| My Name is Anton by Catherine Ryan HydeNew York, 1965: Still recovering from his brother's death, troubled teen Anton is fiddling around with his telescope when he discovers that a neighbor is beating his wife, a woman named Edith. Moved to action, Anton connects Edith with a friend who can shelter her if she decides to leave her husband.
Washington D.C., 1980: On a train into the city, Anton and Edith run into each other and despite their age difference, form a heartwarming bond built on Anton's act of kindness 15 years ago.
Read it for: Anton's engaging narration and emotional resiliency. |
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| Better Luck Next Time by Julia Claiborne JohnsonWhat it is: an amusing and dramatic story set in 1930s Nevada as Reno becomes the center of a burgeoning industry in quickie divorces.
Starring: Yale dropout Ward Bennett, who takes a desperately needed job at a dude ranch that hosts soon-to-be-divorcées; guest Emily Sommer, who shares an undeniable spark with Ward despite her cool veneer of patrician superiority; larger-than-life aviatrix Nina O'Malley, a guest who is on divorce number 3. |
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| Yellow Wife by Sadeqa JohnsonThe setup: Mixed-race Pheby Brown is anxiously awaiting her 18th birthday, when her white father (and owner) Jacob has promised to set her free.
What goes wrong: A carriage accident kills Pheby's mother and incapacitates her father, and Jacob's bitter and jealous wife seizes the chance to sell Pheby to a cruel jailer, whose treatment Pheby endures until an unexpected opportunity arrives.
Reviewers say: Yellow Wife is a "powerful, unflinching account of determination in the face of oppression" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| The Prophets by Robert Jones, Jr.What it is: a lyrical and heartwrenching story of the power of human connection under even the worst circumstances.
The premise: Enduring the horrors of slavery, two young men living on a Mississippi plantation find love and solace in each other. But when another slave becomes a preacher to gain favor with their master, they soon become a target of his sermons and their community begins to fracture.
You might also like: Edward P. Jones's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Known World, which also features arresting writing and centers on the complex relationships that develop in communities of enslaved people. |
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Books You Might Have Missed
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| The First Actress: A Novel of Sarah Bernhardt by C.W. GortnerStarring: legendary French actress Sarah Bernhardt the unwanted daughter of a courtesan who rose to a level of international stardom never seen before.
Why you might like it: Bernhardt's life -- both professionally and personally -- was a dramatic one, from having a child out of wedlock to working as a nurse during the Franco-Prussian war to her outrageous yet brilliant publicity stunts.
About the author: C.W. Gortner's other biographical novels include The Vatican Princess, The Romanov Empress, and Marlene. |
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| Aria by Nazanine HozarWhat it's about: the difficult childhood of Iranian orphan Aria and her own journey into motherhood as the 1979 Revolution unfolds around her.
Try this next: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, another sweeping novel that features a woman navigating complex personal circumstances against a backdrop of major social upheaval.
Reviewers say: Aria is a "vibrant, unsettling portrait" of "a nation's fraught history" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| The Henna Artist by Alka JoshiStarring: artistic Lakshmi Shastri, who has left behind her arranged marriage to make a new life for herself in 1950s Jaipur, India, where she works as a henna artist for wealthy women in the city.
The problem: Lakshmi's 13-year-old sister Radha arrives at her door with news that their parents have died, and in her grief Lakshmi must find a way to keep her own dreams alive while making room for her sister in her life.
Why you might like it: Lush writing evokes the sensory experience of hectic, beautiful Jaipur; Lakshmi's determination and adaptability, which make her easy to root for. |
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| An Elegant Woman by Martha McPheeWhat it is: a sweeping saga that chronicles four generations of women in the Stewart family, from a one-room Montana schoolhouse in the early 1900s to East Coast respectability a century later.
Read it for: the rich historical details; the complexity of its well-developed characters, including gutsy matriarch and suffragist Glenna, imaginative and wily chameleon Katherine.
Reviewers say: "Delicately rendered characters inform a richly textured family portrait" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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