A LESSON BEFORE DYING by Earnest Gaines

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GAINES

Jefferson, a poor and uneducated black man, was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now he is in jail, convicted of murder. Jefferson's godmother does not want him to go to the electric chair like the ignorant hog is white lawyer says he is, so Grant Wiggins, the black schoolteacher, is under pressure to visit Jefferson. Grant's job is to make Jefferson a man before he is executed.

Grant Wiggins worried that he is not making a difference in the lives of his students. How he will make a difference in Jefferson's life in the short time he has Grant has no idea. He does know that the sheriff and Mr. Giteau, for whom most of the black people in the Quarter work, want him to fail. They do everything they canto take away the teacher's dignity. Grant Wiggins succeeds in a way he could never have foreseen, however, teaching not only Jefferson, but himself, a lesson before dying.

BEE SEASON by Myla Goldberg

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GOLDBERG

Eliza Naumann, usually an indifferent student, wins the 5th grade spelling bee, surprising her somewhat dysfunctional family and herself.
There are many themes in this amazing book, including parents' expectations of their children, mental illness, and the search for God.

A surprising twist in the plot will have readers going back in the text to search for clues.

DONALD DUK by Frank Chin, 1991

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CHI

For obvious reasons Donald Duk hates his name, given him to honor an uncle who acts in Cantonese opera. In fact, he hates everything Chinese. It is not easy for Donald to ignore his heritage when he lives in San Francisco's Chinatown with parents who own a Chinese restaurant. During his twelfth Chinese New Year, Donald discovers reasons for pride in his Chinese forebears, in a series of detailed and historically accurate dreams.

In these dreams Donald joins the Chinese immigrants who built the Union Pacific railroad, setting a record for laying ten miles of track in ten hours. Author Chin is at his best in these historical scenes, but his descriptions throughout the book bring many other scenes to life also. Donald's father, despite the name with which he has saddled his son, is a marvelous character with a surprising sense of humor and insight.

RED SKY AT MORNING by Richard Bradford

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BRADFORD

When Josh's father leaves his shipyard to command a ship in World War II, he sends both Josh and his mother, a southern belle, to their summer home in the mountains of New Mexico. Josh's deadpan account of their life there, including high school friends, neighbors, and servants, should bring a smile to the most serious reader. Those of a more light-hearted disposition should be cautious: injury could result from the sort of laughing Josh's story often inspires.

Josh's abrupt entrance into adulthood ends his tale on a somber note, however. Readers in search of a comedy or a coming-of-age story, as well as those with an interest in the Southwest, should enjoy this book.

THE GLASS LAKE by Maeve Binchy, 1995

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BIN

Helen married Kit's father, a pharmacist in a small Irish village, but is actually in love with another man. Helen's desire for another love causes her to be moody and often to go out walking beside the lake. One night Helen disappears. That night Kit discovers a letter from her mother attached to her father's pillow. Kit tells no one about the letter and burns it, unopened.

That night changes everything forever. The stage is set for a wonderfully told story of the hidden bond between a mother and daughter that not even death or deception can destroy.

ORDINARY WOLVES, by Seth Kanter

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KANTER,S.

Critics have compared this debut novel to the works of Jack London. the plot: Abe Hawcly settled in the wilderness of remote Alaska in the early 1970's. His wife returned to civilization, leaving him with three children to raise and educate. Cutuk, the youngest, grows up intimately connected to nature. His lifestyle in the igloo with his siblings is so basic that it is alien even to the Native Americans in the nearby town who prefer the modern trappings of tvs and snowmobiles.

After being home-schooled for most of his life, Cutuk attends the public high school where he, just like any other boy, falls for a girl.

Discriminated against because he is white, he eventually tries to live in Anchorage with a friend but finds urban life confusing. Cutuk returns to his simple life. An engrossing read.

THE GIRLS by Lori Lansens

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LANSENS

"I have never looked into my sister's eyes." So begins this remarkable novel about two sisters, conjoined twins, abandoned by their mother and raised by the nurse who brought them into the world. Aunt Lovey refuses to consider them disabled or deformed. To her they are Ruby and Rose, individuals with two brains and two hearts.
At the age of twenty-nine Rose embarks upon the writing of the story of their lives, and encourages Ruby to add her unique perspective. Through their alternating narratives the girls reveal a contradictory longing for independence and togetherness and sisterly love like no other.

Heartbreaking and very funny, you won't forget The Girls.