Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the reservation to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Heartbreaking, funny and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he was destined to live.
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Happens in the End by Atul Gawande
Gawande, a practicing surgeon, addresses his profession’s ultimate limitation, arguing that quality of life is the desired goal for patients and families. He offers examples of freer, more socially fulfilling models for assisting the infirm and dependent elderly, and he explores the varieties of hospice care to demonstrate that a person’s last weeks or months may be rich and dignified.
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education. In 2012, she was shot in the head while riding the bus home from school; and few expected her to survive. Instead, Malala’s miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she has become a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest nominee ever for the Nobel Peace Prize. I Am Malala is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls’ education, and of a father who championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school.
Inside the O’Briens by Lisa Genova
Joe O’Brien, forty-four-year-old police officer, agrees to see a neurologist and is handed a diagnosis that will change his and his family’s lives forever: Huntington’s disease. Each of Joe’s four children has a 50 percent chance of inheriting their father’s disease, and a simple blood test can reveal their genetic fate. As Joe’s symptoms worsen, he struggles to maintain hope and a sense of purpose, while his children must find the courage to either live a life at risk or learn their fate.
Kitchen of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal
When Lars Thorvald’s wife, Cynthia, falls in love with wine and a dashing sommelier, he’s left to raise their baby, Eva, on his own. He’s determined to pass on his love of food to his daughter. As Eva grows, she finds her solace in the flavors of her native Minnesota. Each ingredient represents one part of Eva’s journey as she becomes the star chef behind a legendary and secretive pop-up supper club.
