Paulo Coelho's "fable about following your dreams" weaves a magical tale. One boy's search for treasure leads him to explore his "personal legend" and more fully realize what it means to truly live. Encounters with merchants, warriors, scholars, and an alchemist show him that he must follow his dreams. This novel is truly inspirational; it makes you believe that your goals are attainable and that anything is possible if you work hard and strive for your target. This book doesn't just fill you with hope that you forget once you are finished; it teaches valuable lessons that you will carry with you throughout life. Review submitted by Sam Rigotti, September 2008
All for Love, by Ved Mehta
I loved reading his early biography when it was serialized in the
old New Yorker.
All over creation by Ruth Ozeki
recommended by Jenny Bogo - it's a novel with a huge quirky cast
of characters that includes frustrated potato farmers, seed savers,
eco-activisits, and the Big Bad Genetic Engineering Industry. she
blends fiction and environmental issues well.
Bird by Bird by Annie Lamott
A book about teaching writers to be writers recommended by Rachel
O'Brien who knows her good books.
Buffalo Spirit by Elizabeth Black
Recommended by LEP. Winner of the Three Oaks Prize.
The Boat by Nam Le
Short stories recommended by LEP.
The Boat That Wouldn't Float, by Farley Mowat
is great fun according to Dave Lansky
Blood Brothers by Elias Chacour
This book presents the issue of the Israeli/Palestinian struggle
through the eyes of a Christian Palestinian (Chacour). At the time
of the establishment of the state of Israel, Chacour is merely a child,
and we watch as he grows and matures amidst a world of cultural and
ethnic strife. This is a story to really make you think; his perspective
on this issue is one that often goes ignored at the international
level. Throughout his life, Chacour works tirelessly for peace between
his Palestinian people and his "blood brothers;" his Jewish
neighbors. This is an inspirational story, one that makes you believe
that there truly might be hope for reconciliation in this troubled
area of the world. Reviewed by Sam Rigotti, December 2007.
Brick Lane by Monica Ali
Bangladeshi Muslims in London recommended by LEP
Chasing Shakespeares by Sarah Smith.
Lorrie Pallant says it is well written for the intelligent reader
about a woman doing her thesis trying to prove the existence of Shakespeare.
It's a mystery with humor with some nice British history thrown in.
Cod by Mark Kurlansky
Recommended by Stanley Kondrot and by Chuck Welsh who says, It is
a great ecological story as well as a brief history of commerce and
the development of the New World. Informative and engaging!
Dark Star Safari by Paul Theroux
Terry Bensel loved this book.
The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944 by Rick
Atkinson
Death as a way of Life by David Grossman
a series of essays about life in Israel over last decade
Desirable Daughters by Bharati Mukherjee
About Brahmin Indian women recommended by LEP
Evidence of Things Unseen by Marianne Wiggins
About Tennessee and the atomic bomb. Recommended by LEP.
The Feather Quest: A North American Birder's Year by Peter Dunne
An excellent book about birding in the North America recommended
by LEP
Generation Kill by Evan Wright
A first hand account of soldiers in current Iraq War. Excellent review
in New York Times.
Gettysburg by Stephen W. Sears
According to the Times, Jay Winik, "Sears's reconstruction is
"The Civil War equivalent of a modern spy satellite photograph.
He hovers above the action, giving us a panoramic view."
Get Fuzzy Comic Books by Darby Conley
Sarah Lashley writes, "It's the classic cat, dog, and single
guy comic but I love it. I laugh out loud. Of course,
I should mention that I have a cat that is exactly like the main character
cat, Bucky, so I may be biased. Olivia looks and acts just like
Bucky.
Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and
Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 by
Steve Coll
Recommended by LEP
The Hemingway Book Club of Kosovo by Paula Hundley,
recommended by LEP
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
Recommended by Lloyd Michaels who is using the book to open his class
on modern Jewish literature.
Hope's Edge by Frances Moore Lappe and her daughter
Anna Lappe
She Frances is the author of the 1970s best seller A diet
for a small planet on the fact that there is enough food in the
world to provide for every hungry and famished person, but it isn’t
distributed to them now. Jolted by Sep. 11 ’01 and yearning
to go back to the inspiration and material from her first book, she
decided to travel to five continents with her daughter, observe and
think about the world anew. They tell of their journeys and
the innovation and positive change occurring at the “edge”
of the planet- in little known villages. Within these global
stories they discuss personal choice and perception. They affirm
that the ability, “…to perceive crisis as an opportunity
requires clear perception: We must grasp the nature of the crisis
and what each of us can do to address it.” That’s
my spiel…it’s an easy, intelligent, uplifting read. Submitted
by Megan Zeune, March 2006.
The Invisible Wall by Harry Bernstein.
The author, now in his 90s, recalls his impoverished boyhood in a
British mill town, on a street where Jews lived on one side and Christians
on the other.
I'm a Stranger Here Myself by Bill Bryson
Recommended by Alyssa Mack
The Known World by Edward P. Jones,
Pulitzer Prize, National Book Critics Award Winner, National Book
Award Finalist, LEP recommends
Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA by Tim Weiner.
A timely, compelling and prodigiously researched hisotry of the CIA
by a reporter for tThe New York Times that chronicles an alarming
litany of intelligence blunders and bungled opersations, from the
agency's creation after World War II through the cold war to its recent
failures in teh prelude to Iraq War.;
Living on the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds,
by Scott Weidensaul
Recommended by LEP for its outstanding writing
Master of the Senate by Robert Caro
Analysis of Lyndon Johnson's presidency. Got huge reviews. My parents
loved it.
The Measure of a Mountain: Beauty and Terror on Mount Ranier by Bruce
Barcott
Mount Rainier is the largest and most dangerous volcano in
the country, both an awesome natural monument and a formidable presence
of peril. In The Measure of a Mountain, Barcott sets out to grasp the
spirit of Rainier through a journey along its massive flanks. From forest
to precipice, thinning air to fractured glaciers, he explores not only
the physique of Rainier but the psychology and meaning of all mountains,
and the deep connection that exists between humans and landscape.
The Metaphysical Club
about Civil War and philosophy recommended by Diane Mayerfeld
Murder in Jerusalem by Batya Gur
News from Paraguay by Lily Tuck
A love story in nineteenth century Paraguay. Recommended by LEP.
Ordinary Wolves by Seth Kantner
An Alsaskan novel, highly recommended by Ann Areson, a reader of
high standards.
Out Stealing Horses by Per Peterson
In this quiet but compelling novel, Trond Sander, a widower nearing
seventy, moves to a bare house in remote eastern Norway, seeking the
life of quiet contemplation that he has always longed for. A chance
encounter with a neighborthe brother, as it happens, of his
childhood friend Joncauses him to ruminate on the summer of
1948, the last he spent with his adored father, who abandoned the
family soon afterward. Recommended by LEP.
The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
Reporting: Writings from the New Yorker by David Remnick
I've always found Remnick's articles in the New Yorker readable and
incomparably informative. Pete Hamill's review of the times says about
Remnick, "he treats the reader as an informed, intelligent equal."
This book contains 23 pieces from the magazine, many of which I've
read, the rest of which I'd like to.
The Russian Debutante's Ball by Gary Shteyngart
Part of the new generation of young Jewish writers
Schlepping Through the Alps: My Search for Austria's Jewish Past with
Its Last Wandering Shepherd by Sam Apple
A journalist who traveled from childhood memories to adult memories
from urban NY to Austria's highest peaks in search of Hans Breuer,
Yiddish folk singer and "last wandering shepherd of Austria."
Apple manages to seamlessly tie shepherding and Yiddish into his questions
about post-war Austria and contemporary anti-semitism in Europe suspensefully
and full with satisfaction.
Should You Leave, by Farley Mowat.
According to Dave Lansky, the author includes some discussion of
his own process in deciding to leave a good academic job to become
a full time writer and some hints at how hard he has worked to become
so skilled at the craft of writing.
Sirens of Baghdad by Yasmin Khadra
LEP says a story of fundamentalism and terrorism in Iraq. Like
the others by Khadra, Attack,
it is a slim volume that raises your awareness with fairness.
Soldier's Heart: Reading Literature Through Peace and War at West
Point by Elizabeth D. Samet
A civilian teacher at the Military Academy offers a significant persperctive
on a curical social and political force: honor.
Song of the Dodo by David Quammen
Recommended by Megan Terebus: Full of facts and dry humor and a really
good story
Soul Mountain by Gao Xingjian,
Nobel Prize in Literature
And Still We Rise: The Trials and Triumphs
of Twelve Gifted Inner-city High School Students by Miles Corwin
Sarah Lashley writes, "It follows an AP English class in a South
Central LA high school. Absolutely fabulous account of the lives
and challenges of the students and teachers. While life carries
some of the students far, others get caught in the poverty, gangs,
drugs, etc. that surround them. Josh's mom, a retired high school
English teacher and current Episcopalian minister, loved it too."
Tilting at Mills by Lis Harris
about the failed Banana Kelley paper recycling project in the Bronx.
She's one of my favorite writers in the New Yorker.
Three Cups of Tea by By Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
Three Cups of Tea is one of the most remarkable adventure
stories of our time. Greg Mortensons dangerous and difficult quest
to build schools in the wildest parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan is
not only a thrilling read, its proof that one ordinary person,
with the right combination of character and determination, really can
change the world. -Tom Brokaw
The Time of Our Singing by Richard Powers
Recommended by LEP. This is a long and not so easy read, but the
writing is gorgeously outstanding and I couldn't put down 630 pages.
It is a family and United States drama about racial problems in the
1960's. Black woman marries white German Jewish physicist
(a la Einstein) and what happens to their talented (singing and piano
playing virtuoso) offspring with a lot of musical references
and more. However, the writing is wonderful. His
descriptions of such things as Marion Anderson's being allowed to
sing on the National Mall , etc. stand by themselves.
Also, his book Echo Power won this year's National Book Award.
Unaccustomed Earth by Jumpa Lahiri
Rave reviews in Times and Slate for the latest book by one of my
favorite authors.
When the Emperor was Divine by Julie Otsaka
highly recommended by LEP about Japanese internment camps**
Who Killed Daniel Pearl? By Bernard-Henri Levy
According to Times, "This sharply observed account-which our
critic, Robert D. Kaplan, called "a gripping synthesis of philosophy
and reportage"-follows kidnappers trails to the highest reaches
of Al Qaeda and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency.
The World to Come: A Novel by Dara Horn
Recommended by Lloyd Michaels as a great book about the lost era
of Yiddish speakers.
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
About the plague in 1666 England recommended by Linda Gradstein and
LEP.
Eric Pallant, Department of Environmental Science, Allegheny
College/updated 25 September 2008.