The Help

The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, is a great book because the different angles of the plotline give the reader a fuller view of the story. It allows the reader to be immersed within the book and relate closely with the characters. While all of us may not be black maids or white socialites in Jackson, Mississippi, the emotions tie the reader in. If social gatherings and fried chicken are your cup of tea, then The Help would be my recommendation.

-Alicia

The Help follows three different women in the 1960s when segregation and integration was a highly debated topic. Kathryn Stockett uses the interesting method of using the women's voices to tell their stories, as opposed to having one set speaker. I recommend this book because it stimulates the reader to think about the changes, whether great or small, that the United States has endured. The Help was a book I loved because of the writing techniques and the story overall.

Sarah's Key

Sarah's Key, by Tatiana de Rosnay, ties together the stories of Julia, a middle-aged American living in France in 2002, and Sarah, a ten-year-old Jewish girl from Paris who lived through the Holocaust. This book gives a fresh perspective on France's role in the Holocaust and people's desire to forget the past. Julia's story kept me interested with family drama, and Sarah's story helped me understand what kind of trauma a Jewish child had to experience in the 1940s. I recommend this book for anyone who likes historical fiction but wants to also read a book that has a modern twist in its story line.

-Rachel

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress will take you into the world of two young teenage boys who lived in China during the Cultural revolution. Together they discovered a trunk of banned books, which widens their knowledge of the outside world, and makes them yearn to be free of re-education.

The Book Thief

The Book Thief is a story that takes place during Nazi Germany. The main character is Liesel, a young girl who is fostered by a family. The story is told from the perspective of death, which makes the novel very unique and interesting. The story begins with Liesel learning how to read and moves on to her stealing books from various places. This hobby of hers not only entertains her, but also helps save a Jew. The book is mysterious, depressing and interesting and I strongly recommend it to everyone.

The Boy in Striped Pajamas

I read The Boy in Striped Pajamas recently. It was written in the perspective of a nine-year-old boy, Bruno. The story takes place during World War II and Bruno's dad is a German officer in charge of the Jewish concentration camp. However, Bruno has no idea about what is going on and starts to talk to a Jewish boy by the gate every day. They share their stories, until one day, Bruno decides to crawl under the gate to see what his friend's "home" is like...

Revolution

Revolution is a novel about the life of a girl, Andi, who's suffering the result of her brother's death. She's on medication and she has very few friends. Her successful father left her and her mother in their run-down mansion. As her mother loses her mind, so does she. Andi, a senior in high school, doesn't plan on writing her thesis, but her father's return changes that as she goes to Paris for winter break. In Paris, her life changes as she finds a diary about another girl's hardships during the French Revolution. I loved this book and I loved how Andi's romance and family life evolved.

-Miya

Revolution, by Jennifer Donnelly, is a book about a girl who has been going through many tragedies and because she stops doing well in school her dad takes her to Paris to get her work straight. In Paris, she find a diary of a girl who lived during the French Revolution. This book is very interesting and keeps your attention the whole time. It is great for those who like history particularly the French Revolution because part of it takes place during that time, but it is still good for those not into history because it is about a modern day girl too.

-Chiara

The Distant Land of My Father

I could probably say that in the last 10 years my favorite read was The Distant Land of my Father by Bo Caldwell. Told from the perspective of a daughter, the book does a very good job of portraying the adoration that most girls feel for their fathers, despite their possible faults/flaws. The Distant Land mentioned in the title? China in the 1930's, full of glamour, intrigue and danger. I could not put it down.

-Rachelle Silver, R.N.

Cane River

My most recent favorite book is Cane River, by Lalita Tademy. It is an epic novel of four generations of African-American women, a work based on one family's actual meticulously researched past. They were women whose lives began in slavery, who weathered the Civil War, and who grappled with the contradictions of emancipation through the turbulent early years of the twentieth century. It was a very moving story and one that has stayed with me long after I read it. I loved it!

-Norma Carlson

The Help

The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, takes place in Jackson, Mississippi in the heart of the Civil Rights movement. The story is told from the perspective of three women: Miss Skeeter, an unusual and caring aspiring-journalist; Aibileen, a black woman working in a white home; and Minny, Aibileen's friend and fellow maid. Each woman has a distinct voice that is both endearing and recognizable. Together, Miss Skeeter, Aibileen, and Minny work on a book that gives a maid's point of view on working in white women's homes and raising their children. The characters are relatable and you will grow to love each one's personality.

If you liked The Secret Life of Bees, you will enjoy reading The Help.

-Rachel

Sophie's Choice

The story of a Polish young woman, previously imprisoned at Auschwitz. Sophie shares her story in pieces to a writer in NY, Stingo. As Stingo befriends Sophie, he learns more about her past, more about her present, and becomes a bright point in an otherwise tortured life. Beautifully written, masterfully crafted storytelling is clearly Styron's gift.

I'm on my third copy.

-Ms. Bauman