This Week's Staff Favorites: Volume 9

Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History by S.C. Gwynne

I’ve been enjoying this audiobook all week, but I’m only halfway through it. I knew very little about the Comanches before this and I’m really enjoying learning more. They were one of the first Native American peoples to adopt horses and they quickly became the most adept. As mounted warriors, they fought off the Spanish, Apaches, French, Mexicans, Texans, and Americans for years. Their story is told through the kidnapped Texan frontierswoman Cynthia Ann Parker, who in time adopted the lifestyle of her kidnappers, and her son, Quanah. Only half-finished, I’m already willing to recommend it to anyone interested in the American frontier or Native American history.

-Mike, Reference 

Growing Up Amish: A Memoir by Ira Wagler

I’ve just recently finished this book (today!) and it was different from what I expected. The protagonist, having been raised in an Amish Mennonite household, explores and takes the reader on a journey through his childhood and adolescence while considering whether or not to join the church as a “full-fledged member”. He has many hiccups, including running away from home, stealing, and even deserting a potential bride. Wagler, struggling mentally and emotionally through all of his trials, tries to always do what he thinks is right in the end. However, instead of embracing the church as this way of life just like his
ancestors did before, he accepts his restlessness and yearning for something more; he left the church after going to great lengths just to be accepted once again. If you are interested in memoirs, journeys about one’s spiritual path, or just religion in general, this is a most interesting book. Acorn has the e-book, but you can get it through our online catalog as well.

-Judy, Reference

The Magic Hours: Essays on Creators and Creations by Tom Bissell

Bissell and his pleasingly argumentative style explore the privileges and pratfalls of creativity in this loose, erudite essay collection. “Escanaba’s Magic Hour” takes a look at the makings of a film in Bissell’s hometown of Escanaba, Michigan, and forces Bissell to come to terms with his dislike of his fellow Escanabans. Another standout is “Grief and the Outsider”, which gives a tour of the workings of the Underground Literary Alliance, a group of frustrated aspiring novelists who take on the intelligentsia with admirable intensity and irrepressible immaturity.

-Megan, Reference