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Vietnamerica: A Family's Journey by G.B. Tran
Villard Books, 2011. 9780345508720.

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The Company Town: The Industrial Edens and Satanic Mills That Shaped the American Economy by Hardy Green
Basic Books, 2010. 9780465018260.

Reviewed by sarahhunt - link to this review

From the rise of the Industrial Revolution in the U.S., some companies extended control of their employees through company-owned towns that housed them. From early cotton mills to candy factories and coal mines, chapters cover different motives like maintaining the moral fiber of the workers, policing what they did on personal time, preventing their escape to other industries and simply making money.

Why I picked it up: Washington state has a lot of company towns in its history, though they’re mostly out of company hands now. These include timber and mining towns and even a secret plutonium extraction site during World War II.

Why I finished it: The company presidents all had a vision of controlling their employees in some way, whether for good or bad reasons, something that almost never comes up in discussions of free markets and capitalism. (Some company towns were structured to keep residents from being represented in local government.) The book showed me in detail how big industries operated throughout the twentieth century, and how the growing power of workers and federal regulation changed what they could and couldn't do.

I'd give it to: Cindy, my union's council president and a union history buff because it is both informative and maddening. The author didn't set out to chronicle the rise and fall of unions, but this thread runs throughout the book. Many employers tried to keep out union organizers or keep employees from voting for union representation. Practices eventually prohibited because of unions were initially defended by businesses: segregated and substandard worker housing, the use of child labor, mandatory twelve-hour shifts, and seven-day work weeks.

BZRK by Michael Grant
Egmont USA, 2012. 9781606843123.

Your YA readers will love BZRK. It is a revolutionary model for publishing - A new way to engage digital users, gamers, players, and readers. An immersive experience that involves participants directly in an unfolding drama around core themes: Conspiracy and mystery; Insanity and changing realities; Engagement and empowerment; Social and personal implications of choice.

"This intense, marvelously plotted, paced, and characterized story will immediately garner comparisons to Lord of the Flies...A potent mix of action and thoughtfulness-centered around good and evil, courage and cowardice-renders this a tour-de-force that will leave readers dazed, disturbed, and utterly breathless." - Booklist praise for Gone by Michael Grant

Sponsored - Learn more about this book - How to sponsor Unshelved

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Day by Day Armageddon by J.L. Bourne, Jay Snyder
Brilliance Audio, 2010. 9781441874917.

Reviewed by emilyjones - link to this review

Witness the end of humanity as we know it by listening to spare journal entries. The narrator is an unnamed military pilot living in San Antonio who figures out that something more sinister is at play when a "flu bug" breaks out in China and spreads across the globe. Without emotion or question, he hoards food and ammunition and reinforces his home, creating a suburban bunker for the inevitable zombie armageddon. 

Why I picked it up: I had to hear how the author, an active duty military officer who has flown more than "sixty combat missions over Iraq," would face the undead. 

Why I finished it: I like zombies but I generally don't like war stories, so I knew this audiobook might be a challenge for me. But my love of all things survival-related took over, and I began to admire his soldierly, no-nonsense approach to facing the end of the world. It was easy to ignore unfamiliar military jargon because I just wanted the narrator to live to see the end of each day. 

I'd give it to: Gail, because she can't stomach the graphic grossness of The Walking Dead on TV, but might be able to listen to this stripped down account of a zombie apocalypse and let her imagination fill in all the gory details (or not). 

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A Hole at the Bottom of the Sea by Joel Achenbach
Simon & Schuster, 2011. 9781451625349.

Reviewed by flemtastic - link to this review

There is big money in deep-sea oil drilling. This is why British Petroleum spent $525,000 a day renting the Deepwater Horizon oil rig from Transocean, and a million dollars a day to drill. 

The well was already a disaster because of cost overruns, broken drill bits, and last-second strategy changes by bigwigs at the corporate office. Then a methane leak through the drilling pipe caused an explosion that killed eleven men, sank the rig, and sent about five million barrels (210 million gallons) of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. (BP was forced to set aside forty billion dollars to pay for damages and clean-up.)

Politicians as far up the ladder as President Obama sprang into action, or at least the appearance of action, because no one wanted to repeat George W. Bush’s Hurricane Katrina performance. The best minds in the nation worked twenty-four hours a day to come up with increasingly crazy methods to stop the black oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico, such as detonating a targeted nuclear bomb. The well’s 5,000 foot depth made designing machines to do otherwise simple tasks like cutting a restraining bolt difficult. The pressure changed all the calculations because, for example, it caused gases in the crude oil to solidify and clog the nozzles that were attempting to draw off or direct the oil spilling into the Gulf.

While the author was impressed with the apparent focus on safety on the drilling rig, having seen all the signs, hardhats, gloves, handrails, and the like, some argued that BP’s safety culture focused on the individual, not the drilling. The book lays out the chain of small details that led to the worst oil spill in U.S. history, like the cement slurry manufactured by Halliburton not being able to contain methane gas, which started the rig fire, and the company ignoring differing results of pressure tests on the well.

Why I picked it up: I saw it in the Quick Picks section of paperbacks at my local library. (I always take a peek there on my way out.)

Why I finished it: Each plan for capping the well had possible negative outcomes which were worse than the already historic spill. There was a very real chance of “oilmageddon” -- the capping of the well could have caused the entire seafloor to burst open with pressurized leaks of oil.  Politics led to wasted money and rushed decisions, like the creation of temporary, man-made island barriers to soak up oil.  They cost tens of millions of dollars, took months to build, changed eco-systems and soaked up little oil. 

I'd give it to: My friend Rich, who would love that the whole spill could have been avoided, as stated in BP’s own report, if the blowout preventer had had sufficient charge in its batteries.   Mikayla, who enjoyed Michael Lewis’s Liar’s Poker and The Big Short because, like this book, they also give behind-the-scenes looks at famous incidents through quirky characters.

Too Much Information: an Unshelved Collection by Gene Ambaum & Bill Barnes
Overdue Media, 2012. 9781937914004.

These days information is easy to come by - too easy, perhaps. In the newest Unshelved collection our stalwart staff of library workers help Mallville's citizens make sense of it all, while dealing with their increasingly worrisome budget problems. Meanwhile Dewey's girlfriend Cathy has a big surprise for him, and his life will never be the same again!

Contains eighteen months worth of daily Unshelved strips in a handy-sized volume, plus strips never published on the web, author commentary and an introduction by Jennifer Holm, author of Babymouse.

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The Hunger of the Seven Squat Bears by Émile Bravo
Yen Press, 2011. 9780316083614.

Reviewed by geneambaum - link to this review

After one of the seven squat bears trades their cow for a magic bean, they nearly starve. Puss in Boots shows up at their door, looking for food, and offers to lose one of the bears in the forest (the one who made the bad trade) in exchange for his share of what they have. But the little bear doesn’t stay lost.

Publisher’s Rating: A All-Ages

Why I picked it up: Bravo is an amazing artist, and I liked the first volume in this series.

Why I finished it: Fairy tale mashups generally make me groan, but Bravo took this one in unexpected directions, from the unexpectedly skinny bears, with their ribs visible beneath their fur, to Little Red Riding Hood running away because she thinks a hungry bear has rabies.

I'd give it to: Denise, who would like the lesson the overweight Hansel and Gretel offer her kids: too much candy isn’t good for you.

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Jersey Tomatoes Are The Best by Maria Padian
Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2011. 9780375865794.

Reviewed by flemtastic - link to this review

Henrietta (Henry) Lloyd is a gifted tennis player who just bageled another girl (beat her 6-0, 6-0) to become the tennis champion of North New Jersey. Her best friend Eva is there to support her even though she could care less about sports. Eva’s passion is ballet, and she’s highly skilled.

The two are split up when Henry goes to a private tennis academy in Florida and Eva enters a prestigious ballet school in New York. Henry discovers some things about herself and her relationship with her manic father, who can go ballistic at any moment. Eva struggles with weight issues as she tries to make it through the program to be selected a dancer at the ultra-competitive New York School of Dance.

Why I picked it up: I have read a lot of bad jokes about New Jersey (Q: What is the only thing that grows in Jersey? A: The crime rate.), so I wanted to read a book that shows Jersey pride. Friendship books are really big at my school, too, so I thought this might be a winner.

Why I finished it: Both girls have parents who are over-involved, to an unhealthy level, in their kids’ pursuits. The girls have an award they pass back and forth to whoever has the most embarrassing, out of control parent. They commiserate, and their friendship helps them get through situations like Henry’s dad loudly accusing the parent of a diabetic girl of coaching her during a match when he was merely checking her insulin levels.

I'd give it to: Chrissy, an athlete at my school, who would identify with the sacrifices required by both girls to become an exceptional athletes. Anjely, who would like Yolanda, the Cuban roommate of Henry’s who helps her stay centered at the tennis academy by sharing her life, culture and family.

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My Name Is Elizabeth! by Annika Dunklee, Matthew Forsythe
Kids Can Press, 2011. 9781554535606.

Reviewed by geneambaum - link to this review

A little girl named Elizabeth loves her name, but everyone calls her something else: Lizzy, Liz, Beth, or worse.

Why I picked it up: I’m a big fan of Forsythe’s Ojingogo.

Why I finished it: Forsythe’s art is striking in part becaues he uses three colors: orange, light blue, and black. And I love the moment when Elizabeth corrects everyone and announces her FULL name -- she’s shown as a giant because she’s shouting.

I'd give it to: My friend Liz, of course. She doesn’t have grandkids yet, but I think she’ll have a good time reading it aloud when she does.

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Okay For Now by Gary D. Schmidt
Clarion Books, 2011. 9780547152608.

Reviewed by dawnrutherford - link to this review

Doug Swieteck is forced to move with his family to a small town where everyone views newcomers with suspicion. His father is an unpredictable drunk and his older brother finds trouble wherever he goes. Doug seems doomed to become a thug; it’s what most everyone expects. But when a librarian helps him realize he has a talent for drawing, Doug starts opening up his heart to kindness and other possibilities.

Why I picked it up: After much procrastination, I recently finally read Schmidt’s The Wednesday Wars and was blown away by his gift for exploring the emotional nuances and wonder of middle school boys.

Why I finished it: While I was in the middle of this book, I did a presentation for a nearby library system's staff day about the 40 Developmental Assets for Adolescents, and how the little things adults do can make such a huge impact on teens. This book illustrates this point perfectly.

I'd give it to: Barb, who feels like teens invade the mall where she works. She has a hard time welcoming them because they put on a rough, protective front, but I think this book might help her open up a bit.

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Zig and Wikki in Something Ate My Homework by Nadja Spiegelman, Trade Loeffler
Toon Books, 2010. 9781935179023.

Reviewed by geneambaum - link to this review

Wikki (a robot) and Zig (a one-eyed alien) hunt for a class zoo pet in a wetland on Earth. They encounter flies, a frog, dragonflies, and a raccoon, and learn a few facts about them.

Why I picked it up: The boldly drawn, expressive characters on the cover.

Why I finished it: When Zig’s teacher contacts him about his late homework, there is a wonderfully odd variety of alien animals arranged on the table behind the teacher.

I'd give it to: My daughter, Gigi. She recently watched the new Conan movie with me. (“There’s too many heads in this movie!”) The second fact about flies,

“Flies use spit to turn their food into liquid, then they suck it up again.”

will help prepare her to watch Jeff Goldblum vomit on his doughnut (so that he can eat it) in The Fly. (I’ll probably wait until she’s ten or eleven to watch it with her, though.)

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Bigger Than a Bread Box by Laurel Snyder
Random House Books for Young Readers, 2011. 9780375869167.

Reviewed by billbarnes - link to this review

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The Blood Lie by Shirley Reva Vernick
Cinco Puntos Press, 2011. 9781933693842.

Reviewed by flemtastic - link to this review

Jack Pool is a teenage cellist in Massena, NY. He’s looking forward to his music school tryout where he might earn the right to study music in Syracuse. In the meantime he dreams of Emaline, a Christian girl who likes him back. But neither of them believe it could work out because Jack is Jewish. 

When Emaline’s four-year-old sister disappears, a cafe owner starts rumors about Jewish blood sacrifices to deflect the search away from his whiskey smuggling operation. The townspeople are riled up, and Jack’s family, along with all the other Jews in the town, worries for their safety as the ugly mood builds.

Why I picked it up: Nominated for ALA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults list. (I’m on the committee.)

Why I finished it: It was frustrating to see the townspeople were so easily manipulated by a man with his own agenda, which was even more compelling because the author’s family was victimized by this rumor.  (For a college assignment, Vernick was supposed to find a community disagreement and analyze how groups made their decisions. She asked her father, a native of Massena, and he opened up to her about this incident, which happened when he was a senior in high school. And, lest we think this is a dusty piece of history, Vernick gives examples from the 2000’s about blood libels being repeated and believed.)

I'd give it to: My son Stephen, who just finished To Kill a Mockingbird, because he would recognize the same mob mentality in the townspeople of this book.

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Freeway by Mark Kalesniko
Fantagraphics, 2011. 9781606993569.

Reviewed by geneambaum - link to this review

On his drive to work, Alex Kalienka becomes stuck in a traffic jam. Between swearing at idiots and avoiding trash in the road he thinks about his life.  He came to Los Angeles from a small town in Canada. He got his dream job and became an animator at Babbit Jones. But it’s not the life he thought it would be. He works in a run-down former factory, his employer values competence over brilliance, merchandising is the main goal, and the best advice he ever received was not to draw too well.

But he also conjures visions of an idealized version of his life, where he moved to LA in the golden days of Babbit Jones, was valued for his creativity, and his romantic relationship worked out as it should have.

Why I picked it up: I loved Kalesniko’s Mail Order Bride.

Why I finished it: It captures the frustration of being stuck in traffic, particularly the array of images (violent and otherwise) that traffic brings to my mind (even better than Falling Down). Like me, Alex also relieves his frustrations with a lot of swearing.

I'd give it to: Fred. He’s one of the nicest guys on the planet, but traffic turns him into a screaming, uncensored Sam Kinison.

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Hounded: (The Iron Druid Chronicles Book One) by Kevin Hearne, Luke Daniels
Brilliance Audio, 2011. 9781441869982.

Reviewed by geneambaum - link to this review

Atticus O’Sullivan, 2100-year-old last of the druids, is living peacefully, hiding out in Arizona. He looks twenty-one, runs a used bookstore, and mostly avoids the supernatural community (though his lawyer really is a bloodsucker).

Then the Celtic god, Aenghus Óg, tracks him down. He sends three of the Fae to attack Atticus in front of his shop. He wants the magical sword Atticus possesses. Atticus will need the aid of several of his gods and the local werewolf pack to survive.

Why I picked it up: I was talking books with Brilliance Audio’s John Grace at Comic Con. I told him I was heading out on a long road-trip. He recommended this series.

Why I finished it: Atticus O’Sullivan is an entertaining potty mouth. I was hooked as soon as he referred to Thor as “a major asshat.”

I'd give it to: Darlene. She reads (and listens to) historical romance set in the Scottish highlands. The hot surfer druid on the cover will get her to try it, Luke Daniels’ array of accents and voices (including an Irish Wolfhound’s) will keep her listening, and Atticus’ geek culture references will help prepare her for what I believe is her inevitable first trip to a comic convention.

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Jenna & Jonah's Fauxmance by Emily Franklin, Brendan Halpin
Walker, 2011. 9780802721624.

Reviewed by snow - link to this review

Charlie Tracker and Fielding Withers –- better known as the characters Jenna and Jonah on TV’s How to Be a Rock Star -– are the perfect Hollywood teen power couple, always snuggling and being sweet to each other. But it is all fake, a publicity stunt cooked up by their handlers to keep ratings up. When word gets out, Charlie and Fielding hide out and wait for the publicity storm to pass. They are not prepared to deal with the ends of their careers, especially when their time together makes them wonder if their romance isn’t real after all.

Why I picked it up: I’m appalled at the thought of being famous, having paparazzi follow you around and airing your darkest secrets and worst moments for the world to see. I especially can’t imagine putting up with that as a teenager.

Why I finished it: Charlie and Fielding are great kids. I loved hearing them each tell their side of the story because both have a maturity that fits perfectly with their lives. They’ve been on their own since they were young, forced to fend for themselves without truly supportive adults who care about them rather than money.

I'd give it to: Gretchen, my modern dance teacher, because I think she’ll enjoy the second half of the book where Charlie and Fielding attend an intensive summer drama program. They are both concerned with improving their acting skills, and the tips they get from the other actors could easily be translated from acting to dance. (I learned several things about letting go and giving yourself to your audience that I am going to put into practice the next time I dance.)

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Let's Count to 100 by Masayuki Sebe
Kids Can Press, 2011. 9781554536610.

Reviewed by geneambaum - link to this review

Ten two-page spreads provide the opportunity to count to 100. Related groups of cute, colorful mice, cats, moles, birds, and more are arranged in groups of ten.

Why I picked it up: The 100 colorful, expressive animals, insects, fish, and people on the front and back cover.

Why I finished it: The fun and clever way each picture leads to the next. Mice are biting cat tails, a cat discovers a mole in a hole, and a mole is asking an ant to move. (The ant leads to sheep, which lead to birds, which lead to…)

I'd give it to: Layton, who likes his grandma’s dried piranha, and would laugh at the toothy yellow fish who say “Ready, set, eat!” and “Bon appétit!”

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The Pledge by Kimberly Derting
Margaret K. McElderry, 2011. 9781442422018.

Reviewed by danritchie - link to this review

In Ludania, the social classes are strictly divided. Each has its language, status, and social customs. Breaches are punished by death. 

A revolution is brewing, the borders are closed, and the capitol is being overrun by servants and outcasts. Queen Sabara’s body is aging, and she has no female heir. (Men cannot ascend the throne.) She desperately tries to hold onto power until she can find a girl of the ancient royal blood to accept her essence, allowing her to continue her centuries-long rule.

Charlie and her family are vendors, but they harbor dangerous secrets. Charlie understands all languages, even Royal. Her mute sister is a healer. Charlie struggles to understand how low class children can have such gifts.   At an underground club where kids from different classes mix and party, she meets two young men, the dashing Max (a soldier who is smitten with her) and the more sinister Xander. She discovers Max is the queen’s grandson and Xander the leader of the rebels.

Why I picked it up: I enjoyed Derting’s The Body Finder and wanted to see if her newest was as good. (It was better!)

Why I finished it: Initially it was to understand the motive behind Max’s pledge to keep Charlie safe when he barely knows her. Then the forces vying for Charlie to champion their cause made the story crackle with energy, deception, and conspiracy.

I'd give it to: Indie, because she’ll love the “who can I trust” intrigue Charlie struggles with, as well as her overwhelming loyalty and need to protect her sister.

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Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier
Henry Holt and Co., 2011. 9780805092523.

Reviewed by flemtastic - link to this review

Gwyneth has played second fiddle to her cousin Charlotte for their entire childhood. Charlotte has been trained from birth to be a polyglot, has been focused on learning British history, and can dance well. All this is because Charlotte possesses the time travel gene that runs in their family. The Society of the Guardians is waiting for Charlotte to manifest her abilities, but is shocked when Gwyneth instead gets dizzy, is ripped out of time, and finds herself over one hundred years in the past.

Gwyneth must control her time travel and be brought up to speed by Gideon, a dashing fellow who looks on her naivete about history with disdain. Together they attempt to collect blood samples from ten other time travelers to unlock a secret.

Why I picked it up: Nominated for my ALA book list committee.

Why I finished it: Despite the fact that the Guardians have been standing watch over time travelers for hundreds of years, Gwyneth is repeatedly warned not to trust anyone in the organization. The layers of deceit and intrigue grow as the novel progresses.

I'd give it to: Lani, who liked the historical feel to Cassandra Clare’s Clockwork Angel.  This has the same Merchant and Ivory film feel, with Gwyneth getting all gussied-up by a professional seamstress in authentic period piece clothing before traveling.  

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Watergate: A Novel by Thomas Mallon
Pantheon, 2012. 9780307378729.

Reviewed by billbarnes - link to this review

Fictionalized retelling of the Watergate break-in and its consequences through the eyes of many of the principals, including President Nixon.

Why I picked it up: I grew up with Watergate, hearing about it at home as a small child then reading about it in Doonesbury (some of Trudeau’s best work). I've read All The President's Men six times and seen it twice.

Why I finished it: It's hard to see where facts stop and Mallon's fabrications begin. Did Pat Nixon really have a lover? Did Richard Nixon's secretary erase the famous eighteen minutes in the Watergate tapes? Was Alice Roosevelt Longworth (one of my favorite characters from history) really Nixon’s close advisor? At some point I stopped looking it all up and just enjoyed the ride.

I'd give it to: My mom, who was and remains intensely political. I want to discuss the rise and fall of former Attorney General Elliot Richardson, who went from inevitable future President to historical footnote in a flash.