Here you can find information on the many titles housed in the Millcreek Community Center Library's book club collection. We have summaries of each book, as well as links to our catalogue, and other resources for reading groups. All titles can be checked out singly or as a set to anyone with a Salt Lake County Library card.
Showing posts with label Historical Fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Historical Fiction. Show all posts
Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth
Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an
average woman. But it's the early 1960s and her all-male team at
Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality.
Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel–prize
nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind.
True chemistry results.
But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later
Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant
star of America's most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth's
unusual approach to cooking ("combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a
pinch of sodium chloride") proves revolutionary. But as her following
grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott
isn't just teaching women to cook. She's daring them to change the
status quo.
Laugh-out-loud funny, shrewdly observant, and studded with a dazzling cast of supporting characters, Lessons in Chemistry is as original and vibrant as its protagonist.
To find a discussion guide for this book in the NoveList Plus database, go to the Library's website, click on Novelist under "We Recommend" → "Book Services". Click on "Book Discussion Guides" in the right sidebar on NoveList's
home page. Then, either enter the title in the Search box or search for
the title alphabetically. (You will need your Salt Lake County Library
card number to access this resource outside a county library.)
The latest historical novel from New York Times bestselling
author Lisa See, inspired by the true story of a woman physician from
15th-century China - perfect for fans of See's classic Snow flower and the Secret Fan and The Island of Sea Women.
According to Confucius, "an educated woman is a worthless woman,"
but Tan Yunxian—born into an elite family, yet haunted by death,
separations, and loneliness—is being raised by her grandparents to be of
use. Her grandmother is one of only a handful of female doctors in
China, and she teaches Yunxian the pillars of Chinese medicine, the Four
Examinations—looking, listening, touching, and asking—something a man
can never do with a female patient.
From a young age, Yunxian learns about women's illnesses, many of which
relate to childbearing, alongside a young midwife-in-training, Meiling.
The two girls find fast friendship and a mutual purpose—despite the
prohibition that a doctor should never touch blood while a midwife comes
in frequent contact with it—and they vow to be forever friends, sharing
in each other's joys and struggles. No mud, no lotus, they tell
themselves: from adversity beauty can bloom.
But when Yunxian is sent into an arranged marriage, her mother-in-law
forbids her from seeing Meiling and from helping the women and girls in
the household. Yunxian is to act like a proper wife—embroider bound-foot
slippers, pluck instruments, recite poetry, give birth to sons, and
stay forever within the walls of the family compound, the Garden of
Fragrant Delights.
How might a woman like Yunxian break free of these traditions, go on to
treat women and girls from every level of society, and lead a life of
such importance that many of her remedies are still used five centuries
later? How might the power of friendship support or complicate these
efforts? Lady Tan's Circle of Women is a captivating story of
women helping other women. It is also a triumphant reimagining of the
life of a woman who was remarkable in the Ming dynasty and would be
considered remarkable today.
To find a discussion guide for this book in the NoveList Plus database, go to the Library's website, click on Novelist under "We Recommend" → "Book Services". Click on "Book Discussion Guides" in the right sidebar on NoveList's
home page. Then, either enter the title in the Search box or search for
the title alphabetically. (You will need your Salt Lake County Library
card number to access this resource outside a county library.)
In this remarkable debut based on actual events, as a team of male scholars compiles the first Oxford English Dictionary, the daughter of one of them decides to collect the "objectionable" words they omit.
Esme is born into a world of words. Motherless and
irrepressibly curious, she spends her childhood in the Scriptorium, a
garden shed in Oxford where her father and a team of dedicated
lexicographers are collecting words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary. Young Esme's place is beneath the sorting table, unseen and unheard. One day a slip of paper containing the word bondmaid
flutters beneath the table. She rescues the slip, and when she learns
that the word means "slave girl," she begins to collect other words that
have been discarded or neglected by the dictionary men.
As she grows up, Esme realizes that words and meanings relating to
women's and common folks' experiences often go unrecorded. And so she
begins in earnest to search out words for her own dictionary: the
Dictionary of Lost Words. To do so she must leave the sheltered world of
the university and venture out to meet the people whose words will fill
those pages.
Set during the height of the women's suffrage movement and with the Great War looming, The Dictionary of Lost Words
reveals a lost narrative, hidden between the lines of a history written
by men. Inspired by actual events, author Pip Williams has delved into
the archives of the Oxford English Dictionary to tell this highly original story. The Dictionary of Lost Words is a delightful, lyrical, and deeply thought-provoking celebration of words and the power of language to shape the world.
To find a discussion guide for this book in the NoveList Plus database, go to the Library's website, click on Novelist under "We Recommend" → "Book Services". Click on "Book Discussion Guides" in the right sidebar on NoveList's
home page. Then, either enter the title in the Search box or search for
the title alphabetically. (You will need your Salt Lake County Library
card number to access this resource outside a county library.)
“Fast Girls
is a compelling, thrilling look at what it takes to be a female
Olympian in pre-war America. Rich with historical detail and brilliant
story-telling, the book follows three athletes on their path to compete –
and win – in a man’s world. Brava to Elise Hooper for bringing these
inspiring heroines to the wide audience they so richly deserve.”—Tara
Conklin, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Romanticsand The House Girl
Acclaimed
author Elise Hooper explores the gripping, real life history of female
athletes, members of the first integrated women’s Olympic team, and
their journeys to the 1936 summer games in Berlin, Nazi Germany.
In
the 1928 Olympics, Chicago’s Betty Robinson competes as a member of the
first-ever women’s delegation in track and field. Destined for further
glory, she returns home feted as America’s Golden Girl until a
nearly-fatal airplane crash threatens to end everything.
Outside
of Boston, Louise Stokes, one of the few black girls in her town, sees
competing as an opportunity to overcome the limitations placed on her.
Eager to prove that she has what it takes to be a champion, she risks
everything to join the Olympic team.
From Missouri, Helen
Stephens, awkward, tomboyish, and poor, is considered an outcast by her
schoolmates, but she dreams of escaping the hardships of her farm life
through athletic success. Her aspirations appear impossible until a
chance encounter changes her life.
These three athletes will join
with others to defy society’s expectations of what women can achieve.
As tensions bring the United States and Europe closer and closer to the
brink of war, Betty, Louise, and Helen must fight for the chance to
compete as the fastest women in the world amidst the pomp and pageantry
of the Nazi-sponsored 1936 Olympics in Berlin.
To find a discussion guide for this book in the NoveList Plus database, go to the Library's website, click on Novelist under "We Recommend" → "Book Services". Click on "Book Discussion Guides" in the right sidebar on NoveList's home page. Then, either enter the title in the Search box or search for the title alphabetically. (You will need your Salt Lake County Library card number to access this resource outside a county library.)
Set in Appalachia and the Midwest at the turn of
the twentieth century, this exquisite debut novel paints an intimately
rendered portrait of one resilient farm family's challenges and hard-won
triumphs--helmed by an unforgettable heroine. Growing
up on their hardscrabble farm in rural Kentucky, fifteen-year-old
Albertina "Bertie" Winslow has learned a lot from her mama, Polly. She
knows how to lance a boil, make a pie crust, butcher a pig, and tend to
every chore that needs doing. What she doesn't know, but is forced to
reckon with all too soon, is how to look after children as a mother
should ...
When Polly succumbs to a long illness, Bertie takes on
responsibility for her four younger siblings and their dissolute,
unreliable daddy. Yet no matter how hard she tries to hold the family
together, the task is overwhelming. Nine-year-old Dacia, especially, is
resentful and stubborn, hinting at secrets in their mama's life.
Finally, Bertie makes the only choice she can--breaking up the family
for its own survival, keeping the girls with her, sending the boys off
to their grown brothers, long gone from home.
Ever pragmatic,
Bertie marries young, grateful to find a husband willing to take on the
care of her sisters, and eventually moves to the oil fields of Kansas.
But marriage alone cannot resolve the grief and guilt she carries over a
long-ago tragedy, or prepare her for the heartaches still to come. Only
by confronting wrenching truths can she open herself to joy--and learn
how to not only give, but receive, unfettered love.
Inspired by stories told by the author's mother and aunts, All the Forgivenesses is as authentic as it is lyrical--a captivating novel of family loyalty, redemption, and resilience.
To find a discussion guide for this book in the NoveList Plus database, go to the Library's website, click on Novelist under "We Recommend" → "Book Services". Click on "Book Discussion Guides" in the right sidebar on NoveList's home page. Then, either enter the title in the Search box or search for the title alphabetically. (You will need your Salt Lake County Library card number to access this resource outside a county library.)
The remarkable, little-known story of Belle da Costa Greene, J. P.
Morgan's personal librarian--who became one of the most powerful women
in New York despite the dangerous secret she kept in order to make her
dreams come true, from New York Times bestselling author Marie Benedict and acclaimed author Victoria Christopher Murray.
In her twenties, Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J. P.
Morgan to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books, and artwork
for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library. Belle becomes a fixture on
the New York society scene and one of the most powerful people in the
art and book world, known for her impeccable taste and shrewd
negotiating for critical works as she helps build a world-class
collection.
But Belle has a secret, one she must protect at all costs. She was born
not Belle da Costa Greene but Belle Marion Greener. She is the daughter
of Richard Greener, the first Black graduate of Harvard and a well-known
advocate for equality. Belle's complexion isn't dark because of her
alleged Portuguese heritage that lets her pass as white--her complexion
is dark because she is African American.
The Personal Librarian tells the story of an extraordinary woman,
famous for her intellect, style, and wit, and shares the lengths to
which she must go--for the protection of her family and her legacy--to
preserve her carefully crafted white identity in the racist world in
which she lives.
To find a discussion guide for this book in the NoveList Plus database, go to the Library's website, click on Novelist under "We Recommend" → "Book Services". Click on "Book Discussion Guides" in the right sidebar on NoveList's home page. Then, either enter the title in the Search box or search for the title alphabetically. (You will need your Salt Lake County Library card number to access this resource outside a county library.)
The critically acclaimed, bestselling author of News of the World and Enemy Women
returns to Texas in this atmospheric story, set at the end of the Civil
War, about an itinerant fiddle player, a ragtag band of musicians with
whom he travels trying to make a living, and the charming young Irish
lass who steals his heart.
In March 1865, the long and bitter War between the States is
winding down. Till now, twenty-three-year-old Simon Boudlin has evaded
military duty thanks to his slight stature, youthful appearance, and
utter lack of compunction about bending the truth. But following a
barroom brawl in Victoria, Texas, Simon finds himself conscripted,
however belatedly, into the Confederate Army. Luckily his talent with a
fiddle gets him a comparatively easy position in a regimental band.
Weeks
later, on the eve of the Confederate surrender, Simon and his bandmates
are called to play for officers and their families from both sides of
the conflict. There the quick-thinking, audacious fiddler can't help but
notice the lovely Doris Mary Aherne, an indentured girl from Ireland,
who is governess to a Union colonel's daughter.
After the
surrender, Simon and Doris go their separate ways. He will travel around
Texas seeking fame and fortune as a musician. She must accompany the
colonel's family to finish her three years of service. But Simon cannot
forget the fair Irish maiden, and vows that someday he will find her
again.
Incandescent in its beauty, told in Paulette Jiles's trademark spare yet lilting style, Simon the Fiddler
is a captivating, bittersweet tale of the chances a devoted man will
take, and the lengths he will go to fulfill his heart's yearning.
To find a discussion guide for this book in the NoveList Plus database, go to the Library's website, click on Novelist under "We Recommend" → "Book Services". Click on "Book Discussion Guides" in the right sidebar on NoveList's
home page. Then, either enter the title in the Search box or search for
the title alphabetically. (You will need your Salt Lake County Library
card number to access this resource outside a county library.)
That September 2, 1939, the day of the Spanish exiles' splendid arrival in Chile, the Second World War broke out in Europe.
Victor Dalmau is a young doctor when he is caught up in the
Spanish Civil War, a tragedy that leaves his life - and the fate of his
country - forever changed. Together with his sister-in-law, the pianist
Roser Bruguera, he is forced out of his beloved Barcelona and into
exile.
When opportunity to seek refuge in Chile arises, they
take it, boarding a ship chartered by the poet Pablo Neruda to the
promised 'long petal of sea and wine and snow' over the seas. There,
they find themselves enmeshed in a rich web of characters who come
together in love and tragedy over the course of four generations,
destined to witness the battle between freedom and repression as it
plays out across the world.
A masterful work of historical fiction about hope, exile and belonging, A Long Petal of the Sea is Isabel Allende at the height of her powers.
To find a discussion guide for this book in the NoveList Plus database, go to the Library's website, click on Novelist under "We Recommend" → "Book Services". Click on "Book Discussion Guides" in the right sidebar on NoveList's
home page. Then, either enter the title in the Search box or search for
the title alphabetically. (You will need your Salt Lake County Library
card number to access this resource outside a county library.)
An extraordinary story set in the first century about a woman who
finds her voice and her destiny, from the celebrated number one New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Life of Bees and The Invention of Wings.
In her mesmerizing fourth work of fiction, Sue Monk Kidd
takes an audacious approach to history and brings her acclaimed
narrative gifts to imagine the story of a young woman named Ana. Raised
in a wealthy family with ties to the ruler of Galilee, she is rebellious
and ambitious, with a brilliant mind and a daring spirit. She engages
in furtive scholarly pursuits and writes narratives about neglected and
silenced women. Ana is expected to marry an older widower, a prospect
that horrifies her. An encounter with eighteen-year-old Jesus changes
everything.
Their marriage evolves with love and conflict, humor and pathos in
Nazareth, where Ana makes a home with Jesus, his brothers, and their
mother, Mary. Ana's pent-up longings intensify amid the turbulent
resistance to Rome's occupation of Israel, partially led by her brother,
Judas. She is sustained by her fearless aunt Yaltha, who harbors a
compelling secret. When Ana commits a brazen act that puts her in peril,
she flees to Alexandria, where startling revelations and greater
dangers unfold, and she finds refuge in unexpected surroundings. Ana
determines her fate during a stunning convergence of events considered
among the most impactful in human history.
Grounded in meticulous research and written with a reverential approach to Jesus's life that focuses on his humanity, The Book of Longings
is an inspiring, unforgettable account of one woman's bold struggle to
realize the passion and potential inside her, while living in a time,
place and culture devised to silence her. It is a triumph of
storytelling both timely and timeless, from a masterful writer at the
height of her powers.
To find a discussion guide for this book in the NoveList Plus database, go to the Library's website, click on Novelist under "We Recommend" → "Book Services". Click on "Book Discussion Guides" in the right sidebar on NoveList's
home page. Then, either enter the title in the Search box or search for
the title alphabetically. (You will need your Salt Lake County Library
card number to access this resource outside a county library.)
