Their Vicious Game

Wellington, Joelle. Their Vicious Game. 2023. 416p. ISBN 9781665922425.

Adina has always played her cards right. A Black scholarship student at the prestigious Edgewater Academy where the overwhelming majority of students are White, Adina has received early acceptance at Yale, her favorite school, and she sees her future traced before her. Going to Yale means escaping suburbia, where her parents, faculty members at Edgewater, built a comfortable but unassuming life. For Adina, Yale is her means of leaving her scholarship status, meaning being poor in the eyes of her classmates, behind. 

But her best friend Esme, who also applied to Yale, does not get in, and in a careless moment, Adina lets it slip that Esme's family is being investigated for insider trading and Esme is about to be poorer than Adina. Jealous at Adina's admission and furious that this family secret is out, Esme takes it out on Adina by having her parents pull strings, and Adina finds her admission to Yale rescinded. With her carefully constructed future crumbling, Adina turns to the Finish, a competition held by the Remingtons, the wealthy family that donated the school and its land. Every year, twelve girls of merit are invited to participate in games to determine which one will receive a full scholarship to any college of her choice, as the Remington's name can open doors anywhere.

The Finish, however, is different when a Remington boy graduates from high school. Pierce Remington, a classmate of Adina, is also graduating this year. Adina is admitted in the Finish, only to discover that the girls are competing to be Pierce's future wife. She's even more dismayed when she discovers that this competition is to the death, and the Remingtons have the power to make bodies disappear and stifle any questions parents may ask.

Now faced with the deadly possibility that she will not make it out, Adina must find a way to survive the Finish, especially since Esme is also participating, and she wants Adina dead. Plus, Adina does not love Pierce and she does not want to be his prize. With her roommate Saint's help, and with assistance from Graham, Pierce's older brother who is also enammored with Adina, she must succeed at three deadly events: the Ride, the Raid, and the Royale. In a deadly game, Adina soon discovers that sometimes one needs to change the rules to triumph...

An excellently written parody of dystopian books where teens compete in a deadly game for the one position available, Their Vicious Game is a quick read that is both entertaining and still manages to raise some important questions. How far would someone go to secure their future? Fans of might also enjoy the following: Arena One, Starters, Maze Runner, Ship Breaker, Reboot, Not a Drop to Drink, Birthmarked and Divergent.

In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers: The Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, Months, and Years After the 9/11 Attacks

Brown, Down. In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers: The Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, Months, and Years After the 9/11 Attacks. 2021. 120p. ISBN 9780358223573. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, struck at the heart of the American psyche. The events directly impacted thousands of people in New York City, Washington D.C, and in Pennsylvania. Hundred of thousands more then served to first rescue then retrieve bodies from the crash sites and from the collapsed towers, while others served in the military to bring the fight to those who had planned and sponsored the attack. 

The story is by now well known. What is not well known, however, are individual stories of valor, sacrifice, courage, and determination to survive. In this powerful graphic novel, the lives of people, from a cameraman who happened to be filming near the Twin Towers to heroic firefighters who ran into the burning towers moments after airplanes crashed into them. Each life was irrevocably changed by the attacks, causing permanent injuries and deaths.

Over the course of the next days and months, the fires in New York were put out, and the grisly task of clearing out the rubble and respectfully recovering the bodies of those still entombed began. At the same time, war started in Afghanistan as American troops, allied with local warlords, sought to capture or kill Osama Bin Laden, the terrorist mastermind behind the attacks. 

Readers who enjoy history will appreciate the attention to details the author provides for each and every panel. The story is engaging and serves as a reminder that individuals can make a difference and change the world.

The Sandman, Vol. 2: The Doll's House

 Gaiman, Neil. The Sandman, Vol. 2: The Doll's House. 1990. 232p. ISBN 9781563892257.

When Morpheus was imprisoned in Sandman, Vol. 1, one of the people who suffered greatly was Unity Kincaid. Caught in a dream, Unity rarely woke up, and as decades came and went, she floated through them and barely remembered anything. She did recall having a baby while she slept, however. After Morpheus was freed, Unity tracked her child, who by now had a daughter of her own named Rose, and she invited them both to come to England so she could tell them about her life and learn about theirs.

After the initial shock of learning they are related, Rose is tasked by Unity to track down her missing brother, Jed. She returns to the United States, and tracks her brother to Florida. She secures a room in a house filled with strange individuals. Her brother, meanwhile, is being abused by a foster family, who chains him in the basement of their house so they can collect the money the state gives them every month.

Meanwhile, some of Morpheus' dream creatures have escaped the dream world and found residence in reality. Morpheus sets to find his errant creatures and either bring them back or eliminate them. But he soon discovers that Rose is a vortex, a rare human being who can rip the barriers between the dream world and human reality, and therefore must be eliminated.

As Rose continues her search, she finds herself in the middle of a serial killer convention, which is attended by some of Morpheus's creatures, one of whom has captured Jed and plans on killing him. As dreams and reality collide, can Rose find a way to save her brother while escaping Morpheus' goal of eliminating her as a threat of his real?

Dear Medusa

 Cole, Olivia A. Dear Medusa. 2023. 384p. ISBN 9780593485736.

Alicia Rivers is known as the school slut. She'll get in anyone's car, and no one at school trusts her. But Alicia has a dark secret. She was groomed and abused by the Colonel, a male science teacher at her high school that dresses up as Colonel Sanders every Halloween. Known as the best teacher at the school, and appreciated by all staff and students, the Colonel is, in Alicia's eyes, a wolf who predatorily hunts students for his own sexual gratification. Like Medusa, Alicia has been convicted in the eyes of others and transformed from victim to monster.

The twin events of her abuse at the Colonel's hand and her parents' nasty divorce have shattered her life, causing her to retreat inside of herself. Alicia is now on a quest, to see if the wolves out there, men, will ignore or restraint themselves in her presence. She keeps hoping that someone will walk away, restoring part of her faith in the world, but they never do. Her brother is just as lost, abusing marijuana and hanging out with bad influences. Her mother is dealing with her own demons, and just can't be there for her daughter, while her father has left and is dating a much younger woman.

Spending more time in detention than in classrooms suits Alicia fine, since she can't totally ignore the stares and the gossip. Plus people keep leaving nasty notes in her locker. But the arrival of a new girl, Deja, who is not intimidated by her reputation provides a ray of sunshine in an otherwise drab existence. She's also attracted to another new student, Geneva, who reciprocates her feelings. 

When one of the note indicates that a student knows about the abuse, Alicia's world is once again thrown into turmoil. Can she really fight off the teacher she's been trying to ignore? With the help of her friends, and through a process of self discovering involving therapy where issues of ownership of one's body and labels, Alicia learns to reconnect with the girl she once was. Will she be able to own up Medusa's monstrosity to rediscover the humanity that lays inside of her?

1900-20: Linen & Lace

Mee, Sue. 1900-20: Linen & Lace. Part of the 20th Century Fashion series. 2002. 32p. ISBN 9780836825985. Available at 391 MEE on the library shelves.

The world was in effervescence at the beginning of the 20th century. Automobiles were filling up roads. The globe was now connected through wires, allowing messages to be distributed almost instantly. Technology was rapidly improving lives. For most, modernity represented progress and better living conditions. But then the First World War destroyed illusions that technology could only be used for the better. By the time the war ended, life had changed for everyone.

Clothes provide an image of society. At the beginning of the 20th century, most women were wearing corsets and several layers under their dresses. Clothes were meant to be seen, and displayed the wealth of person wearing them. As habits changed and marketing and advertisement became more important, clothes had to adapt, from motorist outfits to changing silhouettes and tastes. Styles from all over the world also began to appear in European and American fashion, from those inspired by orientalism to those exotic clothes of the Russian ballet. 

The war strained economies, and fashion became more practical. Uniforms were produced in the millions, and rationing shortened dresses, revealing more leg. After working in factories and elsewhere as men went to war, women had gained economic freedom and learned new skills, and the clothes of the post-war period adapted to this newly-found independence by freeing women from some of the constraints they had experienced during the war and even before. One of the most revolutionary item of clothing to emerge from this period is the bra. Invented by Caresse Crosby from two handkerchief and a ribbon, the bra freed women from the tightening confines of corsets, and allowed a wider variety of clothes to be worn while providing support at a cheaper cost.

Readers interested in the history of fashion or the social changes that affected the clothes we wear will appreciate this short volume.

Big Bad Ironclad!

Hale, Nathan. Big Bad Ironclad! Book 2 of Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales series. 2012. 128p. ISBN 9781419703959.

At the beginning of the American Civil War, the Union's leadership decided to strangle the trade of the Confederate States by blockading its ports and destroying its ships. The South fought back by equipping blockade runners. They also recuperated a burned ship hull and decided to clad it in iron, resurrecting the Merrimack and renaming it the Virginia, the first iron ship. The North entered the race to build an iron ship,  and soon the Monitor, which adopted a radically different design, was put out to sea. Designed by John Ericsson, the ship featured a turret above water, with the rest of the ship below the water line.

The two steam-powered ironclads met in in waters known as Hampton Roads, near Norfolk, Virginia, and though the battle was a draw, with neither ship able to disable or destroy the other, the limitation of the Merrimack forced it to depart the battle, and advancing Union forces led to the ship being scuttled to avoid it falling into enemy hands. The Monitor, for its part, sank on December 31, 1862 on its way to support the naval blockade of North Carolina.

Filled with memorable characters and significant history, the ironclads ushered in a new era of naval warfare and revolutionized the way combat was conducted. Illustrated with vivid pictures, and filled with details and impressive feats by sailors and soldiers, Big Bad Ironclad! will be appreciated by fans of the Civil War and of history.

Friends Like These

Rosoff, Meg. Friends Like These. 2022. 320p. ISBN 9781774881101.

In the summer of 1983 and fresh out of high school, Beth scores the perfect internship. She joins the crew of one of New York City's most prestigious newspaper as an intern, learning the business from the inside. But life in New York City is expensive, the city is hot and dirty, her lodgings with her sister and her boyfriend, who are fighting all the time and obviously on the way to a nasty breakup, are cramped, and Beth has lost her reference points. New York feels like it will suck her soul out. 

Thankfully, Beth meets Edie, a Jewish girl with a larger than life personality. Edie has met everyone that is anyone, she knows where all of the good parties take place, and she is very experienced sexually, unlike Beth who has yet to be kissed. She also meets Daniel and Oliver, two boys who loom large in Edie's life. 

Through one hot and sweaty summer, Beth learns what it is like to become an adult. She has to navigate drama, relationships, work, and family as she learns more about herself, her wants and desires, and where she hopes to go. 

The Stock Market Crash of 1929: The End of Prosperity

Lange, Brenda. The Stock Market Crash of 1929: The End of Prosperity. Part of the Milestones in American History series. 2007. 114p. ISBN 9780791093542. Available at 332.64 LAN on the library shelves.

Following the end of the First World War, the economy of the United States roared back. Cash was plentiful, and advances in economic management promoted the growth of the credit industry and its use to finance expensive items like cars and appliances. Americans were feeling rich, and this was most visible in the stock market, which kept going up throughout what became known as the Roaring Twenties. Despite warnings from economists and from economic data that the party was coming to an end, folks were surprised when, on Tuesday, October 29, 1929, the stock market suffered its worst day, with a 48% drop and billions of dollars wiped out.

Suddenly, people who thought the growth of the market would continue found themselves owing money they didn't have. Economic misery became the norm, as consumer spending retracted, and, with no new orders for goods and services, businesses shut down. Soon, one out of every four workers was unemployed and looking for work. Financial despair became the norm, and families split as people started looking for work far afield. Farms and houses were foreclosed. Bad weather contributed to a mighty Dust Bowl in the prairies, which wiped out millions of acres of farmland. Poverty spread dramatically.

The election of 1932 represented a change of vision for the country, with the election of Franklin Roosevelt to the presidency. Instead of President Hoover's laissez faire attitude that government should not be helping people, Roosevelt promoted several ideas and programs to put the country back to work, including social security, unemployment insurance, the Civilian Conservation Corp, and the Work Progress Administration. The struggle to climb out of the despair and poverty triggered by the stock market crash of 1929 was not fully resolved until the Second World War brought full employment back to the United States. 

Fans of history will appreciate this overview of a drastic period in American history, and will be able to trace some of the roots of the Second World War overseas as Fascist regimes took over in Italy, Spain, and Germany to address the economic distress caused by the crash of 1929.

Other books in the series include:

• The Stock Market Crash of 1929
• The Wright Brothers

Mandela and the General

Carlin, John. Mandela and the General. 2018. 112p. ISBN 9780874868203. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

General Constand Viljoen joined the South African army as a soldier in the 1960s, fighting against Communists and Black activists. As a member of the ruling white Afrikaan minority, Viljoen cheered when Nelson Mandela, a prominent member of the African National Congress (ANC), was arrested for sabotage and sentenced to life in prison. Viljoen raised through the ranks, becoming Commander in Chief of South Adfrica's armed forces. At the same time, hoever, the political regime known as apartheid, which represented White rule and which had been instaured following the Second World War, had begun to crumble under international pressure and internal activism.

As the world changed in 1990, with the Soviet Union's collapse, the reunification of Germany, and the rollback of the Iron Curtain, South Africa was not immune. The apartheid regime released Mandela after 27 years in captivity. Mandela took the reins of the ANC and negotiated with the South African president to put an end of the apartheid regime. Free elections were called in 1994. 

With the electoral campaign heating up and the most likely election of a Black government for the first time, General Viljoen was approached by radical members of nationalist militias, who offered their services to protect White power. Ready to lead a coup against a new government, Viljoen meets Mandela for the first time, and the two of them talk of their lives. Viljoen realizes that a coup attempt will lead to bloodshed and generational destruction, and though the White minority possess most of the weapons, they do not have the numbers needed to successfully win and occupy the country. Mandela, for this part, knows that a coup will lead to vengeance requests from his people, which would destroy their society. 

The two of them begin to negotiate a transition in secret, where no coup will take place, and where the rights of the White minority will be protected by the new government. Against all odds, in 1994 a peaceful transition of power takes place, and the predicted violence does not occur. General Viljoen refuses to lead the conspirators, and Mandela becomes the first Black president of South Africa. Bitter enemies became friends and gave their society a chance to thrive.

The illustrations of this graphic novel are crisp and the coloring reflect the tones of South Africa. Fans of history will learn how a coup almost took place against Mandela's ANC government, and how the Nobel Peace winner was able to diffuse the situation by turning an enemy into a friend.

The Labors of Hercules Beal

Schmidt, Gary D. The Labors of Hercules Beal. 2023. 352p. ISBN 9780358659631.

Living on Cape Cod, Hercules Bean is no hero. His parents both died in a gruesome car accident last year, and now he lives with his older brother, who moved in with his girlfriend to keep the family's garden center. He's more of a weakling. Being named after a Greek demigod has meant nothing but ridicule. Now in 7th grade, Hercules is confronted by a new social studies teacher, a retired Marine commander who runs his classroom like a drill training ground. He's strict and demanding, but he's also fair. When he assigns a year-long project connected to various aspects of social studies, everyone groans. Hercules' fear is realized when he's assigned the performance of Hercules' Twelve Labors. How is Hercules supposed to do all of that mythical stuff in real life?

Missing his parents terribly, and convinced that his brother's girlfriend is a vampire (seriously, Hercules has never seen her out in the sun), Hercules has to figure out a way to perform the twelve labors and report on his progress in monthly meetings. Working with his teacher, Hercules soon accomplishes the first of his twelve labors, and discovers along the way that they not need be exactly like what Hercules the hero confronted. His friends and his family join him and start giving him leads, helping him complete more of the labors. When a hurricane hits Cape Cod, Hercules is faced with his hardest labor yet. 

Making friends along the way, Hercules manage to accomplish all of the labors, and realizes that there is more to a community than working alone. A really humorous story, The Labors of Hercules Beal will thrill the fan of Greek myths with multiple references and how these would apply in real life. Despite his sorrow, Hercules remains upbeat and optimistic, and eventually successfully completes this assignment, learning valuable lessons along the way.

Fas of The Labors of Hercules Beal should take a look at the Wednesday Wars.

How the Gold Standard Works.

Ryan, Peter. How the Gold Standard Works. Part of the Real World Economics series. 2011. 80p. ISBN 9781448812721. Available at 332.4 RYA on the library shelves.

Gold has always attracted the human gaze. Shiny and bright, highly malleable, and coveted due to its rareness, gold quickly established itself as the cornerstone of every economic system, from the Romans in antiquity to modern economies. The rise of paper money facilitated exchanges, but even those bills were technically exchangeable for a quantity of gold at any point.

In the United States, two World Wars and several economic recessions and depressions finally forced the decoupling of what was called the gold standard. The gold standard served to peg the value of each dollar bill to a specific amount of gold, but as the economy grew it became increasingly difficult to keep the amount of dollars in the economy in relative balance to the amount of gold. There was simply too much economic activity, which required much more flexibility than was provided by having the U.S. dollar pegged to gold. 

How the Gold Standard Works explains the chemical properties of gold, how it is mined and refined, and how it has been used in the past and today to support the economy of nations. Despite its loss of status as an economic standard, gold today remains one of the most precious metal. Fans of the economy will appreciate the thoroughness of this volume and its exploration of the gold standard and how, even today, it gold influences our economy.

Attack on Titan, Vol. 5

Isayama, Hajime. Attack on Titan, Vol. 5. 2013. 192p. ISBN 9781612622545. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

With the hole in the wall closed, humans are able to retake Trost and defeat the Titans who had entered the town. in Attack on Titan, Vol 4. Eren's future is to be determined by the decision of a tribunal. Erwin Smith, the captain who leads the Survey Corps, convinces the tribunal to entrust Eren to him, so that he can help the boy discover how to control his power to transform into a Titan. 

Eren is taken to the Survey Corps' headquarters, a castle in disrepair in the countryside. As the Corps restore the facility, Smith begins to plan the first expedition outside the second wall since the first wall fell to the Titans. Both he and Eren believe that Eren's father, a renowned scientist, has research that could explain what Eren's powers are, but this research is in the basement of the house that is currently behind enemy lines.

Armin, Mikasa, and their friends all join the Survey Corps, hoping that they can finally begin to expand humanity's reach. Before this can happen, however, the Corps' expedition must succeed ...

The story continues in Attack on Titan, Vol. 6.

The Weight of Everything

Argueta Mickelson, Marcia. The Weight of Everything. 2023. 240p. ISBN 9781728475356.

The death of Sarah's mother has upended Sarah's world. Her sudden bout with cancer and the quickness with which she departed life meant there was not much time to prepare, and even if there had been Sarah would still not have been ready. She had to leave her beloved arts boarding school to return home to take care of her father, who is literally falling apart, and her younger brother, who remains an optimist despite all of the hard times they are experiencing. Her dad quit his job, money has stopped coming in, bills are piling up, food is scarce, and he can barely take care of himself, let alone his high-school daughter and her seven-year-old brother.

Back at the local high school, Sarah meets David Garza, who she can tell is totally into her. But Sarah doesn't have time for a relationship, let alone romance. She's too busy making art she sells on the Internet, trying to keep her family together while her father falls to pieces under the weight of grief and alcohol. But David is tenacious, and Sarah finds it harder and harder to ignore him. 

When Sarah is assigned a school project in her social studies' class, she soon finds herself digging deep in her mother's roots, examining both her Mexican and her Guatemalan ancestry. What she discovers that her mother was deeply interested by a specific part of history that has all but been forgotten, Sarah decides she attempt to complete her mother's passionate desire to rectify a wrong. But this project also forces Sarah to deal with the grief of losing her mother, something she has not allowed herself to do in order to save her family. And perharp dealing with all of this pain and sorrow would be better if Sarah had help...

Sarah is a strong character who singlehandedly attempts to protect her family while also living her own life. David is sweet and ready to help. Both of them eventually come to an understanding as their relationship grows into something more. Sarah's struggles are realistic and relatable. Fans of stories where the main character attempts to overcome the challenges in their path will appreciate Sarah's tale and her perspectives on a life that fell apart but that is gradually being rebuilt.

The Way of the Gardener: Lost in the Weeds Along the Camino de Santiago

Penner, Lyndon. The Way of the Gardener: Lost in the Weeds Along the Camino de Santiago. 2021. 224p. ISBN 9780889777835.

One of the most famous walking trek in the world is the Camino de Santiago, the Way of St. James. Though made up of many different roads that all lead to the Cathedral of Santiago, the most famous path is the French Way, which starts in St. Jean, on the French side of the Pyrennes, and then cross into Spain on a 800 kilometer walk. Pilgrims from all over the world accomplish this walk for various reasons: as a test of faith, as a spiritual journey, or as a feat of endurance and strength. 

Penner, who is well known for his gardening chronicles on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, walked the entire length of the Camino with a friend, observing people and nature along the way. Focused on the plants he encountered, Penner describes the northern part of Spain in term of its ecology and the impact human activity had on plants such as olive groves and chestnut trees. Along the way, Penner encounters difficulties but meets wonderful people, eats good food, and enjoys nature. 

Those looking for a challenge or those who enjoy hiking will appreciate this of the beaten path memoir and will long to follow in Penner's footsteps and discover for themselves this amazing path.