B&N Recommends

Sarcastic, witty, and fun; Jen Lancaster brings humor to the unemployment line in pearls. Never before have I read such an entertainingly playful memoir with an actual story. From the rise of the dot com era to the fall of the industry and Jen right onto her self proclaimed smart-ass, this book will have your attention. Endless e-mails, job applications, interviews, phone calls, the unemployment office, an awkward proposal, a wedding, pet adoption, not being able to make rent, and a blog; this book has it all. I've never laughed out loud so hard while reading a book in my life and with this quick and witty read, you'll be cracking up in no time.

Neil White had it made. He had a beautiful family, lovely home, and fancy cars, all afforded to him by his career as a magazine publisher and journalist. Eventually the price of the luxe life caught up with him, and he schemed and cheated just to keep up appearances. It seemed a small offence, but his world was turned upside down when the FBI caught him kiting checks.

Neil was sent to a low security prison in Carville Louisiana. Little did he know that this isolated prison also served as a leper colony, where all known cases of leprosy in the US were quarantined. Of course, when he realized that "patients" also resided at Carville he had the same reaction that every other ignorant prisoner had—horror struck him. He didn't want to see them, be near them, or even breathe the same air as them. However, like any avaricious intellectual, he couldn't stand to waste his days in prison, so he found work...and the work led him to the lepers.

Here, Neil met Ella, a kind-hearted African American double amputee who contracted leprosy as a child and had been "incarcerated" in Carville for most of her eighty years. Ultimately, his relationship with Ella allowed him to refocus. He violated the "no socializing" policy to spend hours talking to her and other patients, as well as watch them truly enjoy life for what it was. He rediscovered the simple things in life—friends, trust, compassion. Although his marriage crumbled and he lost his wealth, he was released feeling like he had a new lease on life.

In the Sanctuary of Outcasts is an eye-opening memoir laden with heartache, humor, and hope.

You really shouldn't burn this book. 

You should read it.  All of it.  Edited by Toni Morrison and published in conjunction with PEN International, this volume contains eleven essays contributed by authors like John Updike, Nadine Gordimer, Orhan Pamuk, and Francine Prose (and Morrison, who contributed the opening essay, Peril), each writing about the importance of words and ideas.  Some of these essays are original and some are adapted from extant writing (like the Updike) and speeches (like the Pamuk).  While not a large book, it generates quite a bit of thought.  I was particularly struck by the contribution by Pico Iyer which describes his "penpal" who lives in Burma/Myanmar and how information was important to that trishaw driver (but not too much information, i.e. no political discussion).  Orhan Pamuk's essay also provides much thought as he mulls over his transition from silent writer to activist, even though he does not always address political concerns in his novels.  This book is also a must-read due to Ed Park's contribution The Sudden Sharp Memory; Park discusses censorship and how young adults encounter literature but instead of a plain essay he makes use of the unique form of Robert Cormier's I Am the Cheese, an often censored or banned YA novel.  

Read this book.