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Diane AckermanA true tale of people, animals, and subversive acts of compassion—and one of the most successful hideouts of World War II. Jan Zabinski, the innovative director of the Warsaw Zoo, and Antonina, his empathic wife, lived joyfully on the zoo grounds during the 1930s with their young son. The zoo was badly damaged by the Nazi blitzkrieg. Resourceful and courageous, the Zabinskis turned the decimated zoo into a refuge and saved the lives of several hundred imperiled Jews.The Zookeeper’s Wife: A War Story |
Jimmy Santiago BacaA harrowing, brilliant memoir and a vivid affirmation of one man’s spirit in overcoming the most brutal adversity. Baca was abandoned by his parents and put in an orphanage at age seven, a runaway at 13, and sentenced to five years in a maximum-security prison at 21. Illiterate, he learned to read and write in prison—and it was power of language that kept him alive and sane. Baca is also considered one of the best poets in America today.
A Place to Stand |
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Da ChenA classic story of triumph over adversity. Da Chen was born in 1962, the Year of Great Starvation. Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution engulfed millions and the Red Guard enforced Mao’s brutal communist regime. Chen’s family belonged to the despised landlord class, and his father and grandfather were routinely beaten and sent to labor camps. Despite this background of poverty and danger, Da Chen grows up to be resilient, tough, and funny, defending himself and working toward his future.Colors of the Mountain |
Mark DotyWhen Doty decides to adopt a dog as a companion for his dying partner, he brings home Beau, a large, malnourished golden retriever in need of loving care. Joining Arden, the black retriever, the dogs become Doty’s intimate companions, and eventually the very life force that keeps him from abandoning hope during his darkest days. A poignant memoir with profound reflections on the lessons animals can teach us about living, love, and loss.Dog Years |
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Hillary JordanIt is 1946, and prejudice takes many forms, both subtle and brutal. City-bred Laura McAllan is raising her children on her husband’s Mississippi Delta farm—a place she finds foreign and frightening—when her handsome brother-in-law and the sharecropper’s son both return from the war to work the land. It is the unlikely friendship of these brothers-in-arms that drives this powerful novel to its inexorable conclusion. Tayari Jones writes, “this is a story that challenges the 1950s textbook version of our history.”Mudbound |
SapphireOf her heroine, Precious Jones, author Sapphire said, "I wanted to show that this girl is locked out by literacy. She's locked out by her physical appearance. She's locked out by her class, and she's locked out by her color." Push tells the story of an obese, illiterate, African-American girl who is pregnant by her father. At 16, Precious is astute enough to know that there is a better way to live but is clueless as to how to get there. Challenged by a literacy teacher, Precious learns to read and write and her development and growth are astonishing. An intense work, Push is both heartwrenching and heartwarming.
Push |
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George SaundersFrom “the funniest writer in America,” this is George Saunders’s first foray into nonfiction. At the core of this unique collection are Saunders’s travel essays based on his trips to seek out the mysteries of the “Buddha Boy” of Nepal; to attempt to indulge in the extravagant pleasures of Dubai; and to join the exploits of the minutemen at the Mexican border. Emblazoned with his trademark wit and singular vision, Saunders leads the reader across the rocky political landscape of modern America.The Brain Dead Megaphone |
Danzy SennaOne of the most profound books about being biracial and growing up in race-conscious America. Birdie’s parents—a Caucasian mother and black father—separate during riot-torn Boston in the 1970’s. Birdie, who looks white, and Cole, her sister with brown skin, become caught up in the drama as each parent goes on the run with the child who most resembles him or her. Birdie ultimately searches for her lost sister—and in the end she finds her own true identity.
Caucasia |
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Patricia SmithIn minute-by-minute detail, Smith tracks Hurricane Katrina as it transforms into a full-blown mistress of destruction. From the day Tropical Depression 12 developed, through the days until it became a Category 5 Storm—its “scarlet glare fixed on the trembling crescent”—to the heartbreaking aftermath, these poems evoke the horror that unfolded in New Orleans as America watched on TV. A reminder that poetry can still be “news that stays news,” Blood Dazzler is a necessary step toward national healing.Blood Dazzler |
Natasha TretheweyTrethewey’s poems explore the complex cultural memory of the American South and its subsequent historical erasure. Bringing to light the mistreatment and murder of the Louisiana Native Guards, one of the first black regiments mustered into service in the Civil War, she interweaves poems honoring her mother—whose interracial marriage was illegal in 1966 Mississippi, and who was later murdered by her second husband. This public and personal testament is a lyrical monument to forgotten voices.
Native Guard |
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Brian TurnerHere, Bullet is a harrowing, beautiful first-person account of the Iraq war by a soldier-poet. Turner’s affecting poetry of witness, based upon his year-long tour in Iraq as an infantry team leader, is exceptional for its honesty. The NYT writes, “In these poems, Iraq emerges from the fog of political oratory into tangibility.” This gracefully-rendered, unflinching collection is essential reading, and valuable to all, regardless of political affiliation.Here, Bullet |
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