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6 TIGARD MONTHLY | Thursday, October 24, 2013
nightstand?
What’s on your
What Tigard’s bibliophiles and bookworms are reading right now. . .
BOOKS
TIGARD MONTHLY
“The Boys in the Boat: Nine
Americans and Their Epic Quest for
Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics”
by Daniel James Brown
The 1936 University of Washington rowing team
began as a ragtag group of young men who at first
seemed like unlikely contend-
ers for the 1936 Olympics.
The central figure of the tale
is Joe Rantz, whose history of
personal hardship compels him
to try to succeed at rowing.
The vivid descriptions of their
training and races put you in
the boat, skimming across the
water with the team.
I appreciated the historical
context, as the sport of row-
ing gained national popularity in the 1920s and ‘30s
against the backdrop of a
changing Europe and the
impact of the ‘Great Depres-
sion.’ The insights into the
German preparations for
the 1936 Olympics were
fascinating.
If you are looking for a
story of adventure, self-reli-
ance and the ability to over-
come numerous obstacles,
this is a thrilling, satisfying
book. It reads more like a suspense novel than
non-fiction. In the end, it is a story of human resil-
ience and teamwork, an adventure that will have you
rooting for the Washington team and its embodiment
of the human spirit.
Margaret Barnes
Director of Library Services
Tigard Public Library
“Left to Tell”
by Immaculée Ilibagiza
I heard about the book, “Left to Tell”, from Oprah. I am
not part of Oprah Winfrey’s book club, honestly this is
the only book I have read cover to
cover in a year. I am the type of
reader who has several unfinished
books next to my bed, so right
there, this says something is ex-
traordinary about this book.
The author, Immaculée
Ilibagiza, is a young woman
who survived the massacre of
her tribe in Rwanda, by hiding
in a cramped bathroom with
seven other woman for over three
months, all the while listening
to the house they hid in being
ransacked by neighbors looking
to kill them. This is not the
type of material I am usually
drawn to, but I heard she had a
profound spiritual experience
while hiding, and that is what
called me to read this book. Her
experiences are traumatic, and
yet, she leaves the bathroom
with the capacity in her heart to for-
give the people who killed her family and friends.
I read it, was inspired and whole-heartedly suggest you
read it too.
Sharon Maroney
Producing Artistic Director
Broadway Rose Theatre Company
“Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls”
by David Sedaris
Although I’ve heard David Sedaris many times on the
radio, I hadn’t read his work on paper before reading this,
his latest collection. Even without hearing them read in
his distinctive voice, Sedaris’ hu-
mor and keen observations about
the many places and people he
experiences comes through loud
and clear in these essays, poems
and monologues for teens.
In “Mind the Gap,” a 16-year-old
American girl reflects on her re-
cent school trip abroad, laying out
the myriad ways in which Britain
is superior to the States and
revealing her
naiveté about her much older “best
mate” who took full advantage of
her need to feel different. “Rubbish,”
a personal essay about Sedaris’
efforts to rid his adopted English
village of roadside trash, shows a
softer, more civic-minded side of the
man perhaps most famous for his
snarky stint as a department store
elf. Other topics in this wide-ranging
collection include taxidermy, French
dentistry, keeping a diary (which Sedaris has done daily
since 1977), and sea turtles, all told in Sedaris’ sharp and
poignant style.
Molly Carlisle
Readers Services Manager
Tigard Public Library
Margaret Barnes
Sharon Maroney
Molly Carlisle
Continued on Page 7 >>
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