from Karen

Book Title Author Synopsis

In the Garden of Beasts (N/F) Erik Larson A vivid portrait of Berlin during the first years of Hitler’s reign, brought to life through the stories of two people: William E. Dodd, who in 1933 became America’s first ambassador to Hitler’s regime, and his scandalously carefree daughter, Martha. Ambassador Dodd, an unassuming and scholarly man, is an odd fit among the extravagance of the Nazi elite. His frugality annoys his fellow Americans in the State Department and Dodd’s growing misgivings about Hitler’s ambitions fall on deaf ears among his peers, who are content to “give Hitler everything he wants.”

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption (N/F) Laura Hillenbrand The inspiring true story of a man who lived through a series of catastrophes almost too incredible to be believed. In evocative, immediate descriptions, Hillenbrand unfurls the story of Louie Zamperini--a juvenile delinquent-turned-Olympic runner-turned-Army hero.

Dreams of Joy (F) Lisa See “Shanghai Girls” sequel sends Pearl back to Shanghai twenty years later in pursuit of Joy, whose flight to China is propelled by anger, idealism, and a desire to find her true father.

The Lacuna (F) Barbara Kingsolver Novel focuses on Harrison William Shepherd, the product of a divorced American father and a Mexican mother. After getting kicked out of his American military academy, Harrison spends his formative years in Mexico in the 1930s in the household of Diego Rivera; his wife, Frida Kahlo; and their houseguest, Leon Trotsky, who is hiding from Soviet assassins. After Trotsky is assassinated, Harrison returns to the U.S., settling down in Asheville, N.C., where he becomes an author of historical potboilers and is later investigated as a possible subversive. Narrated in the form of letters, diary entries and newspaper clippings, the novel takes a while to get going, but once it does, it achieves a rare dramatic power that reaches its emotional peak when Harrison wittily and eloquently defends himself before the House Un-American Activities Committee (on the panel is a young Dick Nixon).

The Chosen (F) Chaim Potok In 1940s Brooklyn, New York, an accident throws Reuven Malther and Danny Saunders together. Despite their differences (Reuven is a Modern Orthodox Jew with an intellectual, Zionist father; Danny is the brilliant son and rightful heir to a Hasidic rebbe), the young men form a deep, if unlikely, friendship. Together they negotiate adolescence, family conflicts, the crisis of faith engendered when Holocaust stories begin to emerge in the U.S., loss, love, and the journey to adulthood. The intellectual and spiritual clashes between fathers, between each son and his own father, and between the two young men, provide a unique backdrop for this exploration of fathers, sons, faith, loyalty, and, ultimately, the power of love.

The Sins of Brother Curtis: A Story of Betrayal, Conviction, and the Mormon Church (N/F) Lisa Davis A career shift from criminal defense to civil law plunged Tim Kosnoff into one of the most important recent American lawsuits, pleading for a child sexual abuse victim against the Mormon Church. The plaintiff held that the church had known about the abuser for years, didn’t report him, and allowed him access to more victims. That abuser, Frank Curtis, dead well before the suit was filed, became Kosnoff’s obsession for years as he ferreted out more of Curtis’ victims. By the time the case was settled, important clarifications of what churches may claim is confidential in clergy-member communications had been made, and the Mormon Church’s stonewall secretiveness about its intramural dealings had been breached. Don’t expect the lawyers, the investigators, the victims, or the perp to spring from the pages with novel-like vibrancy. Do expect to be enthralled by a crackerjack, no-nonsense journalist at the top of her game.