THIS WEEK IN AUGUST

HOT BOOKS

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  THE AMERICAN SPIRIT: WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE STAND FOR by David McCullough
  
  In this tiny, accessible book, David McCullough, America’s most honored historian, shares some of his most important speeches that shed light on the principles and characteristics that are uniquely American. You can’t help but be impressed with the American story as you see it portrayed by this masterful writer. It is a book for all Americans, no matter what political persuasion they profess.

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  COACH WOODEN AND ME: OUR 50-YEAR FRIENDSHIP ON AND OFF THE COURT by Kareem Abdul-Jabar
  
  This memoir is a colorful, inspiring and poignant telling of the unique friendship between Kareem and his esteemed UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden. Initially it was built on respect and shared goals but through the years the relationship grew more like that of a father and son as they shared their spiritual lives, their cultural lives and their family values. From his early years as Lew Alcindor to his conversion to the Islam faith when he changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, they were there for each other through the many decades, sharing the joys and hardships of each other’s lives. It’s a powerful testament to their respect, devotion, and love for each other, with basketball as the shared impetus.

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  THE TEA GIRL OF HUMMINGBIRD LANE by Lisa See
  
  The author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan again sets her story in China. It is 1995 and the story begins in a remote tea-farming mountain village. We meet young Li-yan who is pregnant and unwed. Custom demands that she abandon her infant girl at an orphanage. The baby, Haley, is then adopted by a loving American family and moves to California where she lives a privileged and happy life. But Li-yan never gets over the separation and she longs for the day they will be united. It’s a powerful story of the enduring bond between mothers and daughters, and a look into Chinese culture.

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  THE FROZEN HOURS: A NOVEL OF THE KOREAN WAR by Jeff Shaara
  
  . This book brilliantly sets the stage for understanding and “experiencing” the Korean conflict. It began in 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea with the goal to unite the country under one Communist rule. The US and the UN responded by bolstering South Korean forces to drive the invaders back to North Korea. However China then entered to support North Korea, and hence the groundwork was set for an enhanced military conflict that resulted in the death of 36,000 American forces. Shaara takes the reader deep into what became known as America’s “Forgotten War,” depicting that military engagement that ended with an armistice in 1953.
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