Skip to Content

Next Page »

Staff Picks Reviewer: Forbes Library Staff

What is Visible by Kimberly Elkins []

book-jacket

view/request
Kimberly Elkins’ What Is Visible is one of the best books I have read in a long while. I wept through its final chapters, and yet, upon finishing it I find myself already sorry that I had reached the end so soon. A work of historical fiction, What Is Visible tells the story of a number of celebrated figures at the Perkins School for the Blind in the mid-nineteenth century, including Samuel Gridley Howe and Julia Ward Howe, but most of all, the remarkable Laura Bridgman, who, at the age of two, lost her senses of sight, hearing, taste, and smell. Although she relied almost completely on her sense of touch to perceive the world, Laura would learn English, and could read, so long as the print was raised so that she could feel the shape of the letters, could write, and conversed with others using a manual alphabet in which the two conversationalists would write or sign letters into each other’s hands.
A world without sight, sound, smell or taste is difficult for most of us to imagine, but, as this book shows, none of these senses are essential, and it serves us well to spend some time imagining a life without them. Each chapter of the novel is written from the perspective of a different character. Most are written from Laura’s perspective, but many are written from the perspective of Julia Ward Howe, the suffragist and poet, or from that of Laura’s teachers, including her most famous teacher, the abolitionist, educator, and phrenology devotee, Samuel Gridley Howe (who was also Julia’s husband). Elkins writes a compelling and moving portrait of each of these characters, and the story they tell together is both Laura’s story and a fascinating glimpse at a small portion of 19th century America life. The stories told here are full of hardship and melancholy, but also of hope and perseverance and occasionally even joy. They are the stories of remarkable people with remarkable ideas, and of how they did, and did not get along.
I loved this story and the way it was told, and I can say with confidence that this is a book I will want to reread. I don’t feel that way often.

Reviewed by

Tagged: ,

In One Person by John Irving []

book-jacket

view/request

I’m glad I read John Irving’s In One Person, though I almost gave up on it in the first few pages. The rambling conversational tone took some getting used to, and the sexually explicit language did not yet seem justified. Something in the quirky characterization of the protagonist, Billy, kept me reading and as the conversational tone became familiar and Irving’s wonderful story telling took over, I soon found it difficult to put the book down.

What began as a strangely narrated story of a quirky child soon becomes an engaging coming-of-age story, then a touching examination of the life of a bisexual man in a world that is deeply uncomfortable with his bisexuality and the gender bending behavior of those he loves, and eventually a stark look at the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s.

Over the course of the novel John Irving illustrates the changing attitudes towards cross-dressers and transwoman in American society from the 1940s until the turn of the millennium. While his portraits are certainly not representative they are believable and always sympathetic.

There is nothing titillating about In One Person despite its sexually explicit language and themes. This is a story about friendships, crushes, prejudice and acceptance.

Reviewed by

Tagged: , ,

How to Become a Scandal by Laura Kipnis []

book-jacket

view/request

Who doesn’t love a scandal? In this book, Kipnis explores the how and why of scandalous behavior, including what makes the rest of us such eager consumers of other’s downfalls. She focuses on four juicy tales from the recent past at some depth , but always with a light touch: Lisa Nowak, the lovelorn astronaut; disgraced New York judge Sol Wachtler; “memoir” writer James Frey; and Linda Tripp, Monica Lewinsky’s confidant who encouraged her pursuit of President Clinton and then betrayed her. If you’ve ever wondered, “What were they thinking?” How to Become a Scandal attempts to answer that question.

Reviewed by

Tagged: , ,

Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby []

book-jacket

view/request
No one writes about the extremes of being a fan like Nick Hornby. Juliet, Naked tells the story of Tucker Crow, an obscure American rock musician who hasn’t been heard from in 20 years, his obsessive English fan, Duncan, who maintains a “Crowology” website and Annie, Duncan’s girlfriend, who has gone along for the ride. All of their worlds are turned around when a long-lost demo of Tucker’s original hit is released and Annie posts some opinions of her own.
The audiobook version is especially enjoyable, with Bill Irwin and Jennifer Wiltsie reading alternating chapters, with music by Ben Miles.

Reviewed by

Tagged: ,

The Physiology of Taste by Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin; translated by Anne Drayton []

book-jacket

view/request

One of the great classics of food writing, still fun to read and filled with insights almost 200 years later.

Reviewed by

Tagged: ,

Julie and Julia by Julie Powell []

book-jacket

view/request

Join Julie Powell as she tries to cook the entire “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” cookbook in one year. Her funny story started out as a blog and turned into one hilarious story about the adventures of trying something new.

Reviewed by

Tagged: , ,

American Fried by Calvin Trillin []

book-jacket

view/request

Trillin is just as serious about food as some of the more earnest writers on this list, but also hysterically funny. His main thesis is that the local food usually is best, not the “continental cuisine” served in the pretentious restaurants found everywhere which he names generically “La Maison de la Casa House”. This book is the first in his Tummy Trilogy, which moves on to Alice, Let’s Eat, and finishes with Third Helpings — a delectable three-course meal, all in our collection.

Reviewed by

Tagged: ,

Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser []

book-jacket

view/request

Analyzing the influence of the fast food industry on American society, an award-winning journalist explores the homogenization of American culture and the impact of the fast food industry on modern-day health, economy, politics, popular culture, entertainment, food production, and more.

Reviewed by

Tagged: ,

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver []

book-jacket

view/request

The National Humanities Medal-winning author of The Poisonwood Bible follows the author’s family’s efforts to live on locally and home-grown foods, an endeavor through which they learned lighthearted truths about food production and the connection between health and diet.

Reviewed by

Tagged: ,

The omnivore’s dilemma by Michael Pollan []

book-jacket

view/request

An ecological and anthropological study of eating offers insight into food consumption in the twenty-first century, explaining how an abundance of unlimited food varieties reveals the responsibilities of everyday consumers to protect their health and the environment.

Reviewed by

Tagged: ,

In Defense of Food : An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan []

book-jacket

view/request

Cites the reasons why people have become so confused about their dietary choices and discusses the importance of enjoyable moderate eating of mostly traditional plant foods.

Reviewed by

Tagged: ,

Next Page »