WEST WITH THE NIGHT by Beryl Markham

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MARKHAM, B.

Pioneer aviator Markham recounts memories of her childhood and young adulthood in Africa, first on her father's farm and then, after its sale and the end of that way of life, as a horse trainer and, later, pilot. Her descriptions of the people with whom she lived and worked bring them to life even today, and her stories of Africa conjure up a place long gone. This memoir is a pleasure to read.

WHEN A CROCODILE EATS THE SUN by Peter Godwin

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GODWIN

Journalist Peter Godwin grew up in Zimbabwe and returned to his native country when his father suffered a serious heart attack. His country's decline during the last 10 years is juxtaposed with his parent's decline, both physical and economic (due to the policies of dictator Robert Mugabe). This is a moving story that will appeal to fans of Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight.

ONE DROP: MY FATHER'S HIDDEN LIFE by Bliss Broyard

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BROYARD

Bliss Broyard knew her father, Anatole Broyard, as the successful book critic for the New York Times and later, as the editor of the New York Times Book Review. In the months before he died of cancer, he yearned to reveal a lifelong secret to his children but succumbed before he mustered up the courage.

It was their mother who told the children that their father had actually been African-American. His light-skinned parents had moved from New Orleans to New York in 1927 where they passed for white in order to get work.

For Bliss, "raised white in Connecticut," this revelation set off a search for identity and reunions with a large extended family in the South. One Drop is a compelling look at the complexities of race from a very personal perspective.

JOHN ADAMS, by David McCullough

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ADAMS

Winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for biography, John Adams is brought to life through the skill of historian David McCullough. Adams was an extraordinary many whose work significantly affected our country's future. From his early days as a country lawyer, through to his work at the Continental congress and White House, Adams was a patriot whose devotion to his country was unsurpassed. His relationships with Jefferson, Franklin, as well as his wife and son are explored fully. You will read about famous events as well as those less famous with a fresh perspective, and get to know the man that some regarded as "out of his senses."

THE FILM CLUB by David Gilmour

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GILMOUR

In this memoir Canadian movie critic David Gilmour and his ex-wife decide to let their struggling 10th grade son, Jesse, drop out of school if he agrees to watch a film three times a week. Gilmour gets to pick our the films and they have to watch them together. Gilmour reasons that by choosing every possible genre, he would at least be offering Jesse some kind of education that would help make his way in the world--something public school had failed to provide.

Jesse learns many lessons during these sessions with his father and realizes that growing up is a lot more than just going to school. He does return to the educational system, but on his own terms. Gilmour also finds his life changed in surprising ways during the many hours he spends with his son.

LIFE, DEATH AND BIALYS: A FATHER/SON BAKING STORY by Dylan Schaffer

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Schaffer
Schaffer, an attorney and author of two legal thrillers, receives a call from his father, Flip, asking him to participate in a bread baking class. Flip is dying of cancer and the class is seven months away. Schaffer has doubts whether his father will live long enough to attend, yet agrees to sign up. Flip had abandoned Schaffer and his brothers thirty years before to life with a mentally unstable mother; there had been little contact since. Throughout the week-long class Schaffer realizes his father is asking for forgiveness. Schaffer has to work through years of pain and rejection , accepting his father’s flaws before it is too late.
This is a humorous, touching memoir, an honest account of a complicated relationship.