What We’re Reading

The 12th annual “A Novel Idea” community read program, sponsored by the Deschutes Public Library System, is in full swing this month, with activities and discussions planned at all the branches. Free tickets to see Ruth Ozeki, author of this year’s selection, “A Tale for the Time Being,” are available at all libraries or at www.deschuteslibrary.org/novelidea. Ozeki will speak at the Bend High School auditorium at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 19, her only appearance in Central Oregon.

“Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands” by Chris Bohjalian

Chapter Chicks

Sixteen-year-old Emily Shepard flees her home in Vermont following a nuclear meltdown at the plant where her father was the chief engineer (and likely perpetrator of the accident). Her homelessness leads her to the sordid world of Poacher, who recruits homeless teens for his drug and prostitution ring. When Emily begins caring for a nine-year-old boy running from the foster care system, building them an igloo of trash bags filled with wet leaves, the novel reminds the reader of the innate human need for connection. This coming-of-age story, told through the realistic voice of a complicated teenager, is both engrossing and heartbreaking. The Chapter Chicks found it to be an excellent book for prompting thoughtful discussions. Bohjalian, the critically acclaimed author of 17 books, including the New York Times bestseller “Midwives,” has created a potent story of loss, hope and transformation.

“I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced” by Nujood Ali with Delphine Minoui

Red, Wine and Blue

At the age of 10, Nujood Ali is sold into marriage by her poverty-stricken father to a man three times her age. Despite being repeatedly violated by her husband before she even reached puberty, Nujood has the tenacity and courage to run away and seek a divorce, the first child bride in Yemen to do so. She becomes an activist, excited to return to school, and set on saving others, especially her little sister. She was named a Glamour Woman of the Year in 2008. The RW&B readers were glad they read the book, although it was a difficult topic. Their discussion centered around the plight of girls and women in male-dominated cultures. One member reported: “Some of the readers searched the Internet to see what happened to Nujood after the book was written and were not encouraged by what they found. … Her current situation is unknown due to unrest in Yemen.”

“All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr

CRS

All eight members of CRS thought Doerr’s New York Times bestseller set in World War II France and Germany “was wonderfully written and an amazing story.” Marie-Laure, who lives in Paris with her father, the lockmaster of the Museum of Natural History, loses her sight at age 6. When she is 12, she and her father flee Nazi-occupied Paris to join her reclusive great-uncle in his house by the sea in Saint-Malo. They take with them a valuable jewel from the museum. German orphan Werner and his sister Jutta grow up in a mining town where he becomes skilled at building and repairing radios, a talent that earns him a spot in a brutal Hitler Youth academy. Marie-Laure and Werner’s lives finally intersect in Saint-Malo when Werner is sent there to track the French resistance. Although World War II serves as the backdrop for this beautifully written novel, it is much more about the lives of the two main characters, and highlights the ways people try to be good to one another.

“Animal Dreams” by Barbara Kingsolver

Bend Bookies

“Animal Dreams” is the story of Codi Noline who returns to Grace, Ariz., to confront her past and face her distant father, who is living with Alzheimer’s. What she returns to is a town threatened by a silent environmental catastrophe, some unexpected clues to her own identity, and a man whose world view could change the course of her own life. “Animal Dreams” is a suspense-filled love story and an exploration of life’s biggest commitments. “This author’s early work stands the test of time in its complexity and sensitive character development. We all love Kingsolver. Many of us have traveled to the Southwest and were familiar with the geography in which she places this story. You can’t go wrong with Barbara Kingsolver,” was the consensus of the Bend Bookies.