Readers' Services
The Readers’ Services staff can help you find specific materials and can offer reading suggestions. Please phone (847) 448-8620 for assistance. Use Novelist, to find reviews, reading guides, and reading lists for fiction lovers.
The Class (DVD)
Cantet, Laurent. The Class (Entre Les
Murs). 2009. (DVD 791.4372 Class)
The United States isn’t the only country with tough kids in the classroom—take France, for instance. Film producer Laurent Cantet takes on a year in an urban French city where the students have their own French ‘hoods and struggle with discrimination, family issues, and the instability of immigrant residency. The “ethnic diversity” as portrayed in The Class certainly rivals classrooms found in contemporary Evanston/Chicagoland schools—French, African, Caribbean, Moroccan, Turkish, and Asian students make up Mr. Marin’s class, the teacher (played by François Bégaudeau) on whom the film is focused.
Unlike many American films with a powerful climactic scene involving guns, a car chase, or exploding gas tanks, contemporary French film tends toward the philosophical and, in this case, The Class presents a sympathetic view from the perspective of the struggling teachers—but gives also a realistic portrayal of inner-city high school students who have their own struggles with societal conformity and themselves question the purpose of the education system. With the exception of a scene in which two “class reps” are privy to a faculty discussion about a particularly troublesome student (which seems unrealistic, at least by American standards), The Class gives an even-handed view of the tricky balance that some teachers face today when dealing with students from the inner city. The Class is a winner of 9 awards and 14 nominations; based on the book Entre Les Murs by François Bégaudeau. –Russ (Ref.)
The Cinderella Pact
Strohmeyer, Sarah. The Cinderella Pact. 2006. (Fiction Stroh. S)
What if one resume was submitted by two different people? What if one person was overweight and unfashionable, and the other a glamorous model? Which applicant would be chosen for the job? Those who are fans of Jennifer Crusie's Bet Me, will enjoy Sarah Stromeyer's Cinderella Pact. Like the author herself, Nola Devlin, the main character has always struggled with her weight. After years of dieting, Nola can locate every Weight Watchers meeting in town and she's got her "drop-out" card to prove it. After an especially rude encounter with a restaurant manager, however, Nolan and her three friends create a "Cinderella Pact" and vow to lose weight once and for all.
As Nola struggles through her new exercise regime, she also hides a secret. At her job as a magazine editor, she's been quietly writing an advice column under the name Belinda Apple. Belinda is everything she isn’t--thin, glamorous and above all, British. Unfortunately, Nola’s secret is about to be discovered, and she will have to figure out how she can remain true to herself.
-Juliette S.
The Spare Room
Garner, Helen. The Spare Room. 2009. (Fiction Garne.H)
The longtime friendship between two women is tested when one becomes seriously ill and moves in with the other. Cheerfully optimistic, Nicola is convinced her cancer will be cured with a course of alternative treatment at the Theodore Institute. Helen is more than skeptical, yet she remains devoted to her dear, dying friend. It is not long before Nicola’s reckless gaiety begins to grate, and Helen must realize her limits. This is a glorious work by an award-winning Australian writer—unsentimental and achingly sad, yet wonderfully alive with moments of happiness and humor. (Susan R., Reader’s Services)
Marry Him
Gottlieb, Lori. Marry Him: the Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough. 2010. (646.7 Gottl.L)
Lori Gottlieb had a growing awareness that she and many of her peers were approaching the age of 40 unmarried despite a serious commitment to marriage. This led her to ask some difficult questions. Had she been harboring unrealistic expectations while searching for a husband? Are the qualities that make for an exciting date the same ingredients necessary for a fulfilling marriage?
How to know?
Gottlieb honestly shares the lessons she learns from consulting with professionals and regular folk. Please don't be afraid to dive into this book--it is far from grim, and at times very funny. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in marriage, especially women, and it can be helpful with all-around decision making. Shira S., (Reader's Services)
The Young Victoria
The Young Victoria. 2010 (DVD 791.4372 Young)
Throw away all your preconceived ideas of a dour and formidable Queen Victoria. In this sumptuously filmed British drama, Emily Blunt shines as the teenaged Victoria, beautiful and flirtatious, and focuses on her early life and first few years as Queen. We see her emerge from the restrictions and control imposed upon her by her family and advisers to become Britain's longest reigning monarch. Although there is political intrigue and history aplenty, the real attraction of the film comes in the love story between Victoria and her cousin Albert (played by Rupert Friend). Beautiful costumes, wonderful acting, a script by Julian Fellowes (who won an Oscar for writing Gosford Park) and the convincing and luminous Ms. Blunt make The Young Victoria satisfying romantic entertainment.
For a totally different view of the Queen, see Judi Dench as the older Victoria in Her Majesty Mrs. Brown. (Laura H.,Reader's Services)
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