by Curtis Sittenfeld
REVIEWED BY SUE CORBETT
NOVEL
Prep author Sittenfeld's audacious third novel traces the path of Alice Lindgren from Wisconsin librarian with a tragic past to First Lady. Substitute Texas and the story closely resembles George and Laura Bush's, right down to their improbable romance. Bookish Alice, a Democrat, weds ne'er-do-well Charlie Blackwell, least promising son of a Republican political dynasty, soon after they meet. She's relieved when Charlie loses his first bid for office, but after he buys the Milwaukee Brewers, quits drinking and finds God, he's elected governor, then President. The plot turns adroitly on two haunting mistakes from Alice's youth, then bogs down once it hits the present. Sittenfeld's imagination knows no bounds, but her musings about the First Couple's sex life (ew!) are actually more palatable than her attempts to find a conscience behind Alice's implacable façade. Nonetheless, this'll set tongues wagging.
Stacey O'Brien
REVIEWED BY CAROLINE LEAVITT
MEMOIR
"To that which you tame, you owe your life," a colleague tells CalTech biologist O'Brien in 1985 when she adopts Wesley, a newborn barn owl, to study at home. In the 19 extraordinary years O'Brien shares with Wesley, she kills and feeds him 28,000 mice, suffers one mouse dropped into her mouth while she's sleeping (Wesley's way of showing affection), and discovers what Harry Potter always knew: that owls are capable of emotions, nuanced communication, trust and loyalty. In between extraordinary owl tidbits, O'Brien presents fascinating looks at her quirky colleagues, including one postdoc who keeps thousands of black widow spiders in his office and another who happily lets his body be a breeding ground for parasites he picked up in the Amazon. O'Brien doesn't recommend owls as pets for the average Joe, but her portrait of the complex and unforgettable animal she grew to love is irresistible.
by Nancy A. Nichols
NON-FICTION
While her sister was dying of a rare cancer, journalist Nichols promised to write about whether the pollution of Lake Michigan, near their childhood home, was responsible. While Nichols uncovers "no courtroom-worthy proof," the evidence of massive fish die-offs and increased cancers—including her own—seems to indicate a link. Her book is a chilling indictment of how government and big business prized profits over health—and a moving tale of one woman's struggle to understand why.
by Randa Jarrar
REVIEWED BY DANIELLE TRUSSONI
NOVEL
In Jarrar's extraordinary debut, Nidali—a girl whose name literally means "strife; struggle"—finds herself displaced by the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in the early '90s. As bombs fall, she and her family flee to their beach house in Egypt, leaving relatives and savings behind and ultimately settling in the U.S. Readers follow Nidali through teen romance, academic triumph, sexual awakening and the trials of coming of age amidst seismic political change. While Nidali begins her journey "split in half" by her Egyptian-Palestinian-Greek-American heritage, in the end it is clear that she emerges stronger because of it. Depictions of her hilarious family—especially her artistic parents—are punchy and vibrant. Jarrar's lack of sentimentality, and her wry sense of humor, make Home a treasure.
by Annie Proulx
STORIES
Proulx's third collection of Wyoming stories mixes her gimlet-eyed worldview with compassion for those attempting survival in terrain indifferent to human struggle. Even the West's vegetation is lethal, and women are treated "with little more regard than the beef they help produce." But all is not grim: Deliciously macabre stories starring Satan lighten the mood. A must for fans.
'All I did was marry him. You are the ones who gave him power'
'I was told very early on by the nuns that I had an "overabundance of original sin" —SUSAN SARANDON
THE OBVIOUS QUESTION: WHY?
Laura Bush is interesting to me—she seems different from what you'd expect at first glance. She can seem proper, but she's open-minded and curious when it comes to books and art.
DID YOU RESEARCH HER LIFE?
I read biographies and interviewed people who've worked in the White House.
HOW TRUE IS THE BOOK?
Each section is based on an event in Laura's life: her car accident that killed a high school classmate; her early marriage and George's drinking problems; him becoming President and initiating an unpopular war. The rest is made up.
DO YOU THINK SHE'LL READ IT?
Probably not. But everyone who's read it says it made them like George and Laura more.
DO YOU LIKE THEM MORE?
I've always seen them as complex, three-dimensional people. There's nothing I admire about Bush's presidency, but I've always thought he'd be entertaining at a dinner party.
• For her new book, Kerry Kennedy, 49, daughter of the late Robert F. Kennedy, interviewed 37 Catholics about their faith—and thought more deeply about her own.
WHAT PROMPTED THE BOOK?
As a child I was taught that Heaven is a concrete place. We had so many deaths in my family that that gave great comfort. Faith is central to me. Yet I was frustrated—by the failure of the bishops to protect children [from abuse], the control over reproductive systems ...
WERE YOUR SUBJECTS CONFLICTED TOO?
One person after another said, "I'm not a good Catholic," though they felt comfortable with their spirituality.
WHO SURPRISED YOU THE MOST?
Gabriel Byrne told me he had been abused by a priest. He forgave the man in an Irish newspaper years ago. I felt honored that he shared that with me.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE THE BOOK WILL ACCOMPLISH?
I hope people will say, this faith has an extraordinary core lesson: to love God and one another. I don't need to reject everything about being Catholic because of the things I don't agree with.
The film Brokeback Mountain was based on a National Magazine Award-winning story—about two cowboys in love—from Close Range, the first of Proulx's three collections set in the American West.
• Their '05 manifesto remains a bestseller, they've got celeb fans like Jessica Alba, their pregnancy guide is just out—and workout DVDs are due in '09. Vegan gurus Kim Barnouin and Rory Freedman dish
WHY A PREGNANCY GUIDE?
Kim: I was vegan during my pregnancy, and I was so healthy. And my son only has one tail!
BUT SOME DOCTORS DO THINK EATING VEGAN WHILE PREGNANT IS UNHEALTHY
Kim: My gynecologist was very supportive. Of course anyone who eats a certain diet while pregnant needs to [check with their own doctor].
ARE THE MEN IN YOUR LIFE VEGAN TOO?
Kim: My husband was a French chef when we met. But he really embraces it. If he eats [nonvegan] things when he's out, he never tells me!
Rory: I'm single, but yes, I'll date carnivores. I don't discriminate!
EVER SNEAK A BURGER?
Rory: Never. Kim: Just read in our first book about what goes on in the slaughterhouse....
HOW HAVE YOUR LIVES CHANGED SINCE YOUR BOOKS TOOK OFF?
Rory: Once we started changing our diets, we became happier and more positive. But the books changed Kim's life the most. She was eight months pregnant and waitressing; now she's financially secure and gets to stay home and raise her son.
Kim: And when I go to parties my friends introduce me as "Skinny Bitch." I've lost my first name.
PECAN CRUSTED FRENCH TOAST
1 1/2 cups soy or rice milk 3 tbsp. cornstarch 1 tsp. cinnamon 6 tbsp. chickpea flour or brown rice flour 1 cup finely chopped pecans 2 tbsp. refined coconut oil, or more as needed for cooking 6 to 8 slices vegan whole wheat or whole wheat raisin bread
Whisk together milk, cornstarch and cinnamon. Whisk in the flour; transfer mixture to a shallow bowl. Place pecans in another shallow bowl. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt oil. One slice at a time, dip bread in milk mixture, turning to soak both sides. Dip one side in pecans, pressing to coat. Arrange bread in skillet pecan side down. Cook 2-3 min., until pecans are well-browned. Turn and cook second side 2-3 min. Serve immediately with maple syrup.
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
