May 2017 Sawiris Library Newsletter

MAY 2017 Issue

US Sawiris Library

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"The very existence of libraries affords the best evidence that we yet have hope for the future of man." T.S. Eliot

Welcome to the May issue of "The Hub".

This month, English teachers Maryama Antoine and Filipa Pavic review two new fiction titles. Ms. Antoine writes about Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue that tells the story of an African couple who decides to move to New York city to pursue their dreams. Ms. Pavic, for her part, reviews The Girls by Emma Cline, the powerful story of a young girl who is drawn into a cult that is too reminiscent of that of Charles Manson.

I also want to bring your attention to two other additions to our collection. A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived in which Adam Rutherford demystifies what we were led to believe about genetics and tells the fascinating story of where we come from, and March the bestseller graphic novel trilogy written by American Congressman and activist John Lewis about his personal memories of the Civil Rights Movement.

Finally, to help students during senior exams the library will remain open until 6 pm on the following days:

. Thursday, May 11

. Monday, May 15

. Tuesday, May 16

Keep reading! Until next month...

Mario Chioini

US Librarian

NEW ADDITIONS

The small e icon preceeding a call number indicates the item is an electronic book (e-book).

FICTION

e F CHA

Charbonneau, Joelle. Need. Boston : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, c2015.

In this exploration of the dark side of social media, and government control and manipulation, the teenagers in a small town are drawn deeper and deeper into a social networking site that promises to grant their every need--regardless of the consequences.

F MUL

Mulligan, Andy. Trash. New York : Ember, 2011, c2010.

A group of fourteen-year-old boys, who make a living picking garbage from the outskirts of a large city, finds something special and mysterious that brings terrifying consequences.

F SHA

Shaw, Susan, 1951-. Tunnel vision. New York : Margaret K. McElderry Books, c2011.

After witnessing her mother's murder, sixteen-year-old high school student Liza Wellington and her father go into the witness protection program.

SC CAR

Taking aim : power and pain, teens and guns. Edited by Michael Cart. 1st ed. New York, NY : HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, c2015.

This anthology of stories from acclaimed young adult authors examines the thought-provoking issues of gun violence, gun control, and gun ownership.

NON FICTION

572.861 RUT

Rutherford, Adam. A brief history of everyone who ever lived. London, UK : Weidenfeld & Nicolson, c2016.

In this journey through the expanding landscape of genetics, Adam Rutherford reveals what our genes now tell us about history, and what history tells us about our genes. From Neanderthals to murder, from redheads to race, dead kings to plague, evolution to epigenetics, this is a demystifying new portrait of who we are and how we came to be.

658 TRE

Trentmann, Frank. Empire of things : how we became a world of consumers, from the fifteenth century to the twenty-first. London, UK : Penguin Books, 2017, c2016.

Unfolds the extraordinary story of our modern material world, from Renaissance Italy and late Ming China to today's global economy.

741.5 KAR

Kariya, Tetsu, 1941-. Oishinbo : a la carte. The joy of rice. The VIZ Signature ed. San Francisco : VIZ Media, 2011, c2005.

Yamaoka is asked by Tozai's head chef for help in coming up with a new rice dish; but what starts out as a simple request rapidly turns into a heated discussion into the past, present, and future of Japan's food culture.

741.5 KAR

Kariya, Tetsu, 1941-. Oishinbo : a la carte. Vegetables. VIZ signature ed. San Francisco : VIZ Media, 2009, c2006.

Yamaoka represents the "Ultimate Menu" of "Tozai News" and faces off against his nemesis--and father--Kaibara Yūzan, who represents the "Supreme Menu" of the "Teito Times," in a culinary battle with vegetables--specifically cabbages and turnips.

3741.5 LEW

Lewis, John, 1940 February 21-. March. Volumes 1, 2 & 3. Marietta, GA : Top Shelf Productions, c2013, c2015, c2016.

Presents in graphic novel format events from the life of Georgia congressman John Lewis, focusing on his youth in rural Alabama, his meeting with Martin Luther King Jr., and the birth of the Nashville Student Movement.

741.5 MOR (Fr)

Morvan, Jean-David. Louis XIV. Grenoble, France : Glenat / Fayard, c2015.

A graphic novel on Louis XIV's life and achievements written jointly by a comic book artist and a noted history specialist. Also contains 8 bonus pages written by the historian, to give more insight on the character.

813 STRAYED

Strayed, Cheryl, 1968-. Wild : from lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail. London, UK : Alfred A. Knopf, 2013, c2012.

Cheryl Strayed recounts the impact of her mother's death on her life at age twenty-two and chronicles her experiences after she made the impulsive decision to hike the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert all the way into Washington State.

DVDs

DVD F DRA

Dracula untold. French ed. Paris, France : Universal Pictures Video, 2015, c2014. Directed by Gary Shore.

After a Turkish ruler threatens to take Transylvanian people for his army, Vlad Dracula encounters an ancient vampire and is offered the chance to have supernatural powers that will protect his people.

DVD F FLA

Flashdance. French ed. Paramount Pictures, 2007, c1983. Directed by Adrian Lyne.

A young woman works as a welder by day, an erotic dancer by night, while pursuing her dream of dancing with the Pittsburgh Ballet.

DVD F ING

Inglourious basterds. French ed. Paris, France : Universal Pictures Video, c2010. Directed by Quentin Tarantino.

In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as 'The Basterds' are chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis.

DVD F MEM

Testament of youth = Mémoires de jeunesse. French ed. Boulogne Billancourt, France : TF1 Vidéo, 2016, c2014. Directed by James Kent.

A powerful story of love, war and remembrance, based on the First World War memoir by Vera Brittain, which has become the classic testimony of that war from a woman's point of view.

DVD F MIS

Mr. Turner. French ed. Boulogne-Billancourt, France : TF1 Video, 2015, c2014. Directed by Mike Leigh.

Explores the last quarter century of the British painter J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851).

BOOK HIGHLIGHT

Title: Behold the Dreamers

Author: Imbolo Mbue

Pages:  382

Call number: F MBU

Reviewer: Maryama Antoine

The huddled masses of Africa yearn for the American lifestyle: its opportunities, its decadence- but how far will they go to get it? Where does one draw the moral line when desire peppers survival? These questions are at the core of Imbolo Mbue's debut novel: Behold The Dreamers. It is a heartfelt story that images the struggles and hopes of those for whom the statue of liberty still stands as shining beacon and the disappointments of the established where fractured marriages crumble under the pressure of golden handcuffs.

It is the tale of Jende Jonga and his wife Neni and their lives as immigrants from Cameroon in New York city. It is also the story of Clark Edwards, a senior executive at Lehman Brothers as the banking institution shakes in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crash, his attractive wife Cindy who drinks a little too much and the children gone elsewhere in search of truth.

Imbue samples from the top and bottom of American society and interweaves the lives of these two couples in order to make her case about corruption.

If you are looking for superb writing, sentences worthy of a frame - this novel may fail you. It is nonetheless a good read, profound and riveting in the pace it keeps and its lessons about class and immigration in America.

Book reviewed by Maryama Antoine, Upper School English teacher

NOTE: If you wish to share your opinion on a library book, please send your review to M. Chioini.

BOOK HIGHLIGHT

Title: The Girls
Author: Emma Cline
Pages:  355
Call number: F CLI

Reviewer: Filipa Pavic

Have you every wondered why anyone would ever join a cult of their own volition? If you do, you will enjoy Emma Cline's novel The Girls. Set in the 1960s, the story follows the life of teenage Evie Boyd who is longing for friends and a sense of place. She becomes infatuated with the dynamic and beautiful Suzanne who is able to lure Evie into the clutches of an infamous cult.

As one reads the story, it is easy to understand why Evie was mesmerized by Suzanne and the offerings of her group given how well the story was written by Cline. The use of flashbacks and descriptive language kept the reader engaged and curious. One learns the final outcome of the cult in the initial pages of the novel but only at the end does Clive weave through the lurid details. The anticipation of the 'event' keeps one hooked! It is evident that the book is an allusion of the notorious Manson Family and the description of the cult leader mirrors that of Charles Manson. A compelling read for those looking for a well told story and for those interested in culturally significant periods in American history.

Book reviewed by Filipa Pavic, Middle School English teacher

NOTE: If you wish to share your opinion on a library book, please send your review to M. Chioini.