TAPT: FALL 2015 Book Synopses (reviews by www. amazon.com)
A Legend of the Future
by Agustin de Rojas
This mesmerizing novel is a science- fiction survival
story that captures the intense pressures—economic,
ideological, psychological—inside Communist Cuba. A
Legend of the Future takes place inside a spaceship on a
mission to Titan, one of Saturn’s moons, while back on
Earth, warring super powers threaten the fate of
humanity. When the ship malfunctions on the return
journey, the crewmembers must face their innermost
fears amidst experiments in psychological and emotional
conditioning and aliens that may or may not be real.
Mothers and Others
by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy
Deception
by Deb Myers
Mothers and Others finds the key in
the primatologically unique length of
human childhood. If the young were
to survive in a world of scarce food,
they needed to be cared for, not only
by their mothers but also by siblings,
aunts, fathers, friends—and, with any
luck, grandmothers. Out of this
complicated and contingent form of
childrearing came the human capacity
for understanding others. Mothers
and Others teaches us who will care,
and who will not.
In this powerful theatre-of-the-mind memoir, Deb Myers
examines the devastating consequences of the sexual abuse
that followed her life. At sixteen, after a break up with her
boyfriend, she reached out to a much older married teacher for
emotional support. Their friendship crossed the line, resulting
in an affair that lasted more than two years. Yet, along the
way, God gently worked through Deb’s life and led her into the
role of a pastor’s wife, the gradual strengthening of her
marriage, and eventually, the painful – yet freeing – realization
that the abuse was not her fault. The result is an uplifting story
of God’s grace, mercy, and redemption.
Redefining Realness
by Janet Mock
East of the Sun
by Noha Shaath Ismail
With unflinching honesty and moving prose, Janet Mock
relays her experiences of growing up young, multiracial,
poor, and trans in America, offering readers accessible
language while imparting vital insight about the unique
challenges and vulnerabilities of a marginalized and
misunderstood population. Though undoubtedly an
account of one woman’s quest for self at all costs,
Redefining Realness is a powerful vision of possibility
and self-realization, pushing us all toward greater
acceptance of one another—and of ourselves—showing
as never before how to be unapologetic and real.
A coming-of-age tale, family saga, and nostalgic view of the fifties and sixties, Noha Shaath Ismail's
memoirs describe her formative years in Alexandria, Egypt, and the personal journey that led her to the
United States in 1970. Here is an immigrant's tale with stories about Muslim traditions, courting habits,
and a way of life that has since disappeared. Here are also the recollections of a world traveler spurred
by View-Master images her father shared with her after overseas trips, who "like Sindbad. . . longed for
a taste of adventure" and the freedom to begin her own journey of discovery. Not least, here is the
world view of a strong-minded woman of the world, whose home is Palestine, Egypt, Minnesota, Florida,
everywhere, and whose personal story about loss, grace, and memory can inform our own.
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