The Politics of Dreaming by Santo La Russa

I have to admit - I haven't read this book. However, I am super proud to know the author.

Santo La Russa has come to the library where I work for some time. He's one of the most well read, nicest people I have the pleasure of helping -and he happens to be homeless. He started out writing poems and drawing pictures, and leaving them for us to find. We encouraged him to keep his writings and use the computer. He ended up leaving and we didn't see him for over a year.

He returned and looked better than ever. He used our library's computers to compile his writing. Little did we know, he was writing a book. The other day I helped him self-publish his book on Amazon. I feel so happy for him. He is a great person, and I think he could make a lot of people rethink their feelings about homeless people.

If you have a moment - check out his book: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006X38WUS/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_dp_hwHepb13P98J1

Baby, We Were Meant for Each Other: In Praise of Adoption by Scott Simon

"Baby We Were Meant for Each Other" is written by NPR's Weekend Edition with Scott Simon. I really enjoyed this book on a lot of levels. One - this is really a very emotional and difficult topic for many. Scott infused the book with humor at just the right moments to break up the heaviness. While he touched on the fact that he and his wife had problems achieving pregnancy the traditional way, he didn't go into too much detail about it. I really appreciated that he kept to the topic of adoption.

He writes about the experience he and his wife had adopting two children from China. I think one of my most favorite parts of the book was when he went with the family back to get another baby. The photo didn't match the baby brought to their hotel room and their first daughter put her arm out to the new sister and said "it doesn't matter."

He includes other couples stories of adoption, as well as grown adults stories about growing up adopted. As someone who is considering adoption, this book just melted my heart. A great read.

Plain and Simple: A Woman's Journey to the Amish by Sue Bender

This book is older, published in 1989 -- but its a really nice quick read. Sue is from Berkeley - she's an artist and she has seen an Amish quilt that she loves and can't stop thinking about. This quilt inspires two longer stays with two Amish families. I really loved reading about her observations of these families and the Amish culture in general. It seems that the culture really puts a higher value on the whole, and diminishes the importance of the individual . The other part that struck me was the essence of time in this culture. I wonder if our A.D.H.D., go-go-go, media ridden lives makes us all a little more nuttier than the folks wearing clothes from a different time driving buggies? Being connected to one another and their land seems to give them a great sense of purpose that we often miss in our lives.

Now I want to go visit the Amish!

Inside of a Dog: What dogs See, Smell and Know by Alexandra Horowitz

"Inside of a Dog" is chalk full of interesting info: the how's and why's about our dogs lives. She doesn't humanize her animals, which admittedly, I do. I found it to be a little too technical to keep my attention.

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

"Still Alice" by Lisa Genova is about a 50 year old Havard professor who gets early onset Alzeheimers. I enjoyed this book immensely - probably because the author has the experiene of witnessing her own grandmother suffer from this disease, and she is a PhD neuroscientist from Havard. So - she knows her stuff!

You can't help but fall for the character of Alice. She's honest, she's real, and her suffering is palpable. Not only does Genova portray her situation in a very honest way, she also gives a very real dimension to her husband and children.

A quick read that makes you think- what would you do if you knew your body would outlast your mind?