Hope and Other Punchlines by Julie Buxbaum

HOPE AND OTHER PUNCHLINES by Julie Buxbaum (author of What to Say Next) is a new young adult novel which centers around the aftermath of September 11. The main characters are teenagers Abbi and Noah, both of whom have special ties to that day.  Abbi is known as Baby Hope because of a famous photograph of her one year old self taken as the towers burned and fell.  Noah is searching for his father who disappeared on that day and convinces Abbi to accompany him to interviews with some of the adults in the photo. Buxbaum balances 9/11's tragic consequences with some budding romance and chronicles the attempt by these young teens who have no real memory of the day’s events to begin to move on. HOPE AND OTHER PUNCHLINES is a relatively quick read, and while there is plenty of reflection on the sacrifices made that day (think The Red Bandanna), this novel will also appeal due to its consideration of teenage angst and pain. For example, Abbi comments about former best girlfriend Cat: “when I look back, I think we outgrew each other. It’s as simple and as sad as that.” Noah narrates alternating chapters and muses: "You know what I think?  I think the reason high school sucks is because it feels so small.  Like a too tight turtleneck .... And even if you are brave enough to molt, there's all those people around you still, like, holding up and showing you your old skin."

The Fighters by C.J. Chivers

THE FIGHTERS by C.J. Chivers is a highly praised analysis of military history and American

combat in Afghanistan and Iraq which offers the perspective and experiences of six combatants described by the publisher as a fighter pilot, a corpsman, a scout helicopter pilot, a grunt, an infantry officer, and a Special Forces sergeant. Chivers said that his one organizing idea was to convey “that they are human,” especially to readers who may not have served or know anyone in the military. It is certainly eye-opening and at times an almost overwhelming emotional experience to read the personal details about the danger and suffering that these soldiers and their families faced, both during and after deployment.

Chivers was an infantry officer in the United States Marine Corps in the Persian Gulf War and is a Pulitzer Prize winning correspondent for The New York Times. THE FIGHTERS was recently featured on PBS NewsHour and here is a short video interview with Chivers:

THE FIGHTERS received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. You can read or here an excerpt here.  Please look for a copy on our shelves soon.

Silent Hearts by Gwen Florio

Set mostly in the early 2000s and post 9/11, SILENT HEARTS by Gwen Florio is a recently published novel that explores parallels and contrasts through the intertwined lives of two women. Liv is an American expatriate in Afghanistan with her professor husband and Farida is an educated Pakistani who is newly married to the son of an Afghan businessman whose trade involves drugs and guns. Yes, despite clear differences, both women are often defined by their husbands’ roles and impacted by the men’s emotions: “Liv thought of her life in the sheltered embrace of the college campus, first as a student, then a researcher and Martin’s wife. Of the things in that universe that depended upon the whims of men. A door held open for her, or not. A date. A promotion. In this world [Afghanistan] a woman’s very life could turn on whether a man had had a bad day.”

With Farida acting as translator, Liv interviews Afghani women about their life experiences, preparing reports for an NGO named Face the Future. Both Farida and Liv display resilience and develop a mutual regard for each other, even bonding over Alice and Wonderland, the story of “a girl whose curiosity led her to ever-stranger places, who did her best to adjust to incomprehensible circumstances, but who inevitable called stupidity what it was.” Gwen Florio is a prize-winning journalist who has reported from Afghanistan and she movingly conveys the difficulties and dangers there as well as explaining cultural and religious differences. SILENT HEARTS received a starred review from Library Journal, has a helpful discussion guide here, and is definitely recommended for book group discussions.

Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy which was provided in exchange for this honest review.