	United We Read 2008 *Current Nominations*

	A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines Hardback, Paperback, Audio CD, Audio Cassette, Audio Download, Large Print An African American teacher tries to instill self-respect in a young African American man condemned to die for the murder of a white shopkeeper -a crime he probably didn’t commit. The novel won the National Book Critics Circle Award and was an Oprah book choice. It was also turned into a film starring Don Cheadle. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini Hardback, Large Print, Audio Cd, Audio Download The novel by the author of The Kite Runner examines the lives of two Afghani women, Mariam and Laila, co-wives to the brutal Rasheed. Beginning with Mariam's childhood in the time before the Soviet invasion, the story explores the country's war-torn history and its effects on women. The Attack by Yasmina Khadra Hardback This novel is about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in this moving novel unlikely to satisfy partisans on either side of the issue. Dr. Amin Jaafari is a man caught between two worlds; he's a Bedouin Arab surgeon struggling to integrate himself into Israeli society. The balancing act becomes impossible when the terrorist responsible for a suicide bombing that claims 20 lives, including many children, is identified as Jaafari's wife by the Israeli police. (from Amazon.com) Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell Hardback, Paperback, Large Print, Audio CD, Audio Cassette, Audio Download Blink is about how instantaneous decisions may be more appropriate and those made with deliberation and study. It is an interesting look at how the brain’s instincts may be better than its intellect. The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder Hardback, Paperback, Large Print, Audio CD, Audio Cassette, Audio Download This novel uses historical subject matter as a background for interwoven themes of the search for justice, the possibility of altruism, and the role of Christianity in human relationships. The plot centers on five travelers in 18th-century Peru who are killed when a bridge across a canyon collapses; a priest interpret the story of each victim in an attempt to explain the workings of divine providence. Brown Girl, Brownstones by Paule Marshall, Edwidge Danticat, and Mary Helen Washington Hardback, Paperback The coming-of-age of a young girl from an African Caribbean family growing up inNew York City with a strong mother and a weak father is the focus of this autobiographical novel. It captures the “Bajun” dialect of immigrants from Barbados. The novel went unnoticed when it was first published in 1959 but has gradually gained a following and is now considered a woman’s and African American classic. Circuit of Heaven by Dennis Danver Hardback, Paperback Justine Ingham is newly arrived in the "bin," a virtual environment that humans download themselves into (forsaking their bodies) to achieve a kind of immortality. The bin is patterned after the real world, at least up to a point, making the transition from the physical to the virtual as painless and natural as possible. But things aren't going too smoothly for Justine, who appears to be dreaming someone else's dreams and remembering someone else's memories. Things get more confusing when she meets a young man named Nemo, one of the few real humans left, who only drops into the bin now and again to see his parents. The two fall instantly in love, but their relationship seems doomed from the start, because Nemo would rather die than live in the bin – taken from the Amazon description. Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks Hardback, Paperback, Audio Cassette, Audio Download A triumph of the imagination and a masterpiece of modern storytelling, Cloudsplitter is narrated by the enigmatic Owen Brown, last surviving son of America 's most famous and still controversial political terrorist and martyr, John Brown. Deeply researched, brilliantly plotted, and peopled with a cast of unforgettable characters both historical and wholly invented, Cloudsplitter is dazzling in its re-creation of the political and social landscape of our history during the years before the Civil War, when slavery was tearing the country apart. But within this broader scope, Russell Banks has given us a riveting, suspenseful, heartbreaking narrative filled with intimate scenes of domestic life, of violence and action in battle, of romance and familial life and death that make the reader feel in astonishing ways what it is like to be alive in that time. Note: The Lyric Opera of Kansas City will be presenting John Brown, the world premiere of an opera based on the book. The opera will be performed in early May. The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah Hardback, Paperback This is the ultimate “Urban” novel. It tells the coming-of-age story of Winter Santiaga, the daughter of a powerful drug dealer whose tough-talking ghetto life combines a love of drugs, men, clothes, and power. There are no happy endings in “Urban” fiction The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride Hardback, Paperback, Audio CD, Audio Cassette, Audio Download, Large Print James McBride chronicles his life, growing up in a Brooklyn ghetto, the son of an African American father and a mother who began life as the daughter of an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi. His exploration of his mother’s past as well as his descriptions of life in a bi-racial family are moving. Drinking Coffee Elsewhere by ZZ Packer Hardback, Paperback, Audio CD, Audio Cassette This collection of short stories very much reflects the urban life style of the author. Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario Hardback, Paperback This is the harrow story of a 17 year old Honduran boy whose search to find the mother who abandoned him to find work in the United States goes a long way to explaining why so many Central American families separate in order to support themselves both in the US and at home. Falling Man by Don DeLillo Hardback, Audio CD, Audio Download The book takes its title from the electrifying photograph of the man who jumped or fell from the North Tower on 9/11. It also refers to a performance artist who recreates the picture. The artist straps himself into a harness and in high visibility areas jumps from an elevated structure, such as a railway overpass or a balcony, startling passersby as he hangs in the horrifying pose of the falling man. Keith Neudecker, a lawyer and survivor of the attack, arrives on his estranged wife Lianne's doorstep, covered with soot and blood, carrying someone else's briefcase. In the days and weeks that follow, moments of connection alternate with complete withdrawl from his wife and young son, Justin. He begins a desultory affair with the owner of the briefcase based only on their shared experience of surviving: "the timeless drift of the long spiral down." The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls Hardback, Paperback, Audio CD Wall’s true story of her dysfunctional family is in turns horrifying, humorous and ultimately a tribute to her will to survive a horrific upbringing. Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin Hardback, Paperback A young man growing up in Harlem finds salvation in the shadow of his family's sinful past in this powerful first novel by one of America ’s great authors. The novel explores the trajectory of the great migration during and after the Depression of African Americans from the rural South to the cities of the North. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood Hardback, Paperback, Large Print, Audio CD, Audio Cassette Atwood has written a futuristic novel about the takeover of the United States by right-wing fanatics. Her protagonist is one of the few women still able to bear children in this scary new world and she has been assigned to one of the leaders of the community to bear his children since his wife is infertile. The novel explores a world where fundamentalist religion runs rampant. Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil by Deborah Rodriguez Hardback, Paperback, Audio CD, Audio Cassette, CD-ROM This is an examination of women’s lives in Afghanistan shortly after the fall of the Taliban. It was well-reviewed; however, there has since been significant question about whether or not the author got her facts straight. King of Kings County by Whitney Terrell Hardback, Paperback Terrell is a local author who writes in his second novel about the real estate business in Kansas City from the bottom side up. Love in the Land of Dementia: Finding Hope in the Caregiver's Journey by Deborah Shouse Paperback Shouse is a local author and her book movingly chronicles her experiences with her mother, suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Along with her personal experiences, she provides significant amount of helpful suggestions for people caring for loved ones with dementia. New England White by Stephen Carter Hardback, Audio CD, Audio Cassette An upper class African American couple stumble upon the body of a murdered man who was once the lover of the wife. She doggedly attempts to discover his murder and the truth behind a crime from decades past. Despite the mystery, the novel is primarily an examination of the lives of upper class Black America. Polite Lies: on Being a Woman Caught Between Cultures by Kyoko Mori Hardback, Paperback A fascinating book that gives the reader insight into what it's like to have a home in both America an dJapan. Mori reflects largely on the differences between language, as well s the communication (or lack of) that occurs between family, strangers, and government institutions. Her short stories are heart breaking, yet eye-opening and interesting. The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid Hardback, Paperback, Large Print, Audio CD After 9/11, a Pakistani young man who is living the American Dream in the USA as a Princeton graduate who has a beautiful girlfriend and who is employed by a large financial firm suddenly develops sympathy for the suicide bombers. In the novel he is explaining his life to a mysterious American in a cafe in Lahore. Secret Daughter: A Mixed Race Daughter and Mother Who Gave Her Away by June Cross Hardback This is the true story of Cross’s life as the daughter of a Black comedian and a white mother who couldn’t face raising a mixed-race child in the fifties. Given to a middle class black family who raised her, Cross describes her life occasionally visiting her free-spirited mother who introduced her as her niece and living with a very staid adoptive family. Secrets of the Tsil Cafe by Thomas Fox Averill Hardback, Paperback A young boy growing up in Kansas City has parents who are both chefs with separate business. He describes his parents dueling cooking styles, their history and includes many tasty recipes. Averill is a local author. The Spring Habit by Dave Hanson Hardback, Paperback The Spring Habit is an irreverent yet upbeat novel featuring a most unlikely heroine - a chaste and virtuous nun with a singularly amazing knuckleball. The big league Washington Memorials grudgingly accept her, yet as she strives to make headway in an all-male world, she develops a bond with the team's female beat reporter. With the World Series underway, tension promises to be high amid a gender-redefinition of pro sports! (Taken from Amazon – credited to Midwest Book Review) The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell HB, PB, Audio CD, Audio Cassette, Audio Download Publishers Weekly called this book a “facile piece of pop sociology. It is a look at how certain behaviors can attract others to the same behaviors and cause a ripple effect eventually causing big changes. The Tortilla Curtain by T. Boyle Hardback, Paperback, Large Print, Audio Cassette, Audio Download The lives of illegal Latin American immigrants cross those of the upper middle class Californians who live in large houses next to the areas where the illegals are living in makeshift houses in the ditches. This is a grim novel about the lives of illegals and how theoretically liberal citizens can turn ugly and prejudiced. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen Hardback, Paperback, Large Print, Audio CD, Audio Download In this surprise best-seller, Jacob Jankowski runs away with a circus after his parents have died in an automobile accident. It is the height of the depression and Jacob falls in love with the wife of the animal trainer and a large elephant named Rosie. Looking back from his bed in a nursing home, Jacob reflects on his life. The novel is a excellent portrayal of the circus in the thirties. The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon Hardback, Paperback, Large Print, Audio CD In this alternative history, the Jews have never established a state in Israel and instead are living, temporarily, in the area of Sitka, Alaska. A down-and-out Yiddish-speaking police detective begins the investigation of a murdered heroin addict who happens to be the disowned son of a powerful Hassidic leader. The investigation leads to other murders, conspiracy and a surprising conclusion.
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