Staff Selections

Staff Current Favorites
First they Killed My Father by Loung Ung
	The stirring true story of a girl who survived the brutality of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia retraces her steps from the forced "evacuation" of Phnom Penh in 1975 when she was a girl of five, to her family's subsequent movements from town to town and eventual separation, which resulted in her parents' deaths and her being trained as a child soldier.
Postville: A Clash of Cultures in Heartland American by Stephen Bloom
	A fascinating portrait of cultural conflict in action visits a small Iowa community where Lubavitcher Jews opened a successful slaughterhouse and found themselves in conflict with Gentile neighbors.
I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb
	Dominick Birdsey, a forty-year-old housepainter living in Three Rivers, Connecticut, finds his subdued life greatly disturbed when his identical twin brother Thomas, a paranoid schizophrenic, commits a shocking act of self-mutilation
Last Man Out: The Story of the Springhill Mine Disaster by Melissa Greene
	Relates the story of how a group of miners managed to live through the worst mining accident of the twentieth century, the 1958 explosion at Nova Scotia's Springhill Mine. Provides some insight into the group dynamics and leadership patterns in crises.
Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
	In an attempt to understand the lives of Americans earning near-minimum wages, Ehrenreich works as a waitress in Florida, a cleaning woman in Maine, and a sales clerk in Minnesota.
Crossing Over by Ruth Garrett
	Chronicles the author's departure from the strict Old Order Amish community in Kalona, Iowa, and how she escaped a lifetime of rigid rules, privacy, abuse, and oppression to join the modern world while keeping alive her Christian faith.
Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
	After her "stand-in mother," a bold black woman named Rosaleen, insults the three biggest racists in town, Lily Owens, whose life has been defined by the tragic death of her mother, joins Rosaleen on a journey to Tiburon, South Carolina, where they are taken in by three black, bee-keeping sisters who show them the true meaning of love and family
A Girl Named Zippy: Growing up in Moreland, Indiana by Haven Kimmel
	The author offers a chronicle of growing up in a small town in America's heartland, offering portraits of her family and her encounters with the complexities of the adult world, romance, and small-town life during the 1960s and 1970s. This is one of the few books written in the voice of a child. It is a very light and entertaining book.
Angry Housewives: Eating BonBons by Lorna Landvik
	From the initial formation of The Freesia Court Book Club and over the course of the next thirty years, five women in small-town Minnesota, share the events, triumphs, tragedies, hardships, joys, and sorrows of their lives, in a heartwarming story of friendship.
Denoch by Pastor Paul Ostrem
	Chronicles the life of Pastor John Hafner. Rev. Hafner was the minister at Zion Lutheran Church in Muscatine from 1910 to 1941.This book provides some information about the treatment of German citizens during WW I in Muscatine.
Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi
	The author was a professor of literature at the University of Tehran. This book describes growing up in the Islamic Republic of Iran and the experiences of a group of women during the rise of Islamic Muslim fundamentalism. The group of young women came together at Ms. Nafisi's home in secret every Thursday to read and discuss great books of Western literature, explaining the influence of Lolita, The Great Gatsby, Pride and Prejudice, and other works..
My Personal Promise Bible (Comes for Women, Mothers, or Teens)
	Small boxed leather bible with guilding. Scripture is arranged under specific topics such as, 'courage', 'peace', 'failure', 'lonliness', etc. Also contains daily affirmations and brief stories of women in the bible. All for only $16.00...Quite a value.
Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing by Ted Conover
	The author, a journalist, describes his rookie year as a prison guard in Sing Sing. This well written book presents a riveting look inside of the prison system.
BOOKS FOR CHILDREN
Wishes for You by Tobi Tobias
	A person makes a series of wishes for a child in his/her life. This a beautiful and touching picture book. It is a new book that is only available in hard cover.
The Pot that Juan Built by Nancy Andrews-Goebel (Poetry and Prose)
	A cumulative rhyme summarizes the life's work of renowned Mexican potter, Juan Quezada, with additional information that describes the process he uses to create his pots after the style of the Casas Grandes people. Unique and exceptionally beautiful book. Available in hard cover.
Night on Neighborhood Street by Eloise Greenfield & Jan Spivey Gilchrist (Poetry)
	A collection of poems exploring the sounds, sights, and emotions enlivening an African American neighborhood during the course of one evening. Another wonderful book...We love this book. Available in paper back
The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant and Stephen Cammell
	The relatives come to visit from Virginia and everyone has a wonderful time. A delightful book about family...A magical book with wonderfull pastel illustrations. Available in paper back. My new granchild will get this one.
The Moon & Riddles Diner and the Sunnyside Cafe by Nancy Willard (Poetry)
	Accompanied by recipes for kids, this book presents an eclectic assemblage of characters who frequent The Moon & Riddles Diner and the Sunnyside Cafe where weird and magical things happen, from a talking spoon and teapot to a pancake-cooking frog. ....The poetry is illustrated by lovely and imaginative paper craft illustrations. Available in hard cover.
Old Black Fly by Jim Aylesworth
	Rhyming text and illustrations follow a mischievous old black fly through the alphabet as he has a very busy bad day landing where he should not be. Exceptional illustrations! You really must see this book! Available in paper back.
The Napping House by Audrey Wood
	In this cumulative tale, a wakeful flea atop a number of sleeping creatures causes a commotion, with just one bite. This is another book that you must see to appreciate. The wonderful illustrations make this a memorable book. It is only presently available in hard cover.
All the Places to Love
	A young boy describes the favorite places that he shares with his family on his grandparents' farm and in the nearby countryside. This book has very special illustrations. It is breath taking in its beauty and expresses a sentiment that is so often deeply felt here in this rural area. I have one saved for my own grandchild.