Many glowing reviews flank the guts of this book. John Grisham describes Bryan Stevenson as a real-life Atticus Finch. Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times compares him to Mandela. Apt and true. However, I'm convinced that in the future, great people will be compared to Mr. Stevenson. His heroic and unfailing work for the unjustly convicted combined with his brilliance make for a formidable opponent in the legal arena. The sad part is that there's so much work to do, and the unfairness and blatant racism just grinds on. Yes, as the cover of the book promises, it's a story of "justice and redemption", but also of a broken system built on thinly veiled hatred and apathy, and the lives that are irreparably broken because of these sins. Read it and literally weep.

Ingredients: 1 large history lesson 1 tearful love story 1 biology class 1 whodunit Stir in : Philosophy (to taste) Bake, or half-bake. You pick. This unusual book will keep you reading, reading, reading, to find out how it all turns out. Spoiler: the author will tell you right at the beginning that the answer to everything is chaos. Whether you agree or not with her final analysis is up to you. I enjoyed the mix.

There are those people who can tell a cringeworthy story with such wit and deftness that you laugh. Nevertheless, the cringeworthiness is still there, and if you scratch the surface a little you get a cesspool of muck. Well, that's Amber and Lacey. Eye-opening and infuriating, these stories will set your teeth on edge. It's like having an amusing guided tour through a graphic, horrific haunted house with the lights on. You "haha" your way along, but inside your stomach is churning. To those who live this day-to-day, I'm sure it's familiar territory and eye-rollingly validating. For those who don't, it's a necessary education from people you'll wish you knew. A must-read.

Wow. Have you ever had that friend who, say, showed up to your house with a big dent in the side of their car? You ask, "How'd you get that dent?" The conversation goes something like this: Him: Well, the other day I was leaving to go to the store, and you'll never believe it--a KANGAROO was jumping down the street and bounded right into my driveway! You: Oh, so the kangaroo ran into your car? Crazy! Him: No . . . he hopped right over my car. But as he jumped down the street, I got into my car because I really needed some groceries. Anyway, as I backed out of the driveway, there were cops and animal control cars all driving fast trying to catch up with the kangaroo. You: Oh, so one of the cars hit you. Him: No . . . I stopped in time. I really pride myself on my backing up abilities. But the guy down the street was having a new yard put in and had some diggers and loaders working in front of his house. That guy is so interesting. He used to be a spy and met his wife when he was an agent in Russia. She used to be the president of the PTA and did a really good job. Probably because they take no guff in Russia! You: Oh, so did one of the workers hit your car? The guy? The Russian lady? Him: No, they were doing a good job, and the neighbors weren't outside. But as I drove by, I noticed their dog was out and running all around, chasing the kangaroo! You: Oh my . . . did the dog run into your car, or were you trying to avoid him? Did you hit something because of that? Him: No, no. That dog shot right down the sidewalk and almost caught that 'roo! But a couple of houses down, they were pruning a tree, and one of the branches fell right across the sidewalk, almost hitting the kangaroo AND the dog. Then after missing them, it tipped right into the street. You: Oh, I get it. You ran into the big branch. Him: Heck, no. I always drive conservatively and give myself plenty of time to stop. That's why I get that discount. Have you checked into that? It's really a great deal and if you're a careful driver you should be able to get it without a problem. (Keep going for about 350 pages . . . ) You: So, can you tell me how you got the dent? Him: Oh, not sure. When I came out of the grocery store, it was like that. Well, that's how it felt. Good writing, but dang, there was a lot said about lots of things. It also reminded me of that room in the movie A Beautiful Mind. Strings and papers, and connections everywhere, so you didn't really know where the focus should be. And in the end, the dent was really not an amazing story after all.

What a cute little book! The rich blue cover and tiny size lured me in. This is a story based on true events of an experiment gone wrong, ending in murder. Well, after reading about 10 pages, I'm surpised they weren't both murdered, and much sooner in the story. As a matter of fact, I was rooting for the murderers, and conniving ways in which all the characters might murder them. Alas, we didn't hear about it until the end. This tale of two idealistic, but ultimately self-serving, hypocritical and egotistical people was well-written. But the question I kept asking myself was: Why write it? Who cares? I wasn't sad at all about their fates, and was amazed that people put up with them as long as they did. The cover is really nice, though.

Raw and sorrowful, this little book follows the sad life of the protagonist, Granier, in turn-of-the-century Idaho and its environs. We see his melancholy life unfold in a series of vignettes, some of which are just plain kinky and disturbing. And in a book just 116 pages long, well, that seems like a lot. Since the main character is an absolute angel, it seems like we're getting a glimpse into the author's inner turmoil, to me. So while his writing is crisp, his plotlines aren't my style.

Wow. Just read it.

Have you ever wondered about someone you know very well . . . someone who bugs the crud out of you, gets under your skin repeatedly, or just boggles your mind with their mind games? Someone who makes you feel guilty or unworthy? Someone who scares you a little . . . or a lot? Well, in this book, Joe (a retired FBI special agent) leads us through four of the most dangerous of the kinds of people who set those alarm bells off in your head. Turns out there's a reason, and you were right to feel the way you do. With a handy checklist at the end of each chapter, you can eliminate the fluff and get right to the crux of the matter. Yep, that coworker is paranoid. Transfer to another department or get another job. Or maybe Nana is just annoying but not so dangerous. To save your relationship, check out after eating your pumpkin pie and pass on the long evening of unpleasant lecturing. His breakdowns are concise yet clear. While you won't be finding Steinbeckian writing here, I don't think that's his goal. His delivery is pointed and effective and wastes no time on flowery talk. If you have some doubts about someone, I highly recommend it, and in fact, am passing it on to a friend today.

Who knew? It's not enough that he's a great actor. Or director. Or producer. Or screenwriter. Now he's proven that his talent knows no bounds, and he's a literary force to be reckoned with. (Maybe he stinks at sports.) Anyway, in this book of short stories, his love of history is apparent, with his references to days of yore. Don't go thinking he's stuck in the dark ages, though, because some of his stories are decidedly modern, or at least timeless. There's an overarching melancholia in the book which keeps me from wishing I, like Gumby, could skate on into the stories and live there. It also makes me think that maybe the happy-go-lucky Tom hasn't always been so, and maybe isn't actually now. Nevertheless, these faintly interwoven tales are all captivating, thought provoking, and make great reading. I wonder what it's like to be that talented? I guess it makes one an uncommon type.

Imagine being #39 of your dad's 42 children. Imagine having no money. Imagine several special needs siblings and no resources. Imagine, imagine, imagine. I can't imagine. Add to that the sound of gravel. This memoir is a jolting peek into the lives of a fundamentalist Mormon polygamist family. There was love, but there was also betrayal and apathy, and plain, old, garden-variety wishful thinking. Ruth tells this story well, and you will never forget it.

I heard this author on NPR, and wanted to know more. I'm not sure the cover would have made me make the purchase, so I'm glad I had a different introduction to the book. A deft writer, Lori weaves her own personal story of the loss of love with tales of notable patients, and there's something in every story that resonated with me. She's real in her emotions, fair in her perceptions, accepting in her estimations, and ultimately hopeful in her resolutions. I found myself craving every chapter, and feeling as if I could be friends with all the characters, flaws and all. A great message of acceptance of oneself and others, and some life lessons along the way.

Diving into this book of "Funny, Strange, and Inspiring Dispatches from the Stacks", I had high hopes. What's not to anticipate gleefully about that description? There were some funny anecdotes, and some strange ones, too, but the book was easily 50% comprised of either his own personal foibles in trying to land a library job or the day to day minutiae of library work. While I appreciate that this is his real life, and we get that librarians actually WORK all day, I don't find reading how they managed to get state accreditation and funding all that riveting. I came away from reading this book appreciating William's attention to detail (lovely grammar, punctuation, etc.), and thinking he's a very nice person and would be nice to work with. However, I won't be eagerly awaiting his next book.