Nonfiction
The Babysitter: My Summers with a Serial Killer by Liza Rodman & Jennifer Jordan. Content Warning.
Growing up on Cape Cod in the 1960s, Liza Rodman was a lonely little girl. During the summers, while her mother worked days in a local motel and danced most nights in the Provincetown bars, her babysitter—the kind, handsome handyman at the motel where her mother worked—took her and her sister on adventures in his truck. But there was one thing she didn’t know; their babysitter was a serial killer. Some of his victims were buried—in pieces—right there, in his garden in the woods. Though Tony Costa’s gruesome case made screaming headlines in 1969 and beyond, Liza never made the connection between her friendly babysitter and the infamous killer of numerous women, including four in Massachusetts, until decades later. Haunted by nightmares and horrified by what she learned, Liza became obsessed with the case. Now, she and co-writer Jennifer Jordan reveal the chilling and unforgettable true story of a charming but brutal psychopath through the eyes of a young girl who once called him her friend.
By Kristen Barenthaler2 years ago in BookClub
"The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil" by Philip G. Zimbardo - Book Club Discussion. Content Warning.
The Lucifer Effect explains how—and the myriad reasons why—we are all susceptible to the lure of “the dark side.” Drawing on examples from history as well as his own trailblazing research, Zimbardo details how situational forces and group dynamics can work in concert to make monsters out of decent men and women. Here, for the first time and in detail, Zimbardo tells the full story of the Stanford Prison Experiment, the landmark study in which a group of college-student volunteers was randomly divided into “guards” and “inmates” and then placed in a mock prison environment. Within a week the study was abandoned, as ordinary college students were transformed into either brutal, sadistic guards or emotionally broken prisoners. By illuminating the psychological causes behind such disturbing metamorphoses, Zimbardo enables us to better understand a variety of harrowing phenomena, from corporate malfeasance to organized genocide to how once-upstanding American soldiers came to abuse and torture Iraqi detainees in Abu Ghraib. He replaces the long-held notion of the “bad apple” with that of the “bad barrel”—the idea that the social setting and the system contaminate the individual, rather than the other way around.
By Kristen Barenthaler2 years ago in BookClub
Fantasy Worlds and Folklore: The Magical Realm of 2019-Present Pinoy Middle-Grade Books
The emergence of fantasy worlds ingeniously interwoven with the patterned design that represents Filipino folklore is a significant phenomenon that became closely linked to Pinoy middle-grade literature during 2020 and beyond. These magical tales not only take young readers into a world of magic but also offer an entry point to the vast cultural treasure trove that is the Philippines.
By Shella Mae Villanueva2 years ago in BookClub
Best Books of 2023?. Top Story - January 2024.
How can someone possibly compare the relative merits of Toasty (a picture book about a piece of toast that wants to be a dog) vs. Death on Gokumon Island (a mystery of grisly multiple murder)? Well, I've made an attempt!
By Maureen Y. Palmer2 years ago in BookClub
Whispers from the Streets: The Silent Prophet of Nairobi. Content Warning.
In the heart of Nairobi, where the rhythm of life pulsated through the crowded streets, there emerged a legend born from the dust and struggles of the impoverished. From the shadows of destitution, rose a prophet—a king not by birthright but by the divine tapestry that wove through his extraordinary life.
By Kelly Munala Brookes2 years ago in BookClub
From Prison to Progress
In the darkest days of the 20th century, amidst the echoes of World War II, a remarkable soul named Collins Munala emerged from the shadows of an unconventional beginning. Born within the confines of a prison, the circumstances of his birth were steeped in mystery. Raised within the cold walls of confinement, young Collins found solace in the warmth of the prison kitchen. The clattering of pots and pans became the lullabies of his infancy, and the savory scents, his earliest memories.
By Kelly Munala Brookes2 years ago in BookClub
