fascinating and important story
353406
As Rowan Chase's family starts a remodeling project on their property, workers find a human skeleton. Rowan is captivated by the discovery, and she and her best friend James set out to discover who the skeleton belongs to and how he came to be buried on her property. Because of this search, as well as her summer job/internship working at a clinic in the poor part of town, Rowan comes to think about race differently than ever before.

In 1921, William Tillman, who is half-white, half-Indian, gets caught up in the racial conflicts sweeping Tulsa. As he works in his father's Victorla shop, he comes to know a couple of Negroes, and when the racial tensions explode, he must decide whether to side with the whites who are determined to rid Tulsa of "bad" Negroes, do nothing except protect his own skin, or help those who are being attacked.

This book started off a little slow for my liking, but I'm so glad I stuck with it. Not only is this a well-written and captivating story, it's also an important one, as it introduces readers (most of whom, like me, likely aren't familiar with the rioting and killing of many African Americans in Tulsa in 1921) to a significant even in history. The way the story is presented made it fascinating, as readers wonder, along with Rowan, who was killed and why. William's story was even more interesting, as we see his growth. The culmination of the tensions in violence is so gripping--and even terrifying as the readers have to wait to find out who survives and who doesn't. This was really, really well-written and makes my best of 2017 list.

4.5 stars.
1108579
The story of Sam Zemurray is fascinating more so because it is the very story shared by a handful of hard-working late-19th century immigrants who helped build America's 20th century landscape and our nation's "can-do" attitude.  The story explains many things and though presented on a grid of good and bad, positive and negative, is remarkably non-judgemental.  It is the story of a business pioneer whose focus was to get the job done by removing obstacles but whose character is reflected by his generosity.  Every man needs a biographer like Rich Cohen.  Read the book.
203407
This is a most unusual and fascinating story.  Anyone interested in medical research and how some of our citizens have contributed to it will enjoy this unusual story.
4753044
Such an important story, a must read. I wish there were a way to make it required reading for all!
1427792
Jesmyn Ward is a talented, insightful author.  She tells an important story well.  Her references (by Esch) to Greek Mythology make the story even more compelling.  The story pulls you in and (at the same time)it is hard to read.  It is difficult to read about this family's struggle yet it's important for everyone to know what it is like for families who live from day to day and how much more difficult it is when a catastrophic event happens to those with no resources.
4143007
Very good and interesting story.  Definitely worth reading.
2170673
Reading about Andreas Algava's famiy's experience in Greece during the Nazi occupation was nothing short of astonishing.  It's fascinating and an important perspective of history we never considered or learned about in school.  I'm grateful he chose to share it with the world.
3570551
Compelling and important story of a young girl's story to womanhood, her bravery, the bravery of her parents and those around them.
817177
"Running with Angels" is a story of a young man that experiences many difficult problems in life.  However, the influence of God is always there guiding the flow of his life in a positive direction.  These events are presented in a way that keeps the reader wondering what will happen next.  The main character continues to ignore the presence of God in his life until he encounters a person that makes him wonder about the meaning of life and encourages him to seek answers to questions about the eternal God and his love.  The book is not only fascinating to read, but it makes the reader focus on the importance of his/her relationship with the eternal God.  After reading the first chapter, laying the book down is not easy.  The rewards of reading the book are far beyond the cost and the time spent reading it.  I recommend it without reservations.
423695
A fascinating story, very well written with lots of lessons and parallels to the issues we face today.
1301520
In a world tainted by the ignorant rantings of Edward Said and his mis-characterization of Orientalists, where "the west" is seen only as a negative force, books like this one remind us of the unequaled contributions of Western curiosity and desire for knowledge to cultures which otherwise may have remained hidden forever.
When westerners arrived in India, all traces of Buddhism had vanished from the land that gave it life, and from the memories of its inhabitants. It was through the efforts of these curious orientalists that Buddhisms origins were re-discovered, catalogued, and preserved for mankind.
This book tells that story in a fascinating narrative, reminiscent of a non-fiction thriller. Fabulous, and important.
701773
This fascinating story, very well and clearly told, covers the "gold rush" days of the early discovery and development of antibiotics.  Albert Schatz, then a young doctoral candidate under Rutgers University professor, Selman Waksman, literally risked his life testing cultures of barnyard soils against plates full of tuberculosis bacteria to find an anti-biotic that would kill tuberculosis.  When Schatz found what would become streptomycin, one of medicine's great discoveries, the more senior Dr. Waksman immediately took credit for it, as tradition dictated he was entitled, as senior professor, and licensed it to companies that were the precursors to today's pharmaceutical industries.  To Dr. Waksman went the glory, the credit, the royalties, the Nobel award.  Experiment Eleven is not only the story of the intertwined lives of these two men who introduced the most potent of medicines and ended the terror of tuberculosis, but also how today's pharmaceutical industry was created, how credit and patents are assigned for discoveries.  Even-handedly written with very fair characterizations of the individuals involved, an engaging view of history through the lives of those who made it.
487624
While the writing is not always elegant, the story that unfolds in this book is truly fascinating. I have always been interested in this area and I hope that, as we begin to focus on Afghanistan and begin to work more closely with Pakistan, the folks who are assigned to work on the political side all read this book. The story describes Greg's evolution from a lost climber who wanders into a small village in Pakistan to an individual running a large, privately funded aid organization that helps small villages in Pakistan and Afghanistan move into the 21st or possibly the 20th century. His main focus is on education for women but, as you will discover as the story develops, he frequently helps the village with other needs. This book is well worth your time. It will touch you.
2917396
I appreciated this book on many levels. It's very well written and tells a riveting story, which makes it a fantastic way to get information out about a devastating set of diseases the medical world is still unraveling. Additionally, it opens a window to the public to see into the world of medical research -- how intricate, complex, and time consuming it is to untangle the threads of a disease and understand it to the point of being able to reliably diagnosis and treat it. As a medical researcher, I am grateful to media that gives the public insight into just how much detective work is required to find the causes and solutions when the body breaks down. I hope the publicity will funnel money into researching types of brain inflammation and the resulting psychoses, because as medical researchers, what we need most is funding -- this work requires very expensive equipment and a large number of highly specialized researchers. Finally, this story emphasises the dire need to be proactive in your own medical care in order not to fall through the giant cracks in our poorly organized health care system. I appreciate her mention that her medical success was due in part to her excellent health insurance, family's ability to pay their out-of-pocket costs, and her parent's persistence in getting the best doctors involved in her case.
3574533
Well worth the read - a fascinating story from beginning to end. I had just finished reading it when 60 Minutes aired their interview with the author.  That interview covered the highlights, but there are more details in the book.  I couldn't put it down!
1296011
A fascinating story - better than the movie!
4170982
This True Story has so much in it to learn from.
It takes the reader on a remarkable journey from behind the Iron Curtain to modern Israel.... and along the way, as well as poignantly telling her tale, the author gives us insights into the amazing and revolutionary work devised by her late husband, Eugene Heimler, the inventor of the Heimler method of Human Social functioning - the Heimler Scale.
It is a survival story with a difference, and a lesson that the answers are out there, but we just need to recognize them.
Please do YOURSELF a favour...read this book.