Adult Books for Teens: December 2010
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Fiction BENDER, Aimee. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake. 292p. Doubleday. 2010. Tr $25.95. ISBN 978-0-385-50112-5. LC number unavailable. Adult/High School–Rose is about to turn nine when she tastes her mother’s feelings in a practice birthday cake, a hollow, lonely, needy unhappiness. From then on, she tastes feelings in everything she eats, and even learns to sift through each ingredient until she can tell where it comes from and whether it is organic. At its heart, this is a coming-of-age story about a girl who must learn to cope with her unusual ability alone, knowing that she will never get any help from her self-absorbed family. The mother is hiding an affair. The father is mostly absent. The brilliant older brother is withdrawn. It’s hardly surprising that she develops a crush on her brother’s best friend, the only one who pays her much attention. The strangeness of the abilities (for Rose is hardly the only one in her family who suffers from one) will keep curious teens invested, but this is not a fast read. The story is intriguing, well plotted, and anchored in Los Angeles, just south of Sunset. Like all good coming of age tales, this one leaves readers hoping that the protagonist will find a way to use her unique talent in a meaningful way. As such, Lemon Cake satisfies, but it leaves a lingering taste of emptiness and nostalgia in its wake. Not all of its questions are answered, and readers will find themselves thinking about the book long after finishing it.–Angela Carstensen, Convent of the Sacred Heart, New York City BOGNANNI, Peter. The House of Tomorrow. unpaged. Putnam/Amy Einhorn. 2010. Tr $24.95. ISBN 978-0-399-15609-0. LC 2009023543. Adult/High School–This lively, funny, and sometimes touching fish-out-of-water tale will appeal to teens who love punk music, quirky characters, and slightly oddball situations. Sebastian is a 16-year-old who has been homeschooled in a geodesic dome in rural Iowa by his grandmother, a Buckminster Fuller devotee. When his grandmother has a stroke, he meets the Whitcomb family: mother Janice, who leads a somewhat out-of-control church youth group; Jared, a sarcastic chain-smoking heart-transplant recipient, and Meredith, a sexy, funny, and mean teenage femme fatale. Sebastian’s introduction, via Jared, to punk music; via Janice, to things like grilled-cheese sandwiches and grape soda; and via Meredith, to the stirrings of lust, cause him to start questioning his grandmother’s ideas for the first time. This is a beautifully written, wonderfully realized, and refreshingly unique coming-of-age story.–Sarah Flowers, formerly of Santa Clara County Public Library, CA CUMMINS, Jeanine. The Outside Boy. 384p. New American Library. 2010. pap. $15. ISBN 978-0-451-22948-9. LC 2010003853. Adult/High School–For all of his 11 years, Christy has travelled the Irish countryside, living out of a wagon he shares with his Dad. They are Pavees, nomadic Irish Travellers, who were once respected for the skills they brought to remote villages. But by the spring of 1959, they are increasingly reviled as nuisances and thieves. When Christy’s grandfather dies, the family honors the Pavee tradition by burning his wagon. Christy catches a newspaper photograph as it flies out of the flames. He learns that the woman holding a baby in the photograph is his mother, whom he has been told died seven minutes after his birth. Believing that it is a message from his dead grandfather, Christy sets out to learn the truth of his past, and to understand his place in the world as a Pavee. Cummins wonderfully conjures the beauty and hardship of the Pavee way of life in this impressive coming-of-age story. The young characters, which include Christy’s unapologetically brash cousin Martin, a social misfit named Beano, and adored Finnuala Whippet, are fresh and believable, adding a delightful air of youthful fun to the story. Many teens will recognize the agony of Christy’s dilemma as he is driven to defy his beloved father in order to learn the secrets of his own birth. Cummins chose not to fully re-create the Pavee dialect in her narrative, which makes the novel quite accessible to teens, offering a glimpse into this unique nomadic lifestyle from an adolescent’s point of view.–Diane Colson, formerly of Alachua County Library District, FL DURROW, Heidi W.. The Girl Who Fell from the Sky. 264p. Algonquin. 2010. Tr $22.95. ISBN 978-1-56512-680-0. LC 2009027572. Adult/High School–Rachel is the dark-skinned, blue-eyed daughter of Nella, a Danish white woman, and Roger, an American black man, who meet and fall in love while he is stationed in Europe. After their first son dies, Nella leaves Roger for another man, moving Rachel and her younger siblings to Chicago. Readers meet Rachel when she is 11, living with her grandmother in Portland following a horrible tragedy of which she is the only survivor. There she becomes aware of racism for the first time. Her classmates remark on her coloring and her white way of talking, while Grandma brushes off her blue eyes as a recessive gene. Jamie is the only witness to the tragedy in Chicago. In the aftermath, at age 12, he changes his name to Brick and leaves home. Moving back and forth in time, Durrow tells the story in the third person, giving Rachel and Brick separate chapters. She also tells the story from the perspective of Laronne, Nella’s boss, while selected entries from Nella’s diary fill in pieces of the puzzle. This is a complex, layered story about people with whom it is easy to empathize because they are trying to survive the intolerable. The prose flows easily; short chapters and direct prose, combined with depth of meaning and truth, add up to a compelling book that will engage teenagers. The mystery of the tragedy will also attract them. Every library should own a copy of this novel, and it could easily find a place in school curricula.–Angela Carstensen, Convent of the Sacred Heart, New York City FERRARIS, Zoe. City of Veils. 389p. Little, Brown. 2010. Tr $24.99. ISBN 978-0316074278. LC 2009047439. Adult/High School–In this follow-up to Finding Nouf (Little, Brown, 2008), Ferraris reveals an even deeper inside view of the interactions of men and women in Muslim society, this time adding an American couple living in Saudi Arabia. Miriam hated living in Jeddah from the start, but it is only when her husband Eric disappears that she understands the full extent of her vulnerability. Despite his utter discomfort with testing the Muslim edict not to be alone with women, Nayir (desert guide extraordinaire) finds himself helping Miriam. And he cannot resist when Katya, assistant in the medical examiner’s office, asks for his aid with an investigation into the murder of a Saudi journalist in her early 20s, Leila, who was involved with a scholar researching early versions of the Quran. (This idea is blasphemy, as Muslims believe that the Quran is printed exactly as revealed to the prophet Mohammed, the true words of Allah.) A wonderful tension between Nayir and Katya runs throughout. The pacing is perfect, fast enough to keep readers engaged, but allowing the fascinating cultural details to be clear. Elements such as the introduction of a bluetooth burqa and an intense desert sandstorm rescue will appeal to teen readers. In fact, despite a lack of teenaged characters, this book is likely to be at least as appealing as Finding Nouf. The inclusion of an American woman’s perspective adds an irresistible new layer to the mix.–Angela Carstensen, Convent of the Sacred Heart, New York City GINSBERG, Allen. Howl: A Graphic Novel. illus. by Eric Drooker. 224p. HarperPerennial. 2010. Tr $19. ISBN 978-0062015174. LC number unavailable. Adult/High School–Drooker, a frequent New Yorker cover artist and author of several wordless sequential art novels such as Flood! and Bloodsong (both Dark Horse), worked with Ginsberg on a 1996 collection of the Beat poet’s work, Illuminated Poems (Four Walls, Eight Windows). Here, Drooker, who designed the animation for the film version of Howl, places Ginsberg’s text and his own moody and softly muted images together to create something more than just the sum of these rich parts. Howl has received condemnation as well as literary and socio-political accolades since it was first published in 1956, and while Drooker does not exploit any of the textual savagery visually, he fittingly remains true to it. By allowing the poem to expand over so many pages and scenes, readers are appropriately slowed to think about what the poet is saying; Drooker’s art echoes the mid-century scene while pointing to relevant details in our own time.– Francisca Goldsmith, formerly at Berkeley Public Library, CA GRANT, Mira. Feed. 608p. Orbit. 2010. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-0-316-08105-4. LC number unavailable. Adult/High School–When readers first meet Georgia Mason and her adoptive brother, Shaun, it is 2039 and they are battling a horde of zombies in the city that was once Santa Cruz. They escape when Georgia is able to drive over the mob and get them safely to the van they share with their third adoptive sibling, Buffy. The three of them form the core of a journalistic team earnestly engaged in spreading the truth through blogging, one of the only forms of communication still available. The society they know is cloistered, ever-fearful of the Kellis-Amberlee viral infection that rapidly transforms a human into a flesh-eating zombie. When the trio is chosen to cover the presidential campaign, they are thrilled. But as they get closer to the inner circles of power, uncovering the truth becomes deadly. This action-packed, technology-amped suspense novel has many page-turning elements–zombies, political intrigue, combat scenes, and even a hint of incestuous romance. Georgia (who is named after George Romero, because it turns out he got it right about the zombies) is a tough and passionate narrator. Teens who loved the latest spate of zombie tales will find something more satisfying than awkward high school romance here. In fact, the zombies are peripheral in much of the novel, which focuses on the corruption of the American political machine as well as the evolution of the deadly Kellis-Amberlee virus. Think Michael Crichton, only savvier. And the ending is a real killer, sure to leave readers hooked to the “Newsflesh” series.–Diane Colson, formerly of Alachua County Library District, FL HAMILTON, Steve. The Lock Artist. 304p. Minotaur. 2010. Tr $24.99. ISBN 978-0312380427. LC number unavailable. Adult/High School–Something bad happened to Mike when he was eight-years-old, and he cannot utter a sound. Now he is in jail and has decided to tell his story. He discovered a natural talent and fascination with picking locks junior year of high school. Unfortunately, he revealed his skill to the wrong group of jocks, who persuaded him to help with an end-of-the-year prank. He was caught and his probation was entrusted to Mr. Marsh, who owed a serious debt to a serious group of criminals. When Mr. Marsh turned Mike over as payment, he was trained as a safecracker and became trapped in the life. Things quickly went downhill until Mike was at the beck-and-call of anyone needing his services. The light at the end of the tunnel was Amelia, Mr. Marsh's daughter, who shared his talent and love for drawing. Mike tells his story in flashbacks to two different time periods, before and after becoming a professional boxman. This is effective in drawing out the suspense, especially concerning the fate of his relationship with Amelia and the nature of the traumatic event that caused him to be mute. The first chapter is a perfect example of hooking readers. At three pages long, it lays out everything about Mike's life while creating myriad questions in readers’ minds and providing a good sense of his personality and vulnerability. Fans of mysteries, thrillers, crime novels, and even romance will enjoy this novel. Hamilton delivers on every promise he makes in chapter one, and the ending is completely satisfying.–Angela Carstensen, Convent of the Sacred Heart, New York City KAY, Guy Gavriel. Under Heaven. 567p. ROC. 2010. Tr $26.95. ISBN 978-0-451-46330-2. LC number unavailable. Adult/High School–Kay’s latest offering moves into the rich territory of Imperial China in a fantasy era analogous to the T’ang Dynasty period. Shen Tai has spent two years in a remote corner of the empire, honoring his father’s memory by burying the dead–friend and enemy alike–and laying ghosts to rest. Introspective Tai recites poetry and remembers Spring Rain, a courtesan he loved and knows he likely lost when his enforced mourning took him from the city. And then he receives a gift of 250 Sardinian horses, and everything changes. Suddenly, Tai finds himself in the midst of courtly intrigues and political machinations; pitted against his own brother (the map and character list will help readers navigate the machinations). Kay’s almost stilted prose perfectly evokes a society in which every behavior is dictated by rules, and his own talents as a poet comes through in the poetry that characters frequently recite. Tai’s journey takes center stage, but others–notably Spring Rain, now concubine to the first advisor, and Tai’s sister Li-Mei, raised to princess and sent across the wall as a political bride, then caught in barbarian magic–both play crucial roles; all three are young and on voyages of self-discovery, and their journeys intersect in sometimes surprising ways. Gripping but stately in its momentum, with only small magic, this is a thoughtful, intellectual fantasy. Readers waiting for the next George R.R. Martin will find this immensely satisfying, even more so as the entire sweeping tale fills just one volume.– Karyn N. Silverman, Elisabeth Irwin High School, New York City KWOK, Jean. Girl in Translation. 293p. Riverhead. 2010. Tr $25.95. ISBN 978-1-59448-756-9. LC 2009041041. Adult/High School–Kimberly Chang moves to Brooklyn from Hong Kong with her mother when she is 11. Her mother was a music teacher in Hong Kong until she lost her husband and fell sick with tuberculosis. Now she is reduced to working for her bitter older sister in a Chinatown sweat shop and living in an unheated, rat and roach-infested apartment. Neither speaks English upon arrival, but Kim learns fast. She goes from failing miserably to winning a full scholarship to a top college prep school. Every day after classes she rushes to the factory to help her mother finish her required quota, working late into the evening. There she befriends Matt, another kid helping his mother. As they get older, they fall in love. MARLANTES, Karl. Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War. 592p. Atlantic Monthly. 2010. Tr $24.95. ISBN 978-0-8021-1928-5. LC number unavailable. Adult/High School–Second Lieutenant Waino Mellas is fresh out of college in 1969 when he goes to serve his country in the Marine Corps. He is sent, with all of his idealism intact, to command Bravo Company in the jungles of Vietnam. Most of his soldiers are teenagers, carrying the baggage of their stateside lives while uniting against the horror of the war. Waino meets older, wiser, and infinitely cooler Hawke (he’s 22) and learns how to survive in a situation that is both ludicrous and dangerous. Matterhorn is the name of a base camp created atop a hill, now denuded of jungle foliage, that the men must capture, abandon, and re-capture, all under the orders of a soused commander who is still fighting the Korean War in his head. Teens have long been fascinated by Walter Dean Myers’s Fallen Angels, one of the few young adult books to tackle the subject of Vietnam. Matterhorn takes readers directly to the jungles, where they will begin to understand what was so different about this war. Marlantes paints a vivid picture of teenagers ripped from ordinary lives by the whimsy of the draft into a steaming, enemy-strewn jungle that threatens to kill, maim, and madden them. This impressive book is compelling reading for the generation that lived through this military conflict, but more importantly, it’s a believable simulation that brings that time alive for today’s teens.–Diane Colson, Alachua County Library District, FL SHAN, Darren. Procession of the Dead. 288p. Grand Central. 2010. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-0-446-55175-5. LC number unavailable. Adult/High School–Older teens who feared they had outgrown Darren Shan can breathe easy again: he knows how to spin a brilliant story for more sophisticated readers just as much as he knows how to enthrall legions of middle-school horror fans. The humor is earthy and the horror is mostly mental, although there’s plenty of physical brutality, too. This is in some ways a gangster story, but seen through a funhouse mirror. Ambitious young Capac’s past is a blank slate, and he arrives in “the city” wanting nothing more than to join his mid-level mobster uncle and rise up high in The Cardinal’s forces. Because in this unnamed, vaguely Latin American city (Incan priests play a significant role), The Cardinal holds all the power. But Capac is less in control than he believes, and even as he finds mentors, makes friends, rises in The Cardinal’s world, and falls in love, someone else is pulling the strings. Dark ending aside (and it is dark), this is a classic adolescent journey, with a protagonist moving out into the world and beginning to exert his will upon it rather than be acted upon. It’s easy to root for Capac until the unexpected ending. And when teen readers clamor for more, fill the gap until the next volume in the planned trilogy with two other books about odd, haunted cities: Jonathan Barnes’s The Domino Men (Morrow, 2009) and China Mieville’s The City and the City (Del Rey, 2009).– Karyn N. Silverman, Elisabeth Irwin High School, New York City UNGER, Lisa. Fragile. 318p. Shaye Areheart. 2010. Tr $24. ISBN 9780307393999. LC number unavailable. Adult/High School–Some aspects of small town life seem inevitable: the interconnectedness among people, even between generations, and the secrets that are kept, maybe for a lifetime. Maggie and Jones are pillars of the community–a therapist and police detective, respectively. Although they both grew up in The Hollows, they were determined to spend their lives anywhere else, but they marry and raise their son, Ricky, in that same town. When Ricky’s girlfriend, Charlene, goes missing, most people assume she finally ran away for good. The investigation reveals the possibility of something more sinister, and Jones struggles to repress a haunting secret. As the point-of-view shifts from Charlene, to Maggie, to Ricky, to Jones, readers are able to piece together events as they unfold and recognize the false assumptions each character acts upon. Just about everyone in town has a hidden darkness, and old prejudices simmer under the surface. Ricky, Charlene, and troubled classmate Marshall tell much of the story in turn, keeping teen voices center stage. Young adults will recognize Ricky’s relationship with his parents, especially his desire for independence warring with his need for approval. The greatest appeal, however, will be in the rising tension and dark atmosphere as all that is behind Charlene’s disappearance comes to light. Ultimately, this story is about choices and how the decisions of one individual can reverberate with unknown consequences in the lives of others. Fragile is a fine transition for teens ready to venture into adult mysteries.–Priscille Dando, Robert E. Lee High School, Fairfax County, VA WEING, Drew. Set to Sea. 144p. Fantagraphics. 2010. Tr $16. ISBN 978-1606993682. LC number unavailable. Adult/High School–With a text as concise and carefully honed as a good poem, and full page panels rendered in etchinglike black and white, this evocative and accessible story of a poet who goes to sea is set between covers that fit into a single hand. While the plot is purposely stereotyped to a kind of 18th and 19th century adventure standard, replete with pirates, parlour poetry readings, and the passing of a muse from one generation to the next, it is neither trite nor dull. This is an ideal book for browsers, poetry lovers, sea-story fans, teachers in search of a perfect book for students of all abilities, and art students.–Francisca Goldsmith, formerly at Berkeley Public Library, CA Nonfiction CHABRIS, Christopher & Daniel Simons. The Invisible Gorilla: And Other Ways Our Intuitions Deceive Us. 306p. Crown. 2010. Tr $27. ISBN 9780307459657. LC number unavailable. Adult/High School–Focusing on the concept of “everyday illusions,” Chabris and Simons conduct a tour of the brain and the many ways it deceives. Their well-known invisible gorilla experiment broke new ground in the study of attention and perception and led to the observations that make up this title. The authors open with the riveting case of a police officer who is unable to remember seeing an attack on a colleague taking place mere feet away. This “inattentional blindness,” looking directly at something but failing to see it, calls into question the confidence we have in the accuracy of our memories. The systematic breakdown of how the brain handles a hands-free cell phone conversation will convince many drivers to change their ways. Readers can easily test some of the theories themselves. The next time students do group work, they could observe the illusion of confidence in action. (In a problem-solving group, the person who speaks first appears most confident and 94% of the time, the group will agree with whatever he or she says.) What separates this from other psychology books is the engaging and accessible writing style. Using real-world examples and meticulously noting references to source materials, the authors present a convincing argument that our perceptions of the world and ourselves are inherently unreliable. Casual readers will be intrigued by the various scenarios presented here. Teens with an interest in psychology will devour every page.–Priscille Dando, Robert E. Lee High School, Fairfax County, VA KELSEY, Nora Lee. 700 Places to Volunteer Before You Die: A Traveler's Guide. 536p. Dog's Eye View Media. 2010. Tr $24. ISBN 978-0-9825494-8-3. LC 2010921227. Adult/High School–This impressive collection of more than 750 volunteer opportunities should prove an excellent starting point for anyone contemplating the adventure, challenge, and rewards of voluntourism. The range of projects is vast, both geographically, and in subject matter. Every entry is sufficiently detailed and current, and the presentation is logical, attractive, and, with cross-indexing, accessible from multiple aspects. The listings are arranged geographically, first by continent (and Oceania), and then alphabetically by nation. The extensive index by project type will help readers focus on particular sets of opportunities. The projects range from teaching and tutoring to animal care and habitat conservation, from archeology to sports programs, from health care to tree planting. There is also considerable range in costs, from free to several thousands of dollars, and in duration, from one day to several months. Most projects have an age requirement of 18, but there are also many that welcome younger teens, some with an accompanying adult and some without. A particular strength of this book is the introductory material, which gets the potential volunteer thinking about all the important questions: Why volunteer? How to select a project? What are they going to expect from me? Where does the money go, and why does it cost money to volunteer? Another strength is the multiple avenues the book presents to finding further information. The author is to be commended for an honest focus on the practical issues facing volunteers as well as the loftier rewards of work devoted to a better world for all.– Robert Saunderson, formerly at Berkeley Public Library, CA SANDLER, Lori. The Divvies Bakery Cookbook: No Nuts. No Eggs. No Dairy. Just Delicious! 156p. St. Martin's. 2010. Tr $25.99. ISBN 978-0-312-60528-5. LC number unavailable. Adult/High School–Divvies, a New York bakery, was created as a labor of love for the author’s son who was born with severe food allergies. Hating the idea that her son, or any child, was excluded when it came to eating treats, she experimented for years to come up with baked goods that are peanut, tree-nut, dairy, and egg free. Sandler’s approach is cheerful and positive, for as she says, two ingredients can be found in all the recipes–“a pound of patience and a heaping helping of humor.” The book begins with a listing of necessary ingredients for the pantry, the refrigerator, and the freezer. Also included are a list of equipment and some “baking basics.” Recipes are divided into four sections that focus on times when food plays an important role, including “Sweets That Make the Schoolhouse Rock” and “It’s Your Party!” Some ingredients used are dairy-free margarine, soy milk, and silken tofu. The Divvies Famous Chocolate Cupcakes (as seen on the Martha Stewart show) include vinegar, which is an egg substitute and which makes for a moist and tasty cupcake. Recipes are easy to follow. There is an eight page spread of photos which seems a bit slight. Purchase where cookbooks are in demand.–Jane Ritter, Mill Valley School District, CA TABOR, James M.. Blind Descent: The Quest to Discover the Deepest Place on Earth. 304p. Random. 2010. Tr $26. ISBN 978-1400067671. LC 2009033942. Adult/High School–To be the first atop a mountain is to scale a challenge that can be seen. To be the first to explore a cave is to sink into the invisible world of harrowing darkness. Blind Descent is the story of two expeditions–one in Mexico and one in the Republic of Georgia–seeking to claim discovery of the deepest cave on Earth. The leaders of each expedition and their crews spend years in hellish subterranean conditions measuring progress in fitful increments until technological advances in their equipment take them to previously impossible depths. Tabor provides a detailed look at the sport and its physical and psychological dangers while examining the advances of supercave exploration that finally established the 2004 record for cave depth, 6,824 feet. Teens with an interest in extreme sports, adventure, and daring exploration will enjoy this book. Those with a special interest in spelunking, climbing, or diving will find satisfying technical details about supercave exploration and the equipment, experience, and dedication it requires. They will also encounter the uniquely willful personalities of contemporary explorers obsessed with the hellish ambition of descending to the previously uncharted depths of the Earth.–John Sexton, Westchester Library System, NY VAILLANT, John. The Tiger: A True Story of Vengance and Survival. 352p. Knopf. 2010. Tr $26.95. ISBN 0307268934. LC 2010004068. Adult/High School– In a region of Siberia so remote that it was left untouched even by glaciers during the Ice Age, a 1997 hunt for an enormous man-killing Amur tiger becomes a fascinating tale of the conflict between two of the most powerful and intelligent predators atop the food chain–humans and Siberian tigers. Vaillant provides a thrilling and horrific account of hunters being stalked, attacked, and eaten while he deliberately constructs the reasons–historical, economic, political, biological, psychological, ecological–that intersect to upend an otherwise cautious respect between man and tiger. The result is deadly for both. The Tiger, like Into the Wild (Villard, 1996), introduces readers to a part of the world where the hardships of wilderness make basic survival an unimaginable challenge. The vengeful intelligence of its stalking beast and the fear and obsession evoked in men echoes Melville’s Moby Dick. Yet, like C.S.I., the book has the compelling components of a forensic mystery. The narrative might seem digressive to less-patient readers and leave some teens wishing for more of the gory detail promised by the cover, but teachers across the curriculum will find something of interest for their students here.–John Sexton, Westchester Library System, NY
This may sound like a familiar immigrant story, but this one is exceptional. Kim’s narration has a clarity that reflects her own practical and determined character, lightened by her charming way of introducing the occasional Chinese phrase, which she translates for readers. This has the effect of keeping the foreignness of her new life in the forefront, without losing narrative momentum. Indeed, Kwok keeps the story moving forward until it reaches an intensely emotional ending. The feelings between Kim and Matt build to a climax that leaves readers breathless. Teens will want to talk about Kim’s surprising decisions and their consequences.–Angela Carstensen, Convent of the Sacred Heart, New York City
