Nonfiction Suggestions
#1 Recommendation – Last Witnesses: an Oral History of the Children of World War II – Svetlana Alexievich
Victor Leshchinsky was six when the Nazis attacked the Soviet Union. At the end of his interview with Alexievich, he mused: “Were we really children? By the age of ten or eleven we were men and women.” Indeed they were. This haunting book captures the living hell Russian children endured during the Nazi invasion/occupation. As with her other works (The Unwomanly Face of War, Voices from Chernobyl), Alexievich carefully structures and arranges the interviews, immersing her readers in a slowly building crescendo of horror and inhumanity that intensifies with every page. While Last Witnesses is difficult to read, it is also an unforgettable recording of the Russian people’s oral tradition. This book will be on our shelves by mid-January.
American Civilization
No stopping us now: the adventures of older women in American history – Gail Collins
Beyond Charlottesville: taking a stand against white nationalism – Terry McAuliffe
Stonewall: the definitive story of the LGBTQ rights uprising that changed America – Martin Duberman
Making motherhood: how women manage careers and caregiving – Caitlyn Collins
Artistic, yet Practical, Textiles
Why we quilt: contemporary makers speak out about the power of art, activism, community, and creativity – Thomas Knauer
Modern patchwork home: dynamic quilts and projects for every home – Vivica Hansen Denegre
Greetings from knit café – Suzan Mischer
The weaving explorer – ingenious techniques, accessible tools, & creative projects with yarn, paper, wire, and more – Deborah Jarchow
Biography
Conversations with RBG: Ruth Bader Ginsburg on life, love, liberty, and law – Jeffrey Rosen
Mary Ball Washington: the untold story of George Washington’s mother – Craig Shirley
Mr. Straight Arrow: the career of John Hersey, author of “Hiroshima” – Jeremy Treglown
Love thy neighbor: a Muslim doctor’s struggle for home in Rural America – Ayaz Virji
Cooking
| The side dish bible : 1001 perfect recipes for every vegetable, rice, grain, and bean dish you’ll ever need – America’s Test Kitchen | ||
| Skillet love : from steak to cake : more than 150 recipes in one cast-iron pan – America’s Test Kitchen | ||
| The joy of seafood : the all-purpose seafood cookbook with more than 900 recipes – Barton Seaver | ||
| The food of Sichuan – Fuchsia Dunlap |
History
War and Peace: FDR’s final odyssey, D-day to Yalta, 1943-45 – Nigel Hamilton
Vicksburg: Grant’s campaign that broke the Confederacy – Donald L. Miller
The Greatest Fury: the Battle for New Orleans and the rebirth of America – William C. Davis
Honorable Exist: how a few brave Americans risked all to save our Vietnamese allies at the end of the war – Thurston Clarke
The Puritans: a transatlantic history – David D. Hall
Religion in America
God Land: a story of faith, loss, and renewal in Middle America – Lyz Lenz
Sacred Liberty: America’s long, bloody, and ongoing struggle for religious freedom – Steven Waldman
Persecution and Toleration: the long road to religious freedom – Noel Johnson and Mark Koyama
Seeking Warmth – Travel Books
Frommer’s Bermuda – David LaHuta
Detours: a de-colonial guide to Hawai’I – Hokulani Aikau
The unofficial guide to Las Vegas 2020 – Bob Sehlinger
The unofficial guide to Walt Disney world with kids, 2020 – Bob Sehlinger