Thank You!

I love viewing the 'best books of the year' selections because I always come across great books that might have been missed.  Thank You For Your Service by David Finkel is one of those books.  Finkel is a reporter for the Washington Post and in this book he embedded with some of the men that fought in the front lines of Baghdad after they returned home.  He not only talks about what life is like after war for the soldiers but for the soldiers spouses, family and friends.  This book is disturbing and heart breaking and should be read by everyone, even if you just glance through it and read just a few of the stories.  SG

spoils of war

Jacqueline Winspear is a terrific historical writer. She writes about England during two world wars, and without blood or gore illustrates the terrible cost wars have, not only to young people dying but the ones at home who love and miss them. Readers who love the Masie Dobbs series will like her new stand-alone The Care and Management of Lies. Set during WWI, the story follows two young women, Kezia and Thea. Although Kezia is marrying Thea's brother, they have become estranged from their former friendship over Thea's involvement in the suffragette movement. When war comes, their lives, and indeed, the lives of everyone around them changes. Thoughtful and well written, this is a good read. ML

Documentary Film

War Dance is the inspiring story of a school at the Patongo refugee camp in Northern Uganda.  The filmmakers follow Nancy, Dominic, and Rose -- three students who have been scarred by violence and war -- as they prepare for the annual National Music Competition in Kampala.  Deeply moving and affirming, this film explores the darkest places in the human soul and how music, dance, and community have the power to uplift and enhance feelings of self-worth, paving the way for positive change.  HM


If you like War Dance, check out Bouncing Cats, a documentary that profiles the work of Breakdance Project Uganda, which provides an outlet and positive influence for youth in Kampala.

buzzzz for Little Bee...

recommended read and a starred review by Booklist---Little Bee, smart and stoic, knows two people in England, Andrew and Sarah, journalists she chanced upon on a Nigerian beach after fleeing a massacre in her village, one grisly outbreak in an off-the-radar oil war. After sneaking into England and escaping a rural “immigration removal” center, she arrives at Andrew and Sarah’s London suburb home only to find that the violence that haunts her has also poisoned them. In an unnerving blend of dread, wit, and beauty, Cleave slowly and arrestingly excavates the full extent of the horror that binds Little Bee and Sarah together. A columnist for the Guardian, Cleave earned fame and notoriety when his first book, Incendiary, a tale about a terrorist attack on London, was published on the very day London was bombed in July 2005. His second ensnaring, eviscerating novel charms the reader with ravishing descriptions, sly humor, and the poignant improvisations of Sarah’s Batman-costumed young son, then launches devastating attacks in the form of Little Bee’s elegantly phrased insights into the massive failure of compassion in the world of refugees. Cleave is a nerves-of-steel storyteller of stealthy power, and this is a novel as resplendent and menacing as life itself.---Seaman, Donna Copyright 2008 BooklistDistributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc. CKW