25 Books to Remember from 2006
Annotation:In this sophisticated collection, ordinary yet complex African-American residents of Washington D.C. attempt to reconcile past and present realities with elusive hopes for the future.
Place a Hold
Annotation:The eugenics movement in early 20th-century America is exposed in this fascinating and deeply alarming history.
Annotation:A thirteen-year-old boy experiences the pains and pleasures of adolescence in this nostalgic and poetic coming of age novel set in England.
Annotation:Collins scrutinizes race and accountability with lyrical force in this book-length poem about a lynching in 1909.
Annotation:Dornstein examines the life of his late brother, who was killed in the Lockerbie bombing, and writes a refreshingly personal and uplifting memoir in the process.
Annotation:The dead and the living are delicately entwined in this haunting tale, that looks at life, the role of memory, and the meaning of relationships.
Annotation:Greenfeld gives a harrowing, illuminating account of the SARS epidemic that swept through South China, and the chaos and cover-up that ensued.
Annotation:Powerful and nuanced, each elegantly crafted narrative offers an insightful exploration into the caverns of the wayward soul.
Annotation:Everyday experiences are endowed with gravity, humor, and the supernatural in this exciting collection.
Annotation:Privileged Manhattanites strut and fret through Messud’s humorous and parodic yet morally exact portrait of pre-9/11 social life.
Annotation:In this debut collection, the familiar pangs of being human emerge through spare and disarming prose.
Annotation:Erlbaum, homeless at fifteen, illustrates the dark side of girlhood in her candid and engaging memoir of surviving group homes, drugs and abuse.
Annotation:Brinkley delivers a comprehensive, eye-opening account of one the most devastating disasters in American history.
Annotation:In Holleran's moving novel, a lonely professor escapes to Washington, D.C. after his mother’s death and learns about the surprising gifts that can come from grief.
Annotation:The history of al-Qaeda and its roots in fundamentalism are paired with portraits of those who planned and those who tried to prevent the tragic events of September 11, 2001.
Annotation:Stewart's walk across Afghanistan provides an informative history of the region as well as an accurate and compelling portrayal of the country and its people today.
Annotation:In this grim yet ultimately hopeful novel, a father and his son journey across post-apocalyptic America.
Annotation:The Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944, the world's largest-ever naval engagement, is viewed through the eyes of two American and two Japanese commanders.
Annotation:Grenville's gripping historical tale pits Aborigines and convict settlers in a fierce battle for the right to call Australia home.
Annotation:At once masterful and accessible, this uncluttered collection, celebrating the everyday, is a striking achievement from an award-winning American poet.
Annotation:An engaging, vengeful tale of how Sweet'N Low went from being an idea born in a Brooklyn diner to a staple on every table.
Annotation:An English army officer's lifelong romance with a Japanese woman is reconstructed through their letters in this gentle, timeless story, filled with period detail.
Annotation:This compelling novel follows two siblings who travel to Vietnam in search of their missing father and discover him to be as elusive and mysterious as the country to which he fled.
Annotation:This unforgettable novel is based on the life of Valentino Achak Deng, one of the Lost Boys of Sudan.
Annotation:Hardy and resourceful settlers describe the experience of remaining on their land and enduring the Dust Bowl years of the 1930s.
A Shared List by nypl_collections 
Member of New York Public Library
Send nypl_collections a Message
Follow 
Ignore Report This List Description
Books to Remember is an annual list of 25 titles chosen for their ability to provide an informative or transformative reading experience for adults. Selection criteria include literary excellence, uniqueness of concept and command of subject matter. These books were selected by the following committee from the staff of The New York Public Library: Matthew Baiotto, Tracy Crawford (Chair), Abigail Dreyer, Carol Gladstein, Billy Parrott, Lisa Piraino, Joseph Vissers, with Adele Bellinger, Advisor. Selected titles appearing on this booklist may be available in recorded, braille or large print versions.
English
Other
