The Camel Club

Author: David Balducci

Category: Fiction

Reviewer: Jan Woodcock

Department/Position: Library Media

Summary: Conspiracy theories--everybody has one. The difference with this conspiracy is that it's all too real. David Baldacci's The Camel Club takes readers inside the Beltway as four unlikely misfits struggle not only to survive, but to save their president and their country from a plot that will lead to nuclear disaster.


Recommended Audience: Young adults/adults

Rating: 4

This book is available in the AHS library.

First Things First

Author: Stephen Covey, Roger Merrill, Rebecca Merrill

Category: Professional

Reviewer: Frasier

Department/Position: Business/Marketing

Summary: First Things First is about the life of a busy business person or any busy person for that matter. Those of us that are always busy and always have too much on our plates will do well from not only reading this book but putting the practices it suggests into practice. The authors have found a way for everyone to be able to reorganize their lives and set priorities. As you read through the book you will find a need to set it down and think about how you deal with people and problems. This book takes some time to get through. Instead of running our lives by the clock the author helps create individual compasses and direction for each reader. This is a great follow up to the reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People which is a great book!

Recommended Audience: This is a thick book…better suited for an older person, college or beyond. It will test your ideas and ideals. I recommend it to the older sort because you have to be wiling to agree that you don't have all the answers. The rating is due to the length, it definitely took awhile to get through.

Rating: 4

This book is available in the AHS library.

Flyboys

Author: James Bradley

Category: Non-Fiction

Reviewer: Brian Hatak

Department/Position: Science/Teacher

Summary:
The book tells the story of pilots in the Pacific theater of WWII. The story concentrates on the lives of eight pilots who were involved in the fighting over Chichi Jima, a radio station on an island south of Japan. The story of these pilots is told from before and during the war up to their deaths. All were Prisoners of War or Killed in Action (except for George Bush). The story is about both sides of the war and the struggles that each part had. The fighting is described in detail, at least for the air war over Japan. The book can be difficult to read as the descriptions become graphic at times. The detail in this book is what caught my attention. I enjoyed the way that the men's home life was described so you knew a little about them. It was not only the Americans that were discussed in the book but the Japanese also. The war through the Japanese's eyes was very interesting along with the history of some of the islands involved. The history of these men is an important story to tell as the documents only recently became declassified. The fact that even some of the families of the pilots did not know what happened to them shows the struggle that the military had with getting the right amount of information out to the public. The book was difficult to read for any extended amounts of time since there was a connection to the individuals and the description of their deaths was sometimes very disturbing. I would even enjoy reading this book again.

Recommended Audience: Adult and high school readers interested in WWII history and its stories.

Rating: 4

This book is available in the AHS library.

Zorro

Author:     Isabel Allende

Category:     Fiction     

Reviewer:     Anne Smith

Department/Position:     Language Arts Teacher

Summary: Zorro is the story of Diego de al Vega's ascension into the role of Zorro.  It is a fictional tale of his birth to Regina and Alejandro, who are a mismatched couple from completely different backgrounds, but whose passion for one another leads to their marriage and conception of Diego.  We are also introduced to Diego's "milk brother" Bernardo.  We see the two boys grow up and apart through distance but still manage to maintain a wonderful spiritual connection through their Indian background.  The tale is set in early California, ventures down to South America, and across the ocean to Spain where Diego becomes a member of the secret society La Justicia.  From his membership, he manages to defeat several rivals who even follow him across the ocean back to America to seek revenge while Diego is trying to save his father's estate.  It is a very interesting look at the background of Zorro and is a creative interpretation of his history.

Recommended Audience:     This book is recommended for high school and adult readers     

Rating:     3

This book is available in the AHS library.

The Patriots Club

Author: Christopher Reich

Category: Fiction

Reviewer: Jan Woodcock

Department/Position: Library/Media

Summary:
Who would have thought that Thomas Bolden would become a successful Wall Street businessman, living the high life and about to become engaged to the perfect woman? Having grown up as "Tommy B from the wrong side of the tracks," Thomas Bolden is a bootstraps guy who managed to leave the past behind and carve out a nice life for himself as successful Wall Street businessman. His world turns upside down when he is inexplicably kidnapped. His captors apparently think he has valuable information about something--but Bolden has no idea what. He's released, but his problems are far from over. Soon he becomes mired in a manhunt that forces him to tap into the street skills he learned as an orphan. As he runs for his life--literally--he uncovers secrets involving a bizarre club of corrupt politicos with roots extending back to the Founding Fathers.

Recommended Audience: Young adult/adult and anyone interested in American history.

Rating: 5 (high)

This book is available in the AHS Library.

Carolina Way

Author:     Dean Smith and Gerald D. Bell

Category:     Professional     

Reviewer:     James Holman

Department/Position:     Math teacher

Summary: The book is written by the winning-est college basketball coach in the history of the sport.  The book does not have a focus on basketball but will draw interest from people who are interested in the sport.  The main focus of the book is how to apply the strategies of his coaching philosophies to applications in the business world.  At the end of each chapter is a summary and application of the philosophy from a former player who actually lived through an experience that they began to learn playing under Coach Smith.  The book has many practical applications for teachers, coaches and any one who assumes a leadership role.  I enjoyed it very much because of my interest in basketball and experiences in the business world, but I think that it is written in a way that anyone can find many useful applications from Coach Smith's experiences.

Recommended Audience:     Teachers, coaches, leaders and anyone interested in a future in business.     

Rating:     4

Undaunted: Stories of Navy Life

Author:     Anne Scott McElroy

Category:     Non-Fiction     

Reviewer:     Barbara Stahlhut

Department/Position:     Math

Summary: This memoir by my 83 year old mother was published in May 2005.  Her life married to a 1943 graduate of the Naval Academy is eloquently conveyed.  The book spans her life from the early 1940's through the 1960's.  It is sometimes humorous but always accurate as to the trials and tribulations a military wife faces.  

Recommended Audience:     Adult readers (and anyone who wants to know a little gossip about me)      

Rating:     5 (high)

Flags of Our Fathers

Author: James Bradley

Category: Non-Fiction

Reviewer: Alison McBride

Department/Position: Social Studies Teacher

Summary: For anyone who is interested in WWII, Flags of Our Fathers is a must read. Flags of Our Fathers brings a personal dimension to the famous flag lifting at the battle of Iwo Jima. The author, James Bradley, brings to light one of the most famous pictures in American history, by telling the individual stories both past and present of the 6 marines who took part in lifting the flag. One of the most interesting and captivating aspects of this book is that the author’s father, John Bradley, was one of the famous flag raisers, however, he never spoke to his family about this heroic act.

Recommended Audience: High School Students and Adults

Rating: 5 (high)

This book is available in the AHS library.