LOUIS MAY ALCOTT : THE WOMAN BEHIND LITTLE WOMEN
by Harriet Reisen

Although depicted as Jo March in Little Women, Louisa May Alcott was so much more than her alter ego. Louisa's life encompassed deprivation, poor health, tragedy, independence and, eventually, success. (Her book sales would surpass prominent authors such as Nathaniel Hawthorne and Ralph Waldo Emerson, who was a good friend of the family.)
She and her three sisters were the daughters of Bronson and Abigail. The family moved thirty times due to Bronson's incapacity to have a steady job. He was a transcendentalist, with utopian dreams, which always fell short. For a while, he taught, until the parents took their children out of the schools due to his radical thinking.
Alcott had a tumultuous childhood. She was known as a tomboy and was quite boisterous with one hell of a temper. Always the ringleader amongst her siblings and the neighborhood children, she would relish being the center of attention.
Later, when she took up writing, she would harness these experiences in some of her stories.
Harriet Reisen has done a marvelous job of sifting through Alcott's journals, letters, and recollections with family and friends to reveal quite a portrait of a fascinating character.
Here are some less known facts about her: she was a Civil War nurse, an abolitionist, and a feminist, who, secretly, wrote pulp fiction using a pseudonym, A. M. Barnard.
An absorbing account of an extraordinary woman.
Recommended.

THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE : A MEMOIR
by Nancy Bachrach

While living in Paris and working in advertising (selling antiperspirant to the French) Nancy Bachrach receives a telephone call from her brother. The news is not good. In fact, it's awful.
Their parents have been in an accident while on their boat. Mort is dead and Lola is in a coma.
Nancy is told to prepare for a double funeral.
Paris is now left behind as the three siblings converge, back in Providence,R.I., and decide what is to be done next.
The Center of the Universe is one hell of a ride. What a family saga!
Mort was a repairman who screwed up everything he touched. (The name of the cabin cruiser was Mr. Fix It.)
Lola was considered a genius, but was bi-polar.
All three children have inherited intelligence. Nancy, the oldest, started writing at a very young age. She has a doctorate in philosophy.
Ben, the middle child, is a piano prodigy born with three thumbs. He is a pulmonologist.
Helen, known as the wild one, is an abnormal psychologist.
This book absolutely blew me away. Nancy Bachrach is quite a wordsmith. In no time, you are enveloped and completely wrapped up in the story.
It's dark, humorous, compelling and just downright terrific.
Highly recommended.

THE MAN WHO LOVED BOOKS TOO MUCH : THE TRUE STORY OF A THIEF, A DETECTIVE, AND A WORLD OF LITERARY OBSESSION
by Allison Hoover Bartlett

When it comes to the realm of books, passions can run very deeply. The bibliophiles, among us, love books, read them, voraciously, and share their wealth with other devotees.
Bibliomaniacs are obsessed with collecting rare tomes and will stop at nothing in acquiring them.
John Gilkey is one of these. An unrepentant thief, he stole a fortune in antiquarian books around the country and hoarded them away.
Ken Sanders, an obsessive collector, himself, strove to catch Gilkey. He set up a stolen-book database for dealers all over the world. Acting as a persistent sleuth eventually paid off.
The Man Who Loved Books Too Much is fun to read. Allison Bartlett delves into historical figures who collected books, sellers at book fairs, the method that Gilkey used to commit his crimes, and why he did it in the first place.
Suspenseful, humorous and just plain delightful.
Recommended.

HARRY TRUMAN'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE : THE TRUE STORY OF A GREAT AMERICAN ROAD TRIP
by Matthew Algeo

Six months after Harry Truman left the office of the presidency, he and his wife, Bess, decided to take a road trip. Harry bought a Chrysler New Yorker that had all of the latest gadgets. (He loved cars.) But, it had been eight years since he had been behind the wheel of one, so he needed a refresher course learning how to use power brakes and power steering.
They set off, on June 19, 1953. No press. No Secret Service. Just the two of them, traveling for three weeks, alone, hoping to be incognito.
Author Matthew Algeo meticulously details every place the Trumans went and he himself takes the same route, stays at the same hotels and eats at the same restaurants.
Trivia abounds in this book, such as: the origin of the first "mo-tel" in the world; who designed the Holiday Inn and how Irving Berlin was involved; why the Waldorf=Astoria was written with an equal sign, etc.
You will find historical information about presidents, the highway system, the automobile industry and so much more.
A tremendous read. Not to be missed.
Highly recommended.

ADA BLACKJACK : A TRUE STORY OF SURVIVAL IN THE ARCTIC
by Jennifer Niven

Wrangel Island was a desolate, uninhabited outpost in the Arctic. Nobody had ever been there before, let alone knew who it belonged to.
Vilhjalmur Stefansson decided that it should be colonized, for Canada, and recruited four young men to live off the land with supplies good for only six months. The parents were less than happy, but the sons all idolized Stefansson (an explorer, himself) and would do anything for him.
They were hoping to have some Eskimos join them, but they all backed out, until Ada Blackjack, a 23-year-old Inuit woman from Nome, Alaska, came along. She was their seamstress.
So, in 1921, the party of five set off on a ship and were deposited on the island.
Ada Blackjack is one hell of a story. Jennifer Niven, the author, was able to use Ada Blackjack's diaries, which had never been seen before, unpublished writings from other important characters and interviews with Ada's second son.
Loaded with history and incredible photographs, this book knocks you with a wallop.
Recommended.

LILI MARLENE : THE SOLDIERS' SONG OF WORLD WAR II
by Liel Leibovitz and Matthew Miller

Every night, at 9:57, a sentimental song was played on Radio Belgrade, a German military station.
It was World War II and both the Axis and Allied soldiers were totally captivated by this sweet melody. The Minister of Culture and Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, banned the music from the airwaves saying that the men should be listening to spirited marches instead, while the BBC felt that the soldiers were becoming sympathetic to the enemy.
"Lili Marlene" would become the most recorded tune in the world and would garner much success to the three people who brought it to life.
Hans Leip was the lyricist. He started out being a teacher, but really preferred to write and was known, originally, as a poet. When he wrote the words as a love poem, he never intended for it to become public.
Norbert Schultze, the composer, was a pianist for a group that did quite well playing at a cabaret in Berlin. He then became a solo artist and wrote operas and soundtracks. In order to stay out of the war and not have to fight, he composed military music for Hitler's invasions.
Lale Andersen (not her real name) became the singer who introduced the song to the troops. Her voice, which was considered harsh, still mesmerized those that heard it at the end of a long day of fighting.
Lili Marlene is one terrific read. It's jam-packed with details. The two authors did a tremendous job sifting through all the documentation.
Black-and-white photographs and sketches are found in the first half of the book.
Highly recommended.

TO THE END OF THE EARTH : OUR EPIC JOURNEY TO THE NORTH POLE AND THE LEGEND OF PEARY AND HENSON
by Tom Avery

There's been quite a bit of controversy concerning U.S. Naval Commander Robert Peary over whether or not he did make it to the North Pole back in 1909. It took him thirty-seven days. Opponents have argued that his speed was impossible and there was no viable witness.
Tom Avery, a polar explorer, decided to see for himself, along with three men and one woman, if it could be done. So, in 2005, his team re-created the same journey as Peary, using the same equipment (replica wooden sleds tied with cord) and dog teams.
Along the way Avery kept a diary noting the day, the date, the temperature (always in negative degrees), miles made and miles to go.
The journey was treacherous, dangerous, brutally cold (they all suffered from frostbite in one form or another), and almost lost their lives.
The team completed 413 miles in thirty-six days and twenty-two hours, which means they beat Peary's record by four hours.
To The End of the Earth is a terrific story. It's very well-written and Avery did his homework regarding background information on Peary, plus other polar explorers.
Fourteen and a half pages of color photographs of Avery's team, the dogs, the terrain and a couple of black-and-white ones of Peary's journey are sandwiched in the middle of the book.
Right before the index can be found a complete log of Avery's adventure.
If you're looking for a way to cool off during the oppressive heat of summer, get a copy of this book. You won't be hot for long.
Highly recommended.