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Buckley, Christopher. No Way to Treat a First Lady. Random, 2002.
The First Lady is accused of murder and an old flame comes to her defense in this scathing satire that targets the Washington political scene and the legal profession.
Carter, Stephen. The Emperor of Ocean Park. Knopf, 2002.
A controversial African-American judge dies suddenly leaving his son, a professor of law at a renowned university, an enigmatic message. A novel of intrigue, murder and family secrets. This is the first work of fiction by the eminent Yale Professor of Law.
Crafts, Hannah. Edited by Henry Louis
Gates, Jr.
The Bondwoman’s Narrative. Warner, 2002.
Written in the 1860s, this autographical novel may be the first novel by a black
woman slave. In an introductory essay, Gates details
how he discovered this extraordinary manuscript.
Dunmore, Helen.
Ice Cream. Grove Press, 2002.
A collection of stories that explore the complexities of friendship and missed
opportunities. Dunmore writes fluidly with subtlety and humor.
Frayn, Michael.
Spies. Metropolitan Books, 2002.
From the vantage point of old age, a man recalls his childhood escapades during
World War II when a seemingly harmless adventure of spying with his friend turns
out far differently than they ever imagined. An interesting and well-paced story
of growing up and confronting the realities of the adult world.
Gautreau, Norman C.
Sea Room. McAdams/Csge, 2002.
The impact of World War II on a family living on the coast of Maine is
beautifully handled in this outstanding first novel. Ten-year-old Jordi
and his father Gil’s plans for a new sailboat are suspended when Gil goes to
war. Jordi and his family face new challenges with Gil’s absence. This is
a story that will also appeal to young adults.
Haslett, Adam.
You Are Not a Stranger Here. Doubleday, 2002.
Most of the stories in this sterling collection deal with depression and mental
illness. These stories of characters struggling with depression and mental
illness are convincing and well worth reading.
Krass, Nicole.
Man Walks Into a Room. Doubleday, 2002.
The life of an English professor is radically changed when he suffers a loss of
memory in this provocative story of memory and identity.
Littell, Robert.
The Company. Overlook Press, 2002.
A convincing and informative multigenerational novel of the CIA by the veteran
writer of espionage fiction.
McEwan, Ian.
Atonement. Doubleday, 2002.
On a summer day in 1935, thirteen-year-old precocious Briony concocts a
scenario that lands the love of her sister’s life in jail for a crime he did
not commit. This brilliant novel is an intimate account of family
betrayal, guilt, love, and war that begins in a leisurely manner and builds
momentum as the story unfolds.
MxGahern, John.
By the Lake. Random, 2002.
The flavor of rural Ireland is perfectly captured in this charming story of the
colorful and engaging characters who are so expertly depicted.
Makine, Andrei.
Music of a Life. Arcade Publishers, 2002.
In 1940 young Alexei Berg is about to make his concert debut when his parents
are arrested and his harrowing life experiences begin. This is a tightly
compressed gem of a novel short in length but big in ideas and enhanced by
Makine’s beautiful prose.
Martel, Yann.
The Life of Pi. Harcourt, 2002.
After being shipwrecked, a zookeeper’s teenage son from India shares his
lifeboat with a Bengal tiger for over two-hundred days. A wonderful
adventure story that is surprising and suspenseful. A winner of the Booker
Prize for 2002.
Mason, David.
The Piano Tuner. Knopf, 2002.
An interesting and ambitious first novel about an introspective piano tuner who
is sent to repair a piano at a Burmese colonial outpost and is profoundly
changed. Mason’s beautiful prose captures the exotic world of colonial
Burma and its people.
Montemarano, Nicholas.
A Fine Place. Context Books, 2002.
This fine fist novel is based on the killing of a black teenager in a
primarily Italian-American neighborhood in Brooklyn. The author focuses on
one multigenerational family to convey their loss, pain and guilt, rooted in the
brutal killing. Montemarano’s characters are totally convincing.
O’Brien, Tim.
July, July. Houghton Mifflin, 2002.
A bittersweet novel that unfolds over a long college reunion weekend. O’Brien
skillfully interweaves the stories of his characters with dramatic flair.
Packer, Ann.
The Dive From Clausen’s Pier. Knopf, 2002.
Her fiance’s tragic accident results in a moral dilemma for Carrie, the narrator
of this provocative and gracefully written first novel about duty and
responsibility.
Russo, Richard.
The Whore’s Child and Other Stories. Knopf, 2002.
This is the Pulitzer Prize winning novelist’s first short fiction collection. In
the title story an elderly Belgian nun joins a college writing class and sets
out to write dramatic memoir. Other stories deal with problematic
relationships.
Todd, Charles.
A Fearsome Doubt. Bantam Books, 2002.
The latest in the brilliant historical mystery series featuring the Scotland
Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge and the ghostly voice of a Scottish soldier he had
executed for cowardice during World War I.
Trevor, William.
The Story of Lucy Gault. Viking, 2002.
A young girl is separated from her family in this superb novel set during a
period of martial law in 1920s Ireland. When her parents decide to move to
England, Lucy runs away. Her decision has tragic and far reaching
consequences in this tale of love, regret and the hope of forgiveness and
reunion.
Nonfiction
Caro, Robert.
Master of the Senate. Knopf, 2002.
The superb account of Johnson’s skill as a legislative tactician.
A 2002 National Book Award winner. This is the third volume in Caro’s The Years of Lyndon Johnson. Winner of the National
Book Award for nonfiction.
Ellsberg, Daniel.
Secrets. Viking, 2002.
A detailed memoir of the Vietnam era by the man who risked his career to expose the secrets and lies reveled in The Pentagon
Papers.
Epstein, Joseph.
Snobbery. Houghton Mifflin, 2002,
In his customary eloquent and witty style, Epstein takes on the prevalence of snobbery in American society.
Fuller, Alexandra.
Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight. Random, 2002.
Fuller writes with passion and intensity of her childhood growing up in Africa. She writes eloquently and with extraordinary attention to
detail about the Africa she so clearly loves.
Gess, Denise and William Lutz.
Firestorm at Peshtigo. Henry Holt,
2002.
On the same day as the Chicago fire on October 8, 1871, a fire
swept through Peshtigo killing more than 2000 people. From survivors’
letters, diaries and newspapers this book provides a dramatic
account of the tragedy.
McKillop, A. B.
The Spinster and the Prophet. Four Walls Eight
Windows, 2002.
The little-known story of the legal battle that ensured when a determined
woman accused the formidable H. G. Wells of plagiarism.
Morgan, Edmund.
Benjamin Franklin. Yale University Press, 2002.
Using Franklin’s letters and journals as basic sources for his
biography, the eminent historian portrays Franklin as a dynamic
and versatile personality.
Page, Nick.
Lord Minimus. St. Martin’s Press, 2002.
The author provides an interesting perspective on the atmosphere of the
court of King Charles I and Queen Henrietta Maria in tracing the
picaresque life of Jeffrey Hudson, the royal dwarf.
Roy, Charles.
The Back of Beyond. Westview Press, 2002.
Join Roy as he takes a group of mainly elderly Americans on a tour of
Ireland’s monasteries, abbeys and other sites that are off the beaten
path. Roy recounts some very humorous incidents with his small
group, and is refreshingly candid . A most enjoyable vicarious
visit to historic Ireland.
Rayner, Richard.
Drake’s Fortune. Doubleday, 2002.
The fascinating true story of how Oliver Hartzell, a failed farmer
from Illinois, swindled people out of millions of dollars before and
during the Great Depression.
Russo, Gus. The Outfit. Bloomsbury Press, 2002.
Abundant details of the history of organized crime in Chicago in
the twentieth century.
Temple-Reston, Dina.
A Death in Texas. Henry Holt, 2002.
The horrifying murder of James Byrd by racially-motivated thugs
in Jasper, Texas, is the focus of this important book.
Vowell, Sarah.
The Partly Cloudy Patriot. Simon and Schuster, 2002.
A collection of witty and insightful essays on a variety of subjects
In America’s past and present. They have been aired on National
Public Radio’s This American Life.
Wise, David.
Spies. Random, 2002.
The story of career agent Robert Hanssen who spied for the
Soviet Union for over twenty years before being apprehended.
An engrossing and thoroughly documented account.
Worrall, Simon.
The Poet and the Murderer. Dutton, 2002.
The incredible and fascinating account of the career of Robert Hofmann
and his work as a literary forger who made his own inks, used chemicals
to “age” the paper and fabricated documents.
TD 1/03
Copyright 2001, (written, graphic and pictorial material) Highland Park Public Library, Highland Park, Illinois. Permission for reproduction of any material included on this website must be obtained from the Library.
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