Reviews: Books for Adult/High School

Chaired by Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA

Adult/High School–This collection of short stories will appeal not only to fantasy and horror fans, but also to those who appreciate drama and suspense. The book was originally published in the United Kingdom in 2005; the U.S. edition contains 14 short stories, two of which are new to it, and a novella. Selections vary from “My Father's Mask,” a bone-chilling tale of a family on the run, to “The Widow's Breakfast” and the kindness of a stranger. Perhaps the most powerful aspect of this anthology is the author's ability to engage readers by eliciting a broad spectrum of emotions, in many cases all within the same story. Teens will find themselves disturbed, amused, and touched by the various conclusions to these tales. And while the plots and characters vary greatly, each story challenges readers to use their own imaginations while appreciating the tales' twists and turns. With their cliff-hanger endings, quick pacing, and three-dimensional characters, many of these selections will spark interesting classroom and book-club discussions. Recommend this title to teens looking for a book that will both challenge and entertain.–Lynn Rashid, Marriots Ridge High School, Marriotsville, MD

Adult/High School–Rumi's immigrant parents are almost brutally self-conscious about their lives in Cardiff, Wales. Although she was born in Britain, Rumi, too, feels most comfortable during her two trips to India. Otherwise, childhood for her is an almost endless series of mathematics, interspersed with a few awkward social moments with peers. Rumi has a true affection for numbers but her math professor father wants a prodigy and pushes her to attain feats that don't make her happy, including early entry, at 15, to Oxford University. Lalwani draws Rumi's gift and her pain with precision and elegance, including engaging explanations of such concepts as proper numbers, without breaking the novel's mood of near-hopeless striving. Only when Rumi reads tabloid accounts of herself does she realize that she is, in fact, abused, a prisoner to her father's need for accomplishment and her mother's failure to protect her from his demands. Both gifted teens and those with siblings and friends designated as such will empathize with the protagonist's self-realization, and many will cheer as she breaks away to pursue a more normal life.–Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA

Adult/High School–Terry Webber is a teen of the 1980s, but he is not your average 15-year-old–his mother drowned herself when he was eight months old and he has been raised by a hard-hearted and vacant father. Constantly moving from small American town to town for Benjamin's job, Terry has little chance to make friends, but he is strangely taken with Alice Washington, in Issaqueena, SC. One day Terry and Alice decide to leave home and join Alice's sister at her commune north of Boulder, CO, but on the way disaster strikes and Alice is killed in a car accident. This episode sends Terry on a downward spiral to drugs, alcohol, and violence as he retreats into his tortured psyche. While Land addresses a fairly typical teen-angst subject, this is an odd book, due in part to Terry's character. He is so disillusioned at times that it is difficult to identify with him, but the oddness also comes from the writing style, which is fractured, matter-of-fact, and void of emotion. However, this style should appeal to older teens who despise generic high school novels and their teachers' obsession with grammar-teens who sit at their computers daily watching their lives as though they are mere players in a game.–Jennifer Waters, Red Deer Public Library, Alberta, Canada

Adult/High School–Like smart sheep everywhere, those of Glennkill, Ireland, cherish their routines. They want their pasture time, their barn time, and their romance-novel time. Well, perhaps they are unique in that last desire–most sheep never develop a taste for the genre. But George's animals owe much of their understanding of the world, and particularly their knowledge of those strange human flocks that inhabit the nearby village and countryside, to his regular reading of the “Pamela novels.” They are content in their world, and extra happy because they have a dream they share with their good shepherd: to go to Europe, where there are endless fields of fresh grass and orchards of ripe apples. Then the unimaginable happens. George is pinned to the ground with a spade. Their shepherd is dead. Outraged, his charges set their minds to finding his killer. Led by Miss Maple, the smartest sheep in Glennkill (and perhaps the world) summon their considerable talents and, bit by bit, piece together the puzzle. First-time novelist Swann had tons of fun writing this, and all of it transfers seamlessly to readers. Teens will laugh out loud as the sheep decide who God is and what goes on in God's house. They also contemplate the nature of the Abyss, and Cloud Sheep, and why humans spend so much time, effort, and money hiding foul-tasting dried-up clumps of grass from one another. This lighthearted mystery is fresh, bold, engaging, and a joy to read.–Robert Saunderson, Berkeley Public Library, CA

Adult/High School–A labor leader is found dead in his bedroom, his throat slashed. The door is locked and bolted from within, as are all the windows, and there is no sign of a weapon. Suicide seems impossible, yet so does murder. How, after all, could the murderer have left the room? Written and published in 1891, The Big Bow Mystery is the earliest locked-room mystery novel, and a delight to read even 100 years later. Set in Victorian London, this puzzle story features Dickensian characters–Mrs. Drabdump the landlady (“whom fog did not depress. She went about her work quite as cheerlessly as usual”), Denzil Cantercot the poet (“Life was very serious to him. He never wrote comic verse intentionally”), and Peter Crowl the cobbler (“Crowl was a thinker, or thought he was–which seems to involve original thinking anyway”). The author's dry wit and satiric view of human nature will appeal to teens who have enjoyed Gulliver's Travels or Candide, as well as to those looking for a humorous mystery.–Sandy Schmitz, Berkeley Public Library, CA

Adult/High School–This is an account of how Bacon's parents met, fell in love, and eventually fled with young Ursula from Nazi Germany. The author's Shanghai Diary: A Young Girl's Journey from Hitler's Hate to War-Torn China (M Press, 2004) is set after that escape. Bacon's mother, Irene Burger, was the oldest daughter of Herman and Toni Burger, who ran an inn. She met Martin Blomberg while she worked in the family establishment. They were immediately attracted to one another, but Irene's mother insisted that her daughter marry a devout Jew, and her father questioned Martin's religious convictions. Neither World War I nor parental objections could stand in the way of the couple's love for one another. Eventually, they married, and Irene's life became one of privilege. However, Hitler was on the rise. Martin had an unwavering faith in the goodness of the German people, and the young family stayed in Germany when many other Jews were fleeing for safer lands. Strangers relates their struggle to survive in a world gone mad. Bacon vividly conveys the sense of urgency and yet ambivalence that many Jews faced as they confronted the harsh reality that their lives were in peril. This book is a great resource for students of the Holocaust. The author's unflinching prose conveys the insidiousness of evil as she recounts the horror unleashed by Hitler's unthinkable plan.–Catherine Gilbride, Farifax County Public Library, VA

Adult/High School–Even for readers not familiar with the Williams sisters and their impact on tennis, this book could be a real treat. The title says it all. The detailed, yet highly accessible history of blacks in tennis from the 1940s to the present is also the story of the modern game from a new viewpoint. Players from Australia, Africa, and France are included, as well as African Americans. Through extensive research and interviews, the sometimes shameful behavior of the United States Tennis Association and the triumphs and continuous struggle of blacks to achieve equality in the predominantly white, often elitist tennis world are described with passion. This book will appeal to teens interested in black athletes' contributions to sports, in tennis generally, or in sports facts. It is well documented and may be read for pleasure or for assignments. It also portrays new role models for succeeding in sports and in life, while struggling with discrimination.–Deirdre Cerkanowicz, Berkeley Public Library, CA

Adult/High School–Hughes (1930-1998) notes that while countless anthologies and collections have made available Shakespeare's sonnets and songs, few if any have focused on lines from the plays that can stand alone as complete poems. Only a poet of Hughes's stature could put together such an informed and engaging selection of Shakespeare's verse. Rejecting the reluctance of past anthologists, he breaks “into the sacred precincts of his drama'' and starts “looting portable chunks.” He mixes these dramatic passages with many of the strongest sonnets, arranging them thematically and structurally, creating a sequence of verse that adds new insight to the Shakespeare canon, and new pleasure for readers. This is a unique way of approaching and appreciating Shakespeare. In addition to the 218 “poems,” this volume, available in the U.S. for the first time, includes a brief introduction (written in 1991), an index of first lines, and a lengthy (38 pages) “Note” (undated). This note is a brilliant analysis of Shakespeare's solution to the problem of writing to two audiences: the highly educated, language-loving royalty, and the illiterate, action-loving groundlings. Hughes's essay, unfortunately, will likely prove too advanced for average teens, but the bulk of the book, the poems, is sure to please readers who have any appreciation of the plays and sonnets.–Robert Saunderson, Berkeley Public Library, CA

Adult/High School–Much has been written about obesity and its threat to public health. Kolata uses a study at the University of Pennsylvania, comparing the traditional low-fat diet to the Atkins diet, as a prism through which to examine the history and science of dieting. While diet and exercise are touted as the solution to obesity, studies show they aren't always effective. For example, heavy people who diet down to an “ideal” weight do not have the metabolism of those who easily maintain that weight. Instead, they have the metabolism of a starving person. How can anyone spend the rest of their lives in perpetual deprivation? In search of an easy, effortless solution, we turn to science. However, the actual causes of obesity are complicated, involving brain chemistry and development, and may in fact simply be part of becoming a better-nourished human race. Kolata has the ability to explain the science involved clearly and simply. She makes a powerful case for a dispassionate examination of the facts, divorced from the diet industry's promises and hype.–Susan Salpini, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA

Adult/High School–Levine's Dharma Punx (HarperCollins, 2004) tells the compelling story of the author's self-destructive early years, showing him mired in the culture of drugs and violence, and how the principles of Buddhism turned his life around. The author's second book works as a manual that is free of jargon and introduces readers to the most basic concepts of Buddhism: escape suffering, live simply, and treat yourself and others with respect and love. Levine uses these tenets to tackle issues like drug abuse, sexuality, the difficulties of abstinence, and being an active member of a community. Back matter has point-by-point instruction on Buddhist meditation. In contrast with similar titles, like Brad Warner's Hardcore Zen (Wisdom, 2005), this book offers little in the way of cultural references, humor, or other hooks to reel in readers who normally ignore philosophy books. Nevertheless, it is an excellent, concise resource for those who have found other works too daunting.–Matthew L. Moffett, Pohick Regional Library, Burke, VA

Adult/High School–According to Lopez, the celebration marking the passage of 15-year-old daughters from girlhood into womanhood has received a resurgence of popularity within the United States, often with families going into debt to throw lavish parties. As Cuban-American Barbara Ferrer so aptly describes the event in her story, it is “the disco music and fried chicken alongside the Tito Puente and arroz con frijoles.” In this compilation, 15 talented authors contribute their versions of quinceañera experiences that impacted their lives. Poignant, and without sentimentalization, these engaging selections, both fiction and nonfiction, will cross borders and appeal to teens interested in real-life family dramas and funny short stories that reflect a mixture of today's pop culture, ethnic identity, and coming of age in the modern world. This collection offers a memorable blend of the sweetness and pain that mark life's milestones.–Jodi Mitchell, Contra Costa County Library, Orinda, CA

Adult/High School–Teens will find this small book a fascinating read. It is filled with vivid photographs, and each page offers one of the 100 measures concerned individuals can take to help save the planet. While many of the ideas pertain to home owners or the workplace, they are easily transferable to families and schools. McKay and Bonnin offer brief, pithy suggestions in such categories as home, travel, and shopping. For each tip, they also provide the pertinent outcomes the action will have. Using the library and renting videos, for example, comes in at #66 and can benefit the planet through lower energy and water consumption, lower carbon emission, less waste, and saving money. Good for reports, this title will also appeal to teens interested in environmental activism.–Meg Canada, Hennepin County Library, MN

Adult/High School–The great-great granddaughter of Emily Post tackles the complicated topic of manners in the 21st century. She covers such questions as sharing chores with a roommate, how to decline a date gracefully, and how to talk to a professor about a bad grade. With a chapter devoted to cell-phone behavior, this isn't your grandmother's etiquette book. However, the author stays true to the family name and occasionally offers some admittedly old-fashioned advice, such as to hold a date's chair at the dinner table, insisting that such a gesture is charming and will endear you to your companion. The volume is filled with common-sense recommendations for everyday life and formal occasions. Post spells out her advice in detail, telling, for example, exactly how much to tip for a haircut at the salon. The book is fun to read, whether teens need to know what to wear to a black-tie party or they just want to imagine themselves at one.–Heidi Dolamore, San Mateo County Library, CA

Adult/High School–The author has considerable respect for the Founding Fathers and makes level-headed, convincing arguments that they fully expected the Constitution to undergo revisions periodically. He leaves the Bill of Rights untouched in his proposals for change and focuses on the structure of government: Congress, the Presidency, and the Supreme Court. The Senate, for example, would be more representative by granting the 10 most populous states two more senators, and the next 15 one additional senator each. Sabato also proposes that the Constitution should have a “Bill of Responsibilities”–a national service requirement (think Peace Corps, VISTA, AmeriCorps). Back matter includes the full text of the document. Extensive chapter notes are awkward to follow due to the use of sometimes lengthy Roman numerals. The issues presented here will make for exciting discussions and debates in social studies classes.–Paula Dacker, Charter Oak High School, CA

Adult/High School–In a snappy and easy manner, the authors provide a brief history of email, explain why people love it, review reasons for using it, and describe times when it should be avoided–for love letters, documents to be archived, and confidential correspondence. There are discussions on writing emails (essentially six types), subject lines, the use of contractions, font type and size, color, openings, and sign-offs. For readers who have ever sent an email and instantly regretted it, wondered about legality issues or whether or not that deleted email will stay deleted, or what information is hidden in an email's header, this guide provides the answers.–Joanne Ligamari, Rio Linda School District, Sacramento, CA

Adult/High School–Born in 1929, the author, like her middle-school friend Anne Frank, enjoyed a well-ordered and comfortable childhood, and was the younger child of a pair of sisters. Unlike Anne, who had immigrated with her Jewish parents to the Netherlands, van Maarsen was born there to a Dutch Jewish father and a French Catholic mother. At her mother's insistence, however, she and her sister became registered members of Amsterdam's Jewish community, in 1938. Van Maarsen encompasses the story of her friendship with and loss of Anne Frank with accounts of her own mother's immigration and her father's postwar experiences, but it is the story of that friendship, and the contrast between what happened to Anne and what happened to Jacqueline that will draw in teens. Black-and-white snapshots clearly show both girls' middle-class lives as well as van Maarsen's postwar re-meeting of Anne's father. The author is a quiet writer but she shows clearly the role that fate played in the Final Solution.–Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA