FVR Recommendations for CP 9
Raney (Clyde Edgerton) This charming vignette follows the early days of the marriage of Raney, an innocent, Southern Baptist, and Charles, who is considerably more liberal and sophisticated than Raney.
Life of Pi (Yann Martel) Life of Pi is a masterful and utterly original novel that is at once the story of a young castaway who faces immeasurable hardships on the high seas, and a meditation on religion, faith, art and life that is as witty as it is profound.
The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd) This sweeping debut novel, excerpts of which have appeared in Best American Short Stories, tells the tale of a 14-year-old white girl named Lily Owen who is raised by the elderly African American Rosaleen after the accidental death of Lily's mother.
My Sister’s Keeper (Jody Picoult) Conceived in vitro, 13-year-old Anna Fitzgerald has decided to sue her parents to stop them from using her as "spare parts" for her older sister, Kate, who suffers from leukemia.
Animal Dreams(Barbara Kingsolver)- A young woman named Codi returns to her small Arizona hometown to care for her father with Alzheimer’s.
Kite Runner (Khaled Hossein)- An epic tale of fathers and sons, of friendship and betrayal, that takes the reader from the final days of Afghanistan’s monarchy to the atrocities of the present.
Rescuing Patty Hearst: Growing Up Sane in a Decade Gone Mad (Virginia Holman)- A true and shocking story about a woman reflecting back on her childhood with her paranoid schizophrenic mother.
The Namesake (Jhumpa Lahiri) The Ganguli family emigrates from India to the United States in the 1970s, and this novel chronicles the life of young Gogol, who hates his name. This beautifully written story chronicles events in Gogol’s life, his loves, and his losses as he lives out his namesake.
Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)- This poignant memoir/biography reveals Mitch Albom spending time with his biggest influence and former college professor, Morrie Schwartz, just before he (Schwartz) dies.
Into the Wild (Jon Krahauer) Christopher McCandless trades a bright future--a college education, material comfort, uncommon ability and charm--for a trip into the woods of Alaska. This is a true story of McCandless' journey into the wild.
Hiroshima (John Hersey) When the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, few could have anticipated its potential for devastation. This book contains the recorded stories of Hiroshima's residents shortly after the explosion.
Runner (Carl Deuker) A thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat! Drug smuggling, terrorism, explosions, and death--this book is sure to keep you reading.
Bass Ackwards and Belly Up (Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain) A high school senior is rejected by the only college she ever wanted to attend. Instead of admitting she was rejected, she says she wants to become a writer instead. She, along with three of her friends, begins a journey on the road to discovery.
Invisible (Pete Hartman) This is a compelling story of friendship and mental illness.
Missing May(Cynthia Rylant) May dies and Ob misses her so much that he considers trying to contact her. Instead, he makes contact with those around him.
A Gathering of Old Men (Ernest Gaines) Set on a Louisiana sugarcane plantation in the 1970s, A Gathering of Old Men is a powerful depiction of racial tensions arising over the death of a Cajun farmer at the hands of a black man.
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents(Julia Alvarez) Fifteen tales vividly chronicle a Dominican family's exile in the Bronx, focusing on the four Garcia daughters' rebellion against their immigrant elders.
Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters’ First 100 Years (Sarah Louise Delany and A. Elizabeth Delany) In this remarkable and charming oral history, two lively and perspicacious sisters, aged 101 and 103, reflect on their rich family life and their careers as pioneering African American professionals.
Fallen Angels (Walter Dean Meyer) A coming of age tale for young adults set in the trenches of the Vietnam War in the late 1960s, Fallen Angels is the story of Perry, a Harlem teenager who volunteers for the service when his dream of attending college falls through.
The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold) Afourteen-year-old girl watches her family from heaven as they mourn her death andattempt to solve her murder.
Stop-Time (Frank Conroy) Frank Conroy's memoir on coming of age in America. It follows the author through childhood, adolescence, and beyond.
JoySchool (Elizabeth Berg) Thirteen-year-old Katie is trying to be normal after her mother's death. She lives with an unapproachable father and struggles to fit in a new town. Her story is funny and uplifting.
Me and Emma (Elizabeth Flock) Carrie Parker is an eight-year-old girl growing up extremely poor in North Carolina. Her only playmate is her little sister Emma, whom she attempts to protect from an alcoholic stepfather and disinterested mother. It has a truly knock-your-socks-off ending!
The Tenth Man (Graham Greene) During WWII, a group of men is held prisoner by the Germans, who determine that three of them must die. This is the story of how one of those men trades his wealth for his life--and lives to pay for his act in utterly unexpected ways.
The Giant's House (Elizabeth McCracken) A twenty-six-year-old librarian engages in an unlikely friendship with a "giant" teenage boy.