Prospect Heights Public Library Staff Picks

Strength In What Remains

by Tracy Kidder

Remember Dr Paul Farmer who was introduced to us in "Mountains Beyond Mountains"- this is a story of one of his protégés. Told by means of flashbacks - Deogratias which  means "Thanks be to God", a 24 year old African Tutu, the son of a cow herder, is a third year medical student working in Burundi, Africa. In 1994, his life is shattered when Burundi falls into civil war. Deo spends six months running from genocide. Unexpected help comes from people of many nationalities and ethnicities. Deo escapes illegally to the United States. He lands in New York traumatized, sick, homeless, speaking only French. Several close calls leave you expecting Deo to end up a crime statistic, instead he finds the means to attend an Ivy League College. There he meets Dr. Paul Farmer.  Under the guidance of Dr. Farmer, Deo is able to open a medical clinic in Africa.  At the time this book was published Deo is in his mid-thirties. His story is worth reading - and likely will be worth following to see what he accomplishes. A must read for anyone who thought they understood what happened in Burundi and Rwanda, questions international aid policy, or who doubts the long lasting influence strangers have when they help someone in need.

Maria Ampulski, Information Desk

The Lost German Slave Girl

by John Bailey
In 1843 a New Orleans socialite encounters a waitress named Sally Miller, a "white looking" mother of four. Is Sally a slave born of racially mixed parents as her owners claim, or could she be the socialite's goddaughter Salome' Mueller? Salome' had been sold 25 years earlier along with her father, brother and sister to pay for their passage from Germany. Read this fast paced legal thriller as historian Bailey traces the court records thru state and federal courts. Plantation owners fighting for their reputation embattled against the immigrant community who are aided by an overwhelmed attorney fighting for freedom itself for this woman and her children.

Maria Ampulski, Adult Services