‘Til the Boys Come Home, by Jerry Borrowman. Recommended by Carol. Set in the battlefields of World War I, this is the story of two young friends, Danny O'Brian and Trevor Richards. With America's involvement in the European conflict, the two boys find themselves far from their families in Pocatello, Idaho. Danny is fighting in the infamous trenches and Trevor is battling the enemy in the skies over France.
Leaves From My Journal by Wilford Woodruff (available on Kindle). Excerpts from Wilford Woodruff’s journal.
Infidel, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, recommended by Linda. This is a suspenseful account of Hirsi Ali’s life and her internal struggle with her Muslim faith. She discusses how these views were shaped by her experiences amid the political chaos of Somalia and other African nations, where she was subjected to genital mutilation and later forced into an unwanted marriage. While in transit to her husband in Canada, she decided to seek asylum in the Netherlands. She delivers a powerful feminist critique of Islam informed by a genuine understanding of the religion.
Petronella Saves Nearly Everyone by Dene Low, recommended by Iris. A young adult book, this is a lighthearted and charming story written by a BYU professor. There is a possibility that we could have the author come and speak to our book club.
The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb. Author of She’s Come Undone returns with a novel describing the lives of a couple struggling to come to grips with the aftermath of the Columbine shootings. Caelum and Maureen flee Colorado and return to an illusion of safety at the Quirk family farm in Three Rivers. But the effects of chaos are not so easily put right, and further tragedy ensues.
tragedy. Caelum’s personal quest for meaning and faith becomes a mythic journey that is at the same time quintessentially contemporary—and American.