American Short Story edited by Richard Ford

This is one of those books that has been on my bedside table for a long time.  When no other book in the house looks appealing, I can always find a selection from this collection to while away an hour.  I've read some of them once, some several times, and other are almost memorized.

Some favorites:

"Where Is Here" by Joyce Carol Oates

"Firelight" by Tobias Wolff

"Aurora" by Junot Diaz

When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago

http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides_W/when_i_was_puerto_rican1.asp

Although this book was written several years ago, the issues remain the same:  immigration quotas, cultural imperialism, bilingual education, birth control. . . .  If you have not given these issues the thoughtful examination they deserve, this book provides an excellent starting place.

Almost a Woman by Esmeralda Santiago

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780375705212&view=rg

This book is guaranteed to make you look at the life of the immigrant in a slightly different way.  Written with wisdom and humor, it tells the story of a young woman's search for belonging and identity and the universal quest for independence.

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

http://www.geraldinebrooks.com/people.html

What a powerful book!  A rare illuminated Hebrew manuscript is created in Muslim Spain and survives a perilous five-century journey through Venice, Vienna, and Sarajevo.  The book was inspired by the true story of a mysterious codex known as the Sarajevo Haggdah.  It is a journey you will remember for a long while.

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides_s/sarahs_key1.asp

This was one of those book that I wanted to love from the very first page.  I knew how it would end and I willed the author to find a more believable version.  Alas, she could not find a better ending and I could not make the leap of faith required to accept the one she chose.


It was, however, beautifully written and it inspired me to do some research of my own regarding the Holocaust on French soil.  What a heartbreaking story.

Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos

http://www.stephaniekallos.com/books.html

Currently, this book can be found in the card catalog under the following subject headings:
1.  Landlord and tenant - Fiction
2.  Aged women - Fiction
I would like to add:
3.  Mosaics - Fiction
4.  Grieving - Fiction
5.  Holocaust Survivors - Fiction 6.  Geriatric Oncology - Fiction



Seven years in the writing, it was a great read.  No awards, no best-seller stickers, but it touched my heart.  What more can a reader ask?

Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven by Susan Jane Gilman

http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides_u/undress_me_in_the_temple_of_heaven1.asp

What do you do you graduate from college and realize you don't have a clue about what to do next?
You and a friend take off on an extensive tour of China - just moments after the country opens its doors to tourists.  You get in way over your head and then return home and write a memoir that every international traveler should read.  It will help prepare her for the basic truth:  You're not in Kansas anymore.