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Historical Fiction May 2021
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| Cloudmaker by Malcolm BrooksWhat it is: An atmospheric coming-of-age story about a Montana teen and aspiring aviator who tries to secretly build his own airplane during the summer of Amelia Earhart's final flight.
Read it for: The cast of indelible secondary characters and the way the construction project deeply touches each of their lives.
About the author: Malcolm Brooks has published nonfiction in Outside and Montana Quarterly, and the novel Painted Horses, another quietly atmospheric, western-set story. |
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| Libertie by Kaitlyn GreenidgeWhat it's about: In Reconstruction-era Brooklyn, free-born Libertie Sampson wrestles with the conflict between her physician mother's desire for her to go to medical school and the developing music industry that she feels drawn to.
What makes it unique: Its portrayal of the lives of well-to-do African Americans who were free before the Civil War; Libertie's eventual journey to Haiti, which explores cross-cultural relationships in the African diaspora.
Also available in eBook & eAudiobook on Hoopla |
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| My Old Home: A Novel of Exile by Orville SchellWhat it's about: The lush and richly detailed saga of Li Wende, a pianist who leaves China in the 1950s to study at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music only to return during the Cultural Revolution to a country he barely recognizes.
Read it for: The insider perspective on the Cultural Revolution (rare in English language fiction); the dark moments of absurdist humor reminiscent of M*A*S*H and Joseph Heller's Catch-22.
About the author: My Old Home is the debut novel of academic, journalist, and activist Orville Schell, best known for his writing about international relations. |
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| The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara CollinsIntroducing: Frannie Langton, a Jamaican servant languishing in Newgate Prison as she awaits trial for the murders of her employers.
Why you might like it: Framed as Frannie's confession, this debut offers Gothic atmosphere, vivid recreations of both West Indian sugar plantations and Georgian London, and a penetrating exploration of Enlightenment-era scientific racism.
Also available in eBook & eAudiobook on Hoopla |
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| The Nugget by P.T. DeutermannWhat it is: A compelling historical thriller, unfolding in the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor and following the exploits of Navy Ensign Bobby Steele on land, at sea, and in the sky.
Why you might like it: The story hits the ground running, deftly combining the action and adventure of modern military thrillers with the exciting historical setting. |
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| The Fifth Column by Andrew GrossWhat it is: A spare, fast-paced story of personal turmoil, espionage, and terrorist plots inspired by the true story of the Duquense Spy Ring.
Starring: Charles Mossman, a Jewish man reconnecting with his wife and daughter after serving time for manslaughter; the Bauers, the Mossman family's likable new Swiss neighbors who vociferously denounce Nazism but appear to have other secrets.
Also available in eAudiobook on Hoopla |
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| Blame the Dead by Ed RuggeroWhat it's about: Once a Philadelphia beat cop, Lieutenant Eddie Harkins is ordered to investigate the case of an unpopular army doctor whose death took place during a German air raid on their Palermo base but has all the hallmarks of an inside job.
Read it for: The long list of suspects who all had good reasons to want the unlikable doctor dead; the well-rendered Italian setting, which is one of the less-featured locations for American World War II fiction. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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