New Titles Added to Book Discussion Collection

The following titles are now available in the WVLC BDG Collection:

Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital by Sheri Fink.  Fink has won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Magazine Award, and other journalism prizes.  Here she investigates five days at Memorial Medical Center after Hurricane Katrina destroyed its generators to reveal how caregivers were forced to make life-and-death decisions without essential resources.  Have you ever been in a city when a natural disaster brought chaos to all?  What are the ethical and legal standards the medical community uphold in a disaster?  Who is responsible for the tragedy at Memorial Hospital?    This title is guaranteed to lead to a discussion not to be forgotten.  551 pages, hardback.

The Good Lord Bird by James McBride.  The 2013 National Book Award winner. “Mistaken for a girl on account of his curly hair, delicate features, and sackcloth smock, 12-year-old slave Henry Shackleford realizes that his accidental disguise affords him greater safety and decides to remain female. Dubbed "Little Onion" by his liberator, abolitionist John Brown, Henry accompanies the increasingly fanatical Brown on his crusade to end slavery -- a picaresque journey that takes them from Bloody Kansas to Rochester, New York, where they attempt to enlist the support of such notables as Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman before embarking on the infamous, ill-fated 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry”. - Description by Gillian Speace.  417 pages, hardback.

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd.  Inspired by the true story of nineteenth century abolitionist and suffragist Sarah Grinke. Given a 4.25 rating on goodreads.com; Monk delivers a strong biographical novel which will have you talking about women’s rights, abolition, symbolism and imagery, and the relevancy of historical fiction for readers today. 384 pages, hardback.

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline.  A New York Times Bestseller, the narratives of two women, one who was one of the estimated 250,000 orphaned, abandoned, and homeless children placed throughout the United States and Canada during the Orphan Train Movement, from 1854 to 1929  and one, a contemporary 17 year old woman growing up in foster care.  Interview with author, photos, and readers’ guide included in the book.  278 pages, paperback.  See the email below this message – Blogging for a Good Book review on this book.

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler.  “What is the boundary between human and animal beings and what happens when that boundary is blurred are two of many questions raised in Fowler's provocative sixth novel (The Jane Austen Book Club, 2004, etc.), the narration of a young woman grieving over her lost sister, who happens to be a chimpanzee….. Readers will forgive Fowler's occasional didacticism about animal experimentation since Rosemary's voice--vulnerable, angry, shockingly honest--is so compelling and the cast of characters, including Fern, irresistible. A fantastic novel: technically and intellectually complex, while emotionally gripping.” (Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2013) 308 pages, paperback.

The WVLC BDG Collection can be found on the WVLC catalog.  Follow these instructions for catalog searching:

Go to WVLC catalog

Click on Basic Search

Place wvlcbdg in the Search box

In the Within box, pull down Subject and click on Search

Each title will be listed, click on the title of choice; inside the title’s record, you can find a summary and read reviews by clicking on the book’s image. 

Please contact Susan Hayden or Robert Gibson for scheduling titles or more information about the BDG Collection.

All of the titles ready by book discussion groups can be used by WV Reads 150+ Teams.