Our librarians have great suggestions for your fall reading!
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson: "This is a work of historical fiction that recaptures the never-told story of the pack librarians of Kentucky, part of Roosevelt’s Depression-era WPA project, as well as that of the forgotten 'blue' Fugate family of Kentucky who were considered 'colored.' This thoroughly researched book tells the tale of the Fugate family, emigrants from Cussy, France, who suffered from a genetic mutation in their hemoglobin that turned their skin blue. Shunned and banished from white society, they were forced into the most abject poverty and social isolation. Believed to be the last surviving 'blue' Cussy, Mary Carter–her mother deceased, her father a miner dying of black lung disease–takes a job with the WPA, earning $28.00 per month. She and her fellow pack librarians battle weather, terrain, sickness, and personal anguish to bring books to the illiterate, under-served, and often starving inhabitants of the back hills of Kentucky. The author, herself an orphan and foster child who was aided by the kindness and helpfulness of her local librarian, pays homage to the healing power of books and the importance of libraries and librarians, especially to the most poor and marginalized. It is first and foremost a love story. Please don’t miss this book. It’s a keeper forever!"—Mary Blieka, General Librarian, Poppenhusen
The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott: "In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the CIA relegated most of the women it employed to be typists. However, in some cases they were trained to be carriers who secretly transported documents. The Secrets We Kept is the story of the role women played in the publication of Doctor Zhivago in the Soviet Union, the country of its origin where it was banned because of supposed anti-Communist leanings."—Myron Brown, General Librarian, Ozone Park
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi: "This is one of my favorites, as well as a Broadway Book Club favorite. I thought of it as Iran-U.S. relations are much in the news lately."—Venus Curva, General Librarian, Broadway
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata: "In Tokyo, there are convenience stores on every corner. With this novel, you can see Japan through the eyes of Keiko Furukura, a 30-year-old part-time convenience store worker. She enjoys her job, but she is struggling to be a normal person and fit expectations of the people around her. Her attempts to try are what make this novel so engrossing! Convenience Store Woman won the prestigious Akutagawa Prize, and fun fact: the author herself works part-time at a convenience store!"—Kacper Jarecki, Community Library Manager, Cambria Heights
