Prospect Heights Public Library Staff Picks

Stormy Weather

by Paulette Jiles
The Great Depression and the dust storms of 1937 come alive through the lives of four women coping with the death of husband and father Jack Stoddard in a questionable accident.

Four women, Elizabeth and her three daughters, Mayme, Jeanine and Bea manage to survive the drought, and dust storms of the great depression as well as saving the family farm from being taken for back taxes.

We get a first hand look at Jeanne surviving a dust storm and restoring the abandoned family farm to a livable home. Woven through the story is a story of Smoky Joe the one remaining horse from a herd of many horses that had to be sold.

Through this story we see a picture of the hard times of the depression era of 1937 and what it took for the women to survive and succeed these hard times.

Rosalie Kendall, Adult Services/High School Liason

Dreamers of the Day

by Mary Doria Russell
     Mary Doria Russell is a beautiful writer, and, like a master jeweler, her fourth gem Dreamers of the Day is a rare and precious work.
     At the start Ms. Russell enfolded me in her literary arms and guided me through a very fascinating story told most personably by Agnes, an unmarried woman from Cleveland, who, with her sweet dog Rosie, travels to Cairo in 1921 and finds herself in the company of Winston Churchill and T.E. Lawrence of Arabia as they plot the future of the Middle East nations.
     Agnes meets the charming Karl Weilbacher, a spy who describes himself as more Jewish German than German Jew. He is very accommodating to the lone woman and her dog in a foreign Middle East setting, and their friendship becomes instrumental in the personal development of our Agnes!
     I especially liked the imaginary conversations Agnes would have with her deceased mother (still nagging) and with her new friend positively supporting her actions. This amazing writer kept me in her embrace right up to the last sentence. I can't wait for her next gem!
Kate Konopasek - Circulation

How the States Got Their Shapes

Ever wondered why Illinois has as much Lake Michigan shoreline as it does? Or why Rhode Island and Delaware are so small while Texas and California are so big? Or why Alaska isn't part of Canada? Ever heard of the Pennamite War? Dip into this fascinating book (well indexed!) for the answers to these and other puzzles. You'll find that they involve history, geography, cartography, wandering waterways, human foibles, and downright mistakes. Each state is described in a brief chapter following an excellent general introduction by author Mark Stein. This book can help you win lots of bets!

Bill McCully, Executive Director