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Jonah MacKenzie reminds one of Captain Ahab: hell-bent upon revenge against the Maine timber that cost him his leg years ago. It matters not that the Algonquin forest has been declared a wilderness area, or that even his closest friends are turning against him – trees must topple. Set against him is an environmental activist (aptly named Gabriel) willing to give his life to save the forest. This important book should dispel any doubt that Watkins is a literary force to be reckoned with. From the German side of the Normandy beachhead, across the Sahara, and now deep in the Maine woods, this young writer has mastered research, setting, action and characterization to fashion highly readable instant classics.

Reviewed by Jim B., Main Library

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American Book Award winner White Noise is an intensely dark comedy concerning a particularly American brand of sensory overload, played out against a background of media and technological clamor. Consumerism replaces religion and philosophy in defining life and death for Jack Gladney, his wife Babette, and their children (who suffer symptoms associated with a local "toxic event" only when they are announced in the media). Reality is replaced by a hodge-podge of simulacra: Elvis, Hitler and the packaging of generic peanuts are taken with the same degree of seriousness -- and it is only through an act of hideous violence that man can rise above the sorry norm of his society.

Reviewed by Jim B., Main Library

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Heller's timeless masterpiece builds a fantastical world in which sanity and insanity are switched about and events are exaggerated to the extreme. From this emerges an ironically accurate picture of what is really going on. Captain John Yossarian, who wants desperately to stay alive in a world where many are trying to kill him, attempts to convince his commanders that he is too insane to fly any further missions. The Catch, of course, is that only a sane man would try to evade further combat. Another catch involves the number of missions required to complete a tour -- a number that is constantly increasing. Heller's mad world is -- fittingly -- set in the madness of World War II. But the tale it tells -- witness Milo Mindbender's acceptance of a reasonable offer from the Germans to bomb his own airfield -- can be set in any time or place.

Reviewed by Jim B., Main Library

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This light-hearted novel features Hank Morgan, a superintendent in an eighteenth century American arms factory who is hit in the head and knocked unconscious, and wakes up in King Arthur's England. The chief thrust of the book is contained in Morgan's observations and realizations of what life was like in the Middle Ages without the benefits of modern thinking and modern inventions. But much hinges on the frustration which Twain's character feels when trying to convince those of a backward era of the benefits of new ways of thinking. Morgan has to deal with the evils of Merlin the Magician, but has a faithful aide in Clarence, a squire who comes to know Morgan as "Boss". Laughs, lessons and lucid insight in this time-honored classic.

Reviewed by John Z., North County Regional

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Fantastically good! Mark Twain is brilliant and "killingly funny."
-Abby, Charlotte, NC

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Down the Mississippi, through the nightmare vision of decaying, feudal Dixie float Huck the runaway boy and Jim the runaway slave. Intended to be the sequel to Tom Sawyer, this masterwork of picaresque is anything but a boy's book - though it works remarkably in that capacity. Seminal to the development of American literature, it is perhaps fitting that this most American of novels is also America's most controversial. Controversial early on because one of the main characters is black, today mostly because of one offensive word. One of the greatest moments in American literature, however, is Huck's agonized decision to help Jim escape. This, coupled with Jim's equally noble resolve not to abandon his orphaned friend, reveal Twain's anti-racist intent.

Reviewed by Jim B., Main Library

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Who killed Beau Boutan? Ernest Gaines, an award-winning author, has written his fifth novel about aging, Southern black men who take a stand against racial injustice during the 1940's. A member of an influential Cajun clan in Louisiana has been murdered. The vengeful family of the victim is prepared for a lynching. Defenders show up with a shotgun, one spent shell, and a story of why each could be guilty of the murder. This is a rewarding story of changing times, loyalty, and friendship in the old South.

Reviewed by Jane A., Morrison Regional

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This book is wonderful! It moved me to tears. There was a lot of irony, symbolism and hidden depth inside it. When I finished reading, I felt like a better person.
-Alice, Princeton, NJ

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Holden Caulfield is a sixteen year old who flunks out of yet another boarding school and spends several days wandering New York City before Christmas. Caulfield is searching for what makes him happy, and this draws in the reader because it is a search familiar to all humanity. A story of great depth and struggle that is highly recommended.

Reviewed by Emily N., Steele Creek Branch

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This is my favorite book of all times. Holden's comic cynicism and pessimism make it a fast, enjoyable, and meaningful read.
-Rachel, Matthews, NC

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Massachusetts, circa Civil War. The four March sisters are on the threshold of adulthood, each with their own singular personalities: Meg- serious and dependable, Amy- strikingly beautiful, Beth- shy and unassuming, and Jo- effervescent, comically impulsive, and tempestuous. The quintessential American family is solidly ensconced in this great literary classic; the subject of movie remakes and engrossing theater. All the conflicting feelings of adolescence, the bittersweet ambiguities emanating from the Civil War, and Marmee and Papa's loving and protective embrace of their children, it is a period piece which invites reading-over and over again. Hauntingly beautiful, Louisa May Alcott's beloved story of the relationships of the March family appeals now more than ever-harkening back to days of familial bonding and generosity of spirit.

Reviewed by Rosanne L., Matthews Branch

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Splendidly written, Alcott dotes on the feelings and amazements of these three very interesting characters. One of my very favorites!
-Abby, Charlotte, NC

This is my favorite book! Very well written.
-Anna, Charlotte, NC

I am so much in love with this book. I have read it over one hundred times and it never gets old.
-Nicole, New York, NewYork

I simply adored this book, I've read it over and over!!
-Maddie, Jesup, GA

This is an absolute favorite of mine. The characters all have something that reminds me of myself, both the good and the bad. I think one of the reasons this is such a well-loved book is that it is written in a way that we feel like we are looking into their lives and hearts. And also learning, almost without knowing we’re doing it. That, in my opinion, is the mark of a good book.
-Elizabeth, Charlotte, N.C.

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"The road of life….the only thing to do is go." Jack Kerouac's ode to the Beat Generation of the 40's and 50's distinguishes itself as the epitome of nonconformity, while the author is cleverly disguised in the characterization of Sal Paradise. Sal is the ultimate freedom searcher, the Bee-Bop hipster who symbolizes a restless generation. Traipsing through shanty towns, Manhattan steel and concrete high-rises, to the quiet and expansive plains of Middle America and the artsy colonies of San Francisco, Sal, and kooky pal, Dean Moriarty, utilize all conceivable means for travel, including that sure thing, "thumbin' a ride." Hilarious, yet at times, soberly introspective, Kerouac offers the reader a soul-searching, fun read for all of us who are trying to find out who we really are on life's difficult journey.

Reviewed by Rosanne L., Matthews Branch

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A great classic, one of my favorites of all time.
-Travis, Colorado Springs, CO

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Ever wonder what's going on in the mind of your dog? If you have, you'll love this classic written from the perspective of a combination St. Bernard/Scottish Shepherd who experiences great adventures and hardship. In a late 19th century setting, Buck is kidnapped from a life of luxury on a Santa Clara, California estate. He finds himself leading life as a sled dog in the great and primitive North, during the gold rush era. Buck learns through harsh experience and mishaps what he needs to survive nature, Humans, and attacks from other dogs. Bucks not only survives - he survives with a vengeance. Read this novel to find how a pampered domestic dog goes on to become a legend of the wild.

Reviewed by Jeff G., North County Regional

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A very touching story with all the emotions - in some parts sad, in others funny, and in others just crazy!
-Sara, North Carolina

Splendidly written classic! A story told brilliantly through the eyes of a dog, captured and enslaved.
-Abby, Charlotte, NC

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Our deeply entrenched fascination with the underworld and organized crime is a singular and ongoing phenomenon of contemporary American society. Mario Puzo's massively popular bestseller, "The Godfather", still ranks at the top of this literary genre. From its origins in turn-of-the-century Sicily, this is the story of the Corleones', and their obstacle-strewn rise to the top of the Mafia's "Families." Written in an acerbic Mafia vernacular, and read at turbo-charged speed, Puzo delivers a gritty, yet oddly romantic look inside the mechanisms of the "Family". While repulsed at the violence inflicted among its members, we remain spellbound in spite of it, as we follow schizo-benevolent Don Vito Corleone's sorrowful, violent, amoral climb to supremacy of a Cosa Nostra Family, rich with corrupt and colorful characters. A must-read.

Reviewed by Rosanne L., Matthews Branch

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James Weldon Johnson takes a deep look into the race question in this book. Not only does he deal with race between Whites and Blacks and different nationalities, but he also tackles the topic of prejudices within the same race. The issue of how light skinned and dark skinned Afro-Americans treat each other differently is an important theme that runs throughout. Even though written in the early 1900's, Johnson tackles issues that are very prevalent in today's society. This book comes highly recommended.

Reviewed by Russell M., West Boulevard Branch

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Jim Burden, a successful attorney for one of the great Western railways, looks back on his early life on the Nebraska prairie. Greatly influenced by the industrious immigrants from Scandanavia and Bohemia who ploughed the land and worked as servants for the American settlers, Jim especially remembers his nearest neighbor, Antonia Shimerda. A few years older than Jim, Antonia entranced him with her beauty, kindness and lively nature. My Antonia is nostalgic look at the American frontier and the strong women who settled it, by one of the foremost writers of the twentieth century.

Reviewed by Ruth H., North County Regional

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Set in the slums of Brooklyn during the early part of the 20th century, Betty Smith’s timeless coming of age story has charmed readers for over fifty years with its descriptive passages, richly developed characters, and universal themes. The story centers on the Nolan family and is told through the eyes of Francie, the intelligent and imaginative daughter of immigrants. The author explores themes of poverty, alcoholism, the value of education, and the strength of family, as well as the experience of immigrants who came to this country in search of a better life. Readers young and old will cheer for Francie, forced to leave school early, mistreated by fate and people—as she pushes forward, spirited and determined.

Reviewed by Staci F., South County Regional

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Merricat Blackwood, a young girl and the criminally insane narrator, describes her life in an old manor that has been the home of generations of Blackwoods. The manor, along with a few leftover family members, constitute Merricat's world, which was whittled down considerably when the rest of the family was poisoned six years previously. Everyone in the house is a little off, though it’s hard to tell if it's the cause or result of the tragedy. The manor is situated in a nightmarish village where townspeople are cruel enough to keep the family from leaving the house. It's an incredibly dark piece of macabre literature in the same class as Jackson's best known work, The Lottery.

Reviewed by Meri H., University City Regional

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