WORD’s pick: “Five Days at Memorial” by Sheri Fink
Like David Simon’s “The Wire” and Dave Cullen’s “Columbine,” “Five Days at Memorial” is about all of the moral dilemmas that emerge during a massive tragedy — in this case, a storm-ravaged hospital during Hurricane Katrina. Fink, both a physician and journalist by trade, does a remarkable job of remaining mostly neutral, while reporting a story of heroes and villains (often in the same person) and no shortage of drama. You ask yourself, “What would I do in such dire circumstances? Was what happened right or wrong?” As is often the result of the best investigative journalism, I couldn’t always answer those questions with certainty. It was hard to read sometimes, but utterly riveting.
— Emily Pullen, WORD [126 Franklin St. at Milton Street in Greenpoint, (718) 383–0096, www.wordbrooklyn.com].
The BookMark Shoppe’s pick: “Killing Jesus” by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard
Following on from “Killing Kennedy” and “Killing Lincoln,” Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard have teamed up again to write about another major historical death: Jesus of Nazareth. “Killing Jesus” explores not only the religious climate at the time of the crucifixion, but the political turmoil occuring as well. Even though I took issue with a few religious discrepancies — including a questionable portrayal of Mary Magdalene — the political narrative of this book very accurate. Written in an easy and appealing manner, “Killing Jesus” is a thought-provoking and interesting read.
— Bina Valenzano, co-owner, The BookMark Shoppe [8415 Third Ave. between 84th and 85th streets in Bay Ridge, (718) 833–5115, www.bookmarkshoppe.com].
Greenlight Bookstore’s pick: “The Dark Path” by Toby Barlow
David Schickler is the author of “Kissing in Manhattan” and “Sweet and Viciou” — “Saturday night stories,” as he calls them, full of sex and violence and action and adventure. Schickler’s memoir, though, is about the pull of Sunday morning: his loving Catholic family, his burning desire to become a priest, and the conflict that creates with his art and his love for the women in his life. Schickler writes with charming self-deprecation about his confused younger self, and his conflicts, while in some ways unusual, are also universal: between family and self-expression, faith and desire, and childhood and growing up.
— Emily Russo, Greenlight Bookstore [686 Fulton St. between S. Elliott Place and S. Portland Avenue in Fort Greene, (718) 246–0200, www.greenlightbookstore.com].
