Check out these book reviews from Deena. Deena was a member of the Library’s Patron Service Team who is retired. She has generously continued to share book reviews with us. Thank you, Deena!
The Storm by Rachel Hawkins DB 134218
This story has parallel story lines for the years 1965 and 2025. In 1965, three high school girls were good friends when Hurricane Delphine swept into Saint Medard’s Bay. The girls survived, but several people did not, including the governor’s son, Landon Fitzroy who died near the Rosalie Inn. One of the girls was eventually tried for his murder, but the trial ended in a hung jury.
2025: Geneva Bailey runs the Rosalie Inn, inherited from her parents. It has survived all the hurricanes up to the present day, despite being near the water. Hurricane Marie is bearing down on the inn and its guests. As the hurricane winds down there will be answers of what happened that night in 1965, and who killed Landon and why.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor BR 11509, DB 10893, JLT Tay
There is nothing more important to the Logan family than their land. They have owned it for several generations. The Logan family is a black family living in Mississippi in the 1930’s. That fall the children learn some hard lessons, Cassie the only girl is chastised when she accidentally runs into a white girl, she knew and the girl’s father makes her apologize and pushes her off the sidewalk. Her brother, Stacy learns that friends aren’t always what they seem, when they talk you into doing things. The family wants equality for themselves, their friends and neighbors, so they encourage them to shop at a grocery store several miles away where they are treated better. This causes their family to be targeted and threatened. There is a lot of racism, prejudice and bigotry in this story which gives the reader a peek at how things were in the south at that time. This won the Newberry Medal in 1977.
Above the Law by Tim Green DBC 18121
Casey Jordan is a lawyer for the downtrodden. She is called upon to help Isodora when her husband is murdered and she is threatened with deportation. In the process of his investigation, Jose O’Brien, Casey’s partner, discovers the plot goes deeper and involves a US Senator. Casey and Jose have got to go to Mexico to recover Isodora and her child and to uncover what is going on with the deportees being loaded up and sent to Mexico. As the plot thickens, they get into several scrapes that threaten to unravel their investigation. A fast-paced mystery.
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