New Books - 1/10/11

Hinduism / ed. By Jeff Hay
Accurate and well-researched information about the Hindu religion.

Heroes
Zero regrets : be greater than yesterday / Apolo Ohno
“It’s a philosophy not just about sport but about life. . . . You have to figure out who it is you want to be. Not what you want to be – WHO.” Straight talk about life and sports from the most decorated Winter Olympic athlete.

Unbroken : a World War II story of survival, resilience, and redemption / Laura Hillenbrand
The most unlikely of heroes, Louie Zamperini was a juvenile delinquent. As a teenager, he became a track superstar who ran in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where he stole a German flag from the Reich Chancellory. Louis served in the Army Air Corp during WWII. In 1943, his bomber crashed during a search mission for a lost plane. He and two men survived 47 days at sea on a small raft, only to be captured and interred in a Japanese Prisoner of War Camp known for torture. Liberated in 1945, Zamperini struggled to forget, to rebuild his life, determined to be “unbroken.”

Read more in Newsweek.

A secret gift : how one man’s kindness – and a trove of letters – revealed the hidden history of the Great Depression / Ted Gup
On Dec. 17, 1933, an ad appeared in The Canton Repository newspaper offering $10 to 75 families in distress. A benefactor calling himself Mr. B. Virdot invited readers to submit a letter describing their struggles. He promised to keep the letter writers’ identities secret “until the very end.” In 2008, Ted Gup discovered the letters in a trunk and learned that Mr. Virdot was his grandfather, Sam Stone. He had kept the letters and the secret until the end.
To learn more, check out this article in The Smithsonian.

History
Diamonds, gold, and war : the British, the Boers, and the making of South Africa / Martin Meredith
The discovery of diamonds and gold in South Africa sparked a struggle between the British and the Boers for control of the land.” The result was the costliest, bloodiest, and most humiliating war that Britain had waged in nearly a century, and the devastation of the Boer republics.” (from Amazon.com; 1/7/11)

Thrills, Chills, and Romance
Hold tight / Harlan Coben (thriller)
Sixteen-year-old Adam has lost a friend to suicide. His parents are dealing with his grief and withdrawal on top of their everyday struggles. Meanwhile, a sadistic killer is at play in their suburban town.

Bright young things / Anna Godbersen
New York, 1929. Letty is searching for fame on the stage. Cordelia is searching for the father she has never known, a man famous for wild parties and shadowy schemes. They enter a glamorous and dangerous world, a life anyone would kill for . . . and someone will. From the writer of the Luxe series. (from Amazon.com ; 1/7/11)

Rucker Park setup / Paul Volponi
“Rucker Park—a place where basketball’s greatest pro players go up against street legends. Best friends Mackey and J.R. have waited their whole lives to win the basketball tournament here. But when the day of an important game arrives, J.R. is fatally stabbed. While Mackey didn’t wield the knife, he feels responsible. Now he has a score to settle, but the killer is watching his every move. Mackey is determined to finish the final game of the Rucker Park Tournament on his own terms. The question is, can he do it?” (from the back cover)

Three black swans / Caroline B. Cooney
Sixteen-year-old Missy’s science teacher challenges her class to research and design a scientific hoax. Missy decides to present Claire, her cousin and best friend, as her twin. People fall for the hoax; Missy and Claire’s pictures are posted on the Internet. Then a third girl sees their pictures on FaceBook and feels as if she’s looking in the mirror. Suddenly, the hoax is no laughing matter.

Annexed / Sharon Dogar
Careful to distinguish fact from fiction, Dogar presents a novel about Anne Franks’ secret annex narrated by Peter van Pels. He is nearly 16 in 1942 when he and his parents join the Franks in hiding in their Amsterdam attic. When Anne accuses him of deserting his people, Peter laments, "I want so many things, but what I need is to know who I am. Because if I don't know that, I can only ever be what they say I am. A Jew." (from Amazon.com ; 1/7/11)

The sweetness of salt / Cecilia Galante
“Julia just graduated as her high school valedictorian, has a full ride to college in the fall and a coveted summer internship. But when her older sister, Sophie, shows up at the graduation determined to reveal some long buried secrets, Julia's plans change. She follows Sophie back to Vermont, where Sophie is opening a bakery—and struggling with some secrets of her own. What follows is a summer of revelations—some heartwarming, some heartbreaking, and all slowly pointing Julia toward a new understanding of both herself and of the sister she never really knew. “(from Amazon.com ; 1/7/11)

Wake / Lisa McMann
Seventeen-year-old Janie has the ability to see other people’s dreams. When she sees a classmate’s nightmare, Janie must address her “gift” and how it might affect her future. (from Amazon.com ; 1/7/11)

Trouble / Gary D. Schmidt
Henry’s older brother is killed in a car accident; the other driver is a Cambodian refugee named Chay. After the accident, Henry, his family, and the community wrestle with grief, anger, and racial tensions. Finally, Henry, his best friend, Chay, decide to climb Mt. Katahdin, in Maine, a trip Henry and his brother had planned. Prejudice takes on a different face entirely as Chay's personal story develops, entwined with all three boys' growing understanding of their families, their town, and what really happened the night of the wreck. (from Amazon.com ; 1/7/11)

Safe haven / Nicholas Sparks
Katie Feldman is new in town. She’s quiet, private, and careful to avoid personal ties. She came to Southport seeking safety from the dark past that terrifies and stalks her.

Linger / Maggie Stiefvater
In this sequel to Shiver, the romance between Sam and Grace continues and old characters mingle with new recruits to the Minnesota werewolf pack. A cliff-hanger ending points to a third book.

Boot camp / Todd Strasser
In this realistic novel, fifteen-year-old Garrett is sent to a disciplinary boot camp for teens. “Behavior modification” includes mental and physical abuse. Garrett and two other teens finally become desperate enough to attempt an escape.

The mockingbirds / Daisy Whitney
Alex, a junior at a New England boarding school, indulges in a crazy night of drinking. She is date raped. She submits her case to the Mockingbirds, her school’s underground justice system in which students investigate and try crimes committed by other students. A story of confusion, shame, empowerment, and healing.

Elsewhere / Gabrielle Zevin
Fifteen-year-old Liz was killed in a hit-and-run accident. She now lives in “Elsewhere,” an afterlife in which the residents get younger until they become babies and are reborn on Earth.