Sometimes history really is shaped by a single man. Or, in this case, two men. Two very different men. They both hailed from South Carolina, although they lived in different worlds. But eventually it was because of them that the Supreme Court ruled that segregated public schools are unconstitutional—and neither of them had anything to do with the 1954 case of Brown vs. the Board of Education.

Written by Richard Gergel, a South Carolina attorney and U.S. District Court judge, this book is an imminently readable slice of history you probably never knew.

What happened first: In February 1946, just three hours after Sgt. Isaac Woodard was discharged from the Army following heroic service in World War II, he was traveling home in uniform on a Greyhound bus to Winnsboro, South Carolina when he had a minor dispute with the driver. The driver kicked him off the bus and into the arms of a Batesburg, South Carolina cop, who proceeded to beat Woodard with his blackjack, blinding him in both eyes. There were many violent acts against Blacks occurring all over the South at that time, but Woodard was unusual in that he lived through it. His case made the national news, thanks to Orson Welles's radio show. Public opinion demanded that the police officer, Lynwood Shull, be tried.

What happened next: President Harry S Truman was appalled by what happened, and his actions—based almost solely on hearing about Isaac Woodard—changed the course of American history by beginning the civil rights movement.

What happened after that: Enter Judge J. Waties Waring, a Charleston blueblood, who was asked to serve as the judge for Shull's trial. Not surprisingly, the all-white jury found Shull not guilty. Quite surprisingly, Judge Waring was deeply affected by Woodard's story, and it dramatically changed his views on race. And then the good judge proceeded to influence equally dramatic changes in the laws of our land. The personal attacks and violence he endured were horrifying, but the support he received from unexpected sources was truly gratifying.

If you ever think that one person cannot make that much of a difference, then read this book to find out how Judge Waring daringly risked everything he held dear in his life to make life better for Black Americans. It's quite a story!

Caution: The description of the beating of Isaac Woodard is quite graphic, as it had to be to fully explain what happened.

In a modest barn in small-town, Wisconsin, a calf is born on Christmas Eve, and instead of the usual spots, it has the unmistakable image of Jesus Christ on its flank to which the farmer said, "Well, that's trouble." Indeed.

Harley Jackson is a quiet, unassuming man living on the land and house in which he grew up. He is not a religious man, but the calf that soon becomes known as "the Jesus cow," upends his careful, unobtrusive life in ways he could never imagine as thousands of people from every state and several countries visit the calf with the unusual birthmark.

Written by Michael Perry, this novel is a profile of rural life in America with quirky characters who embrace beloved small-town values. It's also an understated, simplistic study in religion—specifically, what it means to believe in God without all the hoopla.

It's an amusing story and a fun read even though the plot's climax is totally predictable from early on in the book.

This book made me weep. This book made me angry. This book made me frustrated. This book broke my heart. This book is also a literary masterpiece with a formidable and vital story to tell.

Expertly written by Colson Whitehead, this is the story of Elwood Curtis, a black teenager living in Tallahassee, Florida in the early 1960s. His parents deserted him years ago so he lives with his grandmother, who is raising this child right. He loves school, he takes his part-time job seriously, he wants to go to college, but sometimes he has no common sense—and that is what leads to trouble. When Elwood is sentenced to a reform school called the Nickel Academy for Boys for a crime he did not commit, his life changes in such violent, cruel, and sadistic ways that his soul is forever seared. How he survives this piece of hell on Earth is the crux of the novel with an astonishing plot twist at the end that left me physically shaking.

Elwood Curtis is a fictional character, but the Nickel Academy for Boys is solidly based on the very real Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, Florida. Whitehead honors its former students/inmates by telling this composite story. When such bloody, vicious, and deadly secrets are exposed to the light, one hopes they will never be allowed to happen again.

This book won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for a reason. With a gripping plot, bold and vibrant characters, and razor-sharp prose, the novel's underlying message is so unflinching, significant, and searing it will take your breath away.

Read it!

There is only one way to describe this book: Unputdownable. As in, once you start reading, you really will not be able to stop.

Written by Anna Jean Mayhew, this is a snapshot of August 1954 in the deep South, three months after the Supreme Court ruled to integrated public schools in Brown vs. the Board of Education. Jubie Watts lives a white, middle-class life in Charlotte, North Carolina with her (dishonest and abusive) entrepreneur father Bill, her housewife mother Paula, three siblings, and their black maid, Mary Luther. At 13 years old, Jubie is mostly concerned about seeing forbidden Marilyn Monroe movies and sneaking a peek at her older sister's diary. In August, Paula, the kids, and Mary pile into their Packard to travel to Pensacola to visit Pauly's brother. Later, they will meet Bill at Pawley's Island for a week's vacation at the beach. Although traveling with Mary is problematic as she is not welcome in restaurants or motels, they manage. But on the way to Pawley's they are in a car crash in Claxton, Georgia. No one is hurt, but the car repairs will take several days. It is here that a horrific, heartbreaking crime occurs that will forever change the family. Jubie grows up seemingly overnight, making choices that will define who she is forever.

With vividly drawn characters and a riveting plot, this captivating novel is written with such remarkable insight that it is far better than a history book when it comes to exposing the evil underbelly of racism in the deep South at the cusp of the civil rights movement. It grabbed me on page one and never let go!

This is a book about family. And friends. And lovers. It's a book about the choices we make and the choices that are seemingly thrust upon us—for better or worse. It is a book about the human condition.

Written by Emma Straub, this is the story of the Strick family who live in the small, picturesque town of Clapham, New York. In the opening pages, the family matriarch, 68-year-old widow Astrid Strick, is an eyewitness to a horrific accident. She watches as someone she has known almost her entire life is mowed down by a speeding school bus. Tough-as-nails, strict, and unforgiving Astrid suddenly has a change of heart, not only worrying about all the mistakes she made as a mother, but also confessing a long-held secret to her astonished grown-up children. Life is changing fast. Astrid's granddaughter, 13-year-old Cecelia who lives in New York City with her parents, has come to live with her in Clapham after a mysterious incident (with very creepy undertones) at her NYC school has left her an outcast. Meanwhile, Astrid's three children all have issues of their own: Elliot, who appears successful on the outside, is supremely miserable; at 38, Porter is unmarried and pregnant (by choice); and Nicky, a former movie star and Cecelia's father, is more lost than most adolescents. Oh, and there is sex. A lot of sex and sexual confusion and sexual revelations and sexual angst.

A novel's form determines its function. This novel's form is ChickLit through and through, so it's almost all plot-driven, and at times eyerollingly so. Had the same storyline been written by a more literary author, the psychological issues and emotional breakthroughs of the characters would have resulted in a more structurally complex novel. But it's not that kind of story. It's a breezy, easy read that is not likely to result in readers having fervent, haunting thoughts long after the book ends. Reading this book is like eating cake for dinner. Fun and sweet, but ultimately not fulfilling.

This is a treasure, a true gem of the literary world. It's short, sweet, and absolutely beautiful.

Addie Moore has been widowed for many years. So has her neighbor, Louis Waters, whom Addie knows more as an acquaintance than a friend. One day, Addie does something that some may find shocking: She asks Louis to come to her home and sleep with her every night. Sleep. Just sleep. Nothing else. Louis is surprised, but agrees to the unusual proposition. And their lives will never be the same again. Between the sheets, they tell each other about their past, their present, and their hopes and regrets. When Addie's young grandson, Jamie, comes to live with her after his parents' separation, things change even more. Meanwhile, when Addie's son figures out what's going on, he is scandalized—and angry.

This charming and astute little book by Kent Haruf is a delight to read. It offers such wisdom—and hope!—about the human condition, the mistakes we make, and the anguish we cause those we love. Most of all, it's a testament to the power of love—no matter how old we are.

Oh, this is a depressing book. Melancholy. Tragic. And bleak. The story will grab some dark place of your soul and not let go. Eventually, there is hope and redemption, but it is a deeply sorrowful read to get to that point.

That said, it really is an extraordinary book.

Written by Eleanor Henderson, this is the story of Jude, whom we meet on his 16th birthday, and Teddy, 15, who are best friends living in a small college town in Vermont in the late 1980s. They both come from tragically dysfunctional families. Teddy's father is dead; his mother disappears, leaving him all alone. Jude's parents are divorced; his mother is barely making ends meet as a glassblower artist, while his dad, who lives in New York City's crime-infested Lower East Side, is an upscale drug dealer. Both boys are into drugs and huffing. Teddy dies, which is not a spoiler because the author gives away this eventual plot line in the second sentence of the book. Jude copes by moving to New York to live with his dad and to find Teddy's half-brother, Johnny, a tattoo artist and hardcore punk musician. Jude also finds a friend in Eliza, the trust-fund daughter of his father's girlfriend. But Teddy left them all a big secret, which is revealed soon enough, and it becomes a burden that nearly destroys Jude, Johnny, and Eliza.

The setting is raw, the characters are rough, and like the music they listen to and play, the plot is hardcore.

While this could be described as a coming-of-age story, it's so much more than that because Jude had been living such a loveless life without any of the boundaries parents typically set. It's more a coming-into-the-world story as Jude learns how to live in a way that is not self-destructive.

Ultimately, the dark, melancholic story becomes one of hope and redemption, but the danger is that the journey there is so somber and truly sad that many readers will give up just to exit this gloomy and despondent place. If you start the book, do finish it. It's so worth it.

You can't judge a book by its title. This book may sound like the ultimate ChickLit, but it's not.

Yes, at its core, it is a love story, but that love story is a tightly woven, multilayered historical novel beginning in 1951 during the Korean War and continuing through nearly two decades of political and cultural strife in South Korea. It is a love story that is poisoned by the wounds of war.

Each chapter, which advances the story in leaps of one or two years, is told from the point of view of one of the characters. Haemi is a feisty 16-year-old when the book opens, caring for her sickly little brother and widowed mother as they live in a refugee camp, barely subsiding. Military forces from what would become North Korea invaded their home and so they fled south to the seaside city of Busan to safety and crushing poverty. They became refugees in their country. Haemi's best friend since childhood, Kyunghwan, is equally poor. But he is the one she truly loves. Kyunghwan's cousin, the wealthier Jisoo-hyung is besotted with the spirited Haemi. Since he (and his money) is the key to the family's survival, she marries him. But theirs is a loveless marriage, fraught with anger, violence, and betrayal, and Haemi's response to this life—her profound unhappiness, bitterness, and resentment—will set in motion a swirl of events that quickly catapults out of her control, forever altering their lives.

Just know this before you begin reading: This is a desperately sad book.

Beautifully written by Crystal Hana Kim with vivid descriptions and colorful characters, this book will transport you to a Korea that is poised between two worlds—the steadfast and traditional that is being shattered by contemporary forces of change. Still, at its core, it is a love story—passionate, fiery, and forbidden—that will break your heart just as it broke theirs.

Oh, this book! And it's all because of the writing. Exquisite. Eloquent. Exceptional. This stunningly beautiful novel is very short, but I found myself taking longer to read it than the page count would indicate simply because I reread so many (many!) passages just to savor the sheer poetry of the words.

Masterfully written by Jacqueline Woodson, this is a multigenerational story of a Black family living in Brooklyn, New York. Iris, a good Catholic girl from a stable, upstanding family, is 15 when she gets pregnant with Melody. It's a classic tale of an unintended teenage pregnancy and the ripple-like effect it has on so many lives, but in Woodson's hands this is a tale you've never heard before. It is uplifting and heartbreaking. It is realistic and fantastical. It is beautiful and dangerous. It is prose and poetry.

This succinct novel has it all: a solid, emotionally-charged plot, vibrant characters, superb pacing, and most of all lyrical prose that transforms a simple story into a masterpiece. This novel is nearly perfect.

I am smitten with Louise Penny. And that's saying a lot because I am not enamored of murder mysteries. But her mysteries are another thing all together. Her books are expertly written with not only a compelling whodunit plot, but also extraordinary, entirely human characters that are so real they pop off the page.

Louise Penny's novels—there are 16 of them now—all "star" the brilliant and loveable Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, who is repeatedly sent to the tiny and picturesque Canadian village of Three Pines to solve the latest murder. (Other than the extremely high rate of murder, this would be an idyllic place to live!)

In this, the second of the series, Chief Inspector Gamache is called to Three Pines to investigate the murder of a woman named C.C. de Poitiers, who was inexplicably electrocuted—and not by accident—on Boxing Day while sitting in a chair on a frozen pond watching a community game of curling. Taking place from December 23 through New Year's Day, the book also has several subplots, including a murder of a homeless bag lady on the streets of Montreal, as well as the fractious interactions of some of the detectives and the delightful interactions of the Three Pines residents. Enough clues to the murderer's identity are given so the particularly astute reader stands a chance of figuring it out before the last page (surprisingly, I did), but the plot has enough twists and turns to keep even those astute readers riveted.

Louise Penny's books are highly intelligent, and that's what I enjoy the most about them. She peppers the story with numerous cultural references—literary, poetic, musical, and historical—which truly engaged my mind. I loved asking my Amazon Echo to play the Tchaikovsky violin piece she cites, and I eagerly Googled some of the history she discusses because I wanted to know more. So here we have the ultimate entertainment book, but it's also educational!

This is a multilayered, literary mystery that is perceptive and smart. Wonderful!

This book had me riveted. It's the rarest of nonfiction tomes in that I couldn't stop reading. Just a few more pages…just a few more pages.

That said, it is emotionally exhausting to read. Even if you yourself are not financially squeezed, chances are pretty good you know people who are. Finding out what must go on behind their closed doors is heartbreaking—and frightening.

Written by Alissa Quart, this is a well-researched and spot-on explanation of why and how the middle class in the United States is being squeezed out of existence. And this isn't happening only to high school dropouts and people who may have loafed through college. It's happening to college professors with doctoral degrees, attorneys, journalists, and teachers, among others.

Find out:
• Why having a baby may place a middle-class couple in a financial downward spiral from which they may never recover;

• Why your child's geometry teacher may be grading tests and planning the next day's lessons between his trips driving for Uber;

• Why some day care centers now offer care 24 hours a day;

• Why so many people are drowning in student loan debt.

• Why you may lose your job to a robot.

With each of the reasons why families are being squeezed, Quart attempts to offer solutions. Some are more tenable than others. I don't fault her in this because the solutions to most of these problems are far bigger than something she can conjure. Rather, they go to the heart of who we are as a country—and what we intend to do about it.

This book is shocking, heartbreaking, and an absolute must-read for everyone.

This is a very special book. And while I absolutely loved it, I know it's not for everyone.

Written by Pulitzer Prize-winner Geraldine Brooks, the story takes place in the mid-1600s in Massachusetts in Cambridge and on what we now know as Martha's Vineyard. Bethia Mayfield lives a happy, albeit incredibly hard, life with her English Puritan parents and siblings as new settlers on a beautiful island. Her father is a Calvinist minister who views his life's work as preaching to the wild Wampanoag, who also live on the land. As a girl of 9, Bethia befriends a boy in the tribe that she names Caleb. Their secret friendship—were it known, it would be scandalous—brings her much joy as she teaches Caleb English and her catechism. Caleb is brilliant, kind, and honorable in contrast to many of the white settlers. Eventually he is offered admission to Harvard, the fledgling new college in Cambridge. Bethia doesn't fit the mold of women for her time, and her curious, vibrant, and independent spirit takes her places she otherwise would never go, but it also sparks trouble. The story is framed by questions of religious belief, awakening sexual passion, and the sense of right and wrong in a strict and stilted society.

While this book is totally fictional, Caleb was a real person, who was the first Native American graduate of Harvard College. The title of the book reflects his "crossing" from his native culture and life to that of a scholar in English society.

What makes this book so special is its style and tenor. Brilliantly written in Bethia's first-person voice, the rather slow-paced story reads much like it would if it had been written in the 17th century, including judicious use of some archaic words. (The Kindle dictionary was VERY helpful!) While it takes a few pages to adjust to that tone, what requires a bigger adjustment is the occasional use of words in Wampanaontoaonk, the language of the Wampanoag—and these words are never defined. That said, by paying close attention (Google isn't much help), the discerning reader can figure out what they mean.

Most of all, this is an extraordinary writing achievement, and I was utterly enthralled!

This is a book that is steeped in white male privilege…and the white male who has all this privilege is only 14 years old. But that is the point. Ben, the privileged white teenager, is coming into his first realization of who he is, all he has, and all he could lose.

Written by Alexander Tilney, the novel takes place in the 1990s at St. James School, a posh and storied boarding school in New Hampshire. As Ben enters as a third-former (translation: ninth grade), he is following in the footsteps not only of his brother, father, and uncle, but also generations of his family who have matriculated here. However, all does not go as expected. Ben's randomly-assigned roommate, the fabulously wealthy Ahmad, has brown skin and no sense of how he should act among all these wealthy American boys. It's embarrassing to Ben! But trouble at home soon finds its way to St. James, and Ben quickly realizes his first semester at St. James could be his last. It is only then that he starts to appreciate all he has and mourn what he could lose.

If you can get past all the white male privilege, there is a tender and moving story of adolescence, emotional insecurity, and the pain and travails of growing up. It is a book—as the title says—about expectations: the expectations that Ben has for his new life at St. James, the expectations that the adults have for him, and the expectations of all the rules, written and unwritten. Most of all, it is about expectations unmet and unrealized…expectations that cause great disappointment.

But still…the book presented an obstacle I just couldn't surmount: Ben and the other characters are so (so!) wealthy and have had so (so!) many advantages in life, it was hard for me to feel much empathy for their trials and tribulations. And if I, as the reader, can't feel empathy for the characters, much of the story's meaning gets lost.

This book. This book is gripping. This book is provocative. This book is haunting. This book is intense. This book is genius.

Written by S.M. Hulse, this masterpiece novel takes place in the tiny mountain town of Prospect, Montana. The two mines that once offered employment and prosperity—Eden and Gethsemane—have long been shuttered, leaving a dying town in their wake. Josephine Faber and her older brother, Samuel, have lived together—just the two of them—for years. Their father was killed when the Gethsemane mine collapsed. Their mother was horrifically murdered in front of them by an ex-boyfriend, and when the carnage was over, Jo, who was still a little girl at the time, was shot in the spine and paralyzed from the waist down. But Samuel became her beloved guardian and protector. He was her everything--until the day he did the unthinkable: set off a bomb at a courthouse that gravely injured a little girl, the daughter of the pastor whose church across the street was inadvertently caught in the blast. Samuel thought he could get away with it, but a surveillance camera captures his image. The FBI hounds Jo for any information, while agents search for Samuel, who has seemingly disappeared. Or has he? Meanwhile, Jo befriends a most unlikely man, someone who slowly brings out the story of her past and her terrors of the present.

This is a multilayered psychological novel that is so intricately and tightly woven it will leave you reeling. Shrouded in extraordinary biblical symbolism, the story examines the meaning of faith, the importance of family, and the heartbreak that only those we love the most can cause.

Even though the plot is well-developed, the novel's strength is in the finely-wrought characters. The story slowly unfolds but in such a tantalizing way that it pulls in the reader bit by bit by bit. The writing is absolutely beautiful with stunning language and astonishing descriptions of seemingly minor details. Brilliant imagery of light and dark, earth and sky, and love and evil cement the novel as true literature.

This book is genius.

What a delightful and richly imaginative book! Author Alice Hoffman has perfected the genre of magical realism, telling tales that are captivating and intelligent with just a sprinkle of magic.

This is the first of a three-book series, and while it's not as strong as other Hoffman novels—the writing feels rushed somehow—it is still wonderful.

The Owens siblings—Franny, Jet, and Vincent—were brought up to think they were normal, but they know better. Birds alight on Franny's hands, Jet can read people's minds, and everyone who sees Vincent falls in love with him. When Franny turns 17, she follows family tradition and traipses from her New York City home to her aunt's old house in Massachusetts. Jet and Vincent accompany her, and the three of them spend a memorable summer with Aunt Isabelle, who helps them realize the obvious: They are witches. In addition to learning spells and potions, they learn about their bloodline, which extends to the Salem witch trials. They also learn about the Owens family curse that dates to 1620: If they fall in love, the object of their desire will fall to great harm. The book is the riveting story of their lives—and loves—and how they live with such a curse hanging over them. What is the remedy for this curse? What is the remedy for being fully human?

The real magic of this novel isn't the hocus-pocus. It's the words of wisdom about life and fate, love and loss, and death and dying. Enchanting storytelling combined with complex characters equals a novel that is a true pleasure to read and is perfect for those cool, bewitching autumn evenings.

Bonus: The three rules of magic espoused in the novel are also ideal rules for living a happy, good life.

This is a short novel that is eloquently written, but it's a very slow, almost abstract read. It is a deeply profound and philosophical book that tackles the big questions, such as the meaning of life, the importance of love and family, the significance of God, the impact of the Christian church in our daily lives, especially through the sacraments of Holy Baptism and the Holy Eucharist, and the grief we humans suffer.

While parts of it are absolutely mesmerizing, much of it is rambling and sluggish. There are no chapter breaks; instead, it is a single, long narrative.

Translation: This isn't a book for everyone.

It's the 1950s, and the Rev. John Ames is dying. He 76 years old with a wife in her early 40s and a seven-year-old son. John is the minister at the congregational church in the fictional town of Gilead, Iowa. The book is a letter he is writing to his young son. In addition to stories about his life, he offers life lessons—those things he would have shared with and taught the boy had John lived to see his son become an adult. He also explains to him what John calls his son's "begats"; that is, the family history, which goes back 100 years to John's rather eccentric grandfather, who served as a chaplain for the Union forces in the Civil War.

While this highly original book by Marilynne Robinson feels like a prayer in parts, it is just as much the theological inquiry of a man who spent his life in the Lord's service as he considers and deeply probes what it all means.

This is an intelligent and accomplished literary achievement. Read it because it is a masterpiece, but don't expect a compelling, page-turner of a story.

Typically, we learn a lot about and frequently see in the news Supreme Court justices only when they are nominated and subsequently confirmed by the Senate after a series of hearings, some of which can be quite confrontational and even belligerent. Then they seemingly disappear from public view. This book, expertly written by Jeffrey Toobin, gives us an inside look into what is largely considered a highly secret, if not clandestine, branch of government.

What makes this book especially fascinating is that it is both a detailed expose on how the Supreme Court works, as well as a deep dive into the personalities and quirks of the nine justices. Published in 2008, the book focuses largely on the William Rehnquist court of 1986 to 2005 and then the first few years of the John Roberts court that began in 2005.

When Toobin explores the major Supreme Court cases—from Planned Parenthood v. Casey (a 1992 landmark ruling on abortion rights) to Bush v. Gore (which settled the contentious 2000 presidential election), he not only explains the cases, what they mean, and which justices supported/opposed them, but also the interactions, ploys, and conversations between the justices. It is the latter that makes this book so worth reading.

Find out…
• …why Roe v. Wade was not overturned in the early 1990s when eight of the nine justices had been appointed by Republican presidents.

• …about the surprising workplace culture of the Supreme Court, including how often they socialize or chit chat at work and off the job.

• …the real mess the justices made of the 2000 election decision of which even they are (mostly) still ashamed, as well as the unintended consequences of both this decision and the George W. Bush presidency that altered the culture and leanings of the justices.

• …why there really are only two types of cases before the Supreme Court: abortion cases and all others.

• …why the Fourteenth Amendment seems to be critical to so many Supreme Court cases.

Even though there are several sections that are heavy on legalese, the book overall is highly readable and no law degree is needed to understand it and enjoy it.

Who are you…really? And can you ever escape your past to create a completely different future? When do lies become the truth? These are the central questions that gently guide the characters and plot of this engaging book by Brit Bennett.

Desiree and Stella are identical twins born in Mallard, Louisiana, a town so small it's not on any map. Mallard's population is quite unusual: All are light-skinned (and some are very light-skinned) Blacks. As little girls, Desiree and Stella watch as their father is lynched. They grow up poor, so poor their mother forces them to leave high school and work. Despising this life, the inseparable twins together disappear one night, wanting to leave their suffocating little hometown for the city of New Orleans. Stella successfully passes as white, and one day she seemingly disappears to begin life as the wife of a highly successful white man. A devastated Desiree moves to Washington, D.C. and marries a Black man, who abuses her. While Desiree and Stella spend their lives apart, each has a daughter. When these two very different girls meet and figure out who the other is, the family's lives are upended. Secrets and lies have a way of eventually revealing the truth. The title of the book not only describes what Desiree and Stella feel when they separate, but also how Stella feels when she denies who she is in order to live a life that is grounded on a deception, duplicity, and betrayal.

This intriguing multigenerational story is emotionally complex with a richly imagined storyline that also serves as a brilliant reflection on race, racism, and the essence of our very identity as a human being.

This is a highly creative and original collection of short stories celebrating the 100th anniversary of women's right to vote in the United States.

Written by a celebrity lineup of some of our country's best living writers—Paula McLain, Christina Baker Kline, Jamie Ford, Chris Bohjalian, and Fiona Davis among others—all the stories take place on a single day: October 23, 1915 in New York City. On that day, thousands of women dressed in white (as well as yellow, purple, and green) and marched in a three-mile parade down Fifth Avenue in support of women's suffrage with an even larger crowd watching—and sometimes jeering—on the sidewalks.

It's easy to Google this parade and find out the big, sweeping historical facts. And while readers of this book will learn much about the suffrage movement and this one parade, the short stories focus more on the microcosm—the individual women who marched. For many women, this was a true act of personal bravery as they defied their husbands, sons, and the mores of the times to take part in this decidedly unladylike venture.

As is the case in any short story collection, especially those with different authors, some stories are stronger than others. My favorites were "Siobhán," by Katherine J. Chen and "Apple Season," by Lisa Wingate.

One fun literary ploy is used. In my opinion, the weakest story is "A First Step," by M.J. Rose. It's the story of Katrina Tiffany, wife of Charles Lewis Tiffany, who was the son of stained-glass artist Louis Comfort Tiffany, and their seven-year-old niece, Grace. The story has an odd ending that just left me hanging. But it turns out, that was not really the end. The story of Grace weaves its way through two other stories, mostly as an unimportant sidebar until the real ending of "A First Step" is finally revealed in Fiona Davis's "The Last Mile." That's clever and fun.

Most of all, this is a literary celebration of women's suffrage, as each of the stories applauds the brave, strong, and persistent women a century ago who changed the United States forever when their mission succeeded.

If you're the type of reader who stops reading a book early on because it doesn't grab you right away, don't even bother with this one. The first half of this bestselling thriller by Gillian Flynn is so slow, it's almost boring. It's one very long set-up. And then about halfway through, whamo! The speed picks up, the plot thickens, and before too long, the story totally changes direction and yanks you on a roller coaster ride. Fasten your seatbelts, readers.

Nick Dunne and Amy Elliott Dunne are both stewing in a miserable, unhappy marriage. After living the good life in New York City—hot shot jobs, lots of money, the right house in the right neighborhood—it all disappears seemingly overnight when both are laid off within weeks of each other. At Nick's insistence, they move to his childhood home of North Carthage, Missouri, a small town on the banks of the Mississippi River. On the day of their fifth wedding anniversary, Amy disappears. As typically happens in these cases, many believe Nick is responsible. Is he? Did he murder his wife? Or is something even more diabolical going on?

The No. 1 strength of this book is the plot twists…one after another. And even those twists and turns I could see coming were still a page-turning exhilaration. This is a book you read with eyes wide open—even if it's way (way!) past your bedtime.

Like most thrillers, this one is plot-driven to the exclusion of all other literary niceties. Even so, it is more than a straight-up thriller: It's also a psychological study of Nick and Amy—and boy are they messed up. Both are meanspirited, selfish, coldhearted, and diabolical. As their loveless marriage and carefully cultivated professional lives unravel, their deepest secrets and flagrant lies devastatingly haunt and harm them. I give a lot of credit to Gillian Flynn, though. Even though I disliked both of them (a lot!), I still cared about them. That doesn't often happen with such characters.

But…and this is a big 'but." The ending is disappointing. VERY disappointing. It's as if Gillian Flynn just got tired of writing and stopped.