“Great Reads” is a regular roundup of books that the Orange County Public Library System thinks you should peruse that month.
Walt Disney once said, “There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.” If that’s true – and we happen to agree with Uncle Walt – then think of the untold treasures a library brings to you. Below are recommended reads, selected by the professionals at Orange County Library System, and there are more riches where they came from.
Have you heard the library’s podcast Shelf Centered? Birthed in 2020, the podcast features library updates, staff recommendations of things you can check out, interviews with authors, and more. You can find it in most places you listen to your podcasts or visit ocls.info/podcast. Speaking of recommendation, here are your monthly selections to add to your reading lists.
OUTLIERS: THE STORY OF SUCCESS
BY MALCOLM GLADWELL
Gladwell’s previous titles have examined how we make decisions and the dynamics of social transformation. In Outliers, he investigates the nurture aspects of success: environment and opportunity and how their inter-play impacts the lives of those whom society ascribes success. This is a great playbook for those looking to up their game.
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EVERYTHING INSIDE: STORIES
BY EDWIDGE DANTICAT
Danticat draws on her Haitian-American heritage in this diaspora-focused collection of stories. While settings range from Port-au-Prince to New York, Danticat remains fixed on the hearts of her protagonists. She lays each bare before readers. Soured relationships, desires for security and connection, and the soul’s unwillingness to give up hope are all explored with kindness and acceptance.
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VICTORY POINT
BY OWEN POMERY
Lately, Ellen has been struggling with the weight of the world. Because of this, she randomly decides to take a brief summer vacation and travels back to her hometown of Victory Point. By visiting her old haunts and catching up with friends, Ellen discovers new ways to cope with the pressure-filled world around her. With incredible art and effective minimalist storytelling, Owen Pomery’s Victory Point proves that sometimes you really can go back home.
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THE MINISTRY FOR THE FUTURE
BY KIM STANLEY ROBINSON
Hugo Award winner Robinson returns in what is perhaps his most important and timely work to date. By the mid-2020s, the threat of climate change has become all-too-real, and time is starting to run out for the human race. With the situation dire, The Ministry for the Future is created – a force for good to combat the ever-present climate threat. The Ministry for the Future is the perfect book for fans of eco-fiction, and a message of hope for anyone looking for answers in our uncertain times.
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INVISIBLE DIFFERENCES
BY JULIE DACHEZ
Originally published in French, this is a candid and eye-opening story about living with Asperger Syndrome. Marguerite struggles with social interactions, depends on a structured life, and is susceptible to sensory overload. All her life she has found it difficult for people to understand her until she is properly diagnosed and she begins to advocate for herself. Based on the author’s personal life, this is a perfect choice to understanding what life is like living with an invisible disability.
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WE ARE NOT FREE
BY TRACI CHEE
Fourteen teens of Japanese descent growing up in San Francisco have their lives uprooted when relocation camps are instituted in response to the Pearl Harbor attack. The author follows their lives from relocation to live in incarceration camps in this fictionalized account of a real event in American history. Chee’s writing makes it hard not to connect with each character.
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