Book reviews May 2009
Reviews of some books recently acquired by the Philipsburg Jubilee Library. These reviews have also appeared in The Daily Herald

American wife
by Curtis Sittenfeld
Alice Lindgren has no idea that she will one day end up in the White House, married to the president. In her small Wisconsin hometown she learns the virtues of politeness, but a tragic accident when she is seventeen shatters her identity and changes the trajectory of her life.
Years later, when her husband unexpectedly becomes governor and then president, she discovers that she is married to a man she both loves and fundamentally disagrees with. As her husband’s presidency enters its second term, Alice must confront contradictions and face questions nearly impossible to answer.

Jackie Ormes : the first African american woman cartoonist
by Nancy Goldstein
Jackie Ormes could draw like an angel, tell a great story, slyly insert a comment on racial inequity and throw in a few sexy frocks, all with panache.
In the first book devoted to Ormes, Goldstein not only recounts with enthusiasm the trailblazing cartoonist’s remarkable story… but also keenly analyzes Ormes’s influential cartoons and the role black newspapers played in the struggle for racial equality. With a generous selection of Jackie Ormes’s forward-looking cartoons resurrected for the first time, this is one exciting and significant book.

Jewish pirates of the caribbean
by Edward Kritzler
The study of Caribbean piracy has become a noteworthy field of endeavor, with new chapters opening constantly. None will be quite so revelatory as Jewish pirates of the Caribbean. Kritzler helps us understand why the pirate era occurred and how the Jews fit into Caribbean history at that time, bringing insights to historical facts, such as what really happened to that famous boatload of Jewish refugees that sailed to New Amsterdam in 1654, why Jamaica became a haven for Jewish merchants and how this morphed into its development as a center of the pirate trade.
 

Running a bed and breakfast
by Park Davis and Susannah Craig
You’re no idiot, of course. You’ve had the pleasure of staying at a few bed and breakfasts, and you would love to open a charming inn of your own.
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Running a Bed and Breakfast will show you it can be easy and fun – and a great way to meet new people and make money. In this book you wil find useful insights in the booming B&B industry, expert advice on accounting and business issues, an insider’s look at the new trends in guest service and more.
 

The Cole protocol
by Tobias S. Buckell
In the first, desperate days of the Human-Convenant War, the UNSC has enacted the Cole Protocol to safeguard Earth and its inner colonies from discovery by a merciless alien foe. Many are called upon to rid the universe of lingering navigation data that would reveal the location of Earth. Among them is Navy Lieutenant Jacob Keyes. Thrust back into action after being sidelined, Keyes is saddled with a top secret mission by ONI. One that will take him deep behind enemy lines, to a corner of the universe where nothing is as it seems.

 

The Statia cookbook
by the St. Eustatius Historical Foundation
Today, the majority of the population of St. Eustatius traces its ancestry to Africa, Europe, Great Britain, North and South America, other Caribbean islands, India or China. This diversity of culture is reflected in the cuisine, which is truly international in flavor. The St. Eustatius Historical Foundation is interested in recording as much as possible of the island’s historical food heritage before it is lost. With the making of this special cookbook they present dishes many Statians grew up with and explain how to make them.

 

 
Trust me
by Brenda Novak
Four years ago… Skye Kellerman was attacked in her own bed. She managed to fend off her knife-wielding assailant, but the trauma changed everything about her life. As a result of that night, she joined two friends – also survivors – in starting The Last Stand, an organization to help victims of crime.
But now… her would-be rapist is getting out of prison. Skye knows that Dr. Oliver Burke hasn’t forgotten that her testimony cost him his reputation – and his freedom. And now Burke is free to terrorize Skye again.
 

Up pops the devil
by Angela Benson
Two hard years in prison have changed Wilford “Preacher” Winters for the better. He did his time, now he’s going to “do the right thing”. But the women in his life have other ideas. Tanya, mother of his two kids, wants to keep pearl-and-porsche lifestyle. Loretta, his sister, kept “the business” running.  And his one-time girlfriend Serena is hiding a secret…
With his world about to explode, Preacher’s going to need every ounce of his new-found faith to remain strong. Because it takes a lot to become a new man, sometimes even a miracle.