The New York Times describes the five finalists:
“The White Tiger” by Mr. Adiga is the dark story of class struggle told by an Indian man who murders his employer. It was published in the United States by Free Press. Mr. Adiga, 33, a native of India who spent part of his childhood in Australia, is a former correspondent for Time magazine in India.
“The Secret Scripture” by Sebastian Barry, published in the United States by Viking Adult, tells of an elderly woman and her psychiatrist who write parallel accounts of their meetings and their tragic pasts in modern-day Ireland. Mr. Barry, 53, was born in Dublin and has been shortlisted once before.
“Sea of Poppies” by Amitav Ghosh, to be published in the United States next month by Farrar, Straus & Giroux, is set at the brink of the Opium Wars and tells of a ship full of sailors, Indians and Westerners, who form a bond and begin a long-lasting dynasty. Mr. Ghosh, 52, grew up in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India, and wrote “The Glass Palace.”
“The Clothes on Their Backs,” written by Linda Grant and published in Britain by Virago Press, is the story of family and morality told by a narrator who was raised by Jewish refugees from Hungary. Ms. Grant, 57, was born in Liverpool and lives in London.
“The Northern Clemency” by Philip Hensher tells of the ties between two families who live in Sheffield in the 1970s and ’80s. It was published in Britain by Fourth Estate and is scheduled to be published in February by Alfred A. Knopf. Mr. Hensher, 43, is the author of five novels and a collection of short stories.
“A Fraction of the Whole,” by Mr. Toltz, was published in the United States by Spiegel & Grau. It tells of a son whose attempt to understand his dead father takes him from Paris cafes to the Thai jungle to the Australian bush. Mr. Toltz, 36, was born in Australia, but has since lived in Montreal, Vancouver, Barcelona and Paris.
It feels so much better to post on this than on the Vice Presidential race.
http://www.ibo.org/school/000680/ This is about IB at my school and I am not in it. It gives a high school diploma.
ReplyDeleteI'd love (when the current event blogging topics are slow, of course) to see a post all about your favorite books. Imagine you have a grandkid entering into adulthood who asks you for a reading list of all the books he/she should read during his/her life. What would you recommend?
ReplyDeleteRopi, I checked the link (the rest of you reading this - this was based on a comment I made on Ropi's blog). There are two IB schools in Alaska - Palmer High School and Anchorage West High School.
ReplyDeleteJessica - interesting challenge. That could be a whole blog of its own.
Thanks so much for this. I am trying to avoid everything about Palin right now and focus my energy on positive stuff. I know who I'm going to vote for, so there's no reason to wallow in the media blitz. There's nothing like a great book to help one escape reality for a while.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same. I just got a book fromthe library that I think is toing to take me to another world. The Orientalist by Tom Reiss. I'd heard about it when it came out and a friend just recommended it to me recently.
ReplyDeleteBut, much is at stake in this reelection. Bush and comapny have moved us way in to corporate control and freedoms we've always taken for granted we've given up in the name of national security. Four more years of this and there might not be much left at all. So put down your books now and then and work to keep the US free.
Steve
ReplyDeleteOh...believe me, I do just that, but I'm trying to do it in a positive way with letters to the editor, etc. I am also starting a local movement to get my friends (and hopefully their's) to start focusing on HOPE and the positive again and to stay away from the negativity that is overtaking most Democrats. We're calling it Positive NRG for Obama. Positive NRG for Change. Wish me luck!
PS...I've heard of The Orientalist too; I'll check it out. Right now I'm reading "This Is Your Brain on Music."