Infested

Colón, Angel Luis. Infested. 2023. 304p. ISBN 9781665928410.

Manny is upset, and rightfully so. It is the summer before his senior year of high school, and his mother has decided to move the family from Texas to the Bronx, in New York City, to be with his stepfather, who has just secured employment as caretaker for a condo building. One of the perks of the job is a free apartment, and her mother is thrilled she will be able to save some money for Manny's college. Plus, maybe New York will be a better place all of them, including Manny's sister, who is not yet in school.

As a result, Manny moves away from his friends in Texas, and has to quit his job. Al, his stepfather, tells him he can work for him in the building to make some spending money. Manny also has to find a new school to enroll for his senior year, something he dreads. When he meets Sasha outside the building, he learns that she is protesting the building being turned into luxury condos, to the detriment of the neighborhood. Sasha is also soon to be a senior, and she knows a lot of people, so despite his misgivings about her protesting Al's place of work, Manny soon becomes friends with her.

Manny also connects with Mr. Mueller, the elderly German immigrant who owns an extermination company. With his son Peter, Mr. Mueller has been hired to removes all bugs from the building, and for some strange reasons there are cockroaches everywhere. Manny even dreams that they enter his mouth! Soon, however, what was merely annoying and gross becomes horrific as Manny finds roaches crawling under his skin, and in other places they should not be. Then Manny and Sasha discover that Mr. Mueller actually died in a fire he had deliberately set decades ago on the same spot that the condo building now stands.

With his family still living in the building, Manny and Sasha must devise a way to defeat Mr. Mueller and his insect minions before this building also goes up in flames!

Creepy and fast-moving, Infested will keep the reader on the edge of their seat as they discover with Manny the dastardly deeds Mr. Mueller has committed and his reasons for doing so. Fans of horror and paranormal will enjoy this scary tale.

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.

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. 

Chains

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Chains. Book 1 of the Seeds of America series. 2008. 316p. ISBN 9781416905851. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

In the midst of the American Revolutionary War, Isabel and her young sister Ruth are owned by an old woman who in her will promised to free them. Except that the old lady's nephew and her lawyer conspired and the will disappeared. Isabel and Ruth were sold to a couple of New York City tories, the Locktons. Mr. Lockton is in league with the Mayor of New York to facilitate the return of British forces, while Mrs. Lockton is violent and abusive towards her slaves. Isabel suffers many a beating at the hands of her malicious mistress, but as long as she can protect Ruth, she's willing to put with the abuses.

Isabel is introduced to Curzon, another young slave about her age, who is on the side of the American patriots. Curzon asks Isabel to spy on her owners and report any actionable intelligence. Isabel does not want to be a spy, but when Mrs. Lockton sells Ruth, Isabel finally realizes that no one but her will have her back. Will Isabel joining the patriots and help them build a case against Mr. and Mrs. Lockton help her rescue her sister Ruth?

In an era where loyalty, much like slaves, can be bought and sold, Isabel's bondage depends on an entire system preventing her escape. Through sheer force of will, Isabel demonstrates that though others stole her agency, she fought long and hard to take it back. Fans of historical novels will find this plunge into a turbulent period of American history intriguing, and will cheer Isabel as she fights for her freedom.

The Race Underground: Boston, New York, and the Incredible Rivalry That Built America’s First Subway

Most, Doug. The Race Underground: Boston, New York, and the Incredible Rivalry That Built America’s First Subway. 2014. 416p. ISBN 9780312591328.

The growth of cities during the Industrial Revolution was not accompanied by a much needed rethinking of traffic patterns. As a result, cities that grew from tens of thousands of inhabitants to hundred of thousands and even millions found themselves with an ever growing population concentrated in relatively small areas. Delivering goods and food into a city grew exponentially difficult, and so did the circulation of people from home to work and back. 

Several attempts were made to reduce traffic, including the omnibus pulled by horses, the trolley pulled by cables, and the elevated train, but none of them were the much hoped for solution. Horses left behind a lot of waste, were smelly, and needed to be fed and housed every day. Cable trolleys did not work well in the sinuous roads of east-coast cities. Elevated trains polluted the sky and stopped running during weather events. The solution seemed obvious: dig down and build a subway system. 

But back in the 1860s and 1870s, people still thought that digging too deep would take one straight to hell, or that noxious fumes would kill passengers. The London subway was dirty and noisy, running on coal and spewing dark clouds of sooth. The twin development of the electric motor and better digging techniques suddenly allowed subways to be dug and operated efficiently, be weather resilient, and transport hordes of people while removing traffic on the roads of the cities.

The Race Underground is the story of two cities, Boston and New York, and two brothers, Henry Melville Whitney of Boston, and younger brother William Collins Whitney of New York, and how a revolutionary transportation system was finally built in each city. Fans of history and of transportation will cheer on as, through fits and starts, a solution to traffic snarls was finally implemented.

Give Me Some Truth

Gansworth, Eric. Give Me Some Truth. 2018. 432p. ISBN 9781338143546. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

Maggi, 15, and her family are Native-Americans who left the reservation near Niagara Falls years ago. Maggi has worked with her mother, her older sister Marie and her twin brother Marvin, to create traditional artwork they sell at the Niagara Falls park to tourists. Marie has met a secretive man, and she wishes to move back to the Reservation, so at the beginning of the story Maggi finds herself once again living in a shack without much creature comforts. 

Carson, 17, is a great musician, and he yearns to get off the Reservation. His ticket to New York City starts with winning the upcoming Battle of the Bands. Problem is, he doesn't have a band. So he needs to convince his friend Lewis to join the band. Carson is focused on his own problems, but his abusive father keeps distracting him with his brother's foibles. Derek, Carson's brother, held up a local restaurant, General Custer, and was shot in the behind. Everyone on the Reservation knows everyone else's business, and they now calls him the Hamburglar. 

When Maggi moves back to the Reservation, Carson remembers when she was a younger kid, but now finds her attractive. Maggi, for her part, is infatuated with an older man, who works for the school district maintenance team. And that man is the uncle of the boy who has been harassing Lewis, with whom Maggi also works. 

As the three of them navigate life, form a band, and learn how to play together, they will learn some hard truths, make some mistakes, and figure out what life really has to offer.

Never Look Back

Rivera, Lilliam. Never Look Back. 2020. 320p. ISBN 9781547603732. 

Originally from Puerto Rico, Eury and her mother fled the island following Hurricane Maria, when their home was destroyed. Ever since she was very young, Eury has been accompanied by a spirit, Ato, that no one else can see, but who can bring destruction on those she loves. Ato wants Eury to come and live with him in his paradise, and he has been making his life miserable, even suggesting that he was responsible for the hurricane. Moving first to Tampa, Eury continues to be plagued by Ato, so her mother moves again, this time to the Bronx. For a while, Eury is content, and Ato seems to have lost her.

Pheus is a skilled musician, who loves nothing more than to entertain others with his music, and to chase girls. When he meets Eury while she stays with her cousin Penelope, Pheus instantly falls for the lovely girl with the brooding mood. As he gets to know Eury, Pheus realizes she's literally plagued by an actual demon. Wishing to help her, Pheus becomes embroiled in a battle that no human should survive.

A modern adaptation of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, Never Look Back examines what it means to internalize trauma, and how others can help. Fans of fighting against the odds will appreciate these two characters and how they helped each other.

Jell-O Girls: A Family History

Rowbottom, Allie. Jell-O Girls: A Family History. 2018. 288p. ISBN 9780316510615.

Invented in 1897, the patent and the name Jell-O were purchased from its inventor for $450 by an industrialist from Le Roy, New York. Using powdered gelatin, sugar, and chemical colorant, the business was sluggish at first but eventually took off with the invention of the refrigerator and the parallel development of home economics classes in American high schools. Easy to make and easy to eat, Jell-O became synonymous with fun. 

For the family that controlled the brand from 1899 to 1927, however, life was not fun. Sold for $67 millions, this wealth and its attendant privileges led to a dissatisfaction with life, a high rate of suicide, many cancers, alcoholism, drug dependence, and mysterious sicknesses that seem to afflict women. Allie's mother, Mary, was born in the family in the 1940s, the second and last child of her parents, who were living in Lima, Peru at the time. 

Returning to New York, Mary quickly learned to be quiet and not voice her opinion. The family was supposed to be perfect, and this led Mary to lose her sense of identity. When her mother died at 45 of cancer, Mary found herself without anchors, and regretted not acquiescing to her mother's wishes that she not be taken away from her home at the end of her life. Plagued by regrets, Mary determined to lead a different life, but eventually built similar structures that oppressed her daughter's own life. 

The Jell-O curse, as it became known in the family, affected everyone in different ways, but contributed to make the extended family dysfunctional. Mary never gave up studying this curse, and trying to find a remedy for it. When she died, Allie inherited the book that Mary had been working on for years, and completed the project. 

Mirrored with the affliction that affected 10 teen girls from Le Roy in 2012, Jell-O Girls explores what happened to Allie and her family, and how Jell-O shaped both America and them for the better, and for the worst.

As an aside, the novel Conversion was inspired from the events that happened in Le Roy in 2012.

Out of Hiding: A Holocaust Survivor's Journey to America

Gruener, Ruth. Out of Hiding: A Holocaust Survivor's Journey to America. 2020. 194p. ISBN 978-1-338-62745-9. Available at FIC GRU on the library shelves.

Luncia was an only child born in Poland to a Jewish family, and when the Nazis invaded the country, she and her family found themselves the target of violent antisemitic attacks. Soon forced into a ghetto, Luncia escaped and was housed by a family friend of her father, before being reunited with her family. With her mother and father hiding from the Germans, they managed to avoid capture and emerged in 1945 with a defeated Germany.

With the world around them in rubble, and with people still hostile to Jews, Luncia and her family soon became part of the largest movement of displaced persons in history. After applying for American visas and being granted access, the family left on a ship in 1948 and crossed the Atlantic, where they were reunited with her father's siblings, who had left Poland before the war. 

Settling in New York, Luncia, who changed her name to Ruth, was also reunited in New York with Jack Gruener, a fellow Polish Jew who had also survived the war and whom she had met in Europe. Jack had come to the United States only to go to Korea to fight in the Korean War, and when he returned the two of them were soon married. They never forgot the Holocaust, however, and even today Ruth continues to talk with people who believe it didn't happen.

Though the first part of the book is focused on surviving the Holocaust, the rest of the book powerfully describes the impacts the Holocaust had on Ruth's life and that of her family. Pictures at the end of the book help provide context to some of the situations described.

Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed

Anderson, Laurie Halse with illustrations by Leila Del Duca. Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed. 2020. 208p. ISBN 9781401286453. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

The Amazon Queen was blessed with a child, and Princess Diana grew up as the only child on the island of Themyscira, among all of the female warriors who have been training to fight. The Amazons remain hidden, waiting for the time they will be needed. Now 16, Diana looks forward to join her sisters with the rank of the warriors.

Over the years, the magical barrier that surrounds Themyscira periodically weakens, and foreigners are able to find the island. The modern world has evolved while Themyscira has remained locked away. Wars, genocides, and human tragedies have caused a steady flow of refugees. 

On the day of her birthday, the outside world infringes on Diana's life when refugees break through the barrier, which was in the process of being once again renewed. Her mother orders the refugees pushed back into the waters, where they will most likely die. Diana jumps in the water to rescue the refugees, but in the process ends up on the other side of the barrier, isolated from her family and friends. 

Diana joins the ranks of refugees as they wash ashore. First sent to a refugee camp, she is spotted by American UN workers and is sent to New York to use her knowledge of languages and abilities to help those who must be rescued. Making connections, Diana soon finds that though the modern world includes much misery and pain, it can also be a wonderful place to live!

When I Was the Greatest

Reynolds, Jason. When I Was the Greatest. 2014. 240p. 363 mins. ISBN 978-0-553-39572-3. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

Raised by a hardworking single mother, 15 years old Ali and his sister Jazz live in Bed Stuy, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. It's a hard neighborhood, one where drugs and guns are a fact of life. Instead, he's into boxing and he takes lessons with a former pro. When another boy and his family move in what is known in the neighborhood as the crack house, which happens to be next door to Ali's own brown stone apartment building, they become fast friends. That boy soon acquires the nickname Noodles from Jazz, on account of an incident that happens at their dining table, and the name sticks. 

Noodles has a brother, and he soon becomes known as Needles. Needles has Tourette's syndrome, and can't control his verbal and physical outbursts. Doris, Ali's mother, gives Needles knitting needles, and shows him how to knit, and that seems to help him remain calm and in control. Noodles has a short temper, and is very protective of his brother, but also abuses him relentlessly.

Ali, Noodles, and Needles spend a hot summer sitting on the steps of the apartment building, reading comics and talking about life. When they manage to score an invitation to Mo Mo's wild underground party, the teens are excited! However, when Needles' tick chooses the worst moment to occur, the boys find themselves in a place they shouldn't be with people who don't know them and are willing to hurt them.  Suddenly, life has become very dangerous ...

Told from Ali's perspective, the story occurs over one summer with some flashbacks. The teen boys have realistic friendships, and the female characters are in the periphery but are strong and helpful. Fans of realistic fiction will enjoy reading Ali's story and discover how he gets out of the mess he's created.

The King of Crows

 Bray, Libba. The King of Crows. Book 4 of the Diviners series. 560p. ISBN 9780316126090.

Following the death of Mabel during that explosion meant to destroy Jake Marlowe in Before the Devil Breaks You, the Diviners are pursued by the Shadow Men, ruthless agents of the US government. Marlowe has been feeding diviners to the Eye, his machine that opened a portal to the lands of the ghosts. He has made a bargain with the King of Crows to allow the U.S. army to set up an outpost on the other side of the portal, into the dead lands. Marlowe looks forward to unlimited energy to power the American economy. The King of Crows, however, has other ideas. His plan is to release an army of the dead through the gate opened by the Eye.

The Diviners need to split and make their separate ways out of New York City, hoping to escape the Shadow Men. Memphis, Bill, and Isaiah flee on a train heading to New Orleans. As African-Americans traveling through the segregated South of the 1920s, their lives are even more in danger than from the government agents chasing them. Isaiah, who has visions, meets teen Sarah Beth Olson in a dream. She's in Bountiful, Nebraska, and she tells Isaiah that the Diviners need to come to her home, for they can only triumph over the King of Crows if they unite their forces. How can Isaiah tell the others about this?

Theta and Henry free Sam from Marlowe's estate where he was about to be fed to the Eye, and they run away, chased by Theta's former husband and his Ku Klux Klan friends. Evie, Lin, and Jericho join a traveling band and successfully escape the city. As all travel west, they find themselves drawn to Bountiful and Sarah Beth. But everywhere they travel they encounter evidence that the ghosts are laying waste to small rural towns. As the King of Crows marshals his forces, the Diviners must learn to work together, or humanity is doomed.

This conclusion to the Diviners series is satisfying and neatly wraps up the disparate stories that have been weaved throughout. Fans of the series will not be disappointed with a bittersweet ending as Diviners come into their powers, but the cost is deadly and some of the friends do not survive. 

Stonewall: Breaking Out in the Fight for Gay Rights

Bausum, Ann. Stonewall: Breaking Out in the Fight for Gay Rights. 2015. 122p. ISBN 978-0-698-14375-3. Available as an ebook on Overdrive.

Society constantly evolves and changes. Often, it is for the better as years of oppression and violence are replaced by fundamental realignment of values and acceptance of what was once forbidden. For most of the 20th century it was a crime to be a LGBTQ+ individual. Not only was society actively opposed to LGBTQ+ rights, but it was actively repressing people who called themselves homosexuals. 

The power of civil disobedience that African-Americans used to effect changes throughout the United States was also harnessed by LGBTQ+ groups that sought to legalize their status and leave in peace, without fear of retaliation or being considered to have a mental illness. In 1969, in New York City's Greewich Village, a bar called the Stonewall became the flare that light up demands for LGBTQ+ rights. 

The epicenter for a movement that grew from marginalization to being a part of society, Stonewall was a Mafia-run bar that allowed LGBTQ+ individuals to congregate, enjoy dancing, music, and each other's company. when New York City police raided the place a second time in the same week, what was thought to be a routine police operation degenerated as LGBTQ+ people and their supporters fought against the police and demanded an end to their persecution. Within days, Stonewall became the face of what was wrong with the way the city selectively enforced the law. Steps were taken to promote equal rights for LGBTQ+ individuals through Pride parades. AIDS set the movement back in the 1980s, but by the 1990s most laws criminalizing homosexual behavior had been removed. By the 2000s, social attitudes had changed further, and in June 2015 the Supreme Court ruled that gay marriage was legal.

The fight for LGBTQ+ rights is not over, however, and we must continue to ensure that every citizen is protected under the United States Constitution to seek life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

New York 2140

Robinson, Kim Stanley. New York 2140. 2017. 642p. ISBN 9780316262347. Available at FIC ROB on the library shelves.

Global warming and climate change have produced irreversible changes. New York City, once the largest metropolis in the United States, finds itself partially flooded as neighborhoods disppeared underneath rising sea levels. Real-estate is so expansive, however, and investments so large that billions of private and government monies have been spent ensuring that the large buildings in Manhattan survive, turning the island into a modern Venice. Canals now replace streets, and small powerful watercrafts mix with large transport boats, while a network of enclosed aerial walkways allow walkers to travel from one side of the city to the other without getting wet. 

Residents of the Met Life Tower have adapted to the changes, and continue to live their lives. Vlade, the building manager, is in charge of ensuring that the lower levels of the building, which are submerged in water, do not flood. He maintains the equipment, the pumps, and even the farms on top of the building that provide food for the inhabitants. Charlotte, who works as a lawyer for the city, also serves on the Met's board of residents, and they must consider whether to sell their building. Franklin is a financial wizard who created an index that is used for trading futures on whether a piece of land will be worth something as waters continue to rise. Amelia is an Internet star, owns an airship, and travels the world. She's rarely here, but when she is she's the lift of the building. Stefan and Roberto are two homeless boys who are under Vlade's wing, as he has a soft spot for those two. Mr. Hexter, Stefan and Roberto's friend, remembers what the city was like before it flooded, and he has many maps and memories worth exploring. Finally, Mutt and Jeff are two coders living atop the building, keeping an eye on the farm, and attempting to crash the financial markets.

When Mutt and Jeff go missing, a cascade of events throws these residents together to defend their building and their home, and in the process they find that they are more family than they ever cared to admit before.

Fans of dystopia will appreciate this climate tragedy of a world that hints at our own not too far future. The mystery moving the plot along is well-crafted, and each character brings a unique perspective to the story.

Class Act

 Craft, Jerry. Class Act. 2020. 249p. ISBN 978-0-06-288551-7. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

Jordan Banks' plan has always been to join the High School of Music, Art and Mime, but in 7th grade his mother enrolled him at Riverdale Academy Day School. Dreaming to be an artist, his mother has instead redirected his energy to focus on academics. Drew also started RAD in 7th grade on a scholarship, and the two became best friends.

Now in 8th grade, the two of them reunite with their diverse group of friends. Drew is still plagued by his confrontation with Andy last year, and still has trouble accepting that most folks here can't even see the opportunities that the school offers them. Drew is very conscious of the divide between himself and his friend Liam, who is the third member of their trio. Liam lives outside of the city and has a chauffeur that drives him to school. Liam has a nice house, and nice things, but his father's always gone on business trips, his older sister hates everyone, and his mother is too busy with yoga and tennis to work.

As the three friends try to maneuver through their 8th grade year, they have to content with girls, jocks, prejudice, and one teacher determined to make the school as inclusive as possible, even if that means making Drew and Jordan uncomfortable. 

Beautifully illustrated with sharp social commentary, Class Act subtly drops us in the world of three teenagers who are trying to figure out who they are and what life is all about. Humorous but poignant at the same time, fans of The Diary of a Wimpy Kid will appreciate Jordan, Drew, Liam, and the rest of the book as they go about living their lives.

Burn Baby Burn

Medina, Meg. Burn Baby Burn. 2016. 310p. ISBN 9780763674670. Available at FIC MED on the library shelves.

In 1977, a serial killer is plying the streets of New York, looking for victims. Nora Lopez is seventeen, and she doesn't think she's going to survive another year in the city. The winter was colder than average. The summer was sweltering. Power failed and blackout roiled the city. But at home Nora must contend with a single mother whose hours are being cut, a brother who hooked up with a criminal gang, and a distant father who remarried and consistently forgets to send a child support check. Nora's mother doesn't recognize that her son has issues, and refuses to seek help as she hopes he will grow out of it. With all of the bad things happening in her life, Nora sure can't tell Kathleen, her best friend, about how bad her life really is right now.

Lucky for her, there's a bright spot in her life. She works at Sanerlo's Deli, where the owners treat her well, and the new employee is both cute and in college. Soon, Nora connects with Pablo, but just like Kathleen, she can't afford to let him know the real her and burden him with what's happening at home. 

As the serial killer, dubbed Son of Sam by the media, is still out there, searching for victims, Hector continues his life of petty vandalism and escalates to pyromania, which endangers all of the residents of the building, and threatens her relationship with Pablo. Faced with an impossible choice between her brother and her life, Nora will need to decide whether it's time to fan the flames or extinguish the fire.

Catcher in the Rye

 Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. 1991. 214p. ISBN 978-0-316-76948-8 . Available at FIC SAL on the library shelves.

Holden Caufield is at his third school during his high school career, and he's once again in danger of failing. When his roommate returns and tells Holden of his date with Jane Gallagher, Holden becomes angry. Jane was his friend when they were both younger, and in his mind he often harkens back to a time when both of them were innocent and played together. He eventually gets in a fight with his roommate, and after losing, decides to leave his school and return to New York City. 

Back in New York City, Holden can't go to the family's apartment so he roams the city for two days, spending his money and trying to recapture his youth. He idolizes his older brother who is a writer, but is saddened by the fact that he sold out and now writes for Hollywood instead. He wants to save his younger sister from the angst and anger he has experienced. Ultimately, Holden wants a society free of hypocrisy and lies, but can't seem to avoid doing the same things he complains. 

One of the most famous literary work of the 20th century, The Catcher in the Rye takes place in the early 1950s. Novel for the time for its use of profanity, references to alcohol, drugs and sex, The Catcher in the Rye remains relevant today for the way it portrays the alienation and angst of youth and mental illness.

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.

Unpresidented: A Biography of Donald Trump

Brockenbrough, Martha. Unpresidented: A Biography of Donald Trump. 2018. 519 mins. ISBN 978-1-25022959-5. Available as an audiobook from the library.

Those who have been surprised at the behavior of President Donald Trump had not been following his career as a real-estate developer and entertainer. Instead of changing him and making him more presidential, his surprise election in 2016 has magnified his strengths and weaknesses. How did a rich, thrice-married New Yorker who supported abortion rights become the nominee of the Republican Party?

Trump's grandfather emigrated from Germany in the 1885s for better economic opportunities and to avoid military conscription, he started as a barber but then accumulated wealth in several ventures in New York, Seattle and the Yukon, before returning to Germany a wealthy man. He married someone from his town and returned to New York, where he continued to build his wealth before during the Spanish flu in 1918. Trump's father, Fred, inherited the business and entered the construction industry. Fred continued to expand until the company owned many buildings in and around New York City.

Donald was unruly enough that he attended military school, then graduated and completed a business degree before joining his father's team. Trump set out for himself and made his own deals, finding success but also accumulating failures along the way. A braggard and consumate self-promoter, Trump played on the desire for change for those whose lives had been devastated during the Great Recession and those who felt the country was changing too rapidly.

This biography of the 45th President discusses his early life, his career as a builder, his foray into the entertainment world, his many relationships and bankruptcies, his rise to the top of the Republic Party and his subsequent election as President, as well as his first two years in office, which were marred by self-inflicted scandals. Supporters and opponents will all learn something new about the man who currently leads the United States.

The Sun is also a Star

Yoon, Nicola. The Sun is also a Star. 2016. 384p. ISBN 9780553496680. Available as an audiobook on Overdrive.

Today is Natasha's last day in the United States. An illegal immigrant that overstayed her visa when she, her mother, and her brother rejoined her father in New York City from the Dominican Republic, she has built a life for herself here, and her former life is nothing but a distant memory. A straight A student and a budding scientist, she looked forward to a life spent analyzing data. But her father, who first came to the United States to break into the theater business, never struck it and spent most of his time at home, rehearsing plays. After finally obtaining a role and performing well, he drank and was then arrested while driving. His illegal status was discovered, and the entire family was ordered deported. Natasha is really mad at her father and hasn't been able to talk to him since. Hoping against all hope to secure a stay, Natasha skips school today and returns to Immigration to see if anything can be done to help her stay here.

Today Daniel is heading to an entrance interview to Yale. Daniel's parents are Korean, and they have worked hard all of their lives to ensure that both of their sons have the best education and opportunities in this new country. Daniel is the perfect son, always complying to his parents' requests. They want him to become a doctor, marry a nice Korean girl, and have children they can spoil. But Daniel is a poet, and he doesn't want to go to Yale. He's not sure what he wants to do, but he feels alienated both from his father, who always seems disappointed in Daniel no matter what he does, and from his brother Charlie, who hates being Korean and has just left Harvard amid a cloud of controversy.

When these two lives collide, the world opens up in possibilities. Can one fall in love in the course of a single day?