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Fiction |
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The Fire by Night
by Teresa Messineo
Irish-Italian Jo McMahon, the daughter of immigrants, never really felt at home in the cramped tenements of Brooklyn. She finds her calling when she enlists as a nurse in the army. Her best friend Kay is also an enlisted nurse and together they think that can get through anything. Kay is sent to Pearl Harbor, the most sought after assignment, while Jo is sent to the European front. The War quickly becomes a harsh reality when Pearl Harbor is bombed and Kay is sent to Manila where she is captured and sent to prison camp for three years. Jo travels all around North Africa and Europe, becoming more desensitized as she sees colleagues and soldiers die. Trapped behind enemy lines with few resources and six wounded soldiers, she is determined to keep them all alive. When the war is over, Jo and Kay must learn how to heal and how to find and honor their lost loves. Carefully researched and beautifully told, The Fire by Night is a wonderful addition to any historical fiction collection. Recommended for all public libraries.
—Rachel Rich, MLS, Collection Development Librarian
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The Life and Times of Persimmon Wilson
by Nancy Peacock
Persimmon “Persy” Wilson is an ex-slave who stands accused of murdering his former master and kidnapping and raping his wife. As Persy waits to be hanged he writes down his story, determined to leave a record of the truth. Persy and Chloe, a light-skinned slave, are both sold to a Louisiana sugar planter. Chloe works in the house and Persy in the field, yet they are drawn to one another and love blossoms, though it must be kept secret, for Chloe has been claimed by Master Wilson as his mistress. The night before the Union Army are set to attack New Orleans, the plantation owner shoots Persy, leaving him for dead, and flees west with Chloe and his other slaves. Persy survives and is determined to find and save Chloe. What follows is the story of the hardships he endured in his quest to find Chloe. From time on a Texas ranch to his life as a warrior with the Comanche Indians, The Life and Times of Persimmon Wilson is an epic story of love, loss, and adventure, as well as an examination of the meaning of identity, truth, and justice. Fans of historical fiction, particularly Cold Mountain, will enjoy Nancy Peacock’s stunning debut.
—Linda Arrington, Reviewer
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All Our Wrong Todays
by Elan Mastai
In All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Mastai, the world in 2016 is a technological paradise. Futuristic gadgets are commonplace, such as jetpacks, hover cars, and machines to create food and clothing, and humanity has solved its most knotty problems of poverty and illness. Our narrator is an affable, introspective, but bumbling young man who becomes the first time traveler, going back to witness the scientific experiment in 1965 that made his utopia possible. Unfortunately, he causes an accident and changes the timeline to the world we all live in, and the reader must discover whether he can set things right or will make things worse. This is a funny, wise, intellectually engaging yet heart-wrenching novel that science fiction fans will devour, and I recommend it highly for public libraries.
—Shannan Starnes Rosa, MSLS, Collection Development Librarian
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Nonfiction |
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GenZ @ Work: How the Next Generation is Transforming the Workplace
by David Stillman and Jonah Stillman
We’ve all heard tons about the Millenials, but what about the next generation? In his latest book, generations expert David Stillman teams up with his son, Jonah, who is part of the Gen Z generation to enlighten us to how this group works. After conducting three workplace studies, the Stillmans came up with seven key traits of Gen Zers who were born between 1995-2012. Many of these Gen Zers are already hitting the workplace, and are ready to change the world. Assumptions are that these digital natives prefer tech solutions all the time, but research has found that 84% of Gen Zers would rather have face to face conversations. Well-written, and sure to be a hit like Stillman's previous works, this title is highly recommended for all public libraries.
—Holly Hebert, MLIS, Collection Development Librarian.
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Bellevue: Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem at America’s Most Storied Hospital
by David Oshinsky
One of the most recognizable names to any New Yorker is Bellevue Hospital, simply called Bellevue by locals. The first hospital in Manhattan, and in operation for over 300 years, it has been the hospital of choice, from the poor and down and out, to cops and firefighters, and for many psychotic patients. It has seen epidemics from smallpox to Ebola, and was essential for identifying victims after 9/11. Oshinsky, here in his follow up to Polio: An American Story, tells it all, the strange and the gruesome, along with the many firsts that Bellevue can boast about. Superbly written, this title is recommended for all public libraries, and is essential for those in the New York City area.
—Holly Hebert, MLIS, Collection Development Librarian
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