Inheritance by Natalie Danford

The truth is a complex, multifaceted thing difficult to understand and even more difficult to capture for close examination. Danford delves into the meaning of truth via the lens of parent-child relationships. The first is that of father-daughter. Here, the daughter, Olivia Bonocchio believes her father, Luigi, to have been a good, quiet man until she discovers a 49 year old deed to an Italian home in his effects. What she discovers when investigating the deed changes her understanding of World War II, of Italy's treatment of its Jews, and most importantly, of her father. Olivia's memory of her father becomes tainted with the knowledge of his actions half a century earlier. It is not until the second parent-child relationship is revealed, that of father-son, Olivia's grandfather to Luigi, that Olivia's view of her father is shifted again into a new and deeper understanding.

This is not my normal read but Danford swept me into the world she created with ease. She bridges the United States of the 1990's with the Italy of the 1940's. She explores the immigrant experience, the parent-child relationship, and the legacy of actions done and left undone. An excellent, thought-provoking book. Enjoy!

Hit by a Farm: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Barn by Catherine Friend

Here is another tale for those considering living more sustainably and/or off the land. Friend and her partner took up farming in their late 30's. It was a first-time experience for both of them. They decided to raise sheep and chickens for meat, and grow grapes for the local wine industry (in central Minnesota). None of these things were easy and their learning curve was steep to say the least. Friend shows how they grew as farmers, and she doesn't hide any of their trials and tribulations; they, like their rewards, are there in all their gory glory.

Note, I published this same review in the Conserve School Summer Reading List 2009 blog at:
http://conserveschoolreadinglist.blogspot.com/

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

What does it mean to be human? Is our whole greater than the sum of our parts? Can we play God and remain innocent of the consequences of our actions? These are just some of the questions that readers of The Adoration of Jenna Fox will find themselves pondering. Without giving too much away, Jenna Fox is your typical teenager: she has great friends, she argues with her mom, she struggles with perfectionism, and she makes some bad choices and (not so typical) is in a horrible accident. The choices her parents make as a consequence of that accident will set you back on your heels.

Great books to pair this book with are: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Eva by Peter Dickinson, My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult, The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer, Blueprint by Charlotte Kerner, and Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.