8

Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners, 2009

In an effort to mirror the college experience, the 2009 list is divided into five academic disciplines: arts and humanities, history and cultures, literature and language arts, science and technology, and social sciences. It is a combination of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama. Titles were selected based on criteria including readability, racial and cultural diversity, balance of viewpoints, variety of formats and genres, and title availability. The committee also attempted to provide balance between modern classic titles and those that are newer or speak to current events.

Arts and Humanities

Bernier-Grand, Carmen. Frida: Viva la Vida! Long Live Life! Marshall Cavendish, 2007. OBCB 2009.

In 26 original, free-verse poems the author depicts the thoughts, feelings, and life events of Mexican self-portraitist Frida Kahlo. The poems are accompanied by full-color reproductions of Kahlo’s paintings. Substantial background materials include a biographical sketch, chronology, and glossary.

Blumenthal, Karen. Let Me Play: The Story of Title IX; The Law That Changed the Future of Girls in America. Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, 2005. OBCB 2009. (BBYA)

Passed in 1972, Title IX legislation mandated that schools receiving federal funds could not discriminate on the basis of gender, ensuring equal treatment and opportunity for girls in sports and education. Includes period photos, a time line, “then and now” commentary, extensive source notes, and suggested resources for further reading.

Bowker, John. World Religions: The Great Faiths Explored and Explained. DK, 2006. OBCB 2009.

This comprehensive work introduces the reader to faiths of the world through religious artifacts, paintings, architecture, and annotations of sacred texts. Not limiting his survey to the present, Bowker also illustrates ancient Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Celtic religions. A time line comparing significant events and people is included.

Bryson, Bill. Shakespeare: The World as Stage. HarperCollins, 2007. OBCB 2009.

Bryson hits the mark with his characteristic wit as he explores the world of Shakespeare and the mystery surrounding the man and his plays. Seventeenth-century England comes to life as Bryson takes the reader along on his research into what is known and not known about Shakespeare.

Campbell, Joseph, and Bill Moyers. The Power of Myth. Doubleday/Broadway Books, 1988. OBCB 2009.

Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell discuss the role of mythology in the modern world, the journey inward, the hero’s adventure, and tales of love and marriage. A companion to the six-part television documentary originally broadcast on PBS.

Diamant, Anita. The Red Tent: A Novel. St. Martin’s, 1997. OBCB 2009.

This novel re-creates the biblical life of Dinah, daughter of Leah and Jacob, from her birth in Mesopotamia through her death in Egypt. The red tent is where women go during births, menstruation, and illness. There Dinah observes Jacob’s four wives, who share their secrets with her as she grows up. After a doomed marriage, Dinah becomes a mother and a midwife.

D’Orso, Michael. Eagle Blue: A Team, a Tribe, and a High School Basketball Season in Arctic Alaska. Bloomsbury, 2006. OBCB 2009. (Alex Award)

This true story explores the tiny village of Fort Yukon, Alaska, its vanishing cultural heritage, and its relationship with mainstream American culture through its high school basketball teams. D’Orso lived in the village, following the boys’ basketball team through the 2004–5 season, at the end of which they made it to the state championship game. The reader gets to know each player on the team, their coach and families, and the challenges they all face.

Engle, Margarita. Illus. by Sean Qualls. The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano. Henry Holt, 2006. OBCB 2009. (BBYA)

Written in verse, this is a Pura Belpré Award–winning portrait of Juan Francisco Manzano, the poet who was born a slave in Cuba in 1797. Narrated by Manzano, his mother, his owners, and others, the telling of the child- and young adulthood of the young genius emphasizes the power of stories, which sustained him through horrible experiences.

Follett, Ken. The Pillars of the Earth. Morrow, 1989. OBCB 2009.

This best-selling epic tale of ambition, anarchy, and absolute power set against the canvas of 12th-century England depicts fascinating characters and provides a spellbinding introduction to medieval religion, architecture, politics, and daily life. Readers follow the lives of men and women struggling to build a cathedral.

Freedman, Russell. The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Clarion, 2004. OBCB 2009. (BBYA)

A Newbery Honor book that recounts the life and musical career of the great African American vocalist Marian Anderson in the context of the history of civil rights in the United States. Framed by Anderson’s historic 1939 concert at the Lincoln Memorial, Freedman’s account follows her career through American and European concert tours of the 1920s and ’30s, and explores the effect of her career on segregation in the arts.

Greenberg, Jan, ed. Heart to Heart: New Poems Inspired by Twentieth-Century American Art. Harry N. Abrams, 2001. OBCB 2004, 2009. (BBYA, Printz Honor)

Can a painting speak? This collection of lyrical responses to famous American works of art will make you a believer. Large, colorful reproductions are paired with the poems they inspired in writers such as Jane Yolen, Ron Koertge, and Marvin Bell. Brief biographies of the contributors round out a lively collection.

Gruen, Sara. Water for Elephants: A Novel. Algonquin, 2007. OBCB 2009. (Alex Award)

Gruen creates a no-holds-barred story full of enchanting circus lore, mystery, trains, romance, and danger. Jacob Jankowski drops out of veterinarian school on the day of final exams, when he learns of his parents’ tragic deaths. He stumbles upon a traveling circus, barely scraping by during the Great Depression, and works with the animals under an insane animal trainer. Jacob falls in love with the trainer’s beautiful wife, Marlena, and with Rosie the elephant.

Hemphill, Stephanie. Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath. Random House/Knopf, 2007. OBCB 2009. (BBYA, Printz Honor)

Hemphill creates a chronological biography in verse format from the viewpoint of others in Plath’s life. The poetry is written in the style and forms used by Plath herself, some referencing specific poems. Grounded in primary-source research, this intimate, original fictional account will send readers to Plath’s poetry and life.

Howe, Peter. Shooting under Fire: The World of the War Photographer. Artisan, 2002. OBCB 2004, 2009.

Ten leading combat photographers share their experiences of horror, humor, bravery, and daring while reporting from Vietnam, Haiti, Chechnya, El Salvador, Sarajevo, and Afghanistan. Over 150 black-and-white and color photographs provide a powerful and moving look at war and those who risk everything to document it.

Jacobs, A. J. The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible. Simon & Schuster, 2007. OBCB 2009.

A nonjudgmental and humorous look at the 12 months Jacobs lived as closely as he could to literal compliance with biblical rules. An agnostic Jew, Jacobs worked to follow both well-known and obscure laws, and visited a variety of groups and individuals to learn how they interpret the rules of the Bible. Jacobs writes in a style that manages to be entertaining without being irreverent.

King, Melissa. She’s Got Next: A Story of Getting In, Staying Open, and Taking a Shot. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Mariner Books, 2005. OBCB 2009.

Through pick-up basketball games and the people she meets on the streets of Chicago, the author learns valuable life lessons. After moving from Arkansas to Chicago, King rediscovered basketball, a game she had enjoyed as a girl. Both humorous and thoughtful, King’s story follows her transformation from a player into a coach for a young girls’ team.

Landis, Deborah Nadoolman. Dressed: A Century of Hollywood Costume Design. HarperCollins, 2007. OBCB 2009.

Landis showcases one hundred years of Hollywood’s most memorable costumes and the characters they helped bring to life as she reveals a behind-the-scenes look at the evolution of the costume designer’s art. Organized by decade, this lavish volume includes photographs and costume sketches, as well as personal anecdotes and quotes from the actors, directors, and designers involved. Landis herself is a celebrated costume designer for the movie industry.

Martin, Steve. Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life. Scribner, 2007. OBCB 2009.

In a memoir full of humor and candor, Martin shares his personal itinerary as he negotiates the maze of honing his profession and the pitfalls he avoided. Martin portrays the world of stand-up comedy, his peers, and the hard work and persistence that took him from Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm to fame and fortune.

McGreevey, Tom, and Joanne Yeck. Our Movie Heritage. Rutgers University Press, 1997. OBCB 2004, 2009.

This work provides over one hundred beautiful pictures of top stars, directors, and others in the film industry, but the focus is on film preservation and the race against time to salvage what is left of the large number of films that are currently deteriorating in our nation’s vaults, theaters, and private collections. Film, and its reflection on American culture, is in peril: 90 percent of silent films, and 50 percent of feature films made before 1950, have vanished.

Partridge, Elizabeth. John Lennon: All I Want Is the Truth. Penguin/Viking, 2005. OBCB 2009. (BBYA, Printz Honor)

Partridge provides a wide-open view into the work and life of one of the most influential and complicated persons in the world’s musical heritage. From Lennon’s own writings and interviews and a wealth of photographs, a clear picture emerges of an often misunderstood man.

Partridge, Elizabeth. This Land Was Made for You and Me: The Life and Songs of Woody Guthrie. Penguin/Viking, 2002. OBCB 2009. (BBYA)

Woody Guthrie was a humble figure, while at the same time a major catalyst of social change. This work provides insight into one of our most prolific and talented musicians, and the creation of his music. Partridge based her research on Guthrie’s own writings and letters, as well as original interviews with Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie. The book is illustrated with Woody Guthrie’s own lyrics, photographs, and sketches.

Polly, Matthew. American Shaolin: Flying Kicks, Buddhist Monks, and the Legend of Iron Crotch; An Odyssey in the New China. Penguin/Gotham Books, 2007. OBCB 2009. (Alex Award, BBYA)

The author reflects on the childhood dream that led him, as an adult, to take a break from Princeton and travel to China’s famed Shaolin Temple to study martial arts for two years. Polly’s funny and insightful observations and experiences reveal as much about Chinese culture as they do about his own path toward enlightenment and transformation (into a kung fu master!).

Sandler, Martin. Photography: An Illustrated History. Oxford University Press, 2002. OBCB 2004, 2009.

This work looks at photography as it evolved from daguerreotypes in the 1800s to the respected art form that it is today. Numerous compelling black-and-white and color photographs document technological developments, the contributions of pioneers in the field, as well as the impact photography has had upon all aspects of society.

Strickland, Carol. The Annotated Mona Lisa: A Crash Course in Art History from Prehistoric to Post-Modern. Andrews McMeel, 2007. OBCB 1999, 2009.

In an accessible format, this unique work provides a basic working knowledge of art and art history through short essays, sidebars, and photographs. Strickland covers it all, from cave paintings to digital media.

Weller, Sheila. Girls like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon—and the Journey of a Generation. Simon & Schuster/Atria, 2008. OBCB 2009.

In three interwoven biographies, Weller chronicles the life and times of three tradition-breaking women singer-songwriters who came of age in the late 1960s. King, Mitchell, and Simon broke into what had been a male-dominated field, bringing the women’s movement with them. Weller covers their music and its effect on a generation, and follows their careers through the 1980s.

History and Cultures

Ahmad, Dohra, ed. Rotten English: A Literary Anthology. Norton, 2007. OBCB 2009.

Language is power, and, for the dizzying array of writers collected here, displaying an authentic voice is a means to reclaim what has been stolen, oppressed, or colonized. Rotten English collects the poetry, essays, short stories, and novels of the best in global vernacular writing from Mark Twain to Junot Diaz.

Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Little, Brown, 2007. OBCB 2009. (BBYA)

Arnold Spirit, aka Junior, was born an outsider with water on his brain, lopsided eyes, and an IQ oppressed by extreme poverty and a mediocre reservation education. After switching to an all-white high school he realizes that though he’ll never easily fit in, self-determination and a solid personal identity will give him the chance to both succeed and transcend.

Bagdasarian, Adam. Forgotten Fire: A Novel. Random House, 2000. OBCB 2004, 2009. (BBYA)

“Who will remember the Armenians?” Hitler asked, referencing the Armenian genocide as his inspiration for the final solution. This brutal hidden chapter of history is seen through the eyes of 12-year-old survivor Vahan Kendarian, whose world was shattered within a matter of days.

Chandrasekaran, Rajiv. Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq’s Green Zone. Knopf, 2006. OBCB 2009.

A journalist explores the pristine “Emerald City,” the American government’s enclave in the middle of war-torn Baghdad. This is an eyewitness account of the failures of the first year of the Coalition Provisional Authority’s tenure, 2003–4, depicting both those in charge and low level staffers.

Chang, Iris. The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II. Basic Books, 1997. OBCB 1999, 2009.

Barely a postscript in official Japanese history, the horrific torture and murder of hundreds of thousands of Chinese citizens took place over the course of just seven weeks. The Japanese army invaded Nanking in December 1937 and proceeded to slaughter over 300,000 soldiers and civilians. Chang analyzes the continued Japanese denial of responsibility, then turns to the story of a German businessman who persuaded Hitler to put a stop to the killing.

Chotjewitz, David. Daniel Half-Human and the Good Nazi. Translated by Doris Orgel. Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, 2004. OBCB 2009. (BBYA)

From Hitler Youth to hunted “mischling,” Daniel sees his world unravel when he discovers his mother’s hidden history “taints” him with Jewish blood and marks him for extermination. This young adult novel follows the friendship between Daniel and Amin, who join the Hitler Youth together, through Daniel’s discovery and the family’s escape from the country after Kristallnacht.

Delisle, Guy. Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea. Drawn and Quarterly, 2005. OBCB 2009.

The secretive world of Communist North Korea remains a mystery to French-Canadian cartoonist Delisle, even after he has spent two months inside its borders. In the country doing animation work for a children’s television show, Delisle was monitored by his guide and translator at all times. In this graphic depiction, he shares observations of a sadly cold and sterile society, infused with the dark humor he found in the experience.

Diamond, Jared. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. Penguin, 2005. OBCB 2009.

What do the lack of Icelandic fisherman, the 2008 Chinese Olympics, and Easter Island tree cutters all have in common? Much more than you might think. Collapse explores the political, technological, and ecological decisions that merge in order to sustain or destroy societies. Diamond examines the demise of ancient civilizations in order to warn us about the consequences of modern-day environmental decisions.

Diaz, Junot. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Penguin/Riverhead, 2007. OBCB 2009.

“Ghetto nerd,” outcast, and anime-loving Oscar Wao is the latest in a long line of doomed generations to suffer the dreaded fuku curse of his native Dominican Republic. With humor and talent as his weapons, he perseveres, knowing “you can never run away. Not ever. The only way out is in.”

Egan, Timothy. The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl. Houghton Mifflin, 2006. OBCB 2009.

Award-winning New York Times reporter Egan tackles the great dust bowl phenomenon of the 1930s and ’40s in this multi-tiered account. He shares incredible eye-witness accounts as well as the overwhelming convergences of failed agricultural practices, ill-fated government policies, and the costs of “get rich quick” schemes.

Eggers, Dave. What Is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng; A Novel. McSweeney’s, 2006. OBCB 2009.

As a young boy Valentino witnessed Arab militia men destroy his Sudanese village; hid from hungry lions; wandered through wasted, desert landscapes; and narrowly escaped fatal disease, capture, starvation, and enlistment. The will to survive displayed here is almost as miraculous as the ability to recount a harrowing genocide of home and people with such thoughtfulness and grace.

Fadiman, Anne. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1997. OBCB 2009.

A Hmong refugee family in California clashes with the American medical system when they attribute their daughter’s grand mal seizures to a spiritual rather than physical problem. Lia Lee had her first seizure at three months old. When the family did not comply with their doctor’s instructions, the medical community removed her from the home. This balanced account of a tragic misunderstanding captures Hmong history and culture.

Fleming, Anne Marie. The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam. Penguin/Riverhead, 2007. OBCB 2009.

Born in 1885 in a small Chinese village, Long Tack Sam was an acrobat, a magician, an entrepreneur, a world traveler, a celebrity, a father, a ladies’ man, and a husband. This graphic collage biography presents narrative writing, handbills, photographs, and news clippings along with interviews, comics, and commentary to convey the effects of cultural shifts and global politics on individual lives.

Horwitz, Tony. A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World. Henry Holt, 2008. OBCB 2009.

Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Horwitz uses humor and candor to literally follow in the footsteps of the first American explorers—from the Vikings and French utopians to America’s first African American trailblazer—whose discoveries took place hundreds of years before the legendary landing on Plymouth Rock.

Jones, Edward P. The Known World. HarperCollins/Amistad, 2003. OBCB 2009.

In this Pulitzer Prize–winning novel, Jones approaches a little-explored chapter in antebellum history, that of African American slave owners. Set several decades before the beginning of the Civil War, in Manchester County, Virginia, this work skillfully weaves plot, time, and perspective amongst a diverse and powerful cast of characters in order to explore the moral complexities inherent in human freedom (or the lack thereof).

Larson, Erik. The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America. Crown, 2003. OBCB 2009.

The 1893 Chicago World’s Fair captured the imagination of the whole world, and also provided a playground for a cunning serial killer. Larson alternates between the activities of Daniel H. Burnham, the architect who coordinated the construction of the fair, and those of H. H. Holmes, who killed scores of people in the vicinity.

Maltman, Thomas. The Night Birds: A Novel. Soho Press, 2007. OBCB 2009. (Alex Award)

Three generations of settlers and native Dakota weave a dark tale of family secrets and brutal injustice in Civil War–era America. Asa is 14 years old in 1876 when his aunt Hazel is released from an asylum and comes to live with his family in Minnesota. She tells stories of the tragic events of 1862, when a Dakota uprising in Missouri resulted in terrible violence and the loss of her first love, a Dakota man.

Roberts, Gene, and Hank Klibanoff. The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation. Knopf, 2006. OBCB 2009.

When Harry Reasoner thrust a microphone at an angry mob and yelled “I don’t care what you’re going to do to me, but the whole world is going to know it!” he spoke for all the reporters and photographers, black and white, North and South, who played a critical role in bringing the reality of the civil rights movement into the living rooms and consciousness of the American public. The authors covered the “race beat” from 1954 to 1965, reporting on the Emmett Till case, as well as events in Selma and Montgomery.

Saenz, Benjamin Alire. Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood. Cinco Puntos Press, 2004. OBCB 2009. (BBYA)

This Hollywood is a barrio in 1968 New Mexico, where the students at Las Cruces High School struggle through heartbreak, loss, and an entrenched racial divide to find their place in the world. Sammy Santos is a hard-working, smart teenager who faces the death of his first love, the treatment of gay teens, and issues of the Vietnam era, including the draft.

Satrapi, Marjane. The Complete Persepolis. Knopf/Pantheon, 2007. OBCB 2009. (Persepolis: Alex Award, BBYA) (Persepolis 2: BBYA)

This book includes both Persepolis and Persepolis 2, Marjane Satrapi’s complete memoir in beautifully rendered graphic novel format. Beginning with her childhood in Iran during the Islamic Revolution, then moving through her adolescence spent at school in Vienna, the volume ends with Satrapi’s unsuccessful attempt to return to Iran as a young woman and her permanent move to Europe.

Spiegelman, Art. The Complete Maus: A Survivor’s Tale. Knopf/Pantheon, 1996. OBCB 1999, 2009.

The author portrays his parents’ experiences during the Holocaust, their time at Auschwitz, survival, and years in the United States in this seminal graphic novel. Spiegelman also reveals his own struggle to come to terms with the past, the success of Maus: A Survivor’s Tale, and the effects of his choice to represent the Nazis as cats and the Jews as mice.

Ung, Loung. First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers. HarperCollins, 2001. OBCB 2004, 2009. (BBYA)

The perils of life under the brutal Pol Pot regime change a young woman’s life forever, as she and her family find themselves fugitives of war, without even their names to remind them of what they lost. Ung tells her story in the present tense, taking the reader from her ideal childhood in the cosmopolitan city of Phnom Penh to work camps and training as a child soldier, through the loss of her parents and her eventual escape to Thailand and the United States.

Weiner, Tim. Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA. Doubleday, 2007. OBCB 2009.

With considerable research and extensive interviews, Weiner shows the grave miscalculations that have plagued the Central Intelligence Agency since its inception. He presents the CIA as trying to change conditions all over the world without taking time to comprehend the situations at hand. Particulars abound, from the Bay of Pigs to the Iranian Revolution to the Iraq War.

Williams, David. Bitterly Divided: The South’s Inner Civil War. New Press, 2008. OBCB 2009.

The Civil War was lost long before the first shot was ever fired, thanks to deep and violent divisions of class and political allegiance in the Confederacy that resulted in “a rich man’s war and a poor man’s fight.” Williams exposes the internal war that crippled the confederate cause, including the effects of hundreds of thousands of deserters, southern men who fought for the Union, fugitive slaves, and southerners opposed to secession.

Wolf, Allan. New Found Land: Lewis and Clark’s Voyage of Discovery. Candlewick, 2004. OBCB 2009. (BBYA)

The epic journey of Lewis and Clark comes alive as each member of the expedition tells an intimately personal story of struggle and discovery in this sweeping poetic rendition. Lewis’s dog, Seaman, is the primary narrator whose prose clarifies the events described by a full spectrum of participants including the expedition leaders, a slave, a captured Shoshone girl, and President Jefferson.

Literature and Language Arts

Allison, Dorothy. Bastard out of Carolina. Dutton, 1992. OBCB 1999, 2004, 2009.

Bone confronts illegitimacy, poverty, the troubled marriage of her mother and stepfather, and the stigma of being considered “white trash” as she comes of age in South Carolina. Despite the fact that she lives among a large extended and protective family, Bone’s stepfather, Daddy Glen, becomes increasingly abusive; her mother is either unable or unwilling to protect her; and Bone herself is too young or too embarrassed to reveal what is happening to her.

Anderson, M. T. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party. Candlewick, 2006. OBCB 2009. (BBYA, Printz Honor) The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 2: The Kingdom on the Waves. Candlewick, 2008. OBCB 2009. (BBYA, Printz Honor)

During the American Revolution, Octavian is raised as a pampered African prince by a society of Enlightenment philosophers who view him as an experiment. Realizing that his freedom is an illusion, Octavian sets off on a journey to find freedom and a place in the world. These books will challenge everything you have ever learned about the Revolutionary War.

Bond, Jenny, and Chris Sheedy. Who the Hell Is Pansy O’Hara? The Fascinating Stories behind 50 of the World’s Best-Loved Books. Penguin, 2008. OBCB 2009.

Did you ever wonder what an author was thinking when she wrote her book? Explore the quirky backstories of some of the world’s most famous books, both contemporary and classic, nonfiction and fiction.

Cameron, Peter. Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2007. OBCB 2009. (BBYA)

James hates everyone except his grandmother. His mother’s third marriage failed to last through the honeymoon, he finds himself attracted to an older man who works in his mother’s art gallery, and he cannot decide whether to attend Brown University or buy a house in the Midwest somewhere. Take a look at life through this brilliant and mischievous Manhattan teen’s eyes as he tries to figure out life and his place in it.

Cisneros, Sandra. Caramelo. Knopf, 2002. OBCB 2004, 2009.

LaLa Reyes learns the stories of her Awful Grandmother and weaves them into a colorful history of her 20th-century Mexican family, taking the reader from Mexico City to Chicago to San Antonio. The “caramelo,” a striped shawl begun by her great-grandmother, symbolizes their traditions.

Dunn, Mark. Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters. MacAdam/Cage, 2001. OBCB 2009.

The people of Nollop, an island off South Carolina, are good citizens, but as the use of more and more letters in the alphabet is outlawed, how will its residents communicate? Ella Minnow Pea is just a girl, but she steps forward to save her fellow inhabitants from a totalitarian law banning the use of each letter that falls off the memorial statue of Nevin Nollop (letters which then progressively disappear from the novel).

Foer, Jonathan Safran. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Houghton Mifflin, 2005. OBCB 2009.

Oskar Schell, a gifted and precocious nine-year-old, explores the mystery of his father’s death during the September 11 attack. Oskar’s search for the lock that fits the key left behind by his father intersects with his grandparents’ survival of the firebombing of Dresden. Graphics, wordplay, and humor lighten the narrative.

Gaines, Ernest. A Lesson before Dying. Knopf, 1993. OBCB 1999, 2009.

In 1940s Louisiana, Jefferson, a young black man, faces the electric chair for murder. When his attorney states, “I would just as soon put a hog in the electric chair as this,” his grandmother persuades disillusioned teacher Grant Wiggins to visit Jefferson in the penitentiary and help him gain a sense of dignity and self-esteem before his execution.

Green, John. Looking for Alaska. Dutton, 2005. OBCB 2009. (BBYA, Printz Winner)

Join Miles Halter, who is intrigued by famous last words, as he heads off to an Alabama boarding school in search of the “Great Perhaps.” Before, his life was a nonevent, boring and unchallenging. What he finds is a beautiful but troubled girl named Alaska. After, he experiences love and loss, adventure and friendship.

Haddon, Mark. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Doubleday, 2003. OBCB 2004, 2009. (Alex Award, BBYA)

Fifteen-year-old Christopher has two mysteries to solve: who killed Wellington the dog, and what happened to his mother. Christopher has Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism, which causes him to take things very literally and have trouble relating to others. After spending a night in jail accused of Wellington’s murder, and inspired by Sherlock Holmes, he determines to investigate.

Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. Putnam, 2003. OBCB 2004, 2009. (Alex Award)

When he was just a young boy, joyfully running kites through the streets of Kabul in the 1970s, Amir betrayed the son of his father’s servant, his best friend, Hassan. Years after fleeing Afghanistan, Amir, now an American citizen, returns to his native land (ruled by the Taliban) and attempts to atone for his cowardice and betrayal.

Ishiguro, Kazuo. Never Let Me Go. Knopf, 2005. OBCB 2009. (Alex Award)

Only special students are chosen to attend Hailsham, an exclusive boarding school tucked away in the English countryside. The chilling truth of their special nature slowly unfolds as we follow the stories of three former students. Kathy, a 31-year-old alumna, narrates this unsettling examination of loyalty, self-sacrifice, and personal freedoms.

Jones, Lloyd. Mister Pip. Dial Press, 2007. OBCB 2009. (Alex Award, BBYA)

Matilda’s Pacific Island village has been torn apart by civil war. Against this harsh backdrop, Mr. Watts, a lonely British expatriate, maintains calm by reading Dickens’s Great Expectations aloud to the village children, transforming their lives. Matilda’s religious mother objects to the world that Mr. Watts is sharing with the children, a conflict which leads to tragedy.

Keillor, Garrison, ed. Good Poems. Penguin, 2002. OBCB 2009.

An essential and accessible anthology of some of the best contemporary and classic poetry. Keillor chose the selections from poems that have been featured on his early morning show, The Writer’s Almanac. In his introduction, Keillor makes it clear that he eschewed pretentiousness and sought accessibility.

Kidd, Sue Monk. The Secret Life of Bees. Viking, 2002. OBCB 2009. (BBYA)

Searching for the truth about her mother’s life and death, a grieving Lily finds the answers, love, and acceptance where she least expects them. In 1960s South Carolina, Lily’s nanny, Rosaleen, is forced to flee town after trying to exercise her right to vote. Lily accompanies her to Tiburon, the home of Black Madonna Honey, whose owners take them in and put them to work in the honey house.

Kyle, Aryn. The God of Animals. Simon & Schuster/Scribner, 2007. OBCB 2009. (Alex Award)

Twelve-year-old Alice faces issues beyond her years. Her older sister has run off with a rodeo cowboy, her mother won’t get out of bed, and the family horse farm is failing. She helps her father with their Colorado ranch after school, and spends nights on the phone with a male teacher who probably had something to do with the disappearance of her classmate Polly, but who at least pays Alice the attention she so desperately needs.

Maguire, Gregory. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. ReganBooks, 1995. OBCB 2009.

The Wizard of Oz retold from the point of view of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. Elphaba is a serious student, rejected by her popular college roommate, Glinda. Oz is a land of marginalized talking Animals and secret police. Elphaba dares to stand up to the corrupt Wizard and defend the Animals, which earns her the label wicked.

McCarthy, Cormac. The Road. Knopf/Vintage, 2008. OBCB 2009.

After an apocalyptic catastrophe, a father and his young son embark on a grim and perilous quest to travel south before the weather becomes cold enough to kill them. The father remembers the time before, and tries to keep his son safe from other survivors they meet on the road.

Murakami, Haruki. Kafka on the Shore. Knopf, 2005. OBCB 2009.

Reality and fantasy converge in this story of Kafka Tamura, a Japanese teenage runaway, and his quest to find his long-lost sister and mother. Headed in the same direction is Satoru Nakata, an older man whose mysterious WWII experiences left him unable to read or communicate, but able to speak with cats.

Myers, Walter Dean. Sunrise over Fallujah. Scholastic, 2008. OBCB 2009.

An 18-year-old growing up in Harlem, Robin always intended to go to college. But after September 11 he decides instead to volunteer for the army. After basic training he is deployed to Iraq as part of a Civil Affairs unit, charged with building good relations with the Iraqi people. Experiencing the horrors of war, Robin learns that fighting for freedom is not always black and white.

Roth, Philip. The Plot against America. Houghton Mifflin, 2004. OBCB 2009.

This alternate history takes a hard look at one of America’s legendary heroes, Charles Lindbergh, and how bigotry and fear can shape politics. Charles Lindbergh defeats FDR for the presidency in 1940. His anti-Semitic policies affect seven-year-old Philip, as pogroms and relocation severely alter the dynamics of his large New Jersey–based family.

Sebold, Alice. Lucky: A Memoir. Scribner, 1999. OBCB 2004, 2009.

“You save yourself or you remain unsaved.” With these words, Sebold recounts the brutal rape that she was “lucky” to survive as a college freshman. Tragedy and hope combine as she makes her way through a survivor’s maze of emotions, and the arrest and trial of her attacker.

Stoppard, Tom. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Grove Press, 1967. OBCB 1999, 2009.

Two bit players from Shakespeare’s Hamlet are thrust into a terrifying and surreal new situation. Involved in court intrigue beyond their control, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern find themselves trapped in a futile, fatal situation. This witty, existential play addresses individual freedom, fate, and luck.

Thompson, Craig. Blankets: An Illustrated Novel. Top Shelf Productions, 2003. OBCB 2009. (BBYA)

A young man living in rural Wisconsin questions his faith and experiences bittersweet first love in this autobiographical and groundbreaking graphic novel. Thompson depicts his fundamentalist Christian upbringing, the rejection of his talent for drawing by his parents and their religious community, closeness with his younger brother, meeting Raina at a church camp, and falling in love for the first time.

Zusak, Marcus. The Book Thief. Knopf, 2006. OBCB 2009. (BBYA, Printz Honor)

Living in Nazi Germany, young Liesel and her family choose to lie and steal to protect a Jewish refugee hiding in their basement. Narrated by Death, this is not your typical World War II story. Liesel steals her first book before she even learns to read and, in the end, it is a book that saves her.

Science and Technology

Adams, Scott. God’s Debris: A Thought Experiment. Andrews McMeel, 2001. OBCB 2009.

Take a metaphysical journey into the search for meaning, as you try to deliver a package to the smartest man in the world who won’t take it until you understand. This man is able to explain physics, God, gravity, light, psychic phenomena, and more. Written as a parable, this is also a brain teaser, because elements of these perfectly simple explanations are wrong, and the reader has to figure out which.

Anderson, M. T. Feed. Candlewick, 2002. OBCB 2004, 2009. (BBYA)

In this society your brain cyberfeed provides an endless stream of information, entertainment, and advertising. Although teenage Titus can sense something wrong, it isn’t until he meets Violet during a spring break trip to the moon that he begins to understand. Violet is homeschooled. She can think for herself. When her feed is disrupted, Titus is forced to examine the power of the feed in his life.

Ayres, Ian. Super Crunchers: Why Thinking-by-Numbers Is the New Way to Be Smart. Bantam, 2007. OBCB 2009.

With real-life examples from sports, medicine, online dating, and airline pricing, Ayres describes how data about all of us are collected and “crunched” by statisticians and computers in order to profile consumers and make predictions. This benefits both the consumer and the companies interested in selling to them. An entertaining education in the basics of statistics.

Best, Joel. Damned Lies and Statistics: Untangling Numbers from the Media, Politicians, and Activists. University of California Press, 2001. OBCB 2004, 2009.

Do you know the difference between “good” and “bad” statistics, or how statistics and public policy are connected? Most people naïvely believe reported statistics, which are often mutations of the truth. Best teaches readers to become critical thinkers, and how to evaluate the statistics they encounter.

Bryson, Bill. A Short History of Nearly Everything. Broadway Books, 2003. OBCB 2004, 2009.

A renowned travel writer brings complex scientific concepts to life by describing how the universe and life as we know it came to be. Bryson focuses his distinctive humor and intelligence on every topic from the Big Bang to Darwin’s trip on the Beagle to the fate of the dodo, how we know what we know, and the people who figured it out.

Casey, Susan. The Devil’s Teeth: A True Story of Obsession and Survival among America’s Great White Sharks. Henry Holt/Owl Books, 2005. OBCB 2009.

While studying migratory birds on the remote Farallon Islands, 30 miles off the coast of San Francisco, biologists noticed red blotches in the surrounding waters. These sightings evolved into a full-blown scientific study of great white sharks revealing unknown secrets of these prehistoric beasts. Casey also traces the history of the dangerous and spooky islands themselves.

Chen, Joanne. The Taste of Sweet: Our Complicated Love Affair with Our Favorite Treats. Crown, 2008. OBCB 2009.

Why does chocolate taste so good while broccoli turns many of us off? The science, history, and social changes behind the American sweet tooth are explored, from the taste buds on our tongues to slaves on the sugar plantations. Chen broadens her topic into the search for the next artificial sweetener, and follows connections with the nutrition, exercise, and diet industries.

Doctorow, Cory. Little Brother. Tom Doherty/Tor Teen, 2008. OBCB 2009. (BBYA)

In near-future San Francisco, 17-year-old Marcus, known online as w1n5t0n (or Winston), is detained by the Department of Homeland Security under suspicion of participating in a terrorist attack. After days of harsh questioning, Marcus and his friends are released and begin to use technology to fight against the DHS and its infringement of personal liberties.

Firlik, Katrina. Another Day in the Frontal Lobe: A Brain Surgeon Exposes Life on the Inside. Random House, 2006. OBCB 2009.

Firlik is one of the rare female neurosurgeons in the world. She writes an honest appraisal of her work, of day-to-day problem solving and ethical dilemmas. Along the way she removes a nail in a carpenter’s head and allows maggots to clean an infected brain in this humorous and candid memoir.

Flannery, Tim. The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth. Atlantic Monthly Press, 2005. OBCB 2009.

What are melting glaciers, disappearing frogs, and a season of perfect storms trying to tell us about the conditions of the planet we call home, and what can we do to prevent a catastrophe? Flannery traces the history of climate change, makes predictions for the future, and offers recommendations for preventing disaster.

George, Rose. The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters. Metropolitan Books, 2008. OBCB 2009.

It isn’t hidden behind the bathroom door or quietly flushed down the toilet in this book: a look at the dirty details of what happens to human waste around the globe and how it affects our health and sanitation.

Hoose, Phillip M. The Race to Save the Lord God Bird. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2004. OBCB 2009. (BBYA)

The ivory-billed woodpecker is thought to be extinct, but some disagree. Hoose documents the scientific and bird-watching communities’ attempts to find this lost species and save its habitat in the southern United States. Along the way, Hoose traces the recent evolution of human-bird interaction, from an early ornithologist who killed birds in order to catalogue them, to a kinder scientific approach; from the effect of plumed hats on the bird population, to the Bostonian ladies who started the Audubon Society.

Jones, Chris. Out of Orbit: The Incredible True Story of Three Astronauts Who Were Hundreds of Miles above Earth When They Lost Their Ride Home. Broadway Books, 2008. OBCB 2009.

The mission seemed jinxed from the start. The destruction of the shuttle Columbia and its crew in 2003 stranded three astronauts in earth’s orbit. Their only hope was an outdated, malfunctioning capsule latched to the side of their space station. Making it work was a herculean feat of teamwork on and off the planet.

Leopold, Aldo. A Sand County Almanac. Oxford University Press, 2001. OBCB 2009.

This classic of environmental and nature writing, arranged by season, provides a poetic view through the window of the Leopold family farm in the Wisconsin meadows. Even 60 years after this book’s original publication, Leopold’s closing comments on land ethics (nothing that disturbs the balance of nature can be right) and conservation are surprisingly relevant. Leopold believed that it is a duty of the human race to preserve wild land when possible.

Macaulay, David. Mosque. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Walter Lorraine, 2003. OBCB 2009.

Enter a community mosque in 16th-century Istanbul and discover the techniques (from brick making to stained-glass window production) used to raise towering minarets and a beautiful prayer hall dome. This book for all ages glorifies these magnificent buildings that served as the center of religion and also housed travelers, stored food, and provided public baths.

Macaulay, David. The Way We Work: Getting to Know the Amazing Human Body. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Walter Lorraine, 2008. OBCB 2009.

Macaulay takes the reader on a tour of the human body with detailed illustrations and succinct, sometimes humorous explanations of its building blocks (beginning on the cellular level) and systems.

McKibben, Bill, ed. American Earth: Environmental Writing since Thoreau. Library of America, 2008. OBCB 2009.

Experience the growth of the environmental movement in poetry, essay, song, and prose from its infancy to the present day through the eyes of its champions. This chronological anthology encompasses both the famed and those less known for their environmental writing, such as P. T. Barnum. Each piece is contextualized by McKibben, and the volume is generously illustrated.

Melville, Greg. Greasy Rider: Two Dudes, One Fry-Oil-Powered Car, and a Cross-Country Search for a Greener Future. Algonquin, 2008. OBCB 2009.

Take a humorous, green road trip with the author and his college buddy in a converted 1980s Mercedes from Vermont to California, and learn how to be more eco-friendly. Greg and his friend Iggy visit Fort Knox, a wind turbine field, and the first green Wal-mart along the way.

Pollan, Michael. The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World. Random House, 2001. OBCB 2009.

Through the sweetness of apples, the beauty of tulips, the intoxication of marijuana, and potato control, Pollan shows how mankind has manipulated plants and they, in turn, have enticed us to do their bidding. The journey of each plant combines history, culture, and science, and in the case of potatoes, modern genetic modifications as well.

Preston, Richard. The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring. Random House, 2007. OBCB 2009.

Three buddies on spring break climb into a California redwood and discover a new ecosystem atop the trees. Join a group of young scientists in the canopy as they learn safe climbing techniques for the oldest and tallest trees of North America, encounter new species of plants, animals who never touch the ground, friendship, and love.

Roach, Mary. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. Norton, 2003. OBCB 2004, 2009. (Alex Award, BBYA)

Discover the amazing life-after-death adventures of human bodies in this examination of how medical and research scientists use cadavers to make our lives better. In an engaging, humorous style, Roach takes the reader along on her investigations into the varied fates of cadavers. She also examines the ways in which remains are disposed of in different cultures.

Schroeder, Gerald. The Hidden Face of God: How Science Reveals the Ultimate Truth. Simon & Schuster/Free Press, 2001. OBCB 2009.

This somewhat controversial book investigates the relationship between physics and metaphysics, science and religion, but doesn’t provide any specific answers. Schroeder posits that there are two sides to life: the material, which science can prove and understand, as well as a universal wisdom at the heart of existence. Schroeder’s writing will evoke a sense of wonder about the cosmos and life itself for those who have an open mind.

Silverstein, Ken. The Radioactive Boy Scout: The True Story of a Boy and His Backyard Nuclear Reactor. Random House, 2004. OBCB 2009. (BBYA)

What would you do if you came home to find your neighborhood quarantined? Learn the true story of how David Hahn’s work toward an Atomic Energy Boy Scout badge turned into a teenage obsession. Government agents descended on his backyard shed when the radiation reached levels toxic to his entire town.

Smith, Gina. The Genomics Age: How DNA Technology Is Transforming the Way We Live and Who We Are. AMACOM, 2004. OBCB 2009. o.p.

From Crick and Watson’s discovery of the double helix to “designer” embryos, learn the history and truth behind the controversies in today’s news, including genetic testing, increased lifespans, a cure for cancer, stem cell research, cloning, gene therapy, and eugenics. Smith, a former network news technology consultant, presents hard scientific facts in an enjoyable, easy-to-read manner.

Teresi, Dick. Lost Discoveries: The Ancient Roots of Modern Science—From the Babylonians to the Maya. Simon & Schuster, 2002. OBCB 2009.

Teresi demonstrates that modern science is much older than we think, and shows how scientific and mathematical concepts developed by ancient cultures around the world are the foundations of today’s technology.

Social Sciences

Albom, Mitch. Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson. Doubleday, 1997. OBCB 2004, 2009.

Mitch Albom’s Tuesday night visits with his dying sociology professor, Morrie, offer valuable lessons about the art of living and dying with dignity. Albom reconnected with his older friend in the final months of his life and took one last class, a class with only one pupil, on the topics of family, money, fear of aging, marriage, love, regrets, and forgiveness.

Beah, Ishmael. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2007. OBCB 2009. (Alex Award, BBYA)

A Long Way Gone is the riveting, firsthand account of Ishmael Beah, a 12-year-old child soldier, hopped up on drugs and wielding an AK-47, who gets swept up in the horrors of civil war in his homeland of Sierra Leone. Rescued at 15, he spends time at a UNICEF rehabilitation center before coming to the United States to speak to the United Nations.

Bolles, Richard Nelson. What Color Is Your Parachute? 2009: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers. Ten Speed Press, 2008. OBCB 2009.

With a proven track record of more than thirty years in publication, this top-selling career guide has been updated and revised to help first-time job seekers discover and get the right work for them. This “Job Hunting in Hard Times edition” includes a new chapter on rejection shock for the laid off, and another titled “Think,” which provides innovative ways to find an open position, even where one might not be advertised.

Casnocha, Ben. My Start-Up Life: What a (Very) Young CEO Learned on His Journey through Silicon Valley. Wiley, 2007. OBCB 2009.

Casnocha, a 19-year-old entrepreneur, tells his own story about the ups and downs of making a business idea work and inspires readers to find their own way to make a difference. Casnocha started at 12. By 16 he had been nominated for an Entrepreneur of the Year award and was chairman of his second company, Comcate, which facilitates web communication between city governments and citizens.

George, Mary W. The Elements of Library Research: What Every Student Needs to Know. Princeton University Press, 2008. OBCB 2009.

Succinct and practical, this guide provides students with the tactics, tools, and confidence they need to successfully conduct college-level research, both in print and online.

Gladwell, Malcolm. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. Little, Brown, 2000. OBCB 2009.

Through entertaining anecdotes Gladwell explains the phenomenon of fads, or how little actions can ripple outward until a “tipping point” is reached that results in a dramatic change. He reveals how ideas spread and how societal changes can happen quickly given the right context, the “stickiness” of an idea, and the involvement of key people.

Juette, Melvin, and Ronald J. Berger. Wheelchair Warrior: Gangs, Disability, and Basketball. Temple University Press, 2008. OBCB 2009.

This inspiring story follows the transformation of a 16-year-old African American gang member destined for prison or death into a wheelchair athlete playing for the U.S. National Wheelchair Basketball Team. Paralyzed in a gang-related shooting, Juette turned from crime to attend college and become a star athlete. Berger’s introduction and conclusion place Juette’s affecting, dramatic memoir in a sociological context.

Keen, Lisa. Out Law: What LGBT Youth Should Know about Their Legal Rights. Beacon Press, 2007. OBCB 2009.

Keen introduces LGBT youth to their legal rights, encourages them to defend those rights, and provides examples of young people empowered to stand up for themselves. Keen provides the history and evolution of relevant laws, a time line of legal landmarks, and a list of organizations available to help LGBT youth.

Kohl, Jana. A Rare Breed of Love: The True Story of Baby and the Mission She Inspired to Help Dogs Everywhere. Simon & Schuster/Fireside, 2008. OBCB 2009. o.p.

The shocking cruelty of legal animal abuse is exposed through the story of Baby, a poodle who lost a leg after years of mistreatment at a puppy mill. Rescued by Jana Kohl, Baby now works together with politicians and Jana’s celebrity friends to raise awareness about animal rights.

McCormick, Patricia. Sold. Hyperion, 2006. OBCB 2009. (BBYA)

When 13-year-old Lakshmi is sold into prostitution by her gambling stepfather, she is taken from her village in the mountains of Nepal to a brothel in the slums of Calcutta. Her life becomes a nightmare from which she cannot escape. Some hope leavens the horrifying situation when Lakshmi learns to read, and an American arrives to rescue the girls in the brothel. This novel in free verse reflects a situation that many girls around the world endure today.

Menzel, Peter, and Faith D’Aluisio. Hungry Planet: What the World Eats. Material World/Ten Speed Press, 2005. OBCB 2009.

Hungry Planet is a photo-chronicle of families around the world, the food they eat, and how uncontrollable forces like poverty, conflict, and globalization affect our most elemental human need—food. Portraits of families (taken with a week’s supply of food) from 24 different countries are presented. Recipes and essays complete the package, giving the reader a clear picture of how global changes are affecting daily life and health.

Mortenson, Greg, and David Oliver Relin. Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace One School at a Time. Viking, 2006. OBCB 2009.

Lost and near death following an unsuccessful attempt to climb K2, Mortenson is sheltered and nursed in a remote mountain village. Out of gratitude, he vows to return to build a school there. That vow grows into the Central Asia Institute and the creation of over 50 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Three Cups of Tea gives the reader a clear picture of life on the ground in both countries and an understanding of how the United States might help villagers in their struggle against extremists by fighting poverty and providing education, particularly for girls.

Picoult, Jodi. Nineteen Minutes. Atria, 2007. OBCB 2009.

Seventeen-year-old Peter Houghton wakes up one day, loads his backpack with four guns, walks into the school cafeteria, and kills nine students and one teacher in the span of nineteen minutes. Peter had been bullied relentlessly since kindergarten. Picoult tells the story from several points of view, including those of a detective investigating the incident; Peter’s mother; Peter’s former friend Josie, who witnessed the shooting; and Josie’s mother, the judge hearing Peter’s case.

Pipher, Mary. The Middle of Everywhere: The World’s Refugees Come to Our Town. Harcourt, 2002. OBCB 2004, 2009.

An exploration of the difficulties and struggles of refugees settled by the U.S. government in Lincoln, Nebraska, as they try to adjust and build a life in America. Pipher works as a family therapist in Lincoln, helping families deal with the tragedies of the past and hold onto cultural traditions in the present. She writes about young people from Sudan and Bosnia, and families from Vietnam and Afghanistan.

Pope, Loren. Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think about Colleges. Penguin, 2006. OBCB 2009.

Prospective college students can rely on Pope’s indispensable guide to 41 colleges where education rivals that of Ivy League universities in producing outstanding graduates. Pope helps students to understand the personality of each school, and find a school that will help them to aim high, achieve their potential, and feel empowered. Includes information for the homeschooled and those with learning disabilities.

Rogers, Elizabeth, and Thomas Kostigen. The Green Book: The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time. Crown/Three Rivers Press, 2007. OBCB 2009.

Celebrities Ellen DeGeneres, Jennifer Aniston, Tim McGraw, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and others contribute suggestions of small, everyday changes that will have a positive impact on the health of our planet. Suggestions are divided into sections for home, school, work, shopping, entertainment, travel, health and beauty, and sports.

Sheff, David. Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey through His Son’s Addiction. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2008. OBCB 2009.

A father’s anguished account of his promising son’s meth addiction and its painful impact on the entire family is honest, raw, and full of information about the realities of drug addiction. Nic was a bright, athletic 17-year-old when he began experimenting with drugs. Within months he was an addict. David Sheff writes about attempts at rehab and being the parent of an addict.

Sheff, Nic. Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines. Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, 2008. OBCB 2009.

Nic Sheff was destined for a rich life and career until he is derailed by drugs. Dabbling in his early teens turned into serious addiction. This wrenchingly honest account of life as a teenage meth addict is the companion book to Beautiful Boy by David Sheff, Nic’s father. It ends on a hopeful note as Nic finds the road to recovery.

Smith, Jodi R. R. From Clueless to Class Act: Manners for the Modern Man. Sterling, 2006. OBCB 2009.

This unstuffy, witty guide to good behavior will help young men develop the style and panache to make a good impression in social and professional circles. Etiquette advice encompasses dining, dating, the workplace, attending the theater, and e-mail and cell-phone conduct.

Stern, Jessica. Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill. Ecco, 2003. OBCB 2009.

Seeking to understand how religious ardor leads to violence, Stern recounts her dramatic encounters with Christians, Jews, and Muslims who use terrorism in the name of God. Stern studied militants in Palestine, Israel, Indonesia, and America, their recruitment techniques, as well as the best nonviolent strategies for defeating and disarming them.

Urrea, Luis Alberto. The Devil’s Highway: A True Story. Little, Brown, 2004. OBCB 2009.

Thousands of illegal immigrants yearly scramble across the U.S.-Mexican border and into an area of the Arizona desert known as the Devil’s Highway. Many do not make it out alive. Urrea details the 2001 attempt of 26 men to cross into the United States, which only 12 survived. This is the human story of illegal immigration told with facts, anger, and poetry.

Wallis, David, ed. Killed Cartoons: Casualties from the War on Free Expression. Norton, 2007. OBCB 2009.

Wallis’s book is full of political cartoons killed before publication. Each cartoon is accompanied by a brief narrative explaining why it was considered too controversial for publication. Both contemporary and historical cartoons are included, making this a history of political cartooning.

Walls, Jeannette. The Glass Castle: A Memoir. Simon & Schuster/Scribner, 2005. OBCB 2009. (Alex Award)

This is Jeannette Walls’s memoir of growing up in chaos and poverty with a family that prized freedom and unconventionality over comfort and safety, eventually making them homeless. Despite their negligence, Walls has a clear affection for her eccentric parents, who continued to be homeless after she and her siblings found ways to lead more conventional lives.

Wheelan, Charles. Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science. Norton, 2002. OBCB 2004, 2009.

Without using charts, graphs, or jargon, Wheelan makes economics understandable, even interesting, as he demystifies basic concepts and applies them to everyday life. With his informal style and sense of humor, he shares his enthusiasm for the big economic picture.