25 Books to Remember from 2002
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Art Lover: A Biography of Peggy Guggenheim
Gill, Anton
| HarperCollins | B Guggenheim G
A revealing portrait of the lively and legendary art patron.
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The Club of Angels
Verissimo, Luis Fernando
| New Directions | Fic V
A wildly satirical novel about the monthly gathering of a group of gourmands.
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Cogito, Ergo Sum: The Life of Rene Descartes
Watson, Richard
| David R. Godine | B Descartes W
This contemplative biography challenges myths about the mathematician and philosopher.
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The Crimson Petal and the White
Faber, Michel
| Harcourt | Fic F
Prostitution looms large in this intoxicating novel set in Victorian London.
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The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Apt. 3W
Brownstein, Gabriel
| W.W. Norton | Fic B
Charming, offbeat stories featuring the eccentric tenants of an apartment building on Manhattan's Upper West Side.
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The Dive from Clausen's Pier
Packer, Ann
| Alfred A. Knopf | Fic P
A riveting novel that examines one woman's struggles with loyalty, betrayal and love.
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The Dream of Scipio
Pears, Iain
| Riverhead Books | Fic P
The impassioned lives of three scholars are linked in this remarkable historical novel.
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Enemy Women
Jiles, Paulette
| William Morrow | Fic J
The brutal, yet lyrical story of an 18-year-old falsely accused of being a Confederate spy.
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Hart Crane: A Life
Fisher, Clive
| Yale University Press | B Crane F
A comprehensive look at the brilliant and tragic life of the celebrated American poet.
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The Impressionist
Kunzru, Hari
| Dutton | Fic K
A lush tale of an embattled young man in colonial India, who goes to extraordinary lengths to survive.
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Insect Dreams: The Half Life of Gregor Samsa
Estrin, Marc
| BlueHen Books | Fic E
This astonishing debut novel provides a kaleidoscopic view of the 20th century via Kafka's cockroach.
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Into the Buzzsaw: Leading Journalists Expose the Myth of a Free Press
Borjesson, Kristina, ed.; foreword by Gore Vidal
| Prometheus Books | 323.445 I
Provocative essays that underscore the dangerous trends in American journalism.
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Jesse James: Last Rebel of the Civil War
Stiles, T.J.
| Alfred A. Knopf | B James S
A compelling biography of the notorious outlaw placed in the context of Southern Reconstruction.
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The Little Friend
Tartt, Donna
| Alfred A. Knopf | Fic T
A young amateur sleuth is determined to solve the mystery of her brother's murder.
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Middlesex
Eugenides, Jeffrey
| Farrar, Straus and Giroux | Fic E
A hermaphrodite tells a "Homeric" version of an immigrant family's struggles.
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Natasha's Dance: A Cultural History of Russia
Figes, Orlando
| Metropolitan Books | 947 F
A fascinating examination of how arts, music and literature influenced Russia's national consciousness.
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Noble Obsession: Charles Goodyear, Thomas Hancock, and the Race to Unlock the Greatest Industrial Secret of the Nineteenth Century
Slack, Charles
| Hyperion | 678.2092 S
The captivating hard luck story of the man who revolutionized the rubber industry.
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The Pirate Hunter: The True Story of Captain Kidd
Zacks, Richard
| Hyperion Books | B Kidd Z
An entertaining, richly narrated account of the notorious buccaneer's life.
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Prague: A Novel
Phillips, Arthur
| Random House | Fic P
A sparkling debut novel wherein five American expats converge in Budapest in search of fortune and romance.
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The Real McCoy: A Novel
Strauss, Darin
| Dutton | Fic S
The impressive story of "Kid" McCoy, a boxer, swindler and bigamist.
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Reflections and Shadows
Steinberg, Saul with Aldo Buzzi
| Random House | B Steinberg
Saul Steinberg once held a mirror to America; now the artist reflects on his own life and world.
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A Simple Habana Melody (From When the World Was Good)
Hijuelos, Oscar
| HarperCollins | Fic H
A sensual bittersweet story of a Cuban's composer life and loves.
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This Blinding Absence of Light: A Novel
Jelloun, Tahar Ben
| New Press | Fic B
A disquieting fictional account of how a political prisoner in Morocco survived internment in a desert tomb.
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The Whore's Child and Other Stories
Russo, Richard
| Alfred A. Knopf | Fic R
Harrowing and compelling short fiction about troubled family relationships.
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Without an Alphabet, Without a Face: Selected Poems of Saadi Youssef
Youssef, Saadi
| Graywolf Press | 892.71 Yusuf
Lyrical, engaging poetry rooted in urban landscape and the politics of place.
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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: Kari Evans, Michael Hearn, Co-chair, Joan Jankell, 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).
The New York Public Library
Office of Adult Services
455 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10016-0122
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