The following items are available at the Hancock County Public Library, 900 W. McKenzie Road. For more information on the library’s collection or to reserve a title, visit hcplibrary.org.
Adult Fiction
“The Orphan’s Tale,” by Pam Jenoff
Noa has been cast out in disgrace after becoming pregnant at 16 by a Nazi soldier. Forced to give up her baby, she lives above a small rail station, which she cleans in order to earn her keep. When Noa discovers a boxcar containing dozens of Jewish infants bound for a concentration camp, she is reminded of the child that was taken from her. In a moment’s decision, she snatches one of the babies and flees into the snowy night. Noa finds refuge with a German circus, but she must learn the flying trapeze act so she can blend in undetected. At first, she butts heads with rival lead aerialist, Astrid, but they forge a powerful bond and make the decision that their friendship is enough to save one another.
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Adult Nonfiction
“Born Bright: a young girl’s journey from nothing to something in America,” by Nicole C. Mason
Born in the 1970s in Los Angeles, California, Mason was raised by a volatile 16-year-old single mother. Early on, she learned to navigate between an unpredictable home life and school where she excelled. By high school, Mason seamlessly straddled two worlds: her home where street smarts, toughness and the ability to survival win the day; the other — a world with its own set of rules — not designed for her success. Mason figured out the college application process by eavesdropping on the few white kids in her predominantly Black and Latino school and eventually boarded a plane for Howard University with $200 in her pocket. While sharing her path out of poverty, Mason examines the conditions that make it nearly impossible to escape and exposes the presumption that the poor don’t help themselves enough.
