25 Books to Remember from 2003

Alabanza: New and Selected Poems, 1982-2002
Espada, Martín | W.W. Norton | 811 E
"Alabanza" means praise, and these poems brilliantly honor those least likely to receive it.
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All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror
Kinzer, Stephen | John Wiley & Sons | 955.053 K
A shocking account of the U.S. overthrow of Mohammad Mossadegh, the democratically elected prime minister of Iran.
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Black Earth: A Journey Through Russia After the Fall
Meier, Andrew | W.W. Norton | 914.7048 M
An inspired Russophile takes us on an eye-opening, heartrending, terrifying, yet celebratory journey through the world's biggest country.
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The Bounty: The True Story of Mutiny on the Bounty
Alexander, Caroline | Viking | 996.18 A
An engrossing reconstruction of the ever-fascinating 18th-century mutiny and court martial.
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Brick Lane: A Novel
Ali, Monica | Scribner | Fic A
A stunning first novel takes Nazneen from her birth in rural Bangladesh to an arranged marriage in London.
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The Coffee Trader: A Novel
Liss, David | Random House | Fic L
An intoxicating blend of Dutch history and commerce create the backdrop for this suspenseful novel.
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The Commissariat of Enlightenment: A Novel
Kalfus, Ken | Ecco | Fic K
Black humor pervades this tale of the dying Tolstoy, the rising Stalin, and the not-yet-dead Lenin.
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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Haddon, Mark | Doubleday | Fic H
A remarkably portrayed autistic boy, accused of killing his neighbor's dog, investigates and uncovers more than he set out to.
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The Dante Club: A Novel
Pearl, Matthew | Random House | Fic P
In 19th-century Boston, literary geniuses solve grisly murders committed à la Dante's Inferno.
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Dark Lover: The Life and Death of Rudolph Valentino
Leider, Emily W. | Farrar, Straus and Giroux | B Valentino
The short life and enduring legacy of the first sex symbol of the Jazz Age.
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Dry: A Memoir
Burroughs, Augusten | St. Martin's Press | B Burroughs
A moving yet funny account of a descent into alcoholism and ascent to recovery.
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The Emperor of Scent: A Story of Perfume, Obsession, and the Last Mystery of the Senses
Burr, Chandler | Random House | 612.86 B
One man's unrelenting quest to unravel one of the last great mysteries of the human body: our sense of smell.
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A Few Short Notes on Tropical Butterflies: Stories
Murray, John | HarperCollins | Fic M
Science and medicine are skillfully woven with love and obsession in this collection of short stories set in exotic locations.
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The Final Confession of Mabel Stark: A Novel
Hough, Robert | Atlantic Monthly Press | Fic H
The greatest female tiger trainer in history as seen through the fine lens of a novelist's eye.
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Goya
Hughes, Robert | Alfred A. Knopf | B Goya H
A richly illustrated, intensely human portrait of the great artist.
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I'm Not Scared
Ammaniti, Niccolò | Canongate | Fic A
A shocking discovery forces a young Italian boy to confront deceit and betrayal.
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Khrushchev: The Man and His Era
Taubman, William | W.W. Norton | B Khrushchev T
The definitive biography of the man who inspired terror and fear, and made duck-and-cover drills a part of our everyday life.
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Michelangelo & the Pope's Ceiling
King, Ross | Walker & Co. | 759.5 K
Agony, ecstasy, and the truth about the painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
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Mountains Beyond Mountains
Kidder, Tracy | Random House | B Farmer K
Dr. Paul Farmer, the profoundly humane MacArthur "genius," epidemiologist, and world-class Robin Hood, sets out to cure the poorest of Haiti and beyond.
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My Life as a Fake
Carey, Peter | Alfred A. Knopf | Fic C
A wildly inventive novel about an audacious hoax and its nightmarish aftermath.
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Star of the Sea
O'Connor, Joseph | Harcourt | Fic O
Murder, scandal, and Irish history are intertwined aboard an America-bound vessel.
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Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
Roach, Mary | W.W. Norton | 611 R
Death can be great fun in this humorous yet compassionate look at the postmortem uses of bodies donated to science.
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Triangle: The Fire That Changed America
Von Drehle, David | Atlantic Monthly Press | 974.7104 V
A human face and historical context for the harrowing story of a transforming event.
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The Voice at 3:00 A.M.: Selected Late and New Poems
Simic, Charles | Harcourt | 811 S
Two decades of lyrical wit and delightfully sardonic observations from an award-winning poet.
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The Way to Paradise
Vargas Llosa, Mario | Farrar, Straus and Giroux | Fic V
This brilliant biographical novel alternates the stories of social activist Flora Tristan and her grandson, painter Paul Gauguin, both seekers of "paradise."
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Books to Remember is an annual list of 25 titles chosen for their ability to provide an informative or transformative reading experience for adults. Selection criteria include literary excellence, aesthetic appeal, uniqueness of concept and command of subject matter.

These books were selected by the following committee from the staff of The New York Public Library: Jennifer Craft, Kari Evans, Michael Hearn, Co-chair, Elizabeth Joseph, Karenann Jurecki, Co-chair, Rosemary Murray, Jutta Zaplinski

Selected titles appearing on this booklist may be available in recorded, braille or large print versions. For more information, please contact the Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library, 40 West 20th Street, New York NY 10011-4211, (212) 206-5400, (212) 206-5458 (TTY).

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