BOOKSHELF
August Books
FICTION
People Like Us, by Jason Mott
Two Black writers are trying to find peace and belonging in a world that is rife with gun violence. One is on a global book tour after a big prize win; the other is set to give a speech at a school that has suffered a shooting. As their two storylines merge, truths and antics abound in equal measure: Characters drink booze out of an award trophy; menaces lurk in the shadows; tiny French cars putter around the countryside; handguns seem to hover in the air; and dreams endure against all odds. Mott, the 2021 National Book Award winner, delivers an electric new novel that is wickedly funny and achingly sad all at once. It is an utter triumph bursting with larger-than-life characters who deliver a very real take on our world.
Sheepdogs, by Elliot Ackerman
Two misfits. One mission. Zero back-up. When a high-stakes heist goes wrong, an ex-CIA operative and a special operations pilot find themselves in the middle of a game of espionage and survival as they navigate a treacherous web of deception and shifting loyalties in a globe-spanning thriller. Skwerl, once an elite member of the CIA’s paramilitary unit, was cast out after a raid gone wrong in Afghanistan. Big Cheese Aziz, a former Afghan pilot of legendary skill, now works the graveyard shift at a gas station. Recruited into a shadowy network of “sheepdogs,” they embark on a mission to repossess a multi-million-dollar private jet stranded on a remote African airfield. As they wind through a labyrinth of lies and hidden agendas, they discover that nothing is as it seems. With the stakes skyrocketing and the women in their lives drawn into the fray, this unlikely spy duo will need to be as cunning as they are bold to survive in a game where the line between the hunters and the hunted is razor-thin.
NONFICTION
Are You Mad at Me?, by Meg Josephson
Josephson, a psychotherapist and clinical social worker, is here to show you that people-pleasing is not a personality trait. It’s a common survival mechanism known as “fawning” — an instinct often learned in childhood to become more appealing to a perceived threat in order to feel safe. Yet many people are stuck in this way of being for their whole lives. Are You Mad at Me? weaves Josephson’s own moving story with that of fascinating client stories and thought-provoking exercises to help you shed the behaviors that are keeping you stuck in the past so that you can live in your most authentic present.
This Happened to Me: A Reckoning, by Kate Price
Price grew up in northern Appalachia in a small mill town in central Pennsylvania with her sister and parents. At the insistence of her mother, and through her academic accomplishments, she escaped the unbroken cycles of poverty, violence, addiction, mental illness and abuse that had plagued her family for generations to start a new life in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Having left this dark world behind, it still kept a firm grip on her. Overcome with unexplainable grief and sadness, and having sustained a series of hazy flashbacks, Price sought out Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, a trauma specialist, to help heal her constant emotional pain. With van der Kolk as her guide, Price discovered what that darkness that lay within her was — her father had abused and trafficked her as a child. Price grappled with what had been revealed. Did this really happen to her? A dedicated researcher and academic, she knew she needed confirmation, proof that what she had remembered had happened. And so began a 10-year quest alongside a journalist, to prove what Price knew to be her truth. In this exquisitely rendered, transformative memoir, Price describes how she broke free of what had defined her childhood, and went on to create a purpose-driven life and family, on her own terms.
CHILDREN'S BOOKS
This Is Me: Getting to know yourself and others better,
by Helena Haraštová
This engaging book uses delightful stories to explore important feelings and traits, helping young readers better understand themselves and others. From Olivia’s courage to Tina’s thoughtfulness and Daniel’s carefulness, you’ll see how everyone’s different qualities make the world a richer place. The stories of 10 amazing kids spark important conversations about being yourself, understanding your emotions, and celebrating what makes everyone special. (Ages 6-9.)
The Slightly Spooky Tale of Fox and Mole, by Cecilia Heikkila
Fox and Mole live alone on a headland, in two houses, side by side. Mole is carefree and self-centered. Fox is responsible and self-sacrificing. As autumn draws in, the friends read a spooky story together (which Mole keeps interrupting) about a raccoon who transforms into a scuffling monster (a slightly spooky bit) while Mole eats Fox’s cookies (all of them). The Wind in the Willows meets the Brontës in this unique picture book, a cozy, wry, gothic tale for curling up with on long, dark evenings. (Ages 4-7.)
Wonderfully Wild,
by Justine de Lagausie
Nature is full of naughty animals — from chimpanzees who pick their noses to pigs who play in mud. Children and mischievous adults alike will laugh out loud while learning some basic animal facts and realizing that, compared to the species depicted, they’re very well behaved! This celebration of cheeky critters is perfect for fans of Butt or Face? (Ages 4-8.)