Art Daily suffered a horrible tragedy when a boulder fell from Glenwood Canyon wall killing his wife and two sons, leaving him untouched. He faced a bleak future until a stranger, a woman struggling with her own grief, met him and reached out. This story is a riveting and powerful witness to the healing power of love and spirit over the worst, most unimaginable loss.
Mary Ellen
This is the remarkable WWII story of Jan Zabinski, the director of the Warsaw Zoo, and his wife, Antonina, who, with courage and coolheaded ingenuity, sheltered 300 Jews as well as Polish resisters in their villa and in animal cages and sheds. Using Antonina’s diaries, other contemporary sources and her own research in Poland, Ackerman takes us into the Warsaw ghetto and the 1943 Jewish uprising and also describes the Poles’ revolt against the Nazi occupiers in 1944.
Linda R
In 1994, Deogratias, a young Burundian medical student and refugee, fled to New York City. Sleeping in abandoned buildings and in shrubs in Central Park, he was eventually adopted by an older couple who sent him to Columbia University to continue his education. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tracy Kidder recounts Deo’s struggles in the United States, his horrifying memories of the Burundian and Ruwandan civil wars and his heroic efforts to open a free medical clinic in Burundi.
Jill
This poignant memoir of Guillermo Vincente Vidal tells of his early days in Cuba during Fidel Castro’s rise to power, his arrival in Colorado as part of Operation Peter Pan and the discrimination, poverty and uncertainty he faced. “Bill” Vidal grew up to be a respected public servant who has given back to the community in many ways, now as Deputy Mayor and Manager of Public Works in Denver.
Donna C.
No one does royal biographies better than Alison Weir; I own them all. For those of us who have read and reread Katherine by Anya Seton this is the true story of Katherine Swynford, the commoner who became the mistress of the charismatic John of Gaunt, son of Edward III. This strong, powerful woman was the ancestress of the Tudors, Stuarts, nearly every monarch in Europe and six American presidents. Their love affair was the scandal of the fourteenth century. Wonderfully researched, but eminently readable, this is a must read for lovers of British history.
Dedra
Fascinating how many household names came out of this Olympics – Mohammed Ali, Rafer Johnson, Wilma Rudolph. Great for all sports fans.
Dedra
