‘Pineapple Street’ is one of many great reads set in NYC

If you have not enjoyed “Pineapple Street” by Jenny Jackson, make haste! It follows a well-to-do family in Brooklyn and the family drama that life brings. The audiobook version is performed with perfection by Marin Ireland, and I highly recommend it.

 

“What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez” by Claire Jimenez is also set in New York City but follows a decade with a Puerto Rican-American family on Staten Island. Again, the audiobook version is excellent, particularly as the narrator provides authenticity to the voices in the story.

 

“Carmen & Grace” by Melissa Aquino is the third book this month set in NYC. This is a sobering look at two girls abandoned by drug-addled mothers and how they became part of a drug cartel. The drug lord is a woman who provides what the girls crave – order, respect, and dignity within the borders of a tightly run, albeit illegal, business.

 

“Homestead: A Novel” by Melinda Moustakis is a sparely written story of a young couple who marry when they meet at a dance in 1956 Alaska. They claim a parcel of land to make it into a homestead. The physical and psychological challenges will give you renewed respect for the pioneers of our country.

 

“The Chinese Groove” by Kathryn Ma is also about forging a path in a new country. This time a young man from China comes to California to educate himself and provide money for opportunities for his father back in China. Once again, we see immigrants who use hard work to overcome obstacles and improve their lives.

 

“Kuntslers in Paradise” by Cathleen Schine takes place in Southern California when a directionless young man goes to visit his grandmother and becomes enthralled with her history. A story she doles out over nightly martinis, a housekeeper is the sleeper star of this story. This author’s earlier book, “The Grammarians,” is one of my favorites.

 

“Hang The Moon” by Jeanette Walls, the author of “The Glass Castle” and “Half-Broke Horses,” pens a briskly paced tale set in Prohibition era Virginia. Sallie Kincaid is a scrappy heroine laboring against corruption, sexism, racism, and the ethics of moonshine as a source of income for desperate rural residents. 

 

“The Queen of Dirt Island” by Donal Ryan spins the tale of two women brought together by loss. Their life is simple, but they are profoundly dedicated to family. Not an exhilarating story and yet fully realized and satisfying. I highly recommend this book.

 

Our last two books are nonfiction.

 

“The Confidante” by Christopher Gorham introduced me to Anna Rosenberg, a Hungarian immigrant who became a prominent labor negotiator, a treasured advisor to FDR, and the Assistant Secretary of Defense. She was truly a workhorse for her adopted country. She traveled to battlefields in France and Korea to evaluate and demand improvements for the Armed Forces. Her father had instilled in her a lasting dedication to the United States for the freedom and opportunity it gave to their family.

 

“The Things We Make” by Bill Hammack is for everyone who has regarded a building or object and marveled, “How did they do that?” The author is an engineer who delights in bringing the process of engineering to the public. From the complex and bold to the seemingly simple, it is the engineering method that moves us forward. An engaging and brisk read.

 

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