzie to the math Olympiad in the hopes of getting her into a great school, Jess winds up doing something she never thought she'd see herself doing.

Ed Nicholls is the head of a software development firm. Money has never been scarce for Ed, so much so that he owns a beachfront home in England (where Jess just so happens to be his cleaner), a flat in London, and far too many cars to count. Things are going well for Ed until he's investigated for insider trading. With his family constantly on his case to visit his dying father, Ed can't begin to bare letting them down with the news of the insider trading scandal.

In One Plus One, as only Jojo Moyes can do, Jess and Ed's stories end up being wound together with wit, charm, and romance. After a strange occurrence on the side of the road, Jess, Ed, Tanzie, Nicky, and even, slobbering Norman wind up spending lots of time together in the car in an attempt to get Tanzie to the math Olympiad on time. Disagreeing on eating out, renting hotel rooms, and pretty much anything else money related, Jess and Ed realize that although they come from completely different worlds, there's a spark that just can't be quelled. When things go awry, will Jess and Ed's love last?

God Help the Child by Toni Morrison

Lula Ann Bridewell’s problems began at birth when her blue-black skin shocked and horrified her light-skinned parents. Ultimately her father deserted the family and her mother, while providing basic care, could hardly bear to touch or even look at her. Lula Ann survived her tough childhood and grew into a strikingly beautiful woman whose black skin and eyes were her most admired features. Renaming herself Bride, she became a successful business woman. However, personal happiness still eluded her. She remained estranged from her mother. Her efforts to make amends for a childhood offense ended in pain and violence. Her closest friend was after her job. And most painfully, her true love, Booker, disappeared from her life, giving her only the mysterious explanation of, “You not the woman I want.” However, Bride does not give up so easily. Using the slightest of clues, she traces the whereabouts of someone, Q. Olive, who might know where Booker is. On a road trip to find Q. Olive (and perhaps Booker), Bride runs into some trouble and, consequently, meets some salt-of-the-earth people who assist her on her journey. God Help the Child by Nobel Prize winning author, Toni Morrison, pits violence and the wide-spread damage of child abuse against the resilience and decency of human beings.

Siege of Krishnapur by J.G. Farrell

It takes a very talented writer with a light touch to write a comic novel based on an actual tragedy. J.G. Farrell was such a writer and his Booker Award-winning book, The Siege of Krishnapur gives a witty account of a mutiny staged against a British garrison by sepoys (native soldiers).  In mid-nineteenth century India, the fictional Krishnapur, an outpost of the British East India Company, is cut off for months from supplies of food, medicine and other commodities by a native revolt. Eventually disease and starvation cause great suffering and many deaths.  Within the walls of the garrison, Farrell creates a microcosm of all that is admirable and despicable in Victorian society. The British react to this attack in the best way they know—stoically maintaining their British way of life. Hence, they keep class stratification strictly in place throughout the siege, particularly in the division of food, clothing and shelter, and even in the process of burying their dead. And there are many dead, so many bodies awaiting burial that the vultures become too fat to fly. The story revolves around several main characters, well-known Victorian types—stern paternal figures, beautiful self-absorbed daughters and wives and even a fallen woman. There are men of business who cannot agree on the management of the crisis; men of the cloth who cannot agree on the spiritual decisions that must be made; and men of science, who cannot agree on the treatment of cholera and  other diseases and injuries.  They are all forced to struggle for survival in the small, poorly stocked garrison and their hide-bound sense of superiority does not serve them well.  

Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan

After its army captured Burma from the British during World War II, Japan identified a need for an overland route in order to safely supply its troops. For this purpose, the army’s High Command decided that a railroad line through Burma was necessary. It was to be built with limited plans, primitive tools, slave labor, impossible orders and unfailing devotion to the emperor. Many of the laborers were Australian prisoners-of-war who had surrendered at the fall of Singapore.  In Narrow Road to the Deep North, Richard Flanagan tells the story of some of these Australians. Dorrigo Evans was a doctor who tried his best to protect his men from the worst cruelties of the Japanese deprivations. But the men who were forced to work on this railroad, surviving on starvation rations, without proper tools, without adequate clothing, shelter, rest and medicine, could not be protected. They died by the thousands. Every man was missed but one unnecessary death seemed to affect this tightly-knit group more than any other—that of Sergeant Darky Gardiner, a man of inner strength, a steady demeanor and common sense. After the war, Gardiner’s death haunted the survivors, both war hero Evans and the rank-and-file enlisted men as they struggled to put the horrors of the war behind them. In this Man Booker Prize winning book, Flanagan writes moving depictions of men suffering from hunger, exhaustion and disease. He creates characters the reader comes to deeply care about. Perhaps this is because the book is dedicated to Prisoner san byaku san ju go (335), his own father. 

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes weaves the tale of two stories together to create a captivating book. The first story, set in World War I France follows a young woman named Sophie, the owner of a hotel. When the Germans make their way into France, Sophie and her sister are forced into using their hotel restaurant to feed the German soldiers and their Kommandant. With her husband gone to war, the Kommandant and Sophie begin to chat about art, particularly the piece entitled The Girl You Left Behind which was painted by Sophie's husband. Not hearing from her husband for several months has Sophie desperate to do just about anything to ensure that he is safe, even if it means sleeping with the enemy. When things don't go according to plan, Sophie is sent to a prison camp in Germany and little is known about after that.

Fast forward to the year 2000 in London, where Liv is still grieving her architect husband. On a whim one night, Liv decides to go out on the town where she meets Paul, a former cop. The two strike up a relationship only to have that relationship go awry when Liv finds out that Paul is working for a firm that recovers stolen art work. When Paul realizes that Liv is now the owner of the once looted, now sought after painting of The Girl You Left Behind things get far more complicated.

Moyes does an amazing job of weaving together two captivating stories so different from one another. Who will keep the painting? What happened to Sophie? Can Paul and Liv work things out? All of these questions come down to the final few pages. Using beautiful language, Moyes once again wrote a book that's unable to be put down.

Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill

In Department of Speculation, author Jenny Offill employs an unusual style to tell the story of a marriage. In this book, the wife (all characters are unnamed) records thoughts and experiences about her life in New York City.  She ruminates about earlier suitors, how her husband wooed and won her, the birth of their child, the stress of living with bedbugs and, eventually, the strain of infidelity on a marriage, even a marriage with what seems to be an ideal partner. With small observations about Buddhism, stars, Antarctic exploration, space travel and other diverse subjects, Jenny Offill tells a modern day love story in lyrical, poetic language. 

Check out Dept. of Speculation at the library today!

Margot by Jillian Cantor

At some point in life, whether it be in school or based on personal interests, chances are you've read the classic, The Diary of Anne Frank. Thanks to Anne's diary quite a bit is known about the Franks and the Annex they hid out in to avoid Nazi persecution during World War II, yet not much is known about Anne's older sister Margot.

Margot, a work of fiction by Jillian Cantor, is written from Margot Frank's perspective had she survived and not died in Bergen-Belsen in 1945 along with her sister Anne. Margot follows Margie Franklin (Margot Frank's Americanized name) as she's a typist for a law firm in the United States during the 1950s. Settling on Philadelphia after the war, Margie struggles to find her true love Peter van Pelt, who lived alongside the Franks during hiding in the Annex. Margie does everything she can to keep her former identity hidden including lying to her friends, wearing a sweater even in the hottest weather to cover up the tattooed number on her arm, saying Shabbat in secrecy on Friday nights and even denying any Jewishness. When The Diary of Anne Frank comes to theaters, Margie's life is turned upside down. Will she reveal her true identity or do everything she can to avoid embracing who she once was?

Much of the book reflects on Margot's life during hiding while also focusing on the overwhelming guilt she would feel, as many did feel as a Holocaust survivor. Cantor has woven a wonderful story around the classic Diary of Anne Frank and such a tragic historical event while shining light on the stories of survival and never forgetting where one comes from.

Check out Margot @ the library!

Beauty Poetry: She Walks in Beauty and Nature Poetry: Make Me a Picture of the Sun by Sheila Griffin Llanas

Two slender volumes filled with information about poets and poetry, Beauty Poetry: She Walks in Beauty and Nature Poetry: Make Me a Picture of the Sun by Sheila Griffin Llanas will be of interest to readers who like words, rhyme, rhythm and history. Each volume contains eight poems with a chapter devoted to each poem. Each chapter provides a biography of the poet, a short discussion of the poem in its historical context, an analysis of the rhyme and rhythm scheme and a discussion of the meaning of the poem. The writers are well-known poets of the English language, such as William Wordsworth, Emily Dickinson, William Shakespeare and Lord Byron. Many of the poems, but perhaps not all, will also be familiar. The explanations of all elements of each poem are easily understood and, just as an art expert can point out the importance of brush strokes or tints in a famous painting, Ms. Llanas isolates particular words and phrases that add to the understanding of a poem. These books are a good introduction or a good refresher to poetry. 

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste NG

Leo Tolstoy wrote that, “…each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” The Lee family, living in a small town in Ohio during the 1970s, is a good example of this. Their unhappiness, which had driven middle child Lydia to disappear on a summer night, involved none of the usual components of the dysfunctional family. There was no alcoholism, drug abuse, physical violence, mental illness, poverty or infidelity. There was simply a lack of communication.

The parents, James and Marilyn, were disappointed with their lives. Marilyn had planned to defy her mother’s expectations for her, perfect wife and homemaker, by becoming one of the few women of the 1950’s to qualify for medical school. James, the son of Chinese immigrants, striving to be accepted as a true American, became a professor who taught a class focusing on the American cowboy. Unfortunately, Marilyn’s plans for medical school were disrupted by an unexpected pregnancy. And the academic community put little value on James’ area of expertise. He was viewed as odd and was offered only one teaching position.

So they transferred their ambitions to their children, particularly Lydia. Marilyn, making the same mistake her own mother had made, assumed that Lydia wanted what she had wanted, medical school. And James pushed her into a tortured social life which had her lurking at the edges of the gym at school dances and pretending to talk to friends on the telephone. Meanwhile they ignored their other two children, Nath and Hannah, whose real interests and abilities seemed insignificant in comparison to those imagined for Lydia.

The family imploded after Lydia’s disappearance, shortly after her sixteenth birthday. Rage and recrimination from past slights and injuries came to the surface and drove the family members apart. It seemed a point of no return had been reached. Only quiet and observant Hannah, who knew some of Lydia’s secrets, could help the others come to terms with what had happened.

Check out a copy of Everything I Never Told You @ the library!