Women's History Month 2009 Recommendations

33 Things Every Girl Should Know About Women’s History, edited by Tonya Bolden -
Uses poems, essays, letters, photographs and more to present the actions and achievements of women in the United States, from its beginnings up through the twentieth century.

The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls by Joan J. Brumberg - Barnes & Noble: "The Body Project is an extraordinary culmination of a decade of historical and contemporary research on American girlhood. . . . Brumberg is masterful at combining historical archival scholarship with lively insights from past and recent personal diaries and memoirs."

The Essential Feminist Reader, edited by Estelle B. Freedman - Barnes & Noble: "The Essential Feminist Reader is the first anthology to present the full scope of feminist history. Prizewinning historian Estelle B. Freedman brings decades of teaching experience and scholarship to her selections, which span more than five centuries. Moving beyond standard texts by English and American thinkers, this collection features primary source material from around the globe, including short works of fiction and drama, political manifestos, and the work of less well-known writers."

Get to Work: A Manifesto for Women of the World by Linda R. Hirshman - Library Journal: "In this new feminist manifesto, in which she asserts that the women's movement was not radical enough, Hirshman, a former practicing attorney and former visiting professor at Brandeis University, issues a resounding call to all women that the time has come to restart the revolution."

Women’s Rights by Natasha Thomsen - Barnes & Noble: "The issues women face at the dawn of the 21st century are as daunting and complex as ever, covering the range from affirmative action and service in active combat, to educational rights, reproductive rights, sexual harassment, religious leadership roles, and more. Women's Rights examines the history and the current status of women's rights in the United States and abroad, namely Denmark, China, Afghanistan, and Kenya."

Look What's New for Kids and Teens!

Kids

Be Glad Your Nose Is on Your Face and Other Poems by Jack Prelutsky - Barnes & Noble: "This magnificent treasury of more than one hundred of Jack Prelutsky's most celebrated verses, along with fifteen all-new poems, is a tribute to his gifts to children's literature over the past forty years. Lushly illustrated by rising star Brandon Dorman and featuring a CD with classic performances by the poet himself, it is the perfect volume for any poetry lover's bookshelf."


Teens

Skinned by Robin Wasserman - Barnes & Noble: "Lia Kahn was perfect: rich, beautiful, popular — until the accident that nearly killed her. Now she has been downloaded into a new body that only looks human. Lia will never feel pain again, she will never age, and she can't ever truly die. But she is also rejected by her friends, betrayed by her boyfriend, and alienated from her old life."

March Recommendations for Kids

Fiction

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman - Winner of the 2009 Newbery Medal. Nobody Owens, or Bod as he is known, is raised in a sprawling graveyard and educated by a colorful assortment of ghosts. His mysterious guardian, Silas, belongs neither to the world of the living or the dead, and sometimes leaves Bod to the care of Miss Lupsecu, a terrible cook but loyal friend. Bod's many adventures span being kidnapped by ghouls, attending a school for living children, and learning to haunt and fade. Threaded through the tale is the threat of the man Jack returning to finish his attempt to kill Bod's entire family.

Footprints in the Snow by Mei Matsuoka - Wolf is horribly offended; all of the wolves in storybooks are nasty, scary, and greedy! He decides to write a story about a NICE wolf—can he overcome his wolfish wants? An amusing read aloud for the younger set.

Topsy-Turvy Bedtime by Joan Levine - Arathusela does NOT like to go to bed. One night she is allowed to be in charge of putting her parents to bed. Surely every child has dreamed of such an opportunity. Check this out for a fun bedtime read.


Nonfiction

Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg & Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and Susan Roth - The story of Greg Mortenson's first building project in Pakistan. His book for adults, three cups of tea: one man's Mission to promote peace. A child's version of the inspiring NY Times bestseller.

Our Living Earth: A Story of People, Ecology, and Preservation by Isabelle Delannoy - What does it mean to go green? This heavily illustrated book details the ways in which people affect their environment, and how a more stable balance can be achieved.

March Recommendations for Teens

Fiction

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol II: The Kingdom on the Waves by M.T. Anderson - Beginning with a quick summation of the first volume, Octavian and his tutor then flee to Boston. Octavian plans to enlist in the Royal Ethiopian Regiment in exchange for his freedom. Following a loss at Norfolk, they then take up quarters aboard British ships, barely fending off starvation and smallpox. As new recruits join the regiment, each relates his agonizing story of lost freedom. Octavian and his comrades are excluded from those ideals, while the leaders promising freedom do so only for a military advantage. Octavian surmises, "I saw that everything hath its price.., no value solid, but all cost as they are appraised for use. How much...is a man's life worth?" When he expresses doubt about achieving manhood, his mentor, Dr. Trefusis, assures him, "That is the great secret of men. We aim for manhood always and always fall short.” A fascinating examination of the nature of humanity and how society defines freedom and oppression.

Ninth Grade Slays by Heather Brewer - Vlad is back and a trip to Siberia gives studying abroad an entirely new meaning as Vlad connects with other vampires and advances his mind-control abilities. Will he be able to recognize a vampire slayer? This exciting sequel to Eighth Grade Bites forces Vlad to confront the secrets of the past and fight for his life.

Nation by Terry Pratchett - A tsunami shipwrecks Mau on a small tropical island, the only survivor of the island's "nation", where he meets Ermintrude, the supposed sole survivor of her empire. More than just a story of castaways, Prachett dissects and questions religion, justice, law, and society. Is a compassionate lie ever warranted? Laced with Pratchett's satirical humor, ghosts, bad puns, shooting, and shipwrecks, all will be entranced.

Kin by Holly Black - Rue is 16 and thinks she may be going crazy. She's seeing things that can't possibly be real, her mother is missing, and her father is the prime suspect in the murder of one of his college students. As Rue tracks down clues to prove her father's innocence, she learns the truth about who she really is and why she is seeing things others can't.

24 Girls in 7 Days by Alex Bradley - Jack Grammar can't find a date for the Prom, but it's not for a lack of trying. Jack's friends place a personal ad in the online school newspaper and receive an overwhelming 200 responses. Jack's friends narrow it down to 24 girls, leaving him 7 days to select a date, and they become the longest, craziest days of his life. It is a challenge to handle his meteoric rise in popularity and still remain true to himself and his friends. Find out who Jack chooses and the fun but meaningful lessons he learns about life, love and himself in this fast paced adventure through the sudden love life and popularity of Jack Grammar.

March Recommendations for Adults

Fiction

Delicate Edible Birds and Other Stories by Lauren Groff - Following the publication of Groff's first novel, The Monsters of Templeton (2008), comes this collection of nine short stories, six of which have never been published. The richly conceived, finely detailed stories offer portraits of smart, daring women. In the title story, an unconventional woman reporter fleeing the Nazis in rural France must make a questionable bargain to secure a safe passage. Vivid tales from a gifted young writer who continues to surprise. (excerpt from Booklist)

Dream House by Valerie Laken - When Kate and Stuart Kinzler buy a run-down, historic house in Ann Arbor, Michigan, they're looking for a decent remodeling investment and a little space in which to rekindle their troubled marriage. Instead they discover that their home was the scene of a terrible crime many years ago. When a mysterious man begins lurking around the yard, they are forced to confront their home's dangerous past. The stranger has returned to his own childhood home in search of something they may never fully understand.

Drood: A Novel by Dan Simmons - Just as he did in The Terror, Dan Simmons draws impeccably from history to create a gloriously engaging and terrifying narrative. Based on the historical details of Charles Dickens's life and narrated by Wilkie Collins (Dickens's friend, frequent collaborator, and Salieri-style secret rival), Drood explores the still-unsolved mysteries of the famous author's last years and may provide the key to Dickens's final, unfinished work: The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Chilling, haunting, and utterly original, Drood is Dan Simmons at his powerful best.

Galway Bay by Mary Pat Kelly - "After reading her novel, Galway Bay, you might wonder if Mary Pat Kelly knows everything about 19th century Ireland, the Great Famine, and the emigrant experience in America. But it's her exploration of the human heart that moves you. Against landscapes beautiful and bleak she brings her characters to unforgettable life. As they say in Ireland, 'Take your ease with this book.' You'll need time for laughter and tears and pure magic." (--Frank McCourt, Angela’s Ashes )

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford - Amid the chaos of blackouts, curfews, and FBI raids in 1940s Seattle, Henry and Keiko forge a youthful bond of friendship and innocent love that transcends the long-standing prejudices of their Old World ancestors. But after Keiko and her family are swept up in the evacuations to the internment camps, she and Henry are left only with the hope that the war will end, and that their promise to each other will be kept. An extraordinary story about hope and commitment set during one of the most conflicted and volatile times in American history.


Nonfiction

I’d Rather We Got Casinos: And Other Black Thoughts by Larry Wilmore - Wilmore, winner of an Emmy and a Peabody Award for his work in creating The Bernie Mac Show, is currently the Senior Black Correspondent to The Daily Show. Gathered together here for the first time, are his Black Thoughts bringing a satiric yet sensitive perspective on diverse topics ranging from UFOs, Black Jesus, Black Weathermen, and Black History Month. Provocative and entertaining.

The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary by Candace Fleming - Award wining author Fleming has created an enthralling joint biography of our greatest president and his complex wife in the form of a scrapbook using photographs, letters, engravings, and even cartoons, along with a fascinating text. Share an intimate look at the extraordinary lives of Abraham and Mary, from their disparate childhoods and tumultuous courtship, through the agony of the Civil War, to the loss of three of their children, and finally their own tragic deaths. Perfect for reluctant readers as well as history lovers.

The Motley Fool Million Dollar Portfolio: How to Build and Grow a Panic-Proof Investment Portfolio by David Gardner and Tom Gardner - In this groundbreaking guide to building a portfolio, acclaimed stock pickers and Internet pioneers David and Tom Gardner lay bare the simple philosophy that they have used to help millions of individual investors outfox Wall Street professionals. Sound, sensible investment advice for building, growing, and defending an individual portfolio, one investment strategy at a time. Learn to think like an investor about looking for a first stock, dividend investing, blue-chip bargains, small-cap treasures, international investing, and community-based online tools that are revolutionizing stock selection and asset allocation. Learn essential strategies from the masters.

Pet Food Politics by Marion Nestle - The pet food recall scandal of 2007 was just the tip of the iceberg which lead to an investigation of foreign suppliers (China) to major pet food manufacturers (Purina, Natura, Hills and many more, www.thepetfoodlist.com). Compared to Sinclair's The Jungle, public health professor Nestle uncovers a similar situation where profit driven decision and poor government oversight killed and endangered the lives of cats, dog, and farm animals nationwide. Investigative journalism at its best.

The Washington's of Wessyington Plantation: Stories of My Families Journey to Freedom by John Baker, Jr. - After learning that his maternal great-great grandparents had been slaves on the largest tobacco plantation in late 18th century America, Baker launched into a thirty year research project that uncovered a treasure trove of historical documents and oral histories. He has not only written his own family's story but included the history of hundreds of slaves and their descendants now numbering in the thousands throughout the United States. More than one hundred rare photographs and portraits of African Americans who were slaves on the plantation bring this compelling American history to life.