In honor of the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Book Buzz this week highlights new biographies that illustrate lives still not free. Today, as then, we need support to work for the civil rights that Dr. King
In honor of the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Book Buzz this week highlights new biographies that illustrate lives still not free. Today, as then, we need support to work for the civil rights that Dr. King championed: respect, dignity, justice and freedom. You will not find these stories without hope. On the contrary, the glory of humanity shines brightest in adversity; and as you dream of a better world you will find information and inspiration in these stories
Happy reading!
Bloodsworth
By Tim Junking
364.66092 Ju
Charged with the rape and murder of a nine-year-old-girl in 1984, Kirk Bloodsworth was tried, convicted and sentenced to die in Maryland’s gas chamber. After nine years in one of the harshest prisons in America, Bloodsworth became the first death row inmate exonerated by DNA evidence. Pardoned by the Maryland governor, he is now a spokesman against capital punishment. About 260 others who were wrongly convicted have since been released and thousands still in prison are waiting for DNA testing. Also look for A Saint on Death Row: How a Forgotten Child Became a Man and Changed a World by Thomas Cahill.
I Am Hutterite: The Fascinating True Story of a Young Woman’s Journey to Reclaim Her Heritage
By Mary-Ann Kirkby
289.7092 Ki
The Hutterite religious colony in rural Manitoba was an idyllic place for a growing young girl filled with adventure, strong bonds of friendship, rich delicious food, and a deep sense of belonging. But for the author’s parents it had become a place of tension and conflict. So in 1969 they did the unthinkable, left the colony with seven children, and little else, to start a new life. Thrust into a society she did not understand, the author denied her heritage in order to fit in, until as an adult, she came to terms with her past. This is the story about retracing our steps and understanding how our beginnings often define us.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
By Rebecca Skloot
616.02774 Sk
She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells – taken without her knowledge or consent – became one of the most important tools in medicine. They launched a multimillion-dollar industry that sells human biological materials, yet her family never saw any of the profits. The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, they were vital for developing the polio vaccine and in vitro fertilization, uncovering secrets of cancer and gene mapping, and studying the atom bomb’s effects. Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave. The story of the Lacks family in inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of.
Sky Train: Tibetan Women on the Edge of History
By Canyon Sam
306.42095 Sa
In her lyrical narrative of a journey to Tibet on China’s new “Sky Train,” the author glimpses the country’s past through the eyes of Tibetan women-a visionary educator, a freedom fighter, a gulag survivor, a child bride. Sam gracefully connects the women’s poignant histories to larger cultural, political and spiritual themes, as she tells of searching for her own ancestral roots in China but instead finding a spiritual home in Tibet. Also look for Heroes of China’s Great Leap Forward: Two Stories edited by Richard King featuring contrasting narratives of the most ambitious and disastrous mass movement in modern China. The first story celebrates the Great Leap as a time of optimism, dynamism and shared purpose. In contrast, the second story portrays the Great Leap’s darker side: the horror of a famine that killed tens of millions of the nation’s peasants.
Unbowed: A Memoir
By Wangari Maathai
333.72092 Maathai Ma
The first African woman, and the first environmentalist to win the Nobel Peace Prize, the author recounts her extraordinary journey from her childhood in rural Kenya to the international stage. When she founded the Green Belt Movement in 1977 in Kenya, she began a renowned poor people’s environmental effort that soon inspired the world. Having endured jailings, beatings, and personal losses, Maathai continued to plant trees and change lives, and worked successfully to save Kenya’s forests and to restore democracy to her beloved country. Her story provides uplifting proof of the power of perseverance and the power of principled, passionate people to change their countries and inspire the world. For another inspiring story out of Africa check out Tracy Kidder’s Strength in What Remains: A Journey of Remembrance and Forgiveness.
The Meaning of Matthew: My Son’s Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed
By Judy Shepard
364.1523 Sh
The mother of Matthew Shepard, a twenty-one-year-old victim of a brutal hate crime, shares personal stories about her son’s life, the aftermath of his death and the choice she made to honor his legacy by becoming an international gay rights activist. Shepard describes how she handled the crippling loss of her child in the public eye and eventually, came to realize that both she and Matthew – even in death – had a rare opportunity to prevent future intolerance and prejudice. Also look for Beyond (Straight and Gay) Marriage: Valuing All Families under the Law by Nancy D. Prolikoff. Rather than mincing various definitions of marriage, the author discusses achieving equal benefits for all people whether married or not.
Meena, Heroine of Afghanistan: The Martyr Who Founded RAWA, the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan
By Melody Ermachild Chavis
304.484 Ch
Assassinated at age thirty, the brave woman who dared to start a revolution still lives on in the hearts of all progressive Muslim women. This is the compelling story of Meena’s struggle for democracy and women’s rights in Afghanistan. It has inspired young women the world over. Also look for Rumors of our Progress Have Been Greatly Exaggerated: Why Women’s Lives Aren’t Getting Any Easier and How we Can Make Real Progress for Ourselves and Our Daughters by Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney.
WAR
By Sebastian Junger
958.1047 Ju
War is not always protection of citizens and nations from invaders, it is often the young and the poor fighting for the financial interests of the rich, and in this way enslaves the warriors, their families as well as general society. Junger’s latest book strives to convey what soldiers experience – what war actually feels like. He illuminates the lives of the men who fight for us – how they live, what they see and learn and feel – lives that few of us at home truly comprehend.
• Carolyn Larson, head librarian at Lihu‘e Public Library, brings you the buzz on new, popular and good books available at your neighborhood library. Book annotations are culled from online publishers’ descriptions and published reviews.
