Our teen book spotlight this week is all about the 1920s!!! Our titles this week are all based in or about that decade known as the Roaring ‘20s in which we were between two world wars and everyone thought life was good, but it was a time of crime, intrigue, and going against the grain. We have a great mixture of fiction (complete with drama and romance) and nonfiction (you know some true crime is mixed in) and they will not disappoint! These books and more can be found by searching the catalog using the search tag #yahistoricalfiction and #amazingyanonfiction as well as on Libby and Hoopla.
Check back next week for a new teen book spotlight and if you have any book suggestions, please let us know!!
Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen--In the spring of 1929, eighteen-year-old Cordelia Grey and her stage-struck friend Letty Larkspur run away from their small Ohio town to seek their fortunes in New York City and soon find themselves drawn into situations and relationships, particularly with the dazzling Astrid Donal, that change their lives forever.
Vixen by Jillian Larkin--In 1923 Chicago, seventeen-year-old Gloria Carmody rebels against her upcoming society wedding by visiting a speakeasy, while her Pennsylvania cousin, Clara, hides similar tastes and her best friend, Lorraine, makes plans of her own.
Bootleg by Karen Blumenthal--Opening with a look at the history of temperance movements in the United States, author Blumenthal discusses how these crusades ballooned throughout the 19th and 20th centuries until finally resulting in the passing of the 18th Amendment, which banned the production and sale of alcohol. However, Blumenthal quickly points out, this legislation largely resulted in the opposite effect intended and sparked one of the most crime-filled periods in American history. Sections on gangster warfare and bootlegging illustrate the extent to which people went to circumnavigate the law, events which eventually led to the passing of the 21st Amendment, which once again permitted the sale of alcohol.
The Poisoner’s Handbook by Deborah Blum--Depicts Dr. Charles Norris, the first trained chief medical examiner, and Alexander Gettler, the first toxicologist, who were pioneers in the field of forensic science in early twentieth-century New York and discusses the importance of their work. Presents eleven kinds of poison and describes the ingenious methods created by the medical examiner's office to detect them.
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann--Explores the numerous murders of members of the Osage Indian Tribe in Oklahoma during the 1920s after they became rich due to the oil found on their land. Describes how the FBI badly hurt the case and what they did to try and find the killers.
Harlem Summer by Walter Dean Myers--Sixteen-year-old Mark Purvis, an aspiring jazz saxophonist during the Harlem Renaissance, lands a summer job as an assistant to the publishers of the African-American magazine "The Crisis." He soon finds himself bored with his duties and dreams of the chance to play jazz with local cool cat Fats Weller. When Fats requests his assistance in unloading a truck, Mark realizes he's in hot water when the mob-owned truck -- full of bootleg whisky -- goes missing. Caught between two very different worlds, Mark must set the record straight before things spin out of control.