By Kathy Pillatzki
Assistant Director
Henry County Library System 

  Each January, I like to ask the library staff to reflect on the books they read in the previous 12 months and recommend a few favorites. Here are some of their picks for the best adult non-fiction:

  From Jill, assistant manager of the McDonough library: "Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff is historical non-fiction that reads like an action-adventure novel.  The author creates a true WWII era feel as he unravels the tale of a plane crash in the mountains of New Guinea.  The trip started as a sight-seeing flight for several military personnel stationed on the island. Unfortunately, things went tragically wrong and the plane went down, killing most of the passengers. What follows is a harrowing account of the survivors trying to make their way out of the jungle. I very much enjoyed this read.”

  Andrea at the McDonough library says: “I recently read a vivid book about anorexia titled Brave Girl Eating by Harriet Brown. The book describes the struggles of a family trying to get their daughter to eat and be healthy. Rather than shipping her off to a residential treatment center, they go the route of family based therapy, which says a lot about their willingness to participate in their daughter's recovery. The book seared me to the core through its descriptions of what Kitty, the main character, goes through. You see this lovely, confident girl crumble, deluded about her size and literally scared of eating, and how the family stands with her. The book really helped me experience the devastation this eating disorder can cause for a whole family. It was non-fiction, so I knew that what I was reading was real, and that made it all the more poignant.”

  Phoenix, manager of the Fairview branch, recommends Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard. “This is a highly readable story of the strange events that led to the election of James Garfield as the 20th President of the United States, his assassination, and the rather bizarre medical practice that could be called the true cause of his death. Who knew a book about a man who only served as president for six months could be so interesting? Sadly, it is all too predictable that a person’s ego can interfere with job performance, even when a U.S. President’s life is at stake.”

  I enjoyed Tom Brokaw’s new book, The Time of Our Lives. Brokaw combines personal stories with commentary on the current state of politics in America. He compares the atmosphere in Congress to an incident in which his grandchildren in another room were getting a bit rowdy, and one of them called out to his grandmother, “I think we’re gonna need an adult in here!” His call for reasonable and rational debate, and even willingness to compromise, resonates at a time when legislative progress is stymied by rhetoric and grandstanding. It leaves the reader with a lingering question: who will step forward to be the adult?

  Check your local library or the PINES catalog at www.henrypublic.lib.ga.us for availability of these titles.

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