The Happiest Places on Earth
“How would you like to go work for a start-up radio station in Bhutan?”
The answer from radio journalist Lisa Napoli is an enthusiastic “Yes!” and so begins her fascinating journey from Los Angeles to an isolated kingdom in the Himalayas.
Bhutan sparked Napoli’s interest when its citizens were ranked as the happiest on earth, and her 2008 memoir explores the reasons why. Just what makes the Bhutanese so happy? Check out Radio Shangri-La by Lisa Napoli to find out.
You’ll also learn why the reigning king decided to convert his absolute monarchy to a more progressive constitutional one, and see what a Bhutanese student thinks of the United States when she follows Napoli back to Los Angeles at the story’s end.
I was so intrigued by Radio Shangri-La that upon finishing it I immediately checked out The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World, by another radio journalist who researched exotic and not-so-exotic destinations. Bhutan makes author Eric Weiner’s list, as well as Iceland, a haven for artists whether successful or not; Switzerland, where everything works and all of it’s clean; and Qatar, a nation of excess and exceptionally efficient air conditioning. I even enjoyed Weiner’s enlightening description of his visit to the former Soviet Republic of Moldova, the least happy country on earth.
For anyone intrigued by human nature or foreign cultures, I would highly recommend this book, especially if you care to discover one of those “Happiest Places” a mere three-hour drive from your home here in Forsyth County.
Happy Travels!
Alicia Cavitt
Information Specialist
Roxie and the Hooligans by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (Juvenile Book)
Roxie is a girl who loves to be prepared. In fact, her very favorite book is the called The Book of Pitfalls and How to Survive Them. She loves to imagine what she would do in all sorts of disasters. For example, do you know what to do if you are buried in an avalanche and you find yourself covered in dirt or snow and don't know which way is up? You dig a little hole around your head, spit into it, and the spit will run down towards the ground. Then you dig in the opposite direction to get yourself out. Roxie knows all sorts of tidbits like that. But there is a band of bullies in her school and she doesn’t know how to deal with them. Nothing in her book gives Roxie the answer to this. Then, through a series of strange events, she ends up stranded on a deserted island with these same bullies, not to mention a couple of criminals. She has to learn how to team up with the bullies to survive on the island, which includes digging up and eating grub worms. Then they have to try and outwit the bad guys, figure out how to get rescued, and find the way home. How our heroine does all this makes for a very entertaining story.
Virginia McCurry
Youth Services Specialist
Whether you are a graphic novel enthusiast or have never picked one up, here is a book that will grab you and hold on until the very end. The characters give a birds-eye view of dealing with the good, the bad, and the ugly of being a middle or high school student.
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
American Born Chinese is a wonderful full color graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang. It is a National Book award finalist, Library Journal best book, and Printz award winner. Author Yang weaves three fascinating stories that twist together only at the end. The stories begin with the Chinese fable of the Monkey King. Monkey King, a master of the arts of Kung-fu and adored by all his subjects, is the most powerful monkey on earth. But he does not want to be a monkey. He visits the gods and becomes infuriated when he is not let in to see them because he has no shoes. Monkey King goes berserk and attacks all the gods. When he goes home, he notices that his cave smells like monkey. After some thought, he locks himself deep in the bowels of his royal chambers and studies Kung-fu as never before. He learns the four disciplines of invulnerability and the four disciplines of bodily form. Transforming into a giant version of himself, he visits the other kings, showing his anger and new skills. When the other kings finally ask Tze-Yo-Tzuh to help them, Tze-Yo-Tzuh visits Monkey King and tells him he must be true to his own form. When Monkey King does not agree, he is buried for five hundred years under a mountain of rock.
Jin Wang moves into a new house and all he wants to do is fit in. When he goes to school, he realizes he is the only Chinese-American student. He has trouble making friends. The other students make fun of his name, his accent and even what he brings for lunch. Jin is lonely. He finally meets another new student, Wei-chen, and they bond over a cool Transformer toy and over the next few months become friends. But as Jin distances himself from his heritage, he meets an all-American girl who makes his heart sing. Wei-chen finds a girlfriend who is also Chinese and Jin, Wei-chen, and Suzy endure taunts from the school bullies. Jin thinks he can win the girl of his dreams if he turns himself into a carbon copy of everyone else. But that does not go well and in his anger he loses his true friend Wei-chen.
Danny is a hot shot jock. He has a girlfriend and cool friends, even though he has only been at his school for a year. But then like clock work, his cousin Chin-kee comes to visit. Chin-kee has every stereotypical bad trait that a Chinese boy could have. He speaks funny, eats weird food, dresses in original Chinese clothing, and acts inappropriately around girls. Chin-kee goes everywhere with Danny, even to his classes at school. Soon most of Danny’s friends look at him the way they look at Chin-kee. Chin-kee comes to visit Danny every year in the springtime. Danny gets so embarrassed by his cousin that he has to transfer schools each year to find a way to start over and be one of the cool kids again. This year Danny cannot stand it any longer and tries to make Chin-kee go away by beating him up. But Chin-kee surprises Danny with his phenomenal Kung-Fu moves, and what happens next will bring all the stories together.
To see how the Monkey King, Jin, and Danny end up, take home American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang today.
Denise Leeson
Youth Services Specialist
Quick Reads in Historical Fiction
Since discovering the novelist Haruki Murakami, I’ve grown fascinated with Japanese culture. Two recent reads, When The Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka and The Typist by Michael Knight, reveal captivating details about American and Japanese attitudes during and following the second World War.
When The Emperor Was Divine chronicles the experiences of a Japanese American family living in California during World War II. The father is the first removed and is taken from his home wearing only his slippers, a detail that distresses his daughter throughout the rest of the story. She fares only slightly better when the rest of the family is relocated to an internment camp in Utah per Executive Order 9066. There’s a surprising serenity in the way the characters accept the painful circumstances they find themselves in, as shown in the father’s letters that try to paint a rosy picture of life as a detainee and the mother’s calm resolve as she prepares for the relocation.
When the Emperor Was Divine is an adult novel but appropriate for high school or even middle school students, as it packs a powerful story into only 160 pages. If you’re interested in this area of history or stories about Japanese Americans, you may want to check it out.
From the other side of the globe, The Typist by Michael Knight describes events in Tokyo following World War II. The typist of the title is an American soldier named Van who babysits and ultimately befriends General MacArthur’s lonely son. Van’s view of occupied Japan and his unique perspective on life in the MacArthur household make this short novel (208 pages) truly memorable.
Alicia Cavitt
Information Specialist
Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale (Teen Middle)
If you saw the movie Tangled, you probably know that it told a new twist on the classic fairy tale of Rapunzel. If you liked it, you might also like this graphic novel version. While it is longer and perhaps more wordy than the average graphic novel, it is fast-paced and easy to read. This is another example of a fractured fairy tale, or a classic story turned on its head. Instead of a girl locked in a tower, she is a girl kept in a fortress—and she is always trying to find a way to get out. When she does escape and sees what is on the other side, it turns out to be more of a Western-style fort, and the story evolves into a wild-West cowboy and cowgirl adventure. This Rapunzel doesn’t wait to be rescued—she escapes, gets out into the world and rescues herself. Along the way she fights off some bad guys, gets into a few scrapes, and at the same time tries to figure out how to get revenge on the mean old woman who once held her captive. And you get to find out whether she ends up with long or short hair in the end.
Virginia McCurry
Youth Services Specialist
As a Youth Services Specialist, I rarely pick up a book for grown-ups, and when I do, it needs to be something special. This was the case with To Dance With the White Dog by Terry Kay, this year’s Forsyth Reads Together selection. I love a book with good characters and strong writing, and To Dance With the White Dog delivered. It is an inspired and haunting story whose characters will resonate with readers long after they close the book. The standout and star of the story is Sam Peek, a man who has lost his wife, and soon begins to feel like he is losing his independence. Sam’s recollections of times past, his sorrow, his joy, and his family, all leap off the page thanks to Kay’s masterful storytelling. No matter what your age, readers will relate to Sam and the bittersweetness of his life and loss.
I cannot wait to hear Terry Kay speak and share his own stories. If they’re half as good as Sam’s, I know I won’t be disappointed.
Cleo Slaughter
Youth Services Specialist
