Michele Smith’s picks

Caste by Isabel Wilkerson

The concept of caste has been around long before the concept of race. In her book, Caste, Isabel Wilkerson takes us on a trip through the Hindu caste system, the Nazi plan to exterminate Jews and others deemed inferior, and through to the caste system in America, which is based on race. As an artificial hierarchy, caste determines one’s place in society and which members will benefit from having better access to resources.

Tecumseh and the Prophet: The Shawnee Brothers Who Defied a Nation, by Peter Cozzens

Peter Cozzens is the author of Tecumseh and the Prophet: The Shawnee Brothers Who Defied a Nation. Cozzens provides biographical portraits of brothers, Tecumseh as a warrior and diplomat, and the Prophet as a religious leader. He demonstrates how their talents gave birth to an astounding pan-Indian tribal alliance, made up of many disparate tribes in the Old Northwest of the late 1700s and early 1800s, who worked together to defend their lands from encroachment by white settlers.

Lane’s Picks

Humans; A Novel by Matt Haig, 2013

Looking for something light but thought-provoking, I recently reread Humans; A Novel. British novelist, Matt Haig, writes dark comedies about real and fantastical subjects. In this story, the main character is an alien who has come to Earth on a mission. Highly evolved and less than charmed by humans, his path throughout the story makes it hard to put the book down. There are plenty of twists and turns, including questions about the true identity of our narrator. I know it sounds like science fiction, in reality, it is much more down to Earth and very human.

The Dead Fathers Club, by Matt Haig, 2007

This ghost story is a retelling of Hamlet. Just replace the moody Dane (Hamlet) with 11-year-old Phillip Noble and replace the throne (Denmark) with a British pub (The Castle and Falcon). Young Phillip is visited by his recently deceased father, who introduces him to the Dead Father’s Club, ghosts of murdered fathers who gather in front of the family pub. Dad wants his son to avenge him, and the story goes from there as Phillip tries to uncover his Uncle’s devious plans. It is suspenseful and, like Haig’s other stories, heartfelt and human, ghosts and all.