Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library Reader Advisory Blog: immigrant stories

Showing posts with label immigrant stories. Show all posts

The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant

"Diamant tells a gripping story of a young Jewish woman growing up in early-20th-century Boston. Addie Baum, an octogenarian grandmother in 1985, relates long-ago history to a beloved granddaughter, answering the question: "How did I get to be the woman I am today?" The answer: by living a fascinating life. First reminiscing about 1915 and the reading club she became a part of as a teenager, Addie, in a conversational tone, recounts the lifelong friendships that began at club meetings and days by the seaside at nearby Rockport. She tells movingly of the fatal effects of the flu, a relative's suicide, the touchy subject of abortion and its aftermath, and even her own disastrous first date, which nearly ended in rape. Ahead of her time, Addie also becomes a career woman, working as a newspaper typist who stands up for her beliefs at all costs. This is a stunning look into the past with a plucky heroine readers will cheer for." ~ Publishers Weekly

Debut Released Today: 22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson

In 22 Britannia Road, new author Amanda Hodgkinson tells the story of a young Polish family struggling to start over in postwar England, in a debut novel that Kirkus calls "strikingly mature." When the newly-wed Silvana and Janusz Nowak move to Warsaw expecting their first child, it is on the eve of war in 1937. Plans for a simple happily-ever-after go awry, and the couple does not reunite until nearly a decade later, in 1946. The long separation has taken its toll on Silvana and Janusz, and their new son Aurek's early experiences with deprivation have left him half wild. It is their son, however, who allows Silvana and Janusz to work past their self-destructive behaviors and finally begin to rebuild the pieces of their shattered lives. Do you have a favorite World War II story? Share your suggestions by commenting!

Fish out of Agua: Reader Review

Fish out of agua : my life on neither side of the (subway) tracks by Michele Carlo

Rating: 5 out of 5 (excellent)

Review: Michelle writes about her experience being a red-haired, freckle-faced, Puerto-Rican and her life growing up in the Bronx. The book is written in Spanglish which I really enjoyed. I could also relate with many of her experiences. She went to NYCCC and so did I, she lived in the Bronx where my Aunt used to live, and she ate at La Carida - I've eaten there many times with my family in NYC. For those of us who live in two worlds - this is an excellent book and portrayal of many of the feelings we experience.

Reviewed by: e l

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande

Genre: Adult Non-Fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5

"Being Mortal is about the limitations of what modern medicine can provide for people as their lives draw to a close. Gawande argues that the objective of medicine should not merely be treatment and survival; medical care should also ensure dignity in death and having control over one's final moments. He argues that instead of aggressively fighting the inescapable realities of aging, we should ask the hard questions of ourselves and our loved ones -- What makes life worth living? When should we try to extend our lives, and when should we choose a better quality of our remaining days over extending their quantity?

This book is difficult to read. Not because of the way Gawande writes -- his style is highly engaging, and he never lapses into excessively scientific jargon or overly simplistic explanations -- but because of the tough subject matter. Gawande draws on his own experiences as a doctor and peppers his book with honest and humane stories of his patients, friends, and family; the stories he tells make the book more accessible, and also more heartbreaking. (And that's not a bad thing.)

No one likes to think about their loved ones', or their own, impending mortality. But it's important to have these hard conversations, because as Gawande says, "endings matter." - Amanda