25 Books to Remember from 2003
Annotation:"Alabanza" means praise, and these poems brilliantly honor those least likely to receive it.
Annotation:A shocking account of the U.S. overthrow of Mohammad Mossadegh, the democratically elected prime minister of Iran.
Annotation:An inspired Russophile takes us on an eye-opening, heartrending, terrifying, yet celebratory journey through the world's biggest country.
Annotation:An engrossing reconstruction of the ever-fascinating 18th-century mutiny and court martial.
Annotation:A stunning first novel takes Nazneen from her birth in rural Bangladesh to an arranged marriage in London.
Annotation:An intoxicating blend of Dutch history and commerce create the backdrop for this suspenseful novel.
Annotation:Black humor pervades this tale of the dying Tolstoy, the rising Stalin, and the not-yet-dead Lenin.
Annotation:A remarkably portrayed autistic boy, accused of killing his neighbor's dog, investigates and uncovers more than he set out to.
Annotation:In 19th-century Boston, literary geniuses solve grisly murders committed à la Dante's Inferno.
Annotation:The short life and enduring legacy of the first sex symbol of the Jazz Age.
Annotation:A moving yet funny account of a descent into alcoholism and ascent to recovery.
Annotation:One man's unrelenting quest to unravel one of the last great mysteries of the human body: our sense of smell.
Annotation:Science and medicine are skillfully woven with love and obsession in this collection of short stories set in exotic locations.
Annotation:The greatest female tiger trainer in history as seen through the fine lens of a novelist's eye.
Annotation:A shocking discovery forces a young Italian boy to confront deceit and betrayal.
Annotation:The definitive biography of the man who inspired terror and fear, and made duck-and-cover drills a part of our everyday life.
Annotation:Agony, ecstasy, and the truth about the painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
Annotation:Dr. Paul Farmer, the profoundly humane MacArthur "genius," epidemiologist, and world-class Robin Hood, sets out to cure the poorest of Haiti and beyond.
Annotation:A wildly inventive novel about an audacious hoax and its nightmarish aftermath.
Annotation:Murder, scandal, and Irish history are intertwined aboard an America-bound vessel.
Annotation:Death can be great fun in this humorous yet compassionate look at the postmortem uses of bodies donated to science.
Annotation:A human face and historical context for the harrowing story of a transforming event.
Annotation:Two decades of lyrical wit and delightfully sardonic observations from an award-winning poet.
Annotation:This brilliant biographical novel alternates the stories of social activist Flora Tristan and her grandson, painter Paul Gauguin, both seekers of "paradise."
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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, aesthetic appeal, 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: Jennifer Craft, Kari Evans, Michael Hearn, Co-chair, Elizabeth Joseph, Karenann Jurecki, Co-chair, Rosemary Murray, Jutta Zaplinski Selected titles appearing on this booklist may be available in recorded, braille or large print versions.
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