Real Stories I Loved... and Read to the Bittersweet End

A long way home : a memoir

Brierley, Saroo.

From the Publisher

"The miraculous and triumphant story of a young man who rediscovers not only his childhood life and home...but an identity long-since left behind"-- Provided by publisher.

My Thoughts

An absolutely amazing story that is now a movie, "Lion."

A sliver of light : three Americans imprisoned in Iran

Bauer, Shane.

From the Publisher

Three young Americans captured by Iranian forces and held in captivity for two years tell their story. They recount the deception that lured them into Iran in the first place and describe the psychological torment of interrogation and solitary confinement. We follow them as they make surprising alliances with their fellow prisoners and even some of their captors, while their own bonds with each other are tested and deepened.

When breath becomes air

Kalanithi, Paul, author.

From the Publisher

On the verge of completing a decade's worth of training as a neurosurgeon, Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. Just like that, the future he and his wife had imagined evaporated. Kalanithi chronicles his transformation from a naive medical student into a neurosurgeon at Stanford working in the brain, the most critical place for human identity, and finally into a patient and new father confronting his own mortality.

The radium girls : the dark story of America's shining women

Moore, Kate (Writer and editor), author.

From the Publisher

The incredible true story of the women who fought America's Undark danger The Curies' newly discovered element of radium makes gleaming headlines across the nation as the fresh face of beauty, and wonder drug of the medical community. From body lotion to tonic water, the popular new element shines bright in the otherwise dark years of the First World War. Meanwhile, hundreds of girls toil amidst the glowing dust of the radium-dial factories. The glittering chemical covers their bodies from head...

My Thoughts

This story had me hooked from the very beginning! Can you believe there was a time that ingesting radium was considered exclusive? If you're like me, this book will have you thinking about all the potentially harmful things we expose ourselves to every day without thinking...

Into thin air : a personal account of the Mount Everest disaster

Krakauer, Jon.

From the Publisher

A history of Mount Everest expedition is intertwined with the disastrous expedition the author was a part of, during which five members were killed by a hurricane-strength blizzard. When Jon Krakauer reached the summit of Mt. Everest in the early afternoon of May 10, 1996, he hadn't slept in fifty-seven hours and was reeling from the brain-altering effects of oxygen depletion. As he turned to begin his long, dangerous descent from 29,028 feet, twenty other climbers were still pushing doggedly...

The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks

Skloot, Rebecca, 1972-

From the Publisher

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer, yet her cells--taken without her knowledge--became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first "immortal" human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer and viruses; helped lead to in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and...

My Thoughts

There's a reason why this book has been a New York Times Bestseller for about 200 weeks!

The devil's highway : a true story

Urrea, Luis Alberto.

From the Publisher

An account of "twenty-six men who in May 2001 attempted to cross the Mexican border into the desert of southern Arizona, through the deadly region known as the Devil's Highway ... Only twelve of the men made it out."--Cover p. [4].

My Thoughts

The author came to MCL in 2009, and I had the wonderful opportunity to meet him. This book gives a very raw look into the people risking their lives to come to the U.S. through the Devil's Highway.

The wild truth

McCandless, Carine, author.

From the Publisher

"The ... story of Chris McCandless, who gave away his savings, hitchhiked to Alaska, walked into the wilderness alone, and starved to death in 1992, fascinated not just ... Jon Krakauer, but also the rest of the nation. Krakauer's book, Into the Wild, became an international bestseller ... and Sean Penn's ... film by the same name further skyrocketed Chris McCandless to global fame. But the real story of Chris's life and his journey has not yet been told--until now. The missing pieces are...

My Thoughts

Did you read or watch "Into the Wild"? This is a follow up memoir written by Chris McCandless' sister that came out a few years ago.