 People all across time have been praying to Athena for a chance to live in the Just City of Plato's Republic, and she’s finally interested enough to help them do it. She collects those who prayed, recruits the willing, puts them on Atlantis before it sinks, and starts building a city. She and the "masters" of the city rescue ten-year-old slaves to populate the Just City and to educate them in the style of The Republic, which promotes excellence and fairness. However, it is soon obvious that Plato’s thought experiment doesn’t really translate well to an actual, living city.
The story of the city is told from three points of view: that of Maia, a master of the city; of Simmea, one of the children of the city; and of the god Apollo, who has made himself mortal as Pytheas to experience the city as one of the slave children himself. It is very interesting to see how these three narrators interact with the city; they all love the city for different reasons but recognize its faults, and because they're all wildly overeducated they analyze all the reasons why it works and doesn’t work. It’s a great novel for those who like philosophical conversations, but maybe not great for someone looking for action and adventure. --Alison McCarty, Callahan Branch Library Find The Just City in the Nassau County Public Library System catalog.  In the opening of this book, a seventeen-year-old kid called Eddie uses the bloody stumps where his hands used to be to drive a stolen car from BFE Louisiana to Houston and eventually to Minnesota. But why? Why does this kid have no hands? What is he escaping from? Why did he leave his mother behind and why isn’t he in any hurry to go back and get her?
It turns out that Eddie has escaped from a scam job at a farm called Delicious Foods, where the people in charge recruit down-on-their-luck men and women to perform hard labor in exchange for less than nothing – a crushing debt created by having to pay for room, board, and the drugs that make the workers think that all of this is a good idea. The book tells the story of how he and his mom got there, stayed there, and then eventually decided to leave, which was much easier said than done. I greatly enjoyed this story, which depicts crushing poverty in all its reality but keeps a dark sense of humor, especially in the chapters narrated by the farm’s drug of choice. The author does a great job of showing how people can become used to the worst living conditions and even think they’re pretty okay, when it’s obvious to everyone that they’re absolutely not. This is a great book for someone looking for a story they’ve never quite seen before. --Alison McCarty, Callahan Branch Library Find Delicious Foods in the Nassau County Public Library System catalog.  Brian Turner, author of two previous books of poetry, Here, Bullet and Phantom Noise, has written a memoir retracing his war experience from pre-deployment to combat, homecoming and aftermath. He combines recollections with the “imagination’s efforts to make reality comprehensible.” He uses his memoir to reflect on his own experience, and that of his grandfather, father, and uncle, all of whom served during their generations in times of war. He sees with imagination into his observations of fellow soldiers, and the enemy. His memoir is described by Tim O’Brien, author of The Things They Carried as being among “the best war memoirs I’ve encountered – a humane, heartbreaking, and expertly crafted work of literature.”
Though I would not ordinarily read military literature, there is occasion when a certain work will catch my eye. Any memoir that may rank among the works of literature should receive some attention, don’t you think? Therefore, I quickly referred this book to readers interested in personal accounts of military experience, particularly, anyone who is a fan of Tim O’Brien. This is a relatively small book, and appears to be a quick read. My limited direct knowledge of the vocabulary of modern warfare and its technology made my reading of it slow, but did not stand in the way of understanding and appreciating the human experience of war Turner reveals in a stark and realistic manner. His use of literary craft is obvious, and appears designed to draw the reader in with great emphasis. What this memoir does best, in my opinion, is describe the experience only a soldier who has lived it can truly imagine. --Rosemary Szczygiel, Hilliard Branch Library Find My Life as a Foreign Country in the Nassau County Public Library System catalog.  Jacob’s grandfather used to tell him wild stories about his childhood friends – a girl that could levitate, a boy that was invisible, and even more kids with strange powers. Jacob, now a teenager, knows that these were just fairy stories, but when his grandfather is killed by something Jacob can’t explain, he starts to wonder. Several months and many therapy sessions later, Jacob is on his way to the island where his grandfather used to live to try to figure out his grandfather’s mysterious last words and get some closure. But what he’s not prepared to find is that his grandfather’s stories weren’t made up at all, and that the world his grandfather used to live in is in danger.
This is a neat little book, made even more interesting with the inclusion of old, battered pictures showing the peculiar children in action. There’s plenty of action and adventure to keep kids reading, but there’s also some thought given to the way that the children live that will give older readers something to ponder. There is a sequel already out, called Hollow City, a third book in the works, and a movie due in early 2016. Check out this book if you like to read stories as a family or if you like books where kids save the day. --Alison McCarty, Callahan Branch Library Find Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children in the Nassau County Public Library System catalog.  Patricia is stuck going senile in some old-folks home in England with only her family's visits to break the monotony. Except that it's not just one family that visits her, but two. When one set of children visits her, she can't imagine how she ever thought there were others, but in between visits she remembers both sets, and her respective lives with them, equally well. She starts to wonder — why does she remember two separate lives? Where did her life split apart?
And then she remembers. The book from there cuts back and forth between Patricia's dual lives as Pat and Trish (and other name variations, too). In one life, she experiences a happy and fulfilling personal life but lives in a horror show of a world; in the other the world is a progressive wonderland but her personal life is a shambles. Both lives are equally compelling, and I love the way Walton shapes them and makes them both seem like valid life choices. Walton's worldbuilding is amazing as well; Patricia’s two worlds are basically the one we live in with slight differences, but those differences really add up. This is a great book for lovers of domestic fiction and also people interested in alternate histories. --Alison McCarty, Callahan Branch Library Find My Real Children in the Nassau County Public Library System catalog.  In this collection of advice columns from “Dear Sugar”, people write in with problems from the mundane (I like a guy who doesn’t like me back!) to the heartbreaking (I’ve just lost a child and don’t know what to do). Strayed treats each letter writer with compassion and also directness, giving advice on how to handle their particular situation and some extra advice on how to live a life free of drama. The big takeaway is to live your life in a way that makes you happy first, surrounding yourself with people and things that are good for you and staying far away from those that are bad for you, even if you think that they should be good for you.
But what sets Strayed apart from other advice columnists is that she shares pieces of her life with the letter writers. We find out about the terrible life-altering things that have happened to her in bits and pieces as we read through the letters, but we also know from her advice that her life now is just the way that she wants it to be, that she and we can overcome any obstacles and live our best lives. If you’ve ever felt like things weren’t going your way, there is a letter in this book that will speak to you. --Alison McCarty, Callahan Branch Library Find Tiny Beautiful Things in the Nassau County Public Library System catalog.  A group of college kids go out into the woods to plant a time capsule before they graduate and go their separate ways. They find the perfect spot to plant it, but when they start to dig they find that something else is buried there -- a bunker. A bunker with their names on it. A bunker that contains letters addressed to their present selves… from their future selves. These letters warn of impending disaster, but not all of the letters want this disaster stopped. Can these young people save the future, or is the future doomed to repeat itself?
This volume collects the first four issues of an ongoing comics series, which for non-comics readers means that there are four “episodes” of this story within the book and that the book does not have any sort of conclusion to speak of. If you want to know more, you’ll have to wait until the next volume comes out (or buy the single issues at your local comic shop). But what you do get in this volume is fascinating. The time-travelling-letter premise is fascinating, especially the fact that not all of the letters want the same thing, and the pull between trying to change the future, trying to leave it the same, and trying not to worry about it at all affects each character differently. It’s a dark, twisty story and I can’t imagine things are going to go well for any of the characters over the course of this series. If you’re looking for a new comic series or just a new brooding story, check this one out! --Alison McCarty, Callahan Branch Library Find The Bunker, Vol. 1 in the Nassau County Public Library System catalog.  Award-winning author of historical fiction and nonfiction Peter Ackroyd is known for his biographies. His “Brief Lives” series include Chaucer, the painter J. M. W. Turner, Sir Isaac Newton, and Edgar Allan Poe. In his latest brief biography, he examines the life of silent movie star and Hollywood icon Charlie Chaplin. Who was the man behind one of the most recognizable comic faces the world of film ever produced? Charlie Chaplin: A Brief Life brings to light facts about Chaplin from his humble and impoverished childhood in South London and the rise of his career as a stage comic to the extraordinary dramas played out behind the scenes.
Peter Ackroyd takes on a formidable challenge in this book. Charlie Chaplin’s life was anything but brief. He lived until the age of 88, and remained active as an artist up until the time of his death. Chaplin’s silent film character “the Little Tramp” won the hearts of many in a period of modern history when people were hungry for both comic relief, and the heroic success of an innocent underdog. Chaplin was the man who portrayed this little fellow, produced and directed the films he starred in, and became a force to be reckoned with, both publicly and privately. If you don’t already know about Chaplin’s dark side, you will after reading this book. --Rosemary Szczygiel, Hilliard Branch Library Find Charlie Chaplin: A Brief Life in the Nassau County Public Library System catalog.  Gathering together quotes, philosophies, and strategies from the life of Steve Jobs, who founded Apple computers in 1976 together with Steve Wozniak, this book offers business inspiration to its readers, and an opportunity to “view the world through the eyes of a genius.” The author, Daniel Smith, works in publishing as a writer and researcher of non-fiction.
The author has cleverly arranged the chapters of this book with quotes from Steve Jobs, meant to inspire. Some of these quotes, in my opinion, feel shallow, sound cliché, and do not seem entirely original. On the other hand, some are great! Practical statements at the beginning of each section are succinct and impressive, offering good advice. The book was written and published posthumously, and fans of the late Steve Jobs will welcome this tribute. It is arranged chronologically, and illustrates Jobs’ philosophy in the wake of his lifetime of success. It may also be an attempt to convince the non-believer of Jobs’ great genius. One thing is certain, the books succeeds in shedding a light on the cunning of Jobs’ marketing and business strategies. It may not necessarily convince those who remain skeptical that this kind of thinking ranks among that of other great geniuses. Overall, I’m not sure I’m someone who wants “to think like Steve Jobs”. On the other hand, you might. In either case, it’s worth the short read to find out. --Rosemary Szczygiel, Hilliard Branch Library Find How to Think Like Steve Jobs in the Nassau County Public Library System catalog. |
