We humans seem naturally preoccupied with appearance and body modification. Modern culture sells health and well-being in slim, athletic packages. If we all could achieve ambitious weight and fitness goals, advertisers promise us happier lives. Couple this message with a society that demands instant gratification, and it is no wonder dramatic weight loss surgery, such as the duodenal switch, is so popular. Journey with blogger and author Jen Larsen in Stranger Here, as she diminishes to a size 4, after topping out at over 300 pounds. Is she automatically healthier and happier? Not so much. But she does provide readers of all size and shapes with a sharp-witted yet entertaining cautionary tale on the road to learning to love herself.

Reviewed by Lydia T., Main Library

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Elissa Walls was a star witness who bought down a notorious cult leader. Warren Jeffs, head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), routinely placing himself above the law. By his divine revelations, he regularly ordered plural marriages, among his devotees. At age fourteen, despite her repeated protests, Elissa was ordered by Jeffs to marry her nineteen year old first cousin. That relationship was abusive and loveless. Elissa suffered through years of repeated miscarriages and estrangement from family members, including her mother, until she gathered the resources to free herself. Follow her memoir in Stolen Innocence, for a fascinating inside look into this fringe culture from the eyes of a child.

Reviewed by Lydia T., Main Library

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Amish culture evokes idyllic scenes of simple rural life. In such closed cultures, however, free thinking and debate is not encouraged, only toil and duty. For intellectually-curious youths, the constraints of Amish culture can be stifling and irrational. In his memoir, Ira Wagler takes the reader on his personal journey, struggling with his unquenchable desire to move beyond his ancestral community. Ira left home numerous occasions between the ages of 17 and 26. His underlying fear of eternal damnation pulled him back, albeit reluctantly, again and again. When he finally reached out in prayer, establishing a personal relationship with the Divine, his darkness and depression were lifted, and he was able to begin his own life.

Reviewed by Lydia T., Main Library

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Bend, Not Break is an incredible story of one woman’s resilience in the face of incredible hardship. Ping Fu grew up in a loving family in Shanghai, China. At the beginning of China’s Cultural Revolution, when she was eight, she was sent to live with her “real parents” in Nanjing. But, instead of living with her “Nanjing parents” Ping and her younger sister must survive on their own in horrific conditions. When Ping was twenty-five she was exiled from China and forced to leave her family behind. Ping came to America knowing only a few words of English, but within a few years she was the CEO of Geomagic, her own powerhouse technology company. Ping’s story is one of courage, intelligence, and sheer determination.

Reviewed by Jessica B., University City Regional

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Memoir of the Sunday Brunch is part restaurant memoir and part tribute to the author’s parents. Julia Pandl grew up as the youngest of nine children. All of her siblings were required to work the Sunday brunch at their father’s restaurant starting at age twelve. Julia’s first time working the Sunday brunch she compared her father to Linda Blair in The Exorcist. The craziness of growing up in a house with nine children will make you laugh out loud, but the love the family shows during each parent’s illness might make you tear up a little. This is a heartfelt memoir of food, family, and love.

Reviewed by Jessica B., University City Regional

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While best known for singer-songwriting and her acclaimed first album “Horses,” Patti Smith is a literary artist, crafting and recreating language and settings into magical landscapes. In her biography, Woolgathering, she authentically returns to the inner sacred space of her childhood self, detailing her world, family, pets, God, and simple objects with surrealism. Part story-telling and poetry, Smith uses beautiful and heart-aching phrases like “The air was carnival, responsive,” and “bits of human spirit that somehow got away,” to saturate the reader in her perceptions, dreams, and recollections. The new edition of this work includes well chosen personal photos and artwork, deepening the experience of her intimate meditation.

Reviewed by Lydia T., Main Library

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Wendy and her younger sister Robin knew from a young age that their mother was not like other mothers. They moved constantly, she never held down a real job, but relied on alimony from a rich ex-husband and “gifts” from various suitors. She smoked and drank constantly and would often wake them up in the middle of the night to scream about how they had ruined her life. As the oldest Wendy tries to shield others from the reality of her home life, while Robin is constantly fighting with their mother as she gets older. Eventually Wendy finds the courage to stand up to her mother and cut her out of her life. Fans of The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls will enjoy this memorable family memoir.

Reviewed by Jessica B., University City Regional

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Rosina Harrison was born a poor Yorkshire girl whose destiny of domestic service was already determined the day she was born. She describes her life`s events with such clarity that she puts the reader into the scene. Rose was forced to leave school early but her determined mother made sure she had learned all the skills necessary to be a Lady`s Maid. This position allowed for more opportunities such as extensive travel and better living conditions than others. Rose eventually was hired by Lady Astor who was not an easy person to work for. She was unpredictable, unappreciative, sarcastic, and demanding. She almost broke Rose`s spirit until Rose finally defended herself. With newfound energy Rose served Lady Astor for 35 years.

Reviewed by Lynne H., South County Regional

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It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a person in possession of good sense enjoys Jane Austen. Professor Amy Elizabeth Smith decided to put this truth to the test and take Jane through six Latin American countries. Even though Smith didn’t speak Spanish and had no idea who her book clubs would be, she decided to explore and follow wherever her answers would lead her. Would all the readers find a connection between Austen’s world and their own? Through adventures and appreciations of new cultures, Smith learns surprising truths, makes good friends, and unexpectedly discovers her own Mr. Darcy. Travel along with Smith, or as Jane says, `The person, whether it be a gentleman or a lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.`

Reviewed by Amanda D., University City Regional

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For contemporary icons, both Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe reluctantly embraced their signature mediums. In the late 1960s, they came together by chance in New York with surging creativity, but lacking resources. Smith’s Just Kids, recounts the support they gave each other as artists, keeping themselves afloat through money problems, identity, and health crises. Smith gently details Mapplethorpe’s all-consuming meticulousness, a trait he ultimately leveraged through his portraits and floral images. Fundamentally a poet, Smith also evolved into a visual artist and performer. She still writes and tours as she nears her seventh decade. Just Kids, is another gift of unconditional love to Robert, from Patti.

Reviewed by Lydia T., Main Library

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