Summer Reads

The Summer Reads series includes books recommended by students, staff and faculty from Avonworth Middle and High Schools. This week we feature Still Alice, recommended by Dr. Varley, Curriculum Director for the Avonworth School District, and The Orphan Train, recommended by Mrs. Cahill, secretary for Avonworth High School.

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

Alice Howell has a wonderful life. She's worked hard to build a great life - she's a psychology professor at Harvard, has a great husband and has successfully raised three kids. This is supposed to be the "easy" part of her life - until she is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. Her diagnosis and subsequent struggle with the loss of her memories leaves her in a difficult place. If we are shaped by our experiences, who are we when we lose the memories of those experiences? The book is heartbreaking and speaks not only to those who have suffered from a disease, but also to the experiences of the family and friends who are affected as well.
Genova is a neuroscientist herself, so her insights and understandings of Alzheimer's lend credibility and weight to the fictional story of Alice.

Thanks to Dr. Varley for recommending this book!

The Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

Molly Ayer is in a tough spot. At 17 years old, she is just about to age out of the foster system where she's lived most of her life. Her foster mother isn't the warmest woman, and she's in trouble with the law for theft. She is given the option to perform community service, and she's helping an elderly woman named Vivian clear out her attic in order to fulfill her debt to society. As she cleans up decades worth of material, she comes across information about Vivian's experiences on an orphan train - a government program that moved orphaned or abandoned children from the population dense East Coast to the Midwest in order to give them new opportunities. As Molly learns about Vivian's experiences, she and Vivian connect and come to understand each other. If Molly can help Vivian answer questions about her past, it may help Molly come to understand herself better.

Thanks to Mrs. Cahill for recommending this book!