The Silence Between Us

Gervais, Alison. The Silence Between Us. 2019. 320p. ISBN 9780310766162. Available at FIC GER on the library shelves.

Maya is stressed. She has just moved across the country for her mother's new job. She's left her best friend behind. She's going to a new school mid year, sure to be the center of attention for a few days. And Maya is deaf, and this will be her first time in a "normal" high school. Since she became deaf when she was young, all of her schooling has been done in a non-hearing school. Returning to a school where people can hear makes her nervous.

At her new school, Maya is provided a sign language assistant that will help her translate what is being said. Maya is pretty good at reading lips, and because she could hear when she was a child, she speaks normally. Her classmates are therefore surprised she can't hear, and constantly forget. Beau Watson, president of the class and do-gooder extraordinaire, goes out of his way to make Maya feel welcome. She chalks it up to him being eager to burnish his credential, hey I helped a deaf girl college application, but when Beau begins learning American Sign Language and practice it with her, she notices that maybe Beau really is interested in her after all.

Being deaf brings on challenges, such as finding employment and navigating the treacherous waters of a high school social scene, but Maya is ready to confront and defy all expectations!

Maya and Beau are accurately portrayed and are often awkward with each other. The supporting cast of high schoolers is well integrated, while Maya's mother and the relationship between the two showcase a supportive parent who nevertheless does not want her daughter to pity herself or her circumstances. Fans of realistic fiction will appreciate hearing the world from the perspective of someone who can't. 

A Child of Fortune: A Correspondent's Report on the Ratification of the U.S. Constitution and Battle for a Bill of Rights

St. John, Jeffrey.  A Child of Fortune: A Correspondent's Report on the Ratification of the U.S. Constitution and Battle for a Bill of Rights. 1991. 392p. ISBN 9780915463565. Available at 342.73 on the library shelves.

The American Revolution was violent and divisive, pitting neighbor against neighbor and causing untold damages. The Revolution also represented a war of ideas, between self-governance and domination from aboard. With the victory at Yorktown cementing America's independence, however, self-governance was achieved. A massive task still remained in front of those who had signed their names on the Declaration of Independence. Winning the war did not mean establishing a successful government.

First came the Articles of Confederation, which provided for a very weak central government. The young nation was surrounded on three sides by enemies, with the British in Canada, Imperial Spain in Florida and on the Mississippi, and Native tribes actively opposed to settlers expanding westward, and lacked an army. It could not raise its own money, so both federal and state governments were at odds on how to finance services such as a navy or army. It delegated not enough authority to the federal government. State governments remained able to print their own money, leading to runaway inflation and bad credit for all.

As a result, a Constitutional Convention was called for in Philadelphia in 1787, and a new federal constitution for the 13 colonies was created in secret. It called for a strong federal government led by a president with the power of taxation, printing money, and courts that would supervise the laws passed by the new legislature, the House of Representatives and the Senate. 

The task of selling this new form of government fell on the federalists, people like James Madison, John Adams, and Alexander Hamilton, while those opposed, the anti-federalists, were primarily concerned with the lack of a Bill of Rights enshrined in the Constitution and with the secret negotiations that had taken place. George Washington was known to favor the federalists, but stayed above the fray, looking instead to become the first president of the United States.

Told from the perspective of a reporter who had access to all of the players in the colonies, as well as private correspondence, this crucial period of 18 months show that the new country could very well have been lost to a series of independent confederacies, altering the course of history. Fans of history will enjoy learning how founding fathers navigated the treacherous waters to create a unique document that created a balanced and equal co-branches of goverment to ensure life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

To read more about the American Revolution, take a look at Killing England: The Brutal Struggle for Independence or the graphic history Nathan Hale's History: One Dead Spy.

Nocturna

Motayne, Maya. Nocturna. Book 1 of the Forgery of Magic series 2019. 471p. ISBN 978-0-06-284273-2. Available at FIC MOT on the library shelves.

For centuries, the Castellans were dominated by the Englassians, who crushed their knowledge of magic. When they freed themselves, they restored their kindgom, but not all of the magic has returned. Most possess magical talents, a power that is unique and quirky. For everyday folks, these are useful. For Finn, it's the ability to disguise herself at will, literally taking on someone else's face. As a thief, Finn has had her share of deadly encounters, but the loss of a precious book in a gambling den puts her in the impossible position of having to break into the royal palace and steal an invisibility cloak for the mobster whose talent is to deprive other people of their talents.

Prince Alfehr is first in line for the throne when his father dies. His older brother's disappearance into a void a few years ago suddenly deprived Alfehr of his best friend and landed crushing new responsibilities on his shoulders. Since then, Alfehr has been looking for ways to explore the void and discover what happened to his brother, hoping against all hope to bring him back. If that means Alfehr has to tinker with dark magic, so be it.

Unfortunately, Alfehr's dabbling has dire consequences. An ancient evil has been locked for many years, and Alfehr broke the bonds that were holding it in its imprisoned state. With Alfehr and Finn thrown together through circumstances, they now have precious little time to figure out how to combat this evil, and in the process, they will need to face their own dark secrets.

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

Pink, Daniel H. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. 2009. 242p. ISBN 1594488843. Available at PROF 153.1 PIN on the library shelves.

What motivates people? Science has studies motivation for decades, trying to determine what moves people forward in good and bad times. Many studies have focused on money and how it can be used to increase motivation, but results have pointed out that rewards like money do enhance motivation, but only up to a point. 

Motivation, it turns out, is intrinsically connected to the human desire to accomplish something self-driven and meaningful. It can be broken into three separate yet connected pieces that all work together to motivate an individual: autonomy, mastery, and purpose. This desire guides learning and self-management to achieve a goal, which then builds on itself towards another goal. Even in a less than motivating environment, being able to guide one's own work provides a level of satisfaction that money and other extrinsic rewards cannot.

Motivation remains elusive, but this book provides an excellent foundation to understand how businesses and institutions can develop the means to empower their employees to reach autonomy, gain mastery, and work towards a meaningful purpose.

Bungo Stray Dogs, Vol. 12

Asagiri, Kafka. Bungo Stray Dogs, Vol. 12. 2019. 192p. ISBN 978-1-9753-0452-2. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

The appearance of a mysterious assassin bent on destroying the Armed Detective Agency and the Port Mafia has thrown both organizations at each other's throat in Bungo Stray Dogs, Vol. 11. The release of a cannibal virus continues towards its ineluctable countdown.

With their leaders grievously wounded, both sides deploy their forces, hoping to bring this conflict to a swift end in a full frontal assault that proves dangerous to all. Kunikida the Matchless Poet and Atsushi the Lion continue to search for the person who can solve the virus, but they are ambushed by children. Their death traumatizes Kunikida, and the capture of their source reveals they were set up. 

With the stakes rising, the president of the Armed Detective Agency and the head of the Port Mafia organize a secret meeting between the two of them, where they are met by the enigmatic Souseki Natsume, the last member of their trio who established the peace so many years ago ...

Monday's Not Coming

Jackson, Tifany D. Monday's Not Coming. 2018. 444p. ISBN 9780062422675. Available at FIC JAC on the library shelves.

Claudia and Monday are inseparable. They've been together since kindergarten, and the only time they don't spend together is when Claudia is at her grandmother's house for the summer. Imagine Claudia's surprise when she returns from vacation to find that Monday is not waiting for her at the airport with Claudia's mother. Her confusion increases when she doesn't get a phone call from her best friend, and calls to her home are unanswered. Confusion turns to distress when the new school year starts, and Monday does not show up.

Claudia relies on Monday to help her complete her homework. Claudia is very artistic, but reading is tough, especially since the letters seem to get mixed up when she tries to read. Monday lives on the wrong side of the tracks, and Claudia's mother has always insisted that Claudia should never go there as the neighborhood is too dangerous.

Everyone around her seem unconcerned that Monday is missing. Her mother doesn't seem worried. Teachers barely noticed. April, Monday's oldest sister, tells Claudia to mind her own business. With Monday gone, however, Claudia resolves to visit Monday's house and find out why her best friend is suddenly missing. Monday's mother threatens Claudia, and she flees back to her own house. Where did Monday go?

The more she digs, looking for clues into Monday's disappearance, the more confusing explanations seem to become, and the more unmoored Claudia feels, living live without Monday. Did Monday leave her behind because Claudia was holding her back and cramping her style, as April implies? Did she go live with her father, as Monday's mother yells at her? What happened to Monday? Finding the truth might save Monday, but it could very well destroy Claudia ...

Fans of psychological thrillers and unreliable characters will appreciate this story. Claudia's anguish is real, and the steps she takes to find Monday are appropriate for a teen. Those who enjoyed this book should consider reading Thirteen Reasons Why, Please Ignore Vera Dietz, If I Stay, Zoe Letting Go, Black Box, The Vanishing Season, or Kiss of Broken Glass. All of these books feature a tragedy and a voyage of self-discovery as the central element of the plot.

The Triangle Factory Fire

 Sherrow, Victoria. The Triangle Factory Fire. 1995. 64p. ISBN 9781-56294-572-6. Available at 363.37 SHE on the library shelves.

Prior to the collapse of the Twin Towers in New York City on September 11, 2001, the Triangle Fire was the largest workplace mass casualty. On March 25, 1911, a fire ravaged the Triangle Shirtwaist Company factory located in the Asch building in the Lower East Side. The factory occupied the top 8th, 9th, and 10th floors of this building. There was one exterior staircase, and it was in poor condition. There were internal staircases, but the doors were locked so workers could not come in late or leave early. Hallways to be used in an emergency were stuffed with boxes and fabric scrap. When the fire started, it took no time to spread to the entire factory.

Ladders were not tall enough to reach the 8th floor. The women and girls who worked there, poor immigrants for the most part, were thus condemned. Many of them jumped, hoping to survive a deadly fall. Others were burned to death inside the building. By the time the fire was extinguished, 146 people had died. 

Public reaction was swift. New laws centered on workers' rights were imposed on companies. A new fire code mandated sprinklers, emergency exits, and fire drills. Unions grew stronger. Child labor laws prevented children from working in factories. The fire was tragic, but it led to several influential reforms that ended up improving the health and the safety of American workers, and of the American public.

For a deeper look in the lives of the people who worked at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company and the consequences of the Triangle fire, take a look at Flesh & Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy.

School's Out -- Forever

Patterson, James. School's Out -- Forever. Book 2 of the Maximum Ride series. 2006. 409p. ISBN 978-0-316-06796-6. Available both as an ebook on Overdrive and at FIC PAT on the library shelves.

Maximum Ride and her family escaped the clutches of the laboratory where they were experimented on, but are confronted by flying Erasers. They escape, but Fang is hurt. In the hospital, Max is connected to Anne, an FBI agent who takes them home so they can enjoy a normal life. Max and her family go to school, and get plenty of opportunities to interact with normal kids and go through activities like dating. 

Agents return to threaten Max and the rest of the family, and the flock fights them off again. Iggy discovers that his birth family his nearby, and he escapes to join them, only to discover that all they want from him his money, and that they don't care about him as much as the rest of the flock does. When Max realizes that Anne has connections to the lab, the flock flees and heads to Florida.

There they stumble upon a plot by a company named Itex, which is somehow connected to the lab. Hoping to stop the plot, Max, Iggy, Fang, Angel and Gassy infiltrate the facility and are confronted by a a genetically identical clone of Max. The clone is intent on eliminating the real Max so she can take her place. Can the flock survive a battle between two Max?

Killing England: The Brutal Struggle for Independence.

 O'Reilly, Bill. Killing England: The Brutal Struggle for Independence. Book 7 of the Killing series. 2017. 340p. ISBN 9781627790642. Available at 973.3 ORE on the library shelves.

The American Revolution is rightly seen as the foundational struggle that leads to the birth of the United States. When colonists revolted against the British crown, however, it was by no means assured that they would win their independence. The fighting which began in Boston in 1775 lasted until 1781 and cost lives, treasury, and divided communities. Above all, however, the American Revolution was a war of ideas, of a desire to form a more perfect union and seek life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. 

Like most revolution, this one was seeded during the French and Indian Wars, when British troops were deployed to effect the conquest of Canada and settle the frontier to the Appalachians. Britain desired the Americans to pay for their defense, and applied several restrictive taxes to ensure that the large contingent of British soldiers left in the colonies would be supported locally, and not through monies from Britain. Colonists protested that they were being taxed without being represented.

On both sides people dug in. King George III wanted to teach the uppity Americans a lesson. Wealthy Americans sought to remove British interference in their internal affairs. Once started, the Revolution could only end in either total independence or impossible subjugation. Told through the large cast of characters who fought for and against independence, Killing England provides a comprehensive look at a period in history that is both well known and little understood. Fans of history will appreciate the detailed descriptions of battles and the biographies of the major players and how their personal views affected their participation in the war.

For more American Revolution, take a look at The Notorious Benedict Arnold and Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tale: One Dead Spy.

Other books in this series include Killing the Rising Sun and Killing the SS.

Raid of No Return

 Hale, Nathan. Raid of No Return. Book 7 of the Hazardous Tales series. 2017. 128p. ISBN 9780606407182. Available at 940.54 HAL on the library shelves.

The surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 shocked the United States and led to the country entering the Second World War. For years the Japanese had been expanding in the Pacific, attacking British, French and Dutch possessions and bombing Australia. Unable to directly strike back at Japan, American planners elaborated a daring attack plan. Bombers would take off from an aircraft carrier task force within striking range of Japan, and would bomb the industrial centers of Tokyo, Kyoto, and other targets. Bombers would then land in unoccupied China.

Colonel Doolittle was put in charge of training a volunteer force of 24 bomber crews. The short takeoff was thought to be impossible, but pilots quickly demonstrated that even bomb-laden heavy planes could take off with as little as 300 feet of flight deck. All unnecessary equipment was jettisoned, to make the planes lighter. 

The carrier task force took off from San Francisco, but as it neared its launching point it was spotted by a Japanese patrol boat, and bombers were forced to fly earlier than intended. Most of them hit their targets but did little damage. Some crew members were killed in action, while other were captured and executed or imprisoned in POW camps, but the vast majority of the crew members made it to China and eventually returned to the United States.

The damage inflicted was minimal, but the propaganda value and morale boost were invaluable to the war effort. For the first time since Pearl Harbor, the United States had shown it could strike at Japan.

Part of the Hazardous Tales graphic stories, this intriguing tale is beautifully illustrated and presents information in a concise and visually appealing way. 

Mexican WhiteBoy

De la Peña, Matt. Mexican WhiteBoy. 2008. 249p. ISBN 9780385733106. Available at FIC DEL on the library shelves.



Danny may look White, but he's half Mexican because of his father. His mother is blonde and has blue eyes. Every summer, he comes down to spend some time with his cousins in San Diego. Danny loves baseball, and throws a mean fastball consistently at 95 miles an hour. At his private school he is pretty quiet. He hopes to make the varsity baseball squad, but his half-Mexican status is all people see and judge him by. 

For his cousins and the people who live in the neighborhood, Danny is White, and it's even more obvious he's not one of them when they realize he can't speak Spanish. These two halves are often in conflict with each other, and Danny is sure that him being part White is what chased his father away back to Mexico when he left without saying goodbye.

At his cousin Sofia's house, he meets Uno, a baseball fanatic. The two of them start on the wrong foot but quickly develop a relationship that turns into friendship as Uno helps Danny work through his anger and his issues while developing his baseball skills even further. Uno, for his part, has a difficult family life and would like to go live with his father away from the neighborhood. Uno and Danny, over the course of the summer, will learn to accept that your parents don't make the person you are today, that they are in control of who they become. 

Fans of sports stories will appreciate Danny's struggles with his identity and his use of baseball to escape and eventually learn more about himself and his family.

Powell v. Alabama: The Scottsboro Boys and American Justice

 Horne, Gerald. Powell v. Alabama: The Scottsboro Boys and American Justice. 1997. 128p. ISBN 978-0-531-11314-0. Available at 345.73 HOR on the library shelves.

In 1931, nine African American youths were removed from a train in Alabama and accused of raping two white women. They were promptly arraigned, tried, and sentenced to death in the face of a hostile crowd and jury of all white men. In the rush to achieve what they saw as justice, however, a racist society's representatives committed several errors of law, which were twice appealed all the way to the Supreme Court, creating landmark rulings that still affect us today.

In Powell v. Alabama, the author reviews the trial cases that led to the condemnation of the boys. Their arrest, the trial, and the various appeals are described extensively. Prior to the Supreme Court decision in Powell v. Alabama, the right to a fair trial and independent and competent counsel varied widely from State to State and even from person to person. A White person brought up on capital punishment charges stood a better chance in a court of law than a Black person. They likely had better representation and did not have to fight organized and systemic racism.

Powell v. Alabama resulted in a decision that all criminal suspects had the right to counsel under the 6th Amendment. Horne describes how this was not a foregone conclusion, as this right did not exist in England before the American Revolution. Supreme Court justices, however, recognized the necessity for a fair and impartial justice system to provide the foundation of a democratic society. 

The second case that made it to the Supreme Court out of the Scottsboro Boys trial was Norris v. Alabama, which recognized that juries needed to include African Americans and other people to better represent society.

For more specific information about the Scottsboro Boys, read Accused! The Trials of the Scottsboro Boys: Lies, Prejudice, and the Fourteenth Amendment. Accused! The Trials of the Scottsboro Boys: Lies, Prejudice, and the Fourteenth Amendment.

Sky in the Deep

 Young, Adrienne. Sky in the Deep. 2018. 340p. ISBN 978-1-2501-6845-0. Available at FIC YOU on the library shelves.

Deep in the snows of the North, clans live in specific areas and fight one another for supremacy. The Aska, who live in the fjords by the sea, are mortal enemies with the Riki, who dwell in the mountains. Every five years, in a blood feud ritual as old as the world itself, warriors of the two clans meet and fight for honor and glory. Raids are also conducted, but these tend to be smaller affairs.

Eelyn first joined the field of battle when she was 12. At that age, Aska children serve in the rear-guard, dispatching wounded enemy fighters and learning the craft of war. Eelyn served as her brother Iri's support, but when she saw him being savagely slashed and then falling off a cliff, Eelyn lost a part of herself.

Five years on, Eelyn enters the battle against the Riki, this time as a full-fledged warrior. During the battle, Eelyn is injured by a Riki fighter, but as he's about to deliver the killing blow she swears she sees her dead brother coming to interfere. The Riki warrior leaves her on the battlefield. Convinced that Iri's spirit visited her, Eelyn rejoins the battle the next day, only to see Iri again. Following him into the woods, she is captured by the Riki, who take her back to their village where she becomes a slave in the house of her captor, Fiske. 

She is reunited with Iri, who did in fact survive what should have been a mortal wound, and who has joined Fiske's family and is slated to be wedded to a Riki girl. At first, all Eelyn wants to do is escape and return to the Aska, but as hours turn into days she slowly realize that Riki are more similar to Aska than she thought they would be. 

When another tribe raids both Riki and Aska, destroying villages and killing inhabitants, the two clans find themselves isolated and greatly diminished. Only an alliance will allow them to survive. Can the clans, like Eelyn, learn to live with a mortal enemy to fight a greater threat?

A nordic-inspired tale, this story features a strong female character who is driven to protect her family and her home. Fans of fantasy will appreciate the world building, despite the lack of magic.

Mark of the Raven

Busse, Morgan L. Mark of the Raven. Book 1 of the Ravenwood Saga. 2018. 352p. ISBN 9780764232824. Available at FIC BUS on the library shelves.

A hundred years ago, the seven Great Houses were forced to unite to defeat an invader. Each House possessed strange abilities like controlling waters, commanding fire, and detecting lies, and these powers were used to stop and repel the invader. Defeating the invaders, however, did not occur before most of House Ravenwood was destroyed, its family almost wiped out. Leaders of the Great Houses now believe Ravenwood to be powerless. Lady Selene, the heir to Ravenwood, know that this is not the case. The firstborn daughter of Ravenwood is entrusted with the secret that Ravenwoods continue to walk through other people's dreams, manipulating them, extracting information and causing death when necessary.

Lady Selene has trained her entire life to master this family inheritance. Her mother, a disciplined strategist and assassin, plans on restoring Ravenwood to its former glory by inflicting a terrible vengeance on the other Great Houses that abandoned Ravenwood in its time of need. To do that, she has recruited the invaders, who stand poised to return as allies of Ravenwood, throwing the continent in the fires of war.

Lady Selene is entrusted by her mother to kill Lord Damien, a Great House leader and the only one who could unite them against the impending threat of the invaders. When Selene realizes the role she must play in this stratagem, she faces a dilemma. On the one hand she wishes to protect her family and her secret. Killing Lord Damien means ascending to the title of Lady Ravenwood, and protecting her younger sisters from the taxing demands that dream walking require. On the other, her mother's plans will cause the destruction of everything she knows by bringing war back to the Great Houses. Not killing Lord Damien will spell the doom of Ravenwood. Selene is therefore faced with an impossible choice, with a price so high it may not be worth paying.

Fans of fantasy will appreciate the descriptive world-building and the tangled plot set in motion by Selene's mother.

My Hero Academia, Vol. 3

Horikoshi, Kohei. My Hero Academia, Vol. 3. 2016. 192p. ISBN 978-1-4215-8510-9. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

At the end of My Hero Academia, Vol. 2, Hero Academy was under attack by a group of super villains, and the students of 1-A were outmatched. All Might is forced to intervene, but one of the supervillain's quirk is shock absorption, mixed in with regeneration, so All Might's strength is neutralized. The supervillains' plan all along was to trap All Might, and now that he's unable to deal with the enemy in front of him, their leader looks forward to a victory.

But All Might still has reserves of strength left, and he defeats his opponent in a flurry of activity so fast that he is unable to absorb all the impacts and regenerate. With one enemy defeated, All Might turns to the remaining two and goads them on. Izuku recognizes that All Might is truly depleted now, however, and couldn't defend himself. So our young hero jumps in and delivers an epic blow, but the villains escape.

With this incident behind them, security is boosted at the school, and the hero olympics are about to begin! In a series of events, each student will be able to showcase their quirks and secure valuable sponsorships and experience. Can Izuku turn in a convincing performance since he still doesn't master the One for All quirk?

Easy Prey

Lo, Catherine. Easy Prey. 2018. 352p. ISBN 9781419731907. Available at FIC LO on the library shelves.

Last year, a scandal rocked the high school. Jenna's topless pictures were posted on a social media. A junior at the time, Jenna bitterly complained to the school's principal and anyone else who would listen, but ultimately was told that it was her fault those pictures existed in the first place. She never got justice. The pictures came from her boyfriend Kyle's phone, but he says he didn't post it, so the two of them broke up.

Drew is Kyle's best friend, and one of the star basketball players at school. Unlike most of the other jocks, he also happens to be a good student, but won't need to rely on his smarts to get a full ride to university. An attractive guy and a smooth talker, Drew is suave and manipulative, and he often able to get nude pictures from girls at his school. Most of the boys on the team collect them and share them with the team in a twisted contest, but Drew is by far the champion. Until the Jenna incident, Drew had never been able to score naked pictures of her.

Mouse has been in love with Jenna forever. A computer nerd hoping to get into MIT on a scholarship so he can escape his overbearing father, he programmed a nifty database that allows the jocks at school to catalog all of the nude and topless pictures of girls they receive. In exchange, Mouse gets paid a decent amount of money, which will help him move out.

Now in the last semester of their senior year, all three of them are assigned to work on a project together in a law class where they will study the violation of privacy that happens when nude pictures are distributed. Jenna feels she's been punished. Mouse is thrilled to work with the girl he loves. Drew finds Jenna fair dating game, since she and Kyle are no longer together. 

While working on their project, they elaborate a plan to see if they can obtain nude pictures of their law teacher, to demonstrate how easy it is to get them. To their surprise, it doesn't take long before they get racy pictures. When those are also leaked, however, all three of them are hauled in the principal's office for conferences with the police. Who leaked the photos, and why?

Told from three different perspectives and moving back and forth in time, the story is confusing at first, but soon grows into a psychological thriller and mystery. Several hot topics are combined, including drug use, sexting, and exploitation. The characters are all realistic, and as the book careens towards the reveal, readers will be on the edge of their seats trying to figure out who's ultimately responsible.

Using Equity Audits to Create Equitable and Excellent Schools

 Skrla, Linda, Kathryn Bell McKenzie and James Joseph Scheurich. Using Equity Audits to Create Equitable and Excellent Schools. 2009. 132p. ISBN 978-1-4129-3932-4. Available at 379.26 SKR on the library shelves.

With the adoption of No Child Left Behind, there has been a movement to ensure that all schools can meet the needs of all students. Yet, decades later, institutional resistance remains in ensuring that all students are treated equitably. This is most glaringly reflected in lower graduation rates for students who require special education services, who are English Language Learners, and those from minority groups and lower socio-economic levels.

One  of the ways to begin the process of addressing these equity issues is knowing they even exist. An equity audit can be conducted to find the blind spots in a school district so that they can then be addressed. In order to improve awareness, Equity Audits proposes three areas where this process can be started. First, the quality of teachers is paramount, and studies have shown that a qualified teacher makes the most impact in a student's school year. However, due to structural directives like seniority and hiring practices, low-performing schools and students often get the new teachers, while better-performing schools are staffed with experienced and competent teachers. Equity requires that all students have the opportunity to be taught by quality teachers.

A second area to consider is program design. Is the proportion of special education students consistent among all ethnic groups? Among diverse language speakers? Are students consistently disciplined in the same way, regardless of race or ability? Answers to these questions provide fertile ground to investigate and audit.

Student achievement is the third area that can start this process. Are students from certain groups funneled in specific classes? Do all students have the opportunity to take advanced classes, or are those limited to a certain segment of the population? Are all students proportionally on track to graduate? Are dropout rates similar for all segments of student population? Once again, searching for the answer to these questions lead to a better understanding of the challenges facing a school or a district.

Understanding which areas require attention is only the first step. Providing a high quality education for every child in a school and in a district will translate into all teachers and staff working together to ensure that each individual has an equitable opportunity to participate in this high quality education.

Flesh & Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy

 Marrin, Albert. Flesh & Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy. 2011. 196p. ISBN 9780375868894. Available at 974.71 on the library shelves.

In the 1900s, the economy of the United States was booming. Immigrants by the millions were moving from all over Europe to settle in the young country. Most of them entered through New York City, and many ended up settling in the bustling metropolis. At the time, the largest garment factories were in New England and New York, where abundant electrical power and plenty of labors facilitated the process of building and staffing factories.

Workers were at the mercy of capitalist bosses, however, with little rights and no ways to effect changes. Unions were weak and riddled with mobsters. On March 25, 1911, a fire ravaged the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City. The owners of the factory had locked emergency doors to prevent workers from sneaking in and out of work. There were not enough emergency staircases. When the fire broke out, workers had nowhere to go, and many of them jumped out of windows to their death below.

The outrage at the loss of 146 workers, mostly young women, carried far and wide into the circles of political power. This fire was the deadliest workplace incident in the history of the nation until September 11, 2021, and remains the deadliest industrial accident. A wave of activism followed the deadly fire. Immigrant women banded together and forced positive changes to workplace rules and working conditions for everyone in the country. Unions gained in strength against management. Working conditions improved dramatically, leading to less death and accidents. 

Fans of history will appreciate this well-researched book, and will gain a new understanding into some of the laws and rules we enjoy today and never really think about.  The impacts of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire continue to affect us more than a hundred years later.

Hello, Universe

 Kelly, Erin Entrada. Hello, Universe. 2017. 320p. 317mins. ISBN 9780062414151. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

Virgil Salinas lives a quiet life. Unlike his athletic brothers, Virgil is not in sports, and not very coordinated. In fact, Virgil has trouble doing his multiplication tables, so he spends some of his school time in the Resources room where he receives support. Valencia Somerset also comes to the Resources room, but issue is that she's deaf, and even the hearing aids don't help her much. Virgil wishes he was courageous enough to talk to Valencia, but being shy, he can't muster it. Instead, he tells his guinea pig Gulliver all about the girl of his dreams.

Chet Bullens is the school bully, and he enjoys picking on quiet Virgil. He'd pick on Valencia too, but deaf people give him the creeps. Chet would love nothing more than to make the basketball team, but he knows it's unlikely he will. Kaori Tanaka, for her part, knows she has psychic abilities. She can tell the future through star charts and astrological signs. Her friend Virgil often uses her services to divine more information about Valencia.

On the day Virgil makes an appointment with Kaori, everything changes. Chet encounters Virgil in the woods by chance, and he throws Virgil's backpack down an empty well. The backpack contains Gulliver, so Virgil goes into the well to save his guinea pig. Valencia, who was also on her way to Kaori's house to get a reading done, meets Chet, covers the well with its lid so animals don't fall in there, and heads to her appointment. Even though Virgil yelled and yelled, Valencia did not hear him. Kaori, meanwhile, is concerned that Virgil didn't show up for his appointment.

When Virgil is reported missing, the girls begin looking for him. What begins as a search mission turns into a rescue mission, a friendship, and newfound courage to stand up to bullies and parents. 

Four individual perspectives move the story forward as Virgil, Valencia, Chet, and Kaori all deal with challenges and doubts about their lives. As Kaori knows, however, the universe always helps those who help themselves, so in the course of an afternoon all of them will learn valuable life lessons.

Accused! The Trials of the Scottsboro Boys: Lies, Prejudice, and the Fourteenth Amendment.

 Brimner, Larry Dane. Accused! The Trials of the Scottsboro Boys: Lies, Prejudice, and the Fourteenth Amendment. 2019. 189p. ISBN 978-1-62979-775-5. Available at 345.761 BRI on the library shelves.

The Great Depression that started in 1929 affected everyone in the United States and most around the world. For years afterwards, the economic conditions remained dire for many. People known as hobos traveled from place to place, looking for work anywhere they could find it. At the same time, race relations in the South were tense, following decades of Jim Crow oppression. African Americans in the South thus had an even harder time to survive.

In 1931, nine male African American teenagers boarded a train. Finding one of the wagons filled with White hobos. Outnumbering the hobos already there, they forced the White hobos to jump out of the train as it was traveling at a relatively low speed. But as the train's speed increased, three White hobos were not able to jump.

Some of the youths who were forced off complained to the local police. Sheriff units were deployed further down the track near Scottsboro, and when the train arrived the twelve passengers were arrested. Two of the White folks turned out to be women, and soon they alleged that the nine African American teens had raped them during the trip. These accusations stirred the anger of White Alabamians, who demanded swift justice for their womenfolk and as a message to their African American neighbors to stay in their assigned stations and not create social unrest.

Over the course of the following eight years, those who became known as the Scottsboro Boys went to court several times. Unable to get fair and impartial trials, they were condemned to death, only to have these condemnations reversed on appeal. The cases went all the way to the Supreme Court, with Patterson v. Alabama, Norris v. Alabama and Powell v. Alabama all created case law with consitutional questions such as equal protection, participation of African Americans on juries, impartial judging. 

During those years, the teens grew up and endured oppressive and inhuman prison conditions. They were beaten and threatened with death several times by being found guilty by a very racist justice system. Accuses presents the case that the 9 boys were set up by a racist judge and prosecutor who wished to send a strong signal to the African Americans to stay in their place. For eight years the boys kept hope, however, and eventually all of them were released, most without charges or compensation. Fans of social justice will appreciate this violent history but will note that there is still much work left to be done to achieve racial harmony in the United States.

Six Armies in Normandy: From D-Day to the Liberation of Paris; June 6 - Aug. 5, 1944

Keegan, John. Six Armies in Normandy: From D-Day to the Liberation of Paris; June 6 - Aug. 5, 1944. 1994. 365p. ISBN 9780140235425. Available at 940.53 KEE on the library shelves.

On June 6, 1944, two massive armies met on Europe's doorstep. An invasion force composed of Americans, British, Canadians, French, Polish, and other European expatriates landed in Normandy and found themselves against what was dubbed the impenetrable Fortress Europe guarded by the Germans. The Second World War had started almost five years earlier, and Nazi Germany had swiftly conquered most of Western Europe before Hitler had turned his hungry eyes towards Russia.

Over the years, knowing an invasion attempt would take place, the Atlantic littoral was fortified, and the Germans dug in to offer a stiff resistance and the hope that such an attempt would be crushed on the beach. When troops landed, the Germans were prepared but unable to throw the Allies back in the water. Their forces had been depleted on the Eastern Front, and what remained behind were second-tiered divisions. These still fought doggedly, preventing the Allies from achieving the breakthrough they had hoped for. 

Military forces are examined, engagements are described, and the composition and history of each of the national armies that participated is presented. Military strategies are analyzed, and the lives of various leaders are explored. D-Day and the Battle of Normandy remains important today, as they, more than any war since, show what a European conflict between Russia and the United States would look like. Fans of history will appreciate this incredibly detailed work.

War Storm

Aveyard, Victoria. War Storm. Book 4 of the Red Queen series. 2018. 662p. ISBN 9780062422996. Available at FIC AVE on the library shelves.

In War Storm, the war between the Silvers of King Maven and the Reds of Mare Barrow and the rightful heir Cal comes to a resolution. With Maven on the run following Glass Throne, Mare and Cal, who have a spectacular falling out, must once again unite so that their combined efforts can once and for all overthrow evil Maven and the system that Silvers have built to oppress the Reds.

The various Silver kingdoms soon find themselves engaged in a war driven by Maven's obsession with Mare. As forces clash from one side of the continent to the other, and as the Scarlet Guard confront the Silvers, the fate of the world hangs in the hands of she who can command lightning, neither silver nor red.

In this epic conclusion, the Red Queen series comes to a satisfying end. Not all survive, but in the end Mare and Cal are reunited and successfully manage to bring the seed of peace to the world. Fans of the series will enjoy reading how Mare manages to have the best of Maven and finally come into her own.

Soul Eater, Vol. 3

Ohkubo, Atsushi. Soul Eater, Vol. 3. 2010. 192p. ISBN 978-0-7595-3064-5. Available in the graphic novel section of the library.

While Soul recovers from his battle with Crona during Soul Eater, Vol. 2, Shinigami and Black*Star set out to find the legendary sword Excalibur, which only a true hero and perfectly aligned spirit can pick up. When both of them manage to take it, they realize they have been duped by Excalibur itself.

Meanwhile, a reckoning between Black*Star and Tsubaki on the one hand and the Uncanny Sword on the other is shaping up. The Uncanny Sword is the shape Masamume, Tsubaki's brother, assumes. He is a lost soul, who is on the verge of transforming into a Kishin, an evil spirit that feeds on the good souls instead of the bad ones. Black*Star and Tsubaki travel to a remote village, where they find the Uncanny Sword and confront it in a deadly battle.

Maka, for her part, must learn to let go of Soul's injuries, otherwise she will never gain true alignment with her weapon. And in the background, DMVA's nurse turns out to be a witch with plans for the school's student witch hunters ...

The story continues in Soul Eater, Vol. 4.

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager

 Philippe, Ben. The Field Guide to the North American Teenager. 2019. 372p. ISBN 978-0-0628-2412-7. Available at FIC PHI on the library shelves.

Austin, Texas, is really hot. Norris can't believe that this is where he will be living as his mother starts her new job at the local university. This being Texas, everything is bigger, and more stereotypical in Norris' mind. Joining a new high school in January of his junior year was not his idea of a good time, so he plans on blending in and not attract attention. But as a French-Canadian black kid whose parents are from Haiti, Norris stands out. It doesn't help that people don't play hockey here, and that he left behind his best friend Eric just as Eric was coming out to his parents, so he can't really provide the support he would have liked.

At school, Norris quickly meet the jocks, the cheerleaders, the theater kids, and the other misfits. He labels them all to avoid remembering names and making friends. He earns the jocks' ire and the cheerleaders' disdain with his big mouth and unfiltered comments, but draws the attention of Madison, one of the cheerleaders (lucky for her, Norris calls all cheerleaders Madison). He runs into Aarti, the cool artsy Indian girl he quickly develops a crush on, and Liam, the quiet giant who is hoping to start a hockey team.

Looking to make money so he can travel back to Canada and go skiing with his friend Eric, Norris joins the staff of a local restaurant, only to realize that it is owned by Madison's father, who has his hands full managing the place, marrying his younger daughters, and babysitting two evil babies. Despite the sarcasm and the insults he delivered the gaggle of cheerleaders on their first encounter, Maddie puts in a good word for him and he begins working with her. 

Over the course of the next several months, Maddie helps Norris navigate the choppy waters that are Aarti, while he successfully forms a hockey team and even gains the jocks' grudging respect. As the end of the school year nears, however, Norris realizes that there is more to people than just labels, and that in fact he might have found some friends in unexpected places. An epic screw up threatens all of that, however, and Norris will be faced with the biggest decision of his life. Remain in Texas and pick up the pieces, or run away back to Canada and start anew?

The Imperial Cruise: A Secret History of Empire and War

Bradley, James. The Imperial Cruise: A Secret History of Empire and War. 2009. 387p. ISBN 978-0-316-00895-2. Available at 359.4 BRA on the library shelves.

By the late 1880s, the United States had declared the frontier settled, and Americans now stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Racist theories espoused by many in American leadership claimed that Native Americans had been defeated because they were uncivilized and barbarians. White Protestant Americans, they claimed, were the superior beings both physically and intellectually. They had followed the sun westward and claimed land for their superior race. When a conflict with Spain occurred, the United States stretched its imperial hands and grabbed Hawaii and the Philippines, while making Cuba and Puerto Rico de facto colonies.

Theodore Roosevelt was a proponent of these racist theories, and he used his considerable power as president of the United States to implement a secret policy of Asian domination. By 1905, the United States were involved in counterinsurgency actions in the Philippines, and were watching with envy European powers carve China. Japan had just defeated Russia, the first time a non-White power had inflicted a loss on a White Christian power. Roosevelt saw this as the perfect opportunity to crack China and allow American businesses to enter its large market.

In a series of secret meetings, Roosevelt illegally negotiated with the Japanese to provide them support to implement their own Monroe Doctrine in Asia to "promote" civilization. These meetings culminated in the annexation of Korea, which the United States had signed a treaty to protect, by the Japanese in exchange for a free hand in the Philippines and with a foothold in China. To cement all of these secret transactions, Roosevelt sent his Secretary of War, William Taft, and his loose cannon of a daughter, on a months long cruise in the Pacific. 

Roosevelt's limited and racist views did not see the long game, and the agreements he made would later directly lead to the Japanese attack in Pearl Harbor, as well as the rise of ultimate triumph of the Communists in China and of the Korean War, costing the United States blood and treasure.

Fans of history will appreciate the impact that short-sightedness, expansionism and the threat of military action had on the political trajectory of the United States.

Saudi Arabia

 Harper, Robert A. Saudi Arabia. Part of the Modern World Nations. 2003. 109p. ISBN 0-7910-6935-4. Available at 953.8 HAR on the library shelves.

No country exemplify the conflict between modernity and traditions more than Saudi Arabia. A relatively sparsely populated land, the main occupation of its population as late as the 1930s was camel herding. Bedouins, or desert travelers, grazed their animals in the deserts of the peninsula and observed a strict version of Islam. 

A collection of tribes, Arabia became the center of Islam when the Prophet Muhammad received visions from God. Mecca, his birthplace, and Medina, the first city that accepted his teachings, soon became the sites of vast pilgrimages. Muslims from all over the world are expected to visit at least once in their lifetime. 

Arabs exported Islam to North Africa and eastward all the way to Indonesia, but soon lost control of Islam as more entrenched civilizations took over. Egypt and the Ottoman Empire ruled Mecca and Medina, leaving the rest of the desertic peninsula to its inhabitants.

Sheik Saud successfully united the tribes in the early 1920s and named the country Saudi Arabia, just in time for oil to be discovered. Oil made the Saudis rich, but it also changed their lives. Foreign workers were imported to help build the infrastructure needed to exploit the oil wealth. A social safety net was created for the citizens, and massive investments in health care and education moved Saudi society forward. The country's geographic areas are divided and only connected by air, and the arid climate limits agriculture.

Tensions remain between Saudi Arabia's move toward modernity and a desire to keep ties to its past, and Saudi Arabia will continue to exert geopolitical influence as long as oil remains the center of industrialized economies.

Queen of Ruin

Banghart, Tracy. Queen of Ruin. Book 2 of the Grace and Fury series. 2019. 336p. ISBN 978-0-3164-7145-9. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

Exiled by Asa, the new King, following his assassination of his father and the presumed death of his brother Malachi at the end of Grace and Fury, Nomi finds herself exiled to the prison island of Mount Ruin, while Malachi's almost-dead body is dropped overboard. Arriving on the island, the prison ship is attacked by Serina's women rebels, and Nomi is rescued. Serina and her allies have seized control of the island and are planning on capturing a boat and escaping. Unfortunately, the boat that transported Nomi is too small for the entire prisoner population to escape.

When Prince Malachi is found and brought ashore, the rebels gain hope of overthrowing Asa and replacing him with the legitimate ruler. Serina, Nomi, and the leaders of the various factions hatch a plan. Nomi and Malachi will leave the island on the small boat, and attempt to rouse troops in Viridia's provinces to then march on the palace. Meanwhile, the women will await the next large prison ship, take it over, and escape to another country.

Unfortunately Asa saw some of the fires that were set when the women overthrew the prison guards. As a result the next ship is not the prison ship,  but instead an armada of navy ships carrying large contingents of soldiers. The women are recaptured and brought back to the capital to be publicly executed.

Nomi and Malachi land, and find that in the short time Asa has been in power he has crushed the provinces and stolen and abuse all of the pretty girls. The troops have been sent to the capital, so Nomi and Malachi make their way there, only to discover that the women from Mount Ruin are about to be executed. Can the sisters reunite and manage to overthrow Asa while at the same time not lose their hard-fought revolution at the hands of Malachi?

My Hero Academia, Vol. 2

 Horikoshi, Kohei. My Hero Academia, Vol. 2. 2015. 192p. ISBN 978-1-4215-8270-2. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

Izuku secured a spot at the prestigious Hero Academy high school and joined Class 1-A in My Hero Academia, Vol. 1. He begins the long process of mastering the various facets of being a hero. His friends and enemies all have superpowers, but unlike Izuku they are proud to display them. Having acquired his from All Might, the power of One for All, Izuku has to hide the fact that All Might is getting weaker by the day and that he can only hold his persona for a short time before having to revert to his true form.

Unfortunately there is not enough time for Izuku to start mastering his skills. Hero Academy is an ongoing competition, and anyone can be expelled at any time for failing to accomplish specific tasks or finishing last in a trial. When a group of villains invade the supposedly secure grounds of Hero Academy, Class 1-A steps in to intervene. Despite their combined abilities, the villains prove too strong. Their target? Taking down All Might. What can heroes in training do against such overwhelming force?

The story continues in My Hero Academia, Vol. 3. 

All Fall Down

Carter, Ally. All Fall Down. Book 1 of the Embassy Row. 2015. 301p. ISBN 978-0-545-65474-6. Available at FIC CAR on the library shelves.

Three years ago, Grace witnessed the brutal murder of her mother by a man sporting a large facial scar. The fire that then destroyed her mother's bookstore led the authorities to rule her death an accident, but Grace saw the man shoot her mother. Despite her pleas for help and for tracking that man, she was ignored, or worse, deemed mentally unstable by those around her. With her loving older brother now gone to serve in the military, and with her father also deployed, Grace returns to Adria, where her grandfather runs the United States embassy.

Once back on Embassy Row, Grace meets several of the teens whose parents serve as ambassadors or staff of national embassies. Alexei lives next door and is the son of the Russian ambassador. He remembers Grace from ten years ago when she would visit her grandfather. Somehow he always seems to find himself near Grace when she tries to escape the stifling environment of the U.S. Embassy. It soon becomes obvious that he is acting as a babysitter, but on who's behalf?

Grace also realizes that no one is interested in her mother's murder. Everyone wants to her put on a show, pretend to be happy, and go on with her life. When Grace recognizes a denizen of Embassy Row as her mother's killer, her desire for revenge is rekindled. But trying to solve a murder can prove to be deadly, and soon Grace finds herself implicated in a deadly conspiracy ...

The Great Hurricane: 1938

 Burns, Cherie. The Great Hurricane: 1938. 2005. 240p. ISBN 978-0-8711-3893-4. Available at 974.04 BUR on the library shelves.

On September 21, 1938, all eyes of the world was concerned that Adolf Hitler was ready to attack Czechoslovakia. News headlines screamed that war was coming. In New York and New England, those concerns were balanced with the need to put summer homes in order before winter arrived. Families still on the beaches on Long Islands and Rhodes Island were spending a few more days before they returned in their city residences. Locals were working or fishing. And out at sea the largest hurricane to hit the area was brewing. In an era where satellites did not exist and telephone and radio networks were easily disrupted, no one saw this storm coming, with dire consequences.

Long Island was the first to bear the brunt of the Great Hurricane of 1938. Houses were taken off their foundations and crushed in the sea. Large waves moved massive concrete and granite barriers. The water crested fifteen feet above the highest tide ever recorded. People who were watching the surf and the storm approach were swept away, and even those who took shelter in houses were hurt as roofs blew away and windows shattered. Telephone poles were snapped, and all communications ceased. It was impossible to warn the people across Long Island Sound that a storm was coming their way.

In Rhodes Island, resort towns were slowly winding down. No bad weather was forecasted. Local fishermen noticed the drop in barometric pressure and wisely stayed in harbor. Others ignored the warnings and went fishing anyway. When the storm hit, it destroyed everything in its path, causing millions of dollars in damages, killing hundreds of people, and forever affecting the communities in its path.

As the threats of war continued unabated in Europe, the Great Hurricane of 1938 became a footnote in New England history, and was barely discussed elsewhere in the country. It became this catastrophic storm that most have never heard of. Fans of history and of impressive weather events will appreciate the tale of a day that forever changed New England. Told hour by hour, and featuring a cast of hundreds of survivors and victims, this effective reconstruction of the deadliest storm in New England history is sure to make the reader wonder twice about their safety the next time a hurricane comes to New Hampshire.

Stalking Jack the Ripper

Maniscalco, Kerri. Stalking Jack the Ripper. 2016. 327p. ISBN 978-0-3162-7349-7. Available at FIC MAN on the library shelves.

Audrey Wadsworth is the daughter of a British Lord, and lives in a manor in a wealthy section of London. Unlike other girls in her position, however, the seventeen-year-old is not interested in her debutante ball or finding a wealthy husband, but instead enjoy working with her uncle, a forensic doctor who clinically studies dead bodies. If it was up to her, Audrey would pursue a career in medicine. But it is 1888 in Victorian England, and Audrey's control over her own person, much less her destiny is severely limited by her gender. And with her mother's death several years ago, her father's grief preventing any bonding with his daughter, and an older brother who's turning into a dandy, Audrey feels very lonely indeed.

When dead bodies begin turning up violently mutilated in the Whitechapel area of London, Audrey's uncle is called to investigate, and Audrey participates in the forensic work. Thomas Cresswell, one of her uncle's student, also joins in the hunt for the killer. Thomas is cold and calculating, and knows about as much about human anatomy as her uncle. Audrey finds him both condescending and fascinating at the same time.

But as clues are uncovered, the work of the man now called Jack the Ripper by the British press indicates that someone close to Audrey might be the perpetrator. First, hints point towards her beloved uncle, so he is arrested. But as murders continue during his detention, Audrey is forced to confront a horrible choice. Could her father be the bloody killer? Or, possibly worse, could it be Thomas, slowly luring her in as the last victim of a deadly game of cat and mouse?

Descriptions of dead bodies are vivid, and the plot moves along at a rapid pace. Audrey's violation of societal norms is well incorporated in the story telling, and the conclusion is shocking. Fans of horror and action will enjoy the suspense that Maniscalco has created based on a series of historical events.

Drawing the Vote: An Illustrated Guide to Voting in America

 Jenkins, Tommy. Illustrated by Kati Lacker. Drawing the Vote: An Illustrated Guide to Voting in America. 2020. 198p. ISBN 978-1-4197-3998-9. Available at 324.6 JEN on the library shelves.

The right to vote is enshrined in the United States Constitution, but this right has been severely limited for many people over time. When the Constitution was adopted, only White men who owned property could vote. The franchise was expanded to all White men in the 1800s. Women could not vote until the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was passed in 1920. Though the Civil War freed all the slaves, States continued to prevent them from voting. African Americans were effectively disenfranchised until 1965 when the Voting Act was passed, guaranteeing them access to the ballot box.

Even so, many challenges remain that prevent people from voting. In Drawing the Vote, Jenkins and illustrator Lacker present a history of voting in the United States and the struggles that surrounded providing and enforcing the right the vote for different constituencies. The back and white illustrations are crisp and convey appropriate emotion and information. Drawing the Vote does not mince words when it comes time to assign blame for voter suppression, and point out how the culprits achieved their goals of denying the franchise to certain people.

Fans of history will appreciate the thoroughness in which the history of voting is presented, and will have a better understanding of how our voting system works.

The Boy in the Black Suit

Reynolds, Jason. The Boy in the Black Suit. 2015. 255p. 468 mins. ISBN 978-1-44245950-2. Available both as an audiobook from Overdrive and at FIC REY on the library shelves.

Matthew Miller just lost his mother to cancer. She died quickly, and she died young. At 17, Matt is entering his senior year of high school rudderless. His dad started drinking again, leaving Matt to fend for himself, both physically and emotionally. The gap his mother's death left behind is impossible to fill.

With a light school schedule that is done at noon, Matt looks for after school work. The money will come in handy, especially since his father can't seem to regain his senses and drop the bottle long enough to go to his job. He goes to the local fast food restaurant and asks for an application, but then is saved from greasy work by Mr. Ray, the owner of the local funeral home. Mr. Ray provided the funeral service for his mother.

Matt is at first scared of working with dead bodies, but on the first funeral he works he discovers that the experience of attending someone else's funeral can be very cathartic. Plus you can meet extraordinary people in this line of work, including local legends, and even Love. Along the way, Matt will find redemption and healing for others as well as for himself, and will realize that dead people can still teach valuable lessons.

Fans of boy reads will appreciate Matt's depth and the struggles he faces as a half orphan. His friendship with Mr. Ray blossoms into a mentor/mentee relationship, which allows him to grow as an individual and to find peace with the tragedy that affected him.

The Star-Touched Queen

Chokshi, Roshani. The Star-Touched Queen. Book 1 of the Star-Touched Queen series. 2016. 342p. 562 mins. ISBN 978-1-42727298-0. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive. 

Born in the harem of the Raja of Bharata, Maya has always been considered cursed by the other inhabitants of the harem. When her horoscope was drawn, it was foretold that her marriage would bring death. As a result she is considered bad luck, has no friends and no hopes of marrying. Maya spends her time avoiding the politics of the harem, her tutors, and eavesdropping on her father's Council. 

Spying on her father and his Council one day, she learns that she's about to be married off to one of her kingdom's enemies in hopes of settling peace. She is stunned. She does not want to marry and does not want to leave Bharata. She plans for escape, but is instead imprisoned until the wedding. The night before, her father visits her and reveals that his plan was to use her as bait and draw their enemies here. Under the guise of a ceasefire to celebrate a wedding, the Raja fully expects his daughter to not go through with it and poison herself instead, allowing him to break the ceasefire and deal with the leaders of enemy kingdoms.

Unfortunately his enemies have spies, and they brought their own soldiers. On the day of the wedding, Maya is presented to the attendees, and when she leaves to make her choice, war breaks out. Maya is rescued by an enigmatic king who takes her away to the supernatural land of the Night Bazaar, before bringing her back to his kingdom of Akaran. King Amar wishes Maya to become his equal. Amar has secrets, however, and he asks her to wait until the new moon before he can reveal them.

Enough information is available, however, and Maya soon realizes that Amar is the Agent of Death himself, and she has just joined him! Monsters haunt the kingdom. The dead travel through its halls on their way to a new life. And whispers tell her that Amar intends to sacrifice her. With her life in danger, Maya must decide whom she can trust. How do you escape from death itself?

An Indian retelling of the myth of Persephone and Hades, Maya seems to be making bad choices one after the other, yet in the end manages to redeem herself and the kingdom. Fans of mythology will appreciate the descriptive world the author created and will enjoy Maya's struggles and eventual triumph as she finally finds her voice.

The Jungle

 Sinclair, Upton. The Jungle. 335p. 797 mins. ISBN 978-1-8843-6530-0. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

Jurgis Rudkus is Lithuanian. Born in poverty in his country, he meets a beautiful girl named Ona Lukoszaite. Looking to escape their condition and seeking opportunity in the land of plenty, they along with others from their village pool the little money they have and immigrate to the United States. Traveling to Chicago, they quickly find work in the meatpacking industry. 

Packing Town, as the area they settle in is known, is very poor. It is drab, lonely, polluted, and one of the harsher environment they have ever been in. Jurgis is strong and dedicated, so they are convinced they will escape the fate that afflict many around them. They purchase a house, to avoid paying rent. They are confused when the people around them bitterly complain about the bosses who drive them ever further towards exhaustion. Don't they just need to work harder?

Jurgis and the rest of his group do not realize that the deck has been stacked against them. Their house is poorly isolated. The two-mile walk to work in the winter is hell. The factories are either too cold, too hot, or too wet. It is dangerous work where people get hurt or killed all the time. Women are exploited and abused. Jurgis and Ona disenchant very quickly about their new lives, but they have no more money and must continue to work.

Layoffs and accidents take a toll on the family friends. When Jurgis discovers that Ona has been forced to have an extramarital affair with her boss, he goes into a rage and attacks the man. This lands him in jail, and with the absence of their breadwinner, the family loses their house and their investment. Jurgis spirals towards the depth of despair. Ona dies in the childbirth of their 2nd son. Their first son dies in an accident. The group breaks up and goes their own way. 

Jurgis travels away in the summer, but returns to Chicago for the winter. He joins a political machine, and for a while his star rises. But an encounter with the same man who abused his wife Ona once again lands him in jail, and this time it is even harder to rebound. In the depth of despair, Jurgis discovers socialism, and after living through workers' hell for two years, he now understands what is attractive about socialism.

First published in 1905 as a serial then in a heavily censored book, The Jungle nevertheless forced changes at the federal level. Laws were passed to control the quality of food, work conditions, and the more blatant abuses that happened in the slaughter houses. An indictment of crude capitalism, The Jungle remains relevant today for the lessons that it provide about workers' right and economic abuse by the rich.

Like No Other

 LaMarche, Una. Like No Other.  2014. 368p. ISBN 9781595146748. Available at FIC LAM on the library shelves.

New York City has always been divided by invisible lines. Race, religion, wealth, sexual orientation, all of these elements allow people to find others with similar interests, but also serve to build barriers and keep those who are different apart. 

In Brooklyn, one such neighborhood is clearly divided by race and religion. On one side of the neighborhood are the Hasidic Jews with large families and orthodox views. On the other side, African Americans and immigrants trying to capture the American dream. The two groups rarely mix.

Devorah is a good Hasidic girl. When her sister Rachel delivers her baby at 18, Devorah is there to support her at the hospital, since her parents are away on business. A storm causes the power to go out, and Devorah finds herself stuck in the elevator for an African American male teenager. Jaxon came to hospital with his best friend, who broke his arm performing a skateboarding stunt designed to impress a girl. 

At first the two of them are quiet, but Jaxon quickly breaks the glass. Devorah panics. It is not okay for a good girl to talk to a boy without a chaperone present. As they find common interests and similarities in their lives, however, they begin to fall in love with each other, something both of them are aware could be very dangerous if their respective communities found out.

Following their chance encounter, Jaxon and Devorah find ways to meet again and even exchange kisses. Devorah's strict upbringing and stricter father, however, does not approve. Worse, Rachel's husband, a nosey busybody, tries to get Devorah in trouble, claiming he is worried for her soul. Jaxon, for his part, lies to his parents and sneaks around their back, saying he is with his best friend while he is in fact with Devorah.

Planning a weekend getaway, the two of them are caught, and Devorah is exiled upstate to a Hasidic reform center where it is expected she will rejoin the fold. Devorah is not interested, however, and wishes to escape the strict constricts of her religious faith. Jaxon, meanwhile is desperate. How can he find her? With the two separated by more than distance, can they manage to bind their love together?