29. Orphans of the Living: Stories of America's Children in Foster Care...Jennifer Toth
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Reader, beware: Jennifer Toth's Orphans of the Living is not a happy book. In fact, it would be difficult to find a more depressing subject than the current state of foster care in the United States. Nevertheless, in an age plagued by drastic governmental cut-backs on social programs--a time in which women and children are by far the most numerous victims of poverty--the fate of foster children is an important, if painful, subject. Toth's report from the frontlines of what is known as "substitute care" is not encouraging; as she follows the lives of five young people as they move through the system--from Damien, a rape victim at age 8 who becomes a sexual predator by age 13, to Bryan, who struggles to benefit from one of the country's best foster programs--Toth's subjects are as heartbreaking as their success is improbable. Toth has wisely put a human face on the child welfare system's carnage.
Make no mistake, Jennifer Toth is angry. She has faith in every child's ability to be rehabilitated, no matter how damaged, but blames the current foster care system for inflicting still more hurt on its hapless charges. Her book is strongest in chronicling the outrageous breakdowns in a system meant to help, not hurt. So relentless is the misery outlined in Orphans of the Living that by the book's end one wishes Toth had given the reader some crumbs of hope by proposing concrete ways in which the system might be improved.
30. One Small Boat: The Story of a Little Girl, Lost Then Found...Kathy Harrison
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This story of one little girl's journey through our foster-care system forms an intimate portrait of foster care in America and the children whose lives are forever shaped by it.
Augusten Burroughs called Kathy Harrison's memoir Another Place at the Table a "riveting and profoundly moving story of a hero, disguised as an everyday woman." In One Small Boat, Harrison tells the story of one little girl who arrived on her doorstep, and describes how caring for this child was an experience that challenged everything she thought she knew about foster-care parenting and the needs of the children she shelters.
31. Fugitives: Escape from Furnace 4...Alexander Gordon Smith
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Forever altered by his experience in Furnace Penetentiary, Alex has done the impossible and escaped. But the battle for freedom is only just beginning. Charged with his superhuman abilities, Alex must uncover the last of Furnace’s secrets—the truth about the man who built the prison, the man known as Alfred Furnace. And to do that he must stop running and finally confront his greatest fears.
32. The Mexican Slow Cooker...Deborah Schneider
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When acclaimed chef and cookbook author Deborah Schneider discovered that using her trusty slow cooker to make authentic Mexican recipes actually enhanced their flavor while dramatically reducing active cooking time, it was a revelation.
33. Nourishing Traditions...Sally Fallon
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Recalling the culinary customs of our ancestors, and looking ahead to a future of robust good health for young and old, Nourishing Traditions offers modern families a fascinating guide to wise food choices and proper preparation techniques.
This well-researched, thought-provoking guide to traditional foods contains a startling message: Animal fats and cholesterol are not villains but vital factors in the diet, necessary for normal growth, proper function of the brain and nervous system, protection from disease and optimum energy levels. Sally Fallon dispels the myths of the current low-fat fad in this practical, entertaining guide to a can-do diet that is both nutritious and delicious.
Topics include the health benefits of traditional fats and oils (including butter and coconut oil); dangers of vegetarianism; problems with modern soy foods; health benefits of sauces and gravies; proper preparation of whole grain products; pros and cons of milk consumption; easy-to-prepare enzyme enriched condiments and beverages; and appropriate diets for babies and children.
34. Preserving...Oded Schwartz
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Learn all the professional techniques, and use all the correct equipment to make perfect jams, mustards, oils, vinegars, and syrups.
35. Bones of Fairie...Janni Lee Simner
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The war between humanity and Faerie devastated both sides. Or so 15-year-old
Liza has been told. Nothing has been seen or heard from Faerie since, and Liza’s
world bears the scars of its encounter with magic. Trees move with sinister
intention, and the town Liza calls home is surrounded by a forest that threatens
to harm all those who wander into it. Then Liza discovers she has the Faerie
ability to see—into the past, into the future—and she has no choice but to flee
her town. Liza’s quest will take her into Faerie and back again, and what she
finds along the way may be the key to healing both worlds.
Janni Lee Simner’s first novel for young adults is a dark fairy-tale twist on apocalyptic
fiction—as familiar as a nightmare, yet altogether unique.
Neat little book; I'll probably pick up the next in the series. Even though it was a young adult book, it seemed like it was written for a younger audience. I know it is the author's first YA book and she usually writes children's books and you can definitely tell. Still, it was a good storyline.
36. Hypermobility, Fibromyalgia, and Chronic Pain...Alan Hakim, et al
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This groundbreaking new text explains and documents the scientific basis of
chronic pain in Joint Hypermobility Syndrome (JHS) and other heritable disorders
of connective tissue from the physiological, epidemiological, genetic and
clinical viewpoints. It asks the reader to consider the possibility of JHS,
identify it clinically, understand its co-morbidities, including
interdependencies with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, while managing
the condition appropriately.
Hypermobility, Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain takes a multi-specialty
and multidisciplinary approach to understanding JHS and its management, drawing
together expertise from a broad group of internationally-recognized authors. The
book is split into two sections. Section 1 deals with the clinical
manifestations of JHS and Fibromyalgia, their epidemiology and pathophysiology.
Section 2 covers clinical management. Here the reader will find chapters
covering pharmacotherapeutics, psychotherapy and physical therapies that address
the needs of patients from childhood to adulthood.
37. Sideshow: Ten Original Tales of Freaks, Illusionists, and Other Matters Odd and Magical...Deborah Hoyes, ed.
A couple of the stories were good, but, overall, not a great book. I wouldn't recommend it.
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Whether the sideshow touts a two-headed rat or a turn-of-the-century American jargo, whether the subject discovers an odd kind of miracle or learns that the real freaks are outside the tent, these stories and graphic tales are by turns humorous and insightful, edgy and eerie, but always compulsively
entertaining.
38. Raised by the Courts: One Judge's Insight into Juvenile Justice...Irene Sullivan
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A veteran judge shares her vision for ending the vicious cycle of child
abuse and crime.
When 19-year-old Leo Boatman was convicted of the brutal murders of two
college students, he told the judge, “I can’t offer an explanation because there
is none.” But Judge Irene Sullivan knew there had to be more to the story than
just a senseless crime, and she was determined to discover the root cause of
Boatman’s behavior. Corresponding with him in prison, Judge Sullivan learned of
the failures and abuses of every system Boatman had passed through, each
intended to prevent such a devastating turn of events.Drawing on years of work with thousands of children, Judge Sullivan
presents a plan for breaking the vicious cycle of child abuse and crime that
causes such tragedies. Through eye-opening stories from both her own courtroom
and the system at large, Judge Irene reveals what works for young people in
jeopardy. The results are surprisingly optimistic: few would have guessed that
the most successful programs are also among the most cost-effective and
practical. Raised by the Courts will be a source of hope and clarity for those
who care about ending the cycle of violent crime among the youngest and most
vulnerable members of society.39. Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx...Adrian LeBlanc
Quote"Random Family" tells the American outlaw saga lurking behind the headlines of
gangsta glamour, gold-drenched drug dealers, and street-corner society. With an
immediacy made possible only after ten years of reporting, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc
immerses the reader in the mind-boggling intricacies of the little-known ghetto
world. She charts the tumultuous cycle of the generations, as girls become
mothers, mothers become grandmothers, boys become criminals, and hope struggles
against deprivation.40. A House Between Homes: Youth in the Foster Care System...Joyce Libal
41. No Matter How Loud I Shout: A Year in the Life of Juvenile Court...Edward Humes
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This is one powerful book: it will grab you with vivid stories about individual
kids, draw you in with honesty and compassion, and amaze you with alarming
details about how the juvenile justice system works (or rather, doesn't work) in
America. Anyone interested in the problem of crime should read Edward Humes's
gripping account of how future criminals are shaped in youth, and how the system
misses its chance to help them before they're lost for good. As Richard
Bernstein writes in the New York Times, "There are many admirable things
about Mr. Humes's book, which, despite its grim subject matter, has a narrative
power that keeps you reading right to the end. One of them is that Mr. Humes is
a shrewd and perceptive observer of his young subjects ... [and he] allows
himself to feel sympathy for the young people whose lives and crimes he
describes.... At the same time, Mr. Humes never exonerates bad children for
their badness."
This book was so sad and frustrating at the same time. The hopelessness these kids face and the fact that they are given no help is just appalling.
42. Dark Places...Gillian Flynn
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Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were murdered in “The Satan
Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.” As her family lay dying, little Libby fled their
tiny farmhouse into the freezing January snow. She lost some fingers and toes,
but she survived–and famously testified that her fifteen-year-old brother, Ben,
was the killer. Twenty-five years later, Ben sits in prison, and troubled Libby
lives off the dregs of a trust created by well-wishers who’ve long forgotten
her.
The Kill Club is a macabre secret society obsessed with notorious
crimes. When they locate Libby and pump her for details–proof they hope may free
Ben–Libby hatches a plan to profit off her tragic history. For a fee, she’ll
reconnect with the players from that night and report her findings to the club .
. . and maybe she’ll admit her testimony wasn’t so solid after all.
As Libby’s search takes her from shabby Missouri strip clubs to abandoned Oklahoma
tourist towns, the narrative flashes back to January 2, 1985. The events of that
day are relayed through the eyes of Libby’s doomed family members–including Ben,
a loner whose rage over his shiftless father and their failing farm have driven
him into a disturbing friendship with the new girl in town. Piece by piece, the
unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she
started–on the run from a killer.
I've been seeing Gillian Flynn's name pop up everywhere lately, so I thought I would check her out. This was a pretty good book...not the best writing I've ever seen, but the plot was interesting. I'm reading her book Sharp Objects now.
43. Cold Vengeance...Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
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Devastated by the discovery that his wife, Helen, was murdered, Special Agent
Pendergast must have retribution. But revenge is not simple. As he stalks his
wife's betrayers-a chase that takes him from the wild moors of Scotland to the
bustling streets of New York City and the darkest bayous of Louisiana-he is also
forced to dig further into Helen's past. And he is stunned to learn that Helen
may have been a collaborator in her own murder.
Peeling back the layers
of deception, Pendergast realizes that the conspiracy is deeper, goes back
generations, and is more monstrous than he could have ever imagined-and
everything he's believed, everything he's trusted, everything he's understood .
. . may be a horrific lie.
44. Two Graves...Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
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For twelve years, he believed she died in an accident. Then, he was told she'd
been murdered. Now, FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast discovers that his
beloved wife Helen is alive. But their reunion is cut short when Helen
is brazenly abducted before his eyes. And Pendergast is forced to embark on a
furious cross-country chase to rescue her.
But all this turns out to be mere
prologue to a far larger plot: one that unleashes a chillingly-almost
supernaturally-adept serial killer on New York City. And Helen has one more
surprise in store for Pendergast: a piece of their shared past that makes him
the one man most suited to hunting down the killer.
His pursuit of the
murderer will take Pendergast deep into the trackless forests of South America,
to a hidden place where the evil that has blighted both his and Helen's lives
lies in wait . . . a place where he will learn all too well the truth of the
ancient proverb:
Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two
graves.
One of my favorite series...love the Pendergast books! I definitely love the twist in the story even though I was shocked at who they killed off right at the beginning. They left a pretty big hook at the end, so I can't wait until the next book comes out!
45. Sharp Objects...Gillian Flynn
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WICKED above her hipbone, GIRL across her heart
Words are like a road map to
reporter Camille Preaker’s troubled past. Fresh from a brief stay at a psych
hospital, Camille’s first assignment from the second-rate daily paper where she
works brings her reluctantly back to her hometown to cover the murders of two
preteen girls.
NASTY on her kneecap, BABYDOLL on her leg
Since she
left town eight years ago, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic,
hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful
thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed again in her
family’s Victorian mansion, Camille is haunted by the childhood tragedy she has
spent her whole life trying to cut from her memory.
HARMFUL on her wrist,
WHORE on her ankle
As Camille works to uncover the truth about these violent
crimes, she finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly.
Clues keep leading to dead ends, forcing Camille to unravel the psychological
puzzle of her own past to get at the story. Dogged by her own demons, Camille
will have to confront what happened to her years before if she wants to survive
this homecoming.
With its taut, crafted writing, Sharp Objects is
addictive, haunting, and unforgettable.
Another good one. I have to admit, although I figured out part of the "whodunnit," the twist at the end took me completely by surprise...I love that in a book.
One day, I'll get to read her newest book...I think I am #89 on the library's waiting list!
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