975.8724/BER
Berendt, JohnMidnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story1994, 388p.
Movie: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, 1997. A true murder mystery, with a remarkable cast of characters, set in Savannah, Georgia, in which an eccentric antique dealer is accused of having killed his male companion. Is it murder or self-defense? This book holds the record for the longest run on the New York Times bestseller list.

346.038/HAR
Harr, JonathanA Civil Action1995, 500p.
Movie: A Civil Action, 1999. A true-life legal thriller, this book depicts the courtroom clash of good and evil between the residents of a small town and a large corporation accused of dumping cancer-causing chemicals into the water supply.

BIOGRAPHY/Hickam, H.
Hickam, HomerRocket Boys: A Memoir1998, 368p.
Movie: October Sky, 1999. A humorous and sentimental coming of age story from NASA engineer Homer Hickam, growing up during the early days of the space race. This memoir depicts young men’s dreams of launching rockets into outer space and the struggle in a small coal-mining town to make those dreams come true.

371.1/JOH
Johnson, LouAnneMy Posse Don’t Do Homework1992, 226p.
Movie: Dangerous Minds, 1995. A humorous and inspiring account of an inner city teacher’s first years at a high school in California. The author, a former Marine, found herself among unruly and unmotivated students. She turned to unorthodox teaching methods to get her students to learn, learning a few things herself along the way.

974.45/JUN
Junger, SebastianThe Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea1997, 227p.
Movie: The Perfect Storm, 2000. A mesmerizing account of a fishing boat out of Gloucester, Mass. caught in “the storm of the century” in October 1991. This tale of the doomed Andrea Gail, caught in 100-foot waves and winds topping 120 miles per hour, is a gripping adventure story.

616.89/KAY
Kaysen, SusannaGirl, Interrupted1993, 168p.
Movie: Girl, Interrupted, 2000. A poignant and often humorous account of the nearly two years the author spent in a mental institution. The author paints vivid portraits of the other patients and staff who worked there, challenging the reader to think about what is normal and what is not.

629.454/LOV
Lovell, JimLost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 131994, 378p.
Movie: Apollo 13, 1995. Lost Moon is the thrilling account of one of the worst disasters in the history of space exploration. It tells the story of the incredible heroism of the astronauts who brought their crippled spacecraft back to earth.

305.4/MAH
Mahmoody, BettyNot Without My Daughter1987, 420p.
Movie: Not Without My Daughter, 1991. The true story of Betty Mahmoody’s dangerous escape from Tehran with her daughter after her Iranian husband imprisoned them there. The escape took months of desperate, secretive planning, not knowing whom she could trust. This book also provides a fascinating look into the culture and living conditions of Iranian women.

BIOGRAPHY/McCourt, F.
McCourt, FrankAngela’s Ashes: A Memoir1996, 364p.
Movie: Angela’s Ashes, 1999. A triumphant and moving account of a boy growing up in Ireland amidst poverty and despair. The author, a natural storyteller, tells the story of his early days when there was not enough food on the table, and boots were a luxury. A lyrical memoir full of wit and graceful prose.

904.7 REA
Read, Piers PaulAlive: The Story of the Andes Survivors1974, 352p.
Movie: Alive, 1993. The true story of a South American rugby team whose plane crashed in the Andes Mountains. Stranded in the freezing Andes, without food, weak and desperate, the survivors struggled against all odds to remain alive, and made a difficult decision in order to avoid starvation and death.

Prepared by Lisa Bobis, January 2001