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2002 - 2003
Chocolat
by Joanne Harris
When Vianne Rocher and her young daughter come to the tiny village of Lansquenet and open a chocolate shop, her delectable confections and personal warmth and openness attract the villagers. She soon finds herself at odds with the local priest, Father Reynaud, who labels Vianne and her treats bad influences on his flock and tries to make her an outcast.
The Crusader
by Michael Eisner
It is the Year of Our Lord 1275, in Santa Creus monastery, Spain. Francisco de Moncada, son of a wealthy family, has returned from the Crusades in the Holy Land mute and seemingly possessed. Brother Lucas, an ambitious and crafty monk is promised great rewards for himself and his monastery if he can exorcise Francisco’s demons. As Francisco emerges from his madness he begins to tell his version of the Crusades, horrifying stories of fierce battles, sieges, sadistic commanders, imprisonment, suffering and self-sacrifice.
The Secret Life of Bees
by Sue Monk Kidd
Lily Owen tries desperately to remember details about her mother, who died in an accident when Lily was little. She is tired of living with her angry and abusive father. When their black housekeeper, Rosaleen, insults some white men and is arrested and later beaten and hospitalized, Lily liberates her. They travel to Tiburon, South Carolina, where they are taken in by the Boatwrights, three black sisters who keep bees.
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
by Sijie Dai
This enchanting and gentle story, written like a fable, is about friendship, romantic awakening and the power of reading. Two city boys from middle class families are banished to a remote mountain village to do menial labor during Mao’s Cultural Revolution. To their surprise and delight, they discover a hidden stash of western classics in Chinese translation. The magical stories relieve the drudgery of their existence. Even their friend, the Little Seamstress, will never be the same.
Nickel and Dimed
by Barbara Ehrenreich
In 1998, Ehrenreich left home on a mission to discover how “the working poor”, especially the four million women pushed into the labor force as a result of welfare reform, can live on $6 or $7 an hour. Her experiment takes her from Florida to Maine and Minnesota. She works as a waitress, a hotel maid, a cleaning woman, a nursing home aide and a Wal-Mart sales clerk. She gets a bigger dose of reality than she bargained for - at times she is one step away from living in her car or in a homeless shelter. A funny and revealing chronicle of how “prosperity” in America looks from the bottom of the employment ladder.
Year of Wonders
by Geraldine Brooks
Anna Frith, a maid in the household of the village rector, tells the story of the year her village, Eyam, was decimated by the plague epidemic that ravaged England in 1665-66. At the urging of their rector, the villagers agree to quarantine themselves, an act of tremendous courage and self-sacrifice. Based on an actual historical event.
Honeymoon in Purdah
by Alison Wearing
Wearing shows us Iran and Iranians beyond the media representations of veiled women, terrorists and Islamic fundamentalists. With her we travel to a country of curious, warmhearted and hospitable people. This is a funny book that will challenge your stereotypes.
How to Be Good
by Nick Hornby
Katie Carr is a good person. She recycles. She cares about Third World debt and homelessness. She is fed up with her marriage to a grouchy, sarcastic cynic and wants a divorce. But now David’s changed. Under the influence of his guru, faith healer DJ GoodNews, David has become a good person – TOO good.
Facing the Wind
by Julie Salomon
Bob Rowe was a dedicated and caring husband and parent, but after falling into a deep depression and losing his job, he killed his wife and children with a baseball bat. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity, and after only a few years in a mental institution he was declared cured and released. A true story.
Empire Falls
by Richard Russo
A depressed New England mill town is the setting for this typical Russo cast of downtrodden souls and deadbeats, headed by decent and long-suffering Miles Roby. Miles’ wife has divorced him, his father is a cantankerous alcoholic, his brother may be arrested for growing marijuana, and his daughter is bullied in school. Besides managing his personal affairs, Miles is trying to revive the Empire Grill, which he has managed for heiress Mrs. Whiting for the past 15 years.
Titles Selected by Suzanne Fisher, Librarian
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