Adult Books for High School Students

Adult/High School—Thoughtful, well written, and reflective, this novel chronicles the comfortable and predictable life of Claudia Hewitt. Born in Sweden to a single mother, she moves to Canada as a teenager with her mother and stepfather. Despite their affluence and security, Claudia considers her life boring and predictable. After college, she travels to Spain, where she is confronted with a tragic event and finds that her ties to her home and family are stronger than she thought. Upon returning home, she marries, has four children, and later loses her beloved husband to a heart attack. In the aftermath of his death, Claudia's loneliness brings a sad reflection on her relationships with the rest of her family. Always close with her mother, Claudia decides to accompany her to her native Latvia—a country she was forced to flee as a teen as a result of Soviet occupation. While uncovering the secrets of her mother's past, they discover unknown family members and begin the journey of healing past wounds. The dry, subtle humor will challenge most teens, but the characters are well drawn and the plot is accessible as well as beautifully constructed. Readers will connect with young Claudia and recognize elements of their own families in the Hewitts. This is a subtle novel that details the strength, forgiveness, and power of family while examining the ties that bind people together.—Lynn Rashid, Marriots Ridge High School, Marriotsville, MD

Adult/High School—This slender book opens with a foreword by its fictional author, Jay Katz, PhD, in which he describes how, many years earlier, he had unearthed a list of names buried deep beneath the ruins of a German city. Determined to understand just what the list might mean, he took to the road to interview local villagers, who told him that they are the names of the "Lamedh-Vov," the 36 anonymous people who must exist on Earth to make it a better place. Among them are a whore, a fool, a thief, and a gambler. Written in a folkloric style, with short lyrical sentences that incorporate some modern wording, the tales appear to be easy reads, but have a depth that creates questions that beg for discussion. They are rich with Jewish tradition, and teens who lack that knowledge may need guidance in order to fully understand them.—Connie Williams, Kenilworth Jr. High, Petaluma, CA

Adult/High School—What is the common ground between a nine-year-old Word War II evacuee from London and a present-day abused woman and child running from a violent past? An old family estate in Cornwall provides the common ground in this mystery in which past and present collide. Lily is sent to Rospectroc during the war, where she is supposed to be cared for, but instead finds abuse and mistreatment at the hands of the dysfunctional Blakemore family. When things go horribly wrong for her, she vows revenge on both the family and the house. Years later, Bridget and her daughter, Yasmin, are seeking a safe place away from a violent ex-husband and father and they end up at Rospectroc as caretakers. There is a reason none of the locals will go near the house and, as questionable activities occur, Bridget begins to wonder whether she has done the right thing by going there. The abuse suffered by Lily and by Bridgett and Yasmin is slowly revealed as the book progresses, and readers will be determined to find out if Lily gets her revenge, if the ex-husband finds his wife and daughter, and if the sins of the past can be forgiven. The British phrases may slow some readers down, but overall this is a compelling mystery that satisfies in the end.—Janet Melikian, Central High School East, Fresno, CA

Adult/High School—Everett, also known as E, front man for the alt-rock EELS, has written a compelling memoir in which it is easy to see the songwriter in the author. The songs often feature catchy melodies and lyrics that are variously dark, witty, or just quirky, while the book is a quick read, both funny and tragic, with a distinctive voice: honest, self-deprecating, wistful. The author tells a few stories from his youth—his first drum set, a humiliating teacher, his obsession with Lennon's Plastic Ono Band, a plane crash, his sullen teenage years. At 18, he discovered the dead body of his father, the quantum physicist Hugh Everett. Not long after, he headed for Los Angeles, where he worked a succession of nothing jobs while writing and recording songs on a four-track tape recorder. As he was gaining fame as an alternative rocker, tragedies continued to haunt him. His sister and mother died within months of one another, and friends and fellow musicians followed. Despite the title (also an EELS song), Everett has no children, much less grandchildren, but he says, "it only takes a second for your life to change in huge ways." Fans will certainly want to read this, but so will anyone interested in the music business or just in how one interesting guy lives life from day to day, trying to understand who he is and how he got there.—Sarah Flowers, Santa Clara County Library, CA

Adult/High School—This world-renowned pianist was born to parents whose lives and aspirations were interrupted by China's Cultural Revolution. Like his entire generation, he was an only child due to his country's population-control policy. This created a kind of perfect storm. In some families, every ambition parents had for their own lives was visited upon their offspring. That was the case with Lang Lang, whose creative and musical parents were delighted when their son showed great interest and talent for piano at an early age. While this is the story of his life, it is also the story of a family's struggle to balance ambition, expectations, and relationships, and it illustrates to the extreme the pressure many young people face to live up to their own and their parents' expectations. The writing is immediate and emotional, drawing readers into a life of hard work, dedication, music, competition, and performance. Lang Lang's life and creative choices demonstrate a willingness to take chances and trust his instincts, honed through years of battling insular established systems.—Charlotte Bradshaw, San Mateo County Library, CA

Adult/High School—This attractive book will appeal to teens looking for quick answers for a last-minute assignment, and it will also be of interest to budding fashionistas and social historians. Leventon has combined current research on costume and dress through the ages with the detailed beauty of the work of two 19th-century illustrators, Auguste Racinet and Friedrich Hottenroth, to provide a historical and thematic examination of fashion and dress that is both comprehensive and readable. The volume works first and foremost as a reference book, and it is full of informative sidebars and copious cross-references. But it is worth browsing through because it is also full of gorgeous color pictures as well as silhouettes that show the changing shape of clothing and style through time. There is a lot of attention to detail, both visually and textually. The result is an exhaustive, entertaining tome that will be put to good use in reference departments and circulating collections alike.—Caitlin Fralick, Ottawa Public Library, ON

Adult/High School—Ten years ago Julio César Gallegos, one of countless immigrants, attempted to reunite with his family in Los Angeles and died of dehydration while crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in California's Imperial Valley. In Dying to Live, Nevins not only tells Gallegos's story, but also presents the geographic, historical, and political context of the U.S-Mexico border. Gallegos's motivations, struggles, and sacrifices serve as examples throughout the book of both past and present social stratification, political hypocrisy, and "global apartheid." Including photographs and maps, the book details the history, policies, and economics that have driven and prevented Mexican migration to the United States. The social and economic links between the two countries are described, primarily in relation to the agricultural industry in the border states. The strength of this book lies in the wealth of research and information presented on the history and politics of the border regions of Mexico and California. Teens will not only find the author's information valuable, but will also revel in the sources presented in the bibliography. However, researchers looking for insight into migration through Mexico from other Latin American countries will not find much information in this title. The scholarly tone and depth of the material make this book best suited for advanced readers and researchers.—Lynn Rashid, Marriots Ridge High School, Marriotsville, MD

Adult/High School—At the turn of the 20th century, an important aspect of the federal policy toward many American Indian tribes was assimilation through education. Boarding schools were established off reservation, as well as on, and government officials actively and aggressively recruited children to attend them. Among the students in the school established at Fort Shaw in Montana were a group of young women who would become famous in Montana, and a popular attraction at the 1904 World's Fair. Their story is told in this well-researched and well-documented book. Leaving their families and arriving at different ages for different reasons, they came together to play the new game of basketball and were quite successful. Peavy and Smith's book is a remarkably rosy picture of an Indian boarding school. While the authors mention that students ran away, that they were separated from their families for long periods of time, and that they were required to speak only English and leave behind traditional dress and culture, these factors seem not to have affected these talented athletes. It is not until the last few pages that the authors specifically, and briefly, address the cost of the success of the girls' team, and the federal Indian educational policy. Still, the book tells a story long forgotten about these "world champions."—Mary Ann Harlan, Arcata High School, CA

Adult/High School—Schnakenberg packages the lives and loves of 41 famous writers into a supermarket-tabloid parody. All rumors, idiosyncrasies, feuds, etc., are fodder for laughs or sarcastic jeers; no event is so tragic as to be exempt. Each biography starts with birth/death dates, nationality, astrological sign, major works, contemporaries and rivals, literary style, and words of wisdom. Because Emily Dickinson wrote her poems in iambic tetrameter, they can be sung to the tune of "The Yellow Rose of Texas." She may have been a closet lesbian, but was definitely a Sagittarius. J. R. R. Tolkien (Capricorn) was one of the original translators of the Old Testament Books of Jonah and Job of the Jerusalem Bible and also snored so loudly that he was relegated to the bathroom to sleep while his wife remained in the bedroom. Agatha Christie, a Virgo, had a disability called dysgraphia and had to dictate all of her writing. Also, both of her husbands cheated on her. Schnakenberg compares F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald to P. Diddy and Lindsay Lohan as King and Queen of the celebrity party circuit, "astounding guests with their outrageous, drunken behavior." He cites Hemingway and Fitzgerald as the Oscar and Felix of America's Lost Generation. Thanks to modern headlines and reality TV, nothing here is particularly shocking, but the author does show that celebrity is celebrity no matter when it occurs. All readers will find at least a few "you have to hear this" tidbits.—Dana Cobern-Kullman, Luther Burbank Middle School, Burbank, CA

Adult/High School—Massively popular fantasy/horror writer Gaiman gets a critical treatment previously reserved for authors of the classics. It's doubtful that even the most avid fan couldn't learn something from this great work. Opening with an introductory biographical piece, the book also has a fascinating gem—an article Gaiman was hired to write in 1984 about Fantasycon VIII of the British Fantasy Society. The piece clearly displays the wit and storytelling ability that would later make him famous. His first published book was a "biography" of new-wave band Duran Duran, but what brought him fame was the writing of the "Sandman" series for DC Comics. Gaiman wrote 10 volumes of the series as well as a few spinoffs of this still frequently read classic. He also wrote quite a few other comics in this time period, and each one is given similar treatment to the "Sandman"—a plot synopsis, trivia, lists of important people and places, and a quote from Gaiman or about him. The novels, short stories, and scripts include the same information. Also included are interviews with artists and cowriters, and occasional photographs. The book ends with a lengthy interview, as well as one with his assistant. A must where Gaiman is popular.—Jamie Watson, Harford County Public Library, MD