1 2007 Summer Reading Program (juniors & seniors) Su

with the smart-alecky author as know-it-all hero. At some point, however, attentive readersrealize that underneath all the merriment simmers a running commentary on whatconstitutes authentic knowledge: learning by understanding, not by rote; refusal to give upon seemingly insoluble problems; and total disrespect for fancy ideas that have nogrounding in the real world. (Amazon.com)Gray, Francine du Plessix. Them : A Memoir of Parents Fifth Avenue; her stepfather,Alexander Liberman, was an artist who came to run the giant Condé Nast publishing house.Both being social animals, their tale brings with it appearances by the rich and famous ofthe mid-20th century; the couple's often cruel behavior as they strove to advance in thisworld is interesting if unpleasant. The book takes in many relatives and, given their lives,includes courtiers, artists, spies, and heroes. It provides a good look at many differentaspects of 20th-century social and political history, which alone makes it worthwhilereading. (School Library Journal)Katz, Jon. Geeks: How Two Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho Katz sets out toexplain geek culture by tracing the life stories of two 19 year old computer hackers JesseDailey and Eric Twilegar from Caldwell, ID. The young men had no money, no familysupport, but they did have a riveting passion for computers. A year after graduating fromhigh school, they were desperately seeking relief from their dead-end jobs. By chance, theauthor received a moving e-mail message from one of them and traveled to Idaho to meetthem. This meeting is the start of the boys' journey and is the book's beginning. (SchoolLibrary Journal)Lobo, Rebecca and RuthAnn. The Home Team: Of Mothers, Daughters, andAmerican Champions RuthAnn played basketball in college, became a teacher, marriedhistory teacher Dennis Lobo and taught her three children that "they could be anything theywanted." Her daughter Rebecca went on to become the captain of the basketball team atthe University of Connecticut, which won the national title in 1995, and the mostoutstanding player in that year's NCAA championship. In alternating chapters, mother anddaughter write of their happy family and of their crises. For RuthAnn, a successful battleagainst breast cancer; for Rebecca, the struggle to excel on the court and one day to find amale not intimidated by her height (6'4"). (Publisher’s Weekly)Montville, Leigh. Ted Williams: The Biography of an American Hero Montville coversall of Williams's heroic achievements-a Hall of Fame baseball career, two tours of duty as aMarine fighter pilot, an unmatched thirst for the thrill of the outdoors. But thanks to theauthor's ability to track down new sources of information, Montville presents a morenuanced portrayal of the baseball star than many previous biographies. The Kid, as Williamswas known, is brought to life with portraits supplied from the people who made upWilliams's very compartmentalized life. (Publishers Weekly)Remnick, David. King of the World: Muhammad Ali and the Rise of an AmericanHero Born Cassius Clay in segregated Louisville, KY, in 1942, Muhammad Ali became "TheGreatest" boxer and world champion, admired for decency, courage, and now for hisdebilities from thousands of head injuries and the onset of Parkinson's disease. We followblow-by-blow reports of his first three momentous fights; his conversion to Islam; hisfriendship with and later rejection of Malcom X; the draft scandal that robbed him of threecrucial years and probably $10 million; and, briefly, his four marriages. (School LibraryJournal)Roach, Mary. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers Those curious or braveenough to find out what really happens to a body that is donated to the scientificcommunity can do so with this book. Dissection in medical anatomy classes is about theleast bizarre of the purposes that science has devised. Mostly dealing with such16