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Health & Fitness

Book Reviews for April

Here are some book reviews from our staff to highlight the library collection, including old and new release books.

The Distancers: An American Memoir by Lee Sandlin (2013)

Lee Sandlin had always wondered about his family. The way they did not want to talk of the past; and chastised him for even asking, as if he were being the height of rudeness. Years went by and questions were numbed. But Lee kept wondering and through research and dogged asking, he got many of his answers. This family tale not only tells of the people who were present when Lee was growing up, but also many who came before from Germany and influenced the rest. It also tells of small town life in southern Illinois, specifically Edwardsville. The history of so many of those towns followed the saga of events that touched all America. Many of the aunts and uncles, grandmothers and grandfathers, seem strange and strangled in the decisions they made and the members who had to live with them. This is a slice of Americana that brings back memories and perplexes those memories. ~Recommended by Connie

Here is Where: Discovering America's Great Forgotten History by Andrew Carroll (2013)

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"Here Is Where" is part trivia, part history book about the lesser known places and incidents in American history, even though they were devastating at the time and made nationwide headlines.  Stories of coming to and exploring America, lawsuits that changed American law, inventions and medical discoveries are discussed and the author visited many of the places they happened, even if the place is no longer the way they were centuries ago.  The book makes you realize fame is fleeting, that even important history can be forgotten.  ~Recommended by Michele
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