LIFESTYLES
BOOK ROUNDUP
WINTER READING ROUNDUP Give the gift of a great story. Here are stocking stuffers to delight any book lover. BY ERICA MOODY
LIGHTS OUT By Ted Koppel You can’t say he didn’t warn us. Investigative journalist Ted Koppel’s “Lights Out: A Cyberattack, A Nation Unprepared, Surviving the Aftermath” would seem at first glance to be apocalyptic fiction, but the longtime “Nightline” anchor insists it’s all too real. Koppel imagines a scenario in which America’s power grid is compromised by a major cyberattack, leading to panic and mass chaos. He insists the U.S. government is unprepared for such an “inevitable” attack. Similar to his approach as a newscaster, Koppel succeeds in making a complex issue accessible, and entertaining, to a wide reading audience. (Penguin Random House, $26) M TRAIN By Patti Smith If you loved her National Book Award winning memoir “Just Kids” as much as we did, it’s time to read legendary musician Patti Smith’s latest book, “M Train.” Just as she’s done before, Smith vividly transports you to New York City in the ’70s and all the other places she’s lived, people she’s loved and lessons learned along the way in a book she calls “a roadmap of my life.” Filled with ruminations on craft and creation, it’s the perfect gift for the artist in your life. (Knopf Doubleday, $25)
science reporter Amy Ellis Nutt asks in the prologue to this national bestseller. The fascinating true story she proceeds to tell attempts to answer this heartbreaking question by following Nicole, a transgender teen, her identical twin brother and their family in their journey to understand and come to terms with Nicole’s identity and transition. Nutt’s four years of reporting pays off in this extraordinary, timely work of nonfiction. (Penguin Random House, $27) DC TRIP By Sara Benincasa A fun read with substance, comedian Sara Benincasa’s novel will appeal to teens and adults alike. A new teacher is in over her head when chaperoning a class trip to Washington. Moments of hilarity ensue. “DC Trip” is a good read when you want to laugh or bond with the teenager in your life. (Adaptive Books, $24.99)
DREAMS OF THE RED PHOENIX By Virginia Pye Richmond novelist Virginia Pye takes you to 1937 China in a story inspired by the life of her grandmother. Historical fiction at its best, “Dreams of the Red Phoenix” will entertain, make you think and give a history BECOMING NICOLE THE lesson at the same time. Author Gish Jen TRANSFORMATION OF AN says the Virginia Literary Awards finalist is AMERICAN FAMILY “Gripping, convincing and heartbreaking… By Amy Ellis Nutt powerfully evocative of the complexities “What does it feel like to be of life in 1930’s China.” (Unbridled Books, a problem?” Washington Post $16)
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MY LIFE ON THE ROAD By Gloria Steinem Gloria Steinem delivers her first full-length book in more than 20 years, a memoir that takes us on a journey from her early days of activist organizing to more recent travels around the world. Speaking recently at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, Steinem said that for her, traveling is “a form of meditation.” With this sharp, witty read, the 81-year-old feminist shows us that, as she famously said, “Women may be the one group that grows more radical with age.” (Penguin Random House,$28) SOMETHING MUST BE DONE ABOUT PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY By Kristen Green A central Virginia newspaper reporter blends memoir and history in a tale that hits close to home. After hearing of the story of an epic walkout by white students at the local public school in 1951, Green interviews friends and family to get to the bottom of her damaged hometown’s racial history, including a Virginia school system that shut down after the Brown vs. Board of Education decision rather than integrate the schools, and the brave community leaders who worked to gain quality education for all. (HarperCollins, $13.99) BRAVE ENOUGH By Cheryl Strayed As an anonymous columnist for The Rumpus, author Cheryl Strayed delivered sage nuggets of wisdom that helped many beyond the advice-seekers. Her columns
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