Staff Picks  Natalie's Picks
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Skinner's Drift by Lisa Fugard
A frank and heartbreaking novel set in aparthied-era South Africa, Skinner's Drift captures with authenticity the violence and tension of that dark time in recent history.

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A Problem from Hell: America in the Age of Genocide by Samantha Power
After the Holocaust, an outraged world pledged to abide by the maxim "Never Again". Yet, despite an abundance of knowledge and resources at hand, the U.S. has failed time and again to intervene in cases of genocide. This Pulitzer Prize-winning work of journalism offers a judicious and well-researched analysis of American foreign policy as it relates to the most egregious of human rights violations.

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Acts of Faith by Philip Caputo
The lives of aid workers, mercenaries, soldiers, and refugees intersect in this Pulitzer prize winning novel set in war-torn Sudan. Caputo does a brilliant job of depicting the ways that war can blend the roles and motivations of oppressor and oppressed, humanitarian and profiteer.

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Cotton by Christopher Wilson
A true outsider, the protagonist of this novel manages to be a member of nearly every oppressed group there is. Although told with humor, Cotton contains serious themes of racism, sexism, and homophobia. Christopher Wilson does a brilliant job pointing out all that is ridiculous in our society.

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A Changed Man by Francine Prose
Prose is a master of the art of creating real, complex characters. There are no heroes or villains-only flawed human beings whose good intentions often go sadly awry. Dark, funny and entertaining!

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The Attack by Yasmina Khadra
This novel captures with authenticity the ways fundamentalist extremism and political turmoil can forever alter the lives of ordinary citizens...

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The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green by Joshua Braff
This is a highly entertaining coming-of-age story about a young man forced to cope with his unconventional family. A cross between "Catcher in the Rye" and "Running With Scissors", this book will make you chuckle while you cringe.

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The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta
Nigerian-born Buchi Emecheta offers a glimpse of a culture where a woman's worth is determined by the children she bears. Never veering into sentamentality, Emecheta paints a realistic portrait of a woman's role in 1940's Nigeria and the ways in which colonization, war, and poverty can contribute to the disintegration of family values.