The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Recommended by Jeff in Technical Services…
Jeff’s synopsis:
Henrietta Lacks was just a poor farmer who died of cervical cancer in 1951 at the age of 31, but her cells known as HeLa taken without her knowledge were unusual in that they were kept alive and were able to multiply. Many scientists have used the cells for great advances such as developing the polio vaccine but few if any knew of the person behind the cells who was a mother of five children and a wife who died young and was buried in an unmarked grave while her cells lived on.
He says:
This is an easy to read, well written story of the immortal HeLa cells that scientist have used to study cancer and viruses. However more than just a book about medicine and science, it is about a family trying to find out what happened to their mother and a reporter trying to put the whole story together.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Recommended by Colleen in Outreach Services…
Colleen’s synopsis:
Sixteen year old Jason heads off to Wales to find out the truth about the home that his grandfather grew up in. His grandfather had filled Jason’s head with all sorts of weird monsters and peculiar children. Now he is left to sort out what is real and what is fantasy.
She says:
If you have ever wondered where the side-show people come from read this highly entertaining and fanciful story. The beginning of the book has you believing that the monsters Jason’s grandfather tells him about are the Nazis in the 1940′s, but as Jason discovers truth is stranger then fiction. I enjoyed all the twists and turns of this story and Jason’s quirky narrative.
Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams
Recommended by Jeff in Technical Services…
Jeff’s synopsis:
Although he edits travel and adventure magazine for a living and is married to a Peruvian, Mark Adams was more comfortable with hotels and beds rather than tents and sleeping bags and hardly ever traveled outside of Lima while in Peru. But that didn’t stop him from hooking up with one of the best travel guides in South America, a Peruvian mule driver, a cook, a half-dozen mules and a couple of guys to drive them to follow the footsteps of the man who was once known as the discoverer of Machu Picchu, Hiram Bingham.
He says:
Besides being a history of Machu Picchu in Inca times and in Hiram Bingham’s time of discovery, this also gives a fascinating view of Peruvian life and culture which includes the concept of Peruvian time which usually means a few hours or days later than expected and exaggerated stories of siphoned fat from murder victims sold to cosmetic companies. These hilarious stories offset the serious history lessons and the grueling trek across the various climate and terrain of Peru to possibly rediscover the lost city of the Incas.
The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin
Recommended by Soon Har in Adult Services…
Soon Har’s synopsis:
A witty mix of romance, history and social commentary set in America and England, this is a delicious read with a feisty heroine, a “girl that every woman in Newport envied and every man desired.” Based on the lives of rich Americans seeking titled Europeans at the turn of the century, the book is filled with outrageous details of what excessive wealth can buy, sharp observations of late-20th century social customs, and a good-old-fashioned love story.
She says:
This author’s light-hearted tone makes this a fun read while the historical details keep it from being frothy. The glimpse into the lives of the rich and famous then reminds us that socially, we haven’t come very far!
The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka
Recommended by Jeff in Technical Services…
Jeff’s synopsis:
A group of “picture brides” from Japan sail to California after WWI to meet up with their prospective husbands. With dreams and promises of a new and better life, they soon realize that everything is not as it seems as the men are not always who they claim to be and life in America is not what they thought it would be. They do their best to survive by raising their families until they are once again uprooted, this time to internment camps after the start of WWII.
He says:
This is a short novel without a main character or dialogue, but the words flow and the story is compelling because of the author’s minimal technique but very descriptive passages. Using a collective voice for the woman makes me think about what it would have been like for them emigrate leaving everything familiar and comfortable behind.
