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Books in the National Media
January 2018
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this follow-up to the Man Booker-short-listed The Lives of Others, various narratives link an Indian-born father and his American son visiting India; the construction worker they're shocked to see fall to his death; an indigent man and his bear, related to the worker; an Indian-raised, London-based man interested in his parents' Mumbai cook; and a revolutionary-minded servant girl. Featured on NPR Book Review, January 4 and Entertainment Weekly, January 19
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Winter by Ali SmithFollowing Autumn, the first of four novels named for the seasons and drawing on their moods, Smith takes an icy look at the era of Brexit and fake news, examining themes of history and memory and celebrating our will to survive. (She and Knausgaard are clearly in sync.) From the winner of Baileys and Costa Novel honors, thrice short-listed for the Man Booker Prize. Featured on NPR Book Review, January 10
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The Sky Is Yours by Chandler Klang SmithThis genre bender combines literary flair with classic sf tropes seen as cult-worthy by enthusiastic in-housers. In a futuristic, inevitably dystopian city, the skies are dominated by a pair of danger-breathing dragons as drugs, dragon worshippers, and furious fires threaten the survivors below. Among them: bad-boy Duncan Humphrey Ripple V, his mercurial fiancee, and a wild young beauty he's rescued. Featured on NPR Book Review, January 25
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Feartured on Ellen, January 23
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The friend by Sigrid NunezThe narrator's friend, a famous writer at the height of a long and successful career, killed himself and left no suicide note. What he did leave was a jealous wife and a Great Dane named Apollo, adopted when the narrator found him abandoned in the park. The wife won't keep the dog. So, driven by guilt and grief, the narrator opts to take him, even at the risk of losing her rent-controlled apartment. She can't bear the idea of another abandonment while she herself feels abandoned. They set off to build a relationship and get through their mutual grief. In rambling streams of consciousness, she recalls her relationship with the writer as a former student, a longtime friend, and a fellow writer. Onlookers wonder at the human-canine friendship, even as the narrator plunges into an existential crisis, examining her own life, writing, and the bond between dogs and humans. Adjusting and adapting, she and Apollo ultimately find comfort and salvation. Nunez (Sempre Susan, 2011) offers an often-hilarious, always-penetrating look at writing, grief, and the companionship of dogs.Review from Booklist Magazine. Featured on NPR Book Reviews, January 23
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Happiness is a choice you make : lessons from a year among the oldest old by John LelandNew York Times reporter Leland (Hip: The History) delves into the ramifications of an arresting statistic--that more people are living past age 85 than at any other time--by following six individuals from this quickly growing age group. The octogenarians profiled, three men and three women, include a still-active avant-garde filmmaker, a retired civil servant, and a pioneering career woman. Leland skillfully weaves the wisdom gleaned from their experiences into a fascinating chronicle of the joys and difficulties of living into one's 80s and beyond. The underlying theme conveyed by this varied group is to "spend your dwindling time and energy on the things that you can still do," not on mourning those now out of reach. It is an uplifting message, one that researchers call "selective optimization with compensation." By not shying away from the downside of old age--issues discussed here include illness, depression, and isolation, as well as memory and cognitive loss--Leland lends credence to his heartening story of how six seniors have nonetheless made the best of it. He also movingly shows, through his own example, how interacting with those much older than oneself can lead to seeing life in a new light. Leland's unique, highly readable narrative posits that old age should not be viewed as a dreadful time, but rather as a life stage to embrace and celebrate. Review from Publisher's Weekly. Featured on NPR's Fresh Air, January 24
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The Trump Factor : How He's Making Things Worse for Most of Us by David Cay JohnstonBestselling author and longtime Trump observer David Cay Johnston shines a light on the political termites who have infested our government under the Trump Administration, destroying it from within and compromising our jobs, safety, finances, and more. Featured on Morning Joe, January 16
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Munich by Robert HarrisReturning to the territory of the alt-history classic Fatherland, Harris visits the Munich Conference, with two friends from 1920s Oxford in conflict. British diplomatic up-and-comer Guy Legat serves as private secretary to placating Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, while German Foreign Office staffer Rikard von Holz secretly belongs to the anti-Hitler Resistance. Featured on NPR's Morning Edition, January 19
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Hippie Food : How Back-to-the-landers, Longhairs, and Revolutionaries Changed the Way We Eat by Jonathan KauffmanThis debut by journalist Kauffman is a rambling and ranging social history that explores the intersecting paths by which, collectively, natural and organic foods have entered contemporary American food culture. With a more topical than chronological arrangement, each chapter is its own minihistory: the ascendancy of macrobiotics, whole grains, or tofu; the growth of communes, organic farms, and farmers' markets; the influence of world cuisines; and the cooperative movement. Kauffman introduces readers to dozens of influential individuals and establishments: protohealth food restaurant The Health Hut, food store and distributor Erewhon, Rodale Press, the New Riverside Cafe, MN, The Farm, TN, and the Wheatville Food Co-op, Austin. Mostly limited to the late 1950s through the mid-1970s, with occasional forays back in time, the narrative effectively ends with the opening of the first Whole Foods in 1980. Kauffman documents his subjects' nutritional, environmental, economic, and philosophical arguments but seems more interested in chronicling than persuading, though he does submit that this array of outsider growers, cooks, seekers, and advocates have collectively had a profound impact on the American diet. Review from Library Journal. Featured on NPR's The Salt, January 23
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In this work, billed as a Handmaid's Tale for the new millennium, women in an Oregon fishing town struggle with issues of freedom and identity in a grave new world where abortion and in vitro fertilization are banned. Single-mother Ro wants a baby, talented student Mattie is pregnant without recourse, mother-of-two Susan faces a failing marriage, and Gin brings the plot together when she's arrested for practicing homeopathy. Featured in Entertainment Weekly, January 19 and NPR Books, January 13
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Iron Gold by Pierce BrownJust when it looks as if Darrow and the Rising are about to defeat holdout Golds and end their world's cruel color-coded caste system, a new foe comes along, which makes this fourth "Red Rising" book the first in a new trilogy. Last year's Morning Star topped the New York Times best sellers list. Featured on NPR Book Review, January 21
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White houses : a novel by Amy BloomLorena "Hick" Hickok was a hard-boiled newspaper reporter, but she showed her tender side to the love of her life, Eleanor Roosevelt. In this new novel by the acclaimed author of Lucky Us, Hick tells her story in her own brash voice. Hick and Eleanor could not have been more different. Eleanor was genteel, patrician, and private, the opposite of Lorena. Both women had unhappy childhoods, but Hick's was brutal. She escaped grinding poverty and an abusive father in South Dakota, working as a hired girl before joining a circus. By the time Eleanor meets her in 1932, Hick is a respected AP reporter. Hick moves into the White House, taking a job in the Roosevelt administration, though Eleanor's portly companion was usually cut out of any official photos. Told from Hick's perspective, the novel embraces not just the White House but Hick's little white house on Long Island, hence the title. Featured in Entertainment Weekly, January 12
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The Wife Between Us by Greer HendricksIt's human nature to assume; we all do. But this psychological thriller by first-time novelist Hendricks and best-selling author Pekkanen (The Perfect Neighbors) proves just how dangerous assumptions can be. Nellie, a young teacher, has met the man of her dreams. Nine years her senior, Richard is charming, handsome, and wealthy. He pampers Nellie like a queen--until he doesn't. Nellie is constantly thrown off-kilter--is Richard manipulating things that happen between them? Reality and deception are woven into a strange pattern of twisted understanding. As the difference in how each perceives their marriage grows wider, so does their estrangement until Richard leaves Nellie for another woman. Or so everyone believes. Who is this younger, blonde version of herself? Nellie is compelled to stalk her around Manhattan like a jealous ex. Will this woman become her replacement. Review from Library Journal Featured in Entertainment Weekly, January 19
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Gnomon : a novel by Nick Harkaway"From the widely acclaimed author of The Gone-Away World and Tigerman, a virtuosic new novel and his most ambitious book yet--equal parts dark comedy, gripping detective story, and mind-bending philosophical puzzle--set in a not-too-distant-future, high-tech surveillance state. In the world of Gnomon, citizens are ceaselessly observed and democracy has reached a pinnacle of "transparency." When suspected dissident Diana Hunter dies in government custody during a routine interrogation, Mielikki Neith, a trusted state inspector, is assigned to the case. Immersing herself in neural recordings of the interrogation, she finds a panorama of characters and events that Hunter gave life to in order to forestall the investigation: a lovelorn financier in Athens who has a mystical experience with a shark; a brilliant alchemist in ancient Carthage confronting the unexpected outcome of her invention; an expat Ethiopian painter in London designing a controversial new video game. In the static between these mysteriousvisions, Neith begins to catch glimpses of the real Diana Hunter--and, alarmingly, of herself, the staggering consequences of which will reverberate throughout the world. Gnomon is a dazzling, panoramic achievement from one of the most original voices incontemporary fiction" Featured in Entertainment Weekly, January 12
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The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani"When Myriam, a French-Moroccan lawyer, decides to return to work after having children, she and her husband look for the perfect nanny for their two young children. They never dreamed they would find Louise: a quiet, polite, devoted woman who sings to the children, cleans the family's chic apartment in Paris's upscale tenth arrondissement, stays late without complaint, and hosts enviable kiddie parties. But as the couple and the nanny become more dependent on one another, jealousy, resentment, and suspicions mount, shattering the idyllic tableau"-- Featured in NPR Books, January 14 and Fresh Air, January 22
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Girls auto clinic glove box guide by Patrice BanksThe author, devoted to empowering women to learn basic car repairs and knowing what to do in an emergency, presents this must-have guide, revved up with easy-to-follow instructions, great tips and lifesaving rules of thumb, that teaches women what they need to know about how their cars work, and what they need to do to keep them running smoothly. NPR's Fresh Air, January 9
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Featured on The Daily Show, January 8
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Grist Mill Road : a novel by Christopher J YatesYates follows his well-received debut, Black Chalk, with an edgy, intelligent thriller that explores the aftermath of a senseless crime. In 1982, 13-year-old Matthew Weaver ties Hannah Jensen, who's also 13, to a tree in the woods outside Roseborn, N.Y., and shoots her with a BB gun 49 times, including through the eye. Patrick "Patch" McConnell, a friend of Matthew's, is walking nearby and hears the shots. When Patch arrives at the scene, he at first thinks Hannah is dead, but she survives her injuries. Flash forward to 2008, when all three are living in New York City. Hannah, now a crime reporter, is married to Patch, who puts all his energies into his food blog and fantasizing about getting even with the boss who recently laid him off. A chance meeting with Matthew brings to the surface the anger and violence each has repressed. The reader's sympathies shift as each character brings a different perspective to the events that shaped them. Unexpected twists keep the tension high. Review from Publishers Weekly Features in Entertainment Weekly, January 12
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The potlikker papers : a food history of the modern South by John T EdgeDescribes how the culinary traditions of the poor, rural South played a large part in the region's revitalization and renaissance, eventually becoming incorporated into the gentrification and artesian renaissance that gave rise to popular figures in Southern food, from Paul Prudhomme to Craig Claiborne. Featured on The Salt, January 14
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When : the scientific secrets of perfect timing by Daniel H PinkThe No. 1 New York Times best-selling Pink (To Sell Is Human) returns to tell us how to improve our timing, e.g., when is the best time to change jobs or careers? Pink draws on research in psychology, biology, and economics to provide the answers. Booming in-house excitement. Featured in NPR's Author Interviews, January 18
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Red Sky at Noon by Simon Sebag MontefioreImprisoned in the Gulags for a crime he did not commit, Benya Golden joins a penal battalion made up of Cossacks and convicts to fight the Nazis. He enrolls in the Russian cavalry, and on a hot summer day in July 1942, he and his band of brothers are sent on a suicide mission behind enemy lines--but is there a traitor among them? The only thing Benya can truly trust is his horse, Silver Socks, and that he will find no mercy in onslaught of Hitler's troops as they push East. Spanning ten epic days, between Benya's war on the grasslands of southern Russia and Stalin's intrigues in the Kremlin, between Benya's intense affair with an Italian nurse and a romance between Stalin's daughter and a war correspondent, this is a sweeping story of passion, bravery, and survival--where betrayal is a constant companion, death just a heartbeat away, and love, however fleeting, offers a glimmer of redemption. Featured on NPR's Author Interviews, January 6
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Meditation for fidgety skeptics : a 10% happier how-to book by Dan HarrisThe co-anchor of Nightline and author of the best-selling 10% Happier presents a lighthearted, practical guide to meditation that debunks the myths, misconceptions and self-deceptions that make everyday people reluctant to participate. Featured on NPR Book Review, January 4, The View, January 5
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The girls in the picture : a novel by Melanie BenjaminMary Pickford was the first actor to have her name above the marquee, and friend and creative partner Frances Marion was a screenwriter famous for such classics as Dinner at Eight. Together, they're Benjamin's golden, glowing women in the pictures, struggling for power in a world dominated by men. From the New York Times best-selling author of The Aviator's Wife. Featured on NPR Book Review, January16
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Benjamin follows up the Edna Ferber Prize-winning The Anatomy of Dreams with a BookExpo Buzz Book already bought by the Fox TV Group. It opens in 1969 New York with four children daringly visiting a fortune teller said to be able to predict the date of one's death. Elder siblings Daniel and Varya become an army doctor and a scientist, respectively, while younger, rebellious Klara works as a magician in Las Vegas, and the insouciant youngest, Simon, finds love and dance in San Francisco. Did the fortune teller's predictions determine their fates? Featured on NPR's Author Interviews, January 7 and Entertainment Weekly, January 12
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Tangerine : a novel by Christine Mangan"A stunning debut novel--a chilling and unexpected portrait of a female friendship set in 1950's Morocco. This is Patricia Highsmith for the 21st century". Featured in Entertainment Weekly, January 12
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The undoing project : a friendship that changed our minds by Michael LewisThe best-selling author of The Blind Side examines how a Nobel Prize-winning theory by Israeli psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky created the field of behavioral economics and has had a lasting influence on evidence-based regulation. Featured on Late Night, January 2
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An American marriage by Tayari Jones"Newlyweds Celestial and Roy, the living embodiment of the New South, are settling into the routine of their life together when Roy is sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit. An insightful look into the lives of people who are bound and separated by forces beyond their control" Featured in Entertainment Weekly, January 12
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The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning : How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter by Margareta MagnussonAs a Swedish woman between the ages of eighty and one hundred, Magnusson has some definite ideas about decluttering. She refers to it as death cleaning (i.e., getting rid of things when you think the time is coming closer for you to leave the planet ). Why should your children have to make decisions that you didn't want to make? Why should they be left with a deluge of possessions? The author suggests breaking your possessions into categories and then attacking these categories one at a time. (She says clothing is the easiest, so start there.) Her methods are pretty basic: make one pile to keep and one pile to get rid of. Put notes on the discards showing where they should go. What makes this book worthwhile isn't the sorting tips. It's Magnusson's humorous common sense. She rightly reminds readers that it takes time to downsize and that putting it off won't make it go away. And that hanging around with young people can be fun. At least they don't talk about hearing aids and canes. Review from Booklist Magazine Featured in Entertainment Weekly, January 19
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Donald Trump's presidency has raised a question that many of us never thought we'd be asking: Is our democracy in danger? Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt have spent more than twenty years studying the breakdown of democracies in Europe and Latin America, and they believe the answer is yes. Democracy no longer ends with a bang--in a revolution or military coup--but with a whimper: the slow, steady weakening of critical institutions, such as the judiciary and the press, and the gradual erosion of long-standing political norms. The good news is that there are several exit ramps on the road to authoritarianism. The bad news is that, by electing Trump, we have already passed the first one. Drawing on decades of research and a wide range of historical and global examples, from 1930s Europe to contemporary Hungary, Turkey, and Venezuela, to the American South during Jim Crow, Levitsky and Ziblatt show how democracies die--and how ours can be saved. Featured on NPR's Fresh Air, January 22
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The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn"It isn't paranoia if it's really happening ... Anna Fox lives alone -- a recluse in her New York City home, drinking too much wine, watching old movies ... and spying on her neighbors. Then the Russells move next door: a father, a mother, their teenaged son. The perfect family. But when Anna sees something she shouldn't, her world begins to crumble -- and its shocking secrets are laid bare. What is real? What is imagined? Who is in danger? Who is in control? In this gripping Hitchcockian thriller, no one and nothing are what they seem."-- Featured in Entertainment Weekly, January 19 and NPR Author Interviews, January 20
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Coauthors Berman and Bernard write from the experience of being White House social secretaries and special assistants to presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, respectively. Their roles were not only to assist in social and political functions but to ensure that attendees were taken care of and had a positive experience. With this book, they've condensed their knowledge with the aim of helping readers treat others with dignity and show a willingness to listen and collaborate. They address and elaborate on 12 cornerstones of civility, including handling conflict diplomatically, owning one's mistakes, and radiating calm. Review from Library Journal. Featured in NPR's Author Interviews, January 9
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God save Texas : A Journey into the Soul of the Lone Star State by Lawrence Wright"With humor and the biting insight of a native, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Looming Tower explores the history, culture, and politics of Texas, while holding the stereotypes up for rigorous scrutiny. God Save Texas is a journey through the most controversial state in America. It is a red state in the heart of Trumpland that hasn't elected a Democrat to a statewide office in more than twenty years; but it is also a state in which minorities already form a majority (including the largest number of Muslim adherents). The cities are blue and among the most diverse in the nation. Oil is still king but Texas now leads California in technology exports. The Texas economic model of low taxes and minimal regulation has produced extraordinary growth but also striking income disparities. Texas looks a lot like the America that Donald Trump wants to create. And Wright's profound portrait of the state not only reflects our country back as it is, but as it was and as it might be" Featured in Entertainment Weekly, January 12
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In Pursuit of Memory : The Fight Against Alzheimer's by Joseph JebelliIn a very human history of Alzheimer’s disease that doubles as a scientific detective story, a neuroscientist takes readers on a journey around the world where we meet hero scientists who are working against the clock to find a cure. Featured on NPR's Fresh Air, January 2
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A Distant Heart by Sonali Dev"Her name means 'miracle' in Sanskrit, and to her parents, that's exactly what Kimaya is. The first baby to survive after several miscarriages, Kimi grows up in a mansion at the top of Mumbai's Pali Hill, surrounded by love and privilege. But at eleven years old, she develops a rare illness that requires her to be confined to a germ-free ivory tower in her home, with only the Arabian Sea churning outside her window for company--until one person dares venture into her world. Featured on NPR Book Reviews, January 6
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The most dangerous man in America : Timothy Leary, Richard Nixon & the hunt for the fugitive king of LSD by Bill MinutaglioIn 1970, former Harvard professor and LSD advocate, Timothy Leary (1920-66), with the help of the Weather Underground (at the time known as the Weathermen Underground), broke out of a low-security California prison and fled the country under a false identity. The Richard Nixon administration used Leary's celebrity and reputation as the "High Priest of LSD" as a face for the War on Drugs. If Leary was caught and prosecuted, the administration thought it would be a boon for Nixon's diminishing popularity. As a result, Leary spent the next three years avoiding the FBI and extradition while dropping acid and hoping for political asylum. This bizarre story is pieced together by PEN Award-winning authors Minutaglio and Davis, who draw heavily on primary sources to create an engaging narrative. At times, it is difficult to tell if the authors are poking fun at Leary or venerating him; perhaps they are doing both. More than simply describe Leary's escape from prison, the hunt that then ensued across North Africa and Europe, and his ultimate capture, the authors document a particular moment in American history and the paranoia that plagued government and counterculture alike. Review from Library Journal. Featured on NPR's Author Interviews, January 5
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Mokhtar Alkhanshali is twenty-four and working as a doorman when he discovers the astonishing history of coffee and Yemen's central place in it. He leaves San Francisco and travels deep into his ancestral homeland to tour terraced farms high in the country's rugged mountains and meet beleaguered but determined farmers. But when war engulfs the country and Saudi bombs rain down, Mokhtar has to find a way out of Yemen without sacrificing his dreams or abandoning his people. Featured in Entertainment Weekly, January 12
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The largesse of the sea maiden : stories by Denis JohnsonA National Book Award winner and two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist claiming the respect of both critics and dedicated readers, Johnson died in May 2017, and we are fortunate that this collection was already in the works. It comes a quarter century after Jesus' Son, among his best-known titles, and not unexpectedly explores issues of aging, mortality, and the search for meaning. Featured in NPR Book Reviews, January 9 and Entertainment Weekly, January 19
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Featured on NPR's The Salt, January 24
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The female persuasion by Meg WolitzerTimid new college student Greer Kadetsky, devoted to boyfriend Cory but otherwise uncertain of her life and herself, has a sudden sense of purpose when she hears leading feminist Faith Frank speak on campus. Remarkably, Faith takes an interest in Greer, setting her on an unexpected new path. Timely reading as circumstances revivify the fight for women's rights; from the New York Times best-selling author of The Interestings. Featured in Entertainment Weekly, January 12
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The afterlives : a novel by Thomas Pierce""Ridiculously good" (The New York Times) authorThomas Pierce's debut novel is a funny, poignant love story that answers the question: What happens after we die? (Lots of stuff, it turns out). Jim Byrd died. Technically. For a few minutes. The diagnosis: heart attack at age thirty. Revived with no memory of any tunnels, lights, or angels, Jim wonders what--if anything--awaits us on the other side. Then a ghost shows up. Maybe. Jim and his new wife, Annie, find themselves tangling with holograms, psychics, messages from the beyond, and a machine that connects the living and the dead. As Jim and Annie journey through history and fumble through faith, they confront the specter of loss that looms for anyone who dares to fall in love. Funny, fiercely original, and gracefully moving,The Afterlives will haunt you. In a good way" Featured on NPR Book Review, January 11
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Harford County Public Library
1221-A Brass Mill Rd Belcamp, Maryland 21017 410-273-5600 hcplonline.org
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