Karen Santamaria Recommends

Books

Plainsong: Haruf, Kent; 1999; A heartstrong story of family and romance, tribulation and tenacity, set on the High Plains east of Denver. In the small town of Holt, Colorado, a high school teacher is confronted with raising his two boys alone after their mother retreats first to the bedroom, then altogether. A teenage girl -- her father long since disappeared, her mother unwilling to have her in the house -- is pregnant, alone herself, with nowhere to go. And out in the country, two brothers, elderly bachelors, work the family homestead, the only world they've ever known. From these unsettled lives emerges a vision of life, and of the town and landscape that bind them together -- their fates somehow overcoming the powerful circumstances of place and station, their confusion, curiosity, dignity and humor intact and resonant. As the milieu widens to embrace fully four generations, Kent Haruf displays an emotional and aesthetic authority to rival the past masters of a classic American tradition. Utterly true to the rhythms and patterns of life, Plainsong is a novel to care about, believe in, and learn from. From the Hardcover edition. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.
Animal Dreams: A Novel: Kingsolver, Barbara; 1990; In a combination of flashbacks, dreams, and Native American legends, the acclaimed author of The Bean Trees offers a suspenseful love story and a moving exploration of life's largest commitments. "Probes the human heart with uncommon wisdom".--New York Newsday. Copyright #169; Libri GmbH. All rights reserved. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.
The Adoration of Jenna Fox: Pearson, Mary; 2008; Starred Review. Sometime in the near future, Jenna Fox, 17, awakens from an 18-month-long coma following a devastating accident, her memory nearly blank. She attempts reorientation by watching videos of her childhood, recorded beyond reason by worshipful parents, but mysteries proliferate. Jenna can recite passages from Thoreau yet can't remember having any friends. As memories return, however, Jenna starts picking at the explanation her parents have spun until it unravels. Pearson (A Room on Lorelei Street) uses each revelation to steadily build tension until the true horror comes into focus. Even then Pearson does not stop; she raises the ante in unexpected ways until the very last page. Clues are supplied by the supporting cast: Jenna's father, who made his fortune in biotechnology; a classmate whose loss of limbs has turned her into a crusader for medical ethics; Jenna's Catholic grandmother, who is hostile to her. A few lapses in logic if Jenna's father is world-famous and the family in hiding, why does she enroll in school under her real name? can be forgiven in favor of expert plotting and the complex questions raised about ethics and the nature of the soul. Ages 14-up. (Apr.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information
Trouble: Schmidt, Gary; 2008; School Library Journal ReviewStarred Review. Gr 7 10 Nothing is as it seems when Trouble arrives in varied and symbolic ways for two families and two communities. Franklin Smith, the arrogant scion of an aristocratic New England family, is accidentally struck while running and subsequently dies. The blame is accepted by a classmate, a Cambodian immigrant from a nearby town. When legal technicalities prevent Chay Chouan from being jailed, the perceived miscarriage of justice reverberates through idyllic Blythbury-by-the-Sea. Franklin's younger brother, Henry, becomes determined to climb Mount Katahdin, a feat that Franklin had coldly suggested might prove that Henry had guts. Henry sets out hitchhiking for the mountain with best friend Sanborn. Somewhat improbably they are picked up by Chay, who has been expelled by his father and is driving the truck that killed Franklin. Their symbolic journey predictably includes moments of danger, self-discovery, and reconciliation, fortunately leavened by the humorously ironic Sanborn. Complex structure allows revelations into the character of Chay, child of a violent refugee camp, unwanted product of rape, lover of poetry, and protector of Henry's sister (in a Romeo-and-Juliet twist). Teeming with plot elements, some of which may seem too purposeful, and richly veined with social and psychological crosscurrents, this story may be seen as allegorical in its intent and representation. Nevertheless it contains Schmidt's eloquent language and compelling characters, as well as compassionate examinations of the passage from childhood to adulthood and of the patterns of common experience that mark and unite us as humans. Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Old Greenwich, CT Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian: Alexie, Sherman; 2007; "Junior is a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian reservation." "Born with a variety of medical problems, he is picked on by everyone but his best friend. Determined to receive a good education, Junior leaves the rez to attend an all-white school in the neighboring farm town where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Despite being condemned as a traitor to his people and enduring great tragedies, Junior attacks life with wit and humor and discovers a strength inside of himself that he never knew existed. Written by Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, his first novel for young adults, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one unlucky boy trying to rise above the life everyone expects him to live."--BOOK JACKET. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.
Highest Tide: Lynch, Jim; 2005; "On a moonlit night, thirteen-year-old Miles O'Malley slips out of his house, packs up his kayak and goes exploring on the tidal flats of Puget Sound. But what begins as a routine hunt for starfish, snails and clams turns into a televised spectacle after Miles finds a rare deep-sea creature stranded in the mud. When he continues to discover more exotic ocean life in the quiet backwater bays near his home, Miles becomes a local sensation. Soon he is shadowed on the flats by people curious as to whether he is just an observant boy or an unlikely prophet." "While the sea continues to offer up surprises from its mysterious depths, Miles navigates the equally mysterious passage out of childhood. He clumsily courts his former babysitter, nurses his elderly psychic friend and searches for the words that will keep his parents together. And as the days shorten and the water begins to rise, his summer-long attempt to understand the muddy flats becomes an examination of life itself."--BOOK JACKET. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.
The Misfits: Howe, James; 2001; Publishers Weekly ReviewWhat do a 12-year-old student who moonlights as a tie salesman, a tall, outspoken girl, a gay middle schooler and a kid branded as a hooligan have in common? Best friends for years, they've all been the target of cruel name-calling and now that they're in seventh grade, they're not about to take it any more. In this hilarious and poignant novel, Howe (Bunnicula; The Watcher) focuses on the quietest of the bunch, overweight Bobby Goodspeed (the tie salesman), showing how he evolves from nerd to hero when he starts speaking his mind. Addie (the outspoken girl) decides that the four of them should run against more popular peers in the upcoming student council election. But her lofty ideals and rabble-rousing speeches make the wrong kind of waves, offending fellow classmates, teachers and the principal. It is not until softer-spoken Bobby says what's in his heart about nicknames and taunts that people begin to listen and take notice, granting their respect for the boy they used to call "Lardo" and "Fluff." The four "misfits" are slightly larger than life wiser than their years, worldlier than the smalltown setting would suggest, and remarkably well-adjusted but there remains much authenticity in the story's message about preadolescent stereotyping and the devastating effects of degrading labels. An upbeat, reassuring novel that encourages preteens and teens to celebrate their individuality. Ages 10-14. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Movies

Once: Martina Niland; 2007; A modern-day musical about a busker and an immigrant and their eventful week, as they write, rehearse and record songs that tell their love story.
Irving Berlin's White Christmas: Bing Crosby; 1954; Two talented song-and-dance men team up after the war to become one of the hottest acts in show business. They join forces with a sister act and trek to Vermont for a white Christmas. The men discover that the inn is run by their old army general who's now in financial trouble.

Music

Legend: Bob Marley; Is this love -- No woman no cry -- Could you be loved -- Three little birds -- Buffalo soldier -- Get up stand up -- Stir it up -- One love/People get ready -- I shot the sheriff -- Waiting in vain -- Redemption song -- Satisfy my soul -- Exodus -- Jamming.Performer: Reggae music performed by Bob Marley & the Wailers.
Raising Sand: Robert Plant; Rich woman -- Killing the blues -- Sister Rosetta goes before us -- Polly come home -- Gone gone gone (done moved on) -- Through the morning, through the night -- Please read the letter -- Trampled rose -- Fortune teller -- Stick with me baby -- Nothin' -- Let your loss be your lesson -- Your long journeyPerformer: Robert Plant, vocals ; Alison Krauss, vocals, fiddle ; with accompaniment.
Come Away With Me: Norah Jones; Don't know why -- Seven years -- Cold cold heart -- Feelin' the same way -- Come away with me -- Shoot the moon -- Turn me on -- Lonestar -- I've got to see you again -- Painter song -- One flight down -- Nightingale -- The long day is over -- The nearness of you.Performer: Norah Jones, vocals, piano ; with instrumental accompaniment.
Colour the Small One: Sia; Rewrite -- Sunday -- Breathe me -- The bully -- Sweet potato -- Don't bring me down -- Natale's song -- Butterflies -- Moon -- The church of what's happening now -- Numb -- Where I belong -- Broken biscuit -- Sea shells -- Breathe me (Four Tet remix) -- Breathe me (Ulrich Schnauss remix).Performer: Sia Furler, vocals ; with vocal and instrumental accompaniment.

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