Recommended Reads: Local Studio Titles

Books, those undemanding but faithful friends. -Victor Hugo
Reading is a discount ticket to everywhere. -Mary Schmich

Every year in the United States, over 250,000 books are published in print. The Library of Congress/National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped produces nearly 2,000 titles in an audio and Braille format annually. The recording studio at the Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library augments what is produced by the Library of Congress recording nearly 100 books a year of local or regional interest. Our crew of talented volunteer narrators collectively contributed over 2,575 hours last year recording books of local interest for all ages. We would like to share some of the newest locally produced titles available from the Library.

Locally recorded Cassettes (RCM) are narrated by volunteers in the Clive W. Lacy Recording Studio at the Perkins School for the Blind. Braille (BRM) books are also produced and available from the Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library. Recorded cassette (RC), braille (BR), and large print (LT) copies of some of these titles and many others are also available. Please contact the library to order any of these books.

Prepared by Robert Pierson, Recording Studio Director

The Boston Massacre by Robert J. Allison.
RCM 1022
March 1770. Revolution had been brewing in Boston for some time. Bostonians greatly resented recently imposed taxes, and two British regiments were posted in the city to enforce tax collection. On the 5th of the month, a crowd clashed with British troops, and five colonists were killed. Patriot politicians called this the "Boston Massacre," and it became the symbolic precursor of the American Revolution.

Dreams of a Landlocked Boatman: Adventures on the Connecticut River by Oliver Allyn.
RCM 970
Growing up in Illinois, the author's dream was to build and sail his own boat -- which he later did many times. His most rewarding sailing adventure was a three-year journey of fifty-two miles down the Connecticut River.

Callgirl: Confessions of an Ivy League Lady of Pleasure by Jeanette Angell.
RCM 951
The author had just earned a doctorate in social anthropology and was lecturing part-time when her boyfriend took all of her money and left her. She had to find more work. She passed up low-paying jobs for a more lucrative one as an escort. Here, she explains how she made that decision, and describes what happens to escorts behind closed doors. Contains explicit descriptions of sex.

City River of Voices edited by Denise Bergman.
RCM 1033
A city is many people, each with a different voice. Bergman presents one city - Cambridge, Massachusetts - in this anthology of its modern, urban poetry written by women and men who have lived or worked there.

Power Chicks' Guide to Boston: In Their Own Words by Geri Denterlein.
RCM 1021
Denterlein, a successful public relations consultant to executives, provides clear advice for young professional women on how to gain power in Boston's professional circles. Her thorough primer includes events to attend and places to dine, as well as quotes from numerous women who are high achievers in the city.

Your Soul's Compass: What is Spiritual Guidance? by Joan Borysenko.
RCM 1000
Why are we here? How can we have fulfilling lives? The authors consulted 27 Sages from Christian, Jewish, Sufi, Hindu, Buddhist, Quaker, shamanic, and secular traditons in search of answers. Here, they share the insights gleaned from that quest.

My Bent Tree by Kathy Brodsky.
RCM 1038 BRM 1400
Told in verse. Walking in the woods, a little girl meets a pine tree that is bent. They become friends and the little girl visits the tree often. After years go by, the tree tells her that there are plans to chop down the woods to make room for a mall! The girl works hard with others to save the woods, and they do, by making a park near the mall. Her dear friend, the bent tree, thrives there. Includes discussion questions. For Grades 1-3 and older readers.

Forbidden Fruit: Love Stories from the Underground Railroad by Betty DeRamus.
RCM 863, LT 5109
A collection of stories drawn from interviews of slaves' descendants, literature, unpublished memoirs, and other sources. Each tale describes courageous actions people took to save their love during the age of United States slavery. By using disguises, outsmarting bloodhounds, evading bounty hunters, and employing other brave and clever ploys, many of these people triumphed.

Beating Time: A Musician's Memoir by Harry Ellis Dickson.
RCM 1037
Heart-warming anecdotes about family and friends abound in this memoir of Dickson's journey from child prodigy to award-winning leader in the Boston music community. Dickson served as Boston Symphony Orchestra first violinist for five decades, was a conductor of the Boston Pops for 40 years, and founded the Symphony's youth concert series. A raconteur, he collected wonderful stories along the way; and he shares many of them with readers.

New England Pioneer Pantry by The Future Pioneer Cookbook Committee.
RCM 892
Future Volunteers is a branch of the Telephone Pioneers of America, the world's largest industrial employees volunteer organization. The Future Pioneers Cookbook Committee has collected many favorite recipes from the Merrimack Valley Pioneers, and published this cookbook to raise funds for their volunteer work -- clothing newborns, feeding the hungry, visiting hospitalized veterans, repairing talking book machines and making adaptive toys for the visually impaired, visiting nursing homes, and more. Enjoy these down home recipes, from appetizers to desserts.

The Widow's War by Sally Gunning.
RCM 990, BR 16684
In process. Lyddie Berry, a colonial whaler's wife, has single-handedly run the family home on Cape Cod over the past twenty years whenever her husband has been away at sea. When Edward does not return, Lyddie is left grief-stricken and under the legal control of her daughter's quite arrogant husband. Determined to gain control of her life, Lyddie bravely challenges the law.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg Heffley's Journal by Jeff Kinney.
RCM 1012
Bestseller. Based on the popular Web comic. In this fictional diary, Greg Heffley records his life as a seventh-grader. He and his best friend, Rowley, fend off bullies and hope just to survive. Then Rowley becomes popular, and Greg must take drastic measures to rescue their friendship. For grades 5-8 and older readers.

Yellow: Stories by Don Lee.
RCM 870
Interconnected stories provide a portrait of the fictional town of Rosarita Bay, California, and its Asian-American community. The author is editor of the literary journal Ploughshares. Two stories in this collection won an O.Henry Award and a Pushcart Prize.

The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril by Paul Malmot.
RCM 983
Great Depression pulp writers Walter Gibson and Lester Dent have adventures even more thrilling than those of their fiction characters, the Shadow or Doc Savage. From China to Rhode Island, they race to stop evil.

New World Greetings: Inspirational Poetry and Musings for a New World by Mary McManus.
RCM 1030
Mary McManus overcame paralytic polio as a young girl, and dealt successfully with post polio syndrome years later. In this collection of inspiring poems, she shares the profound faith and love that has increasingly filled her life.

Cape Cod Stories: Tales from Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha's Vineyard edited by John Miller.
RCM 657
The rustic beauty and history of the Cape and its islands is captured in this anthology of excellent writing. Includes works by Edgar Allan Poe, Sylvia Plath, John Cheever, Helen Keller, Kurt Vonnegut, Henry David Thoreau, Herman Melville, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and many other authors.

Feeding the Monster: How Money, Smarts and Nerve Took a Team to the Top by Seth Mnookin.
RCM 979
Journalist Mnookin worked closely with the Boston Red Sox for a year, interviewing and researching, to prepare material for this history of the team. His special focus is the team's spectacular metamorphosis in the first five years of the twenty-first century.

Nightwork: A History of Hacks and Pranks at MIT by T. F. Peterson.
RCM 1016
"Hacking" in pre-computer MIT lingo meant "nondestructive mischief," unconventional solving of a technical problem, or just a diversion from studying. The tradition continues. Hacks often make statements, are philosophical, or just provide good-natured fun. The MIT Museum's Institute Historian shares his fascinating and often hilarious review of MIT hacks.

Moving the Chains: Tom Brady and the Pursuit of Everything Else by Charles P. Pierce.
RCM 975
Skilled, disciplined, and fortunate, Tom Brady was a sixth-round draft choice who became the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl, and the only one to win three while still in his twenties. Here is the story of his climb to the top, and his fight to stay there.

Massachusetts Disasters by Larry Pletcher.
RCM 1028
This collection contains twenty-one true tales of catastrophes from Massachusetts history which have greatly tested people's courage and impacted the state. The Spanish Influenza, the Great Molasses Flood, the Coconut Grove Fire, the sinking of the Andrea Doria, and the Blizzard of '78 are included in this compendium of floods, shipwrecks, crashes, and other disastrous events.

You Can't Hide by Karen Rose.
RCM 936
Someone is killing psychiatrist Tess Ciccotelli's patients and threatening her. Still, when detective Aidan Reagan demands their names, Tess fiercely defends their right to privacy. Will he be able to catch the killer before more people die? Some explicit descriptions of sex, and some strong language.

Storm Surge: A Coastal Village Battles the Rising Atlantic by William Sargent.
RCM 907
The dramatic story of how the people of Chatham on Cape Cod battled to survive a sudden and unexpected disaster. Houses were swept away, fishing businesses were threatened, political conflicts erupted -- as a coastal community grappled with the environment

Cattery Row: A Theda Krakow Mystery by Clea Simon.
RCM 987
Show cats in Boston are being stolen. When a cat-breeder is found dead, Beantown-Cambridge journalist Theda Krakow and her feline friend, Musetta, tackle the case.

Islands of Boston Harbor by Edward Rowe Snow.
RCM 972
Edward Rowe Snow was famous for his knowledge of New England maritime history. His compendium of the legends and history of Boston Harbor's islands, big and small, remains a classic. Here he recounts the history of Fort Warren's dungeons on George's Island, the tale of the mysterious Lady in Black, and how Boston Light has survived.

Stone by Stone: The Magnificent History in New England's Stone Walls by Robert M. Thorson.
RCM 955
New England's stone walls have many stories to tell. The author studies these walls, and explores their ancient geological origins, their integral role in early New England history, and their importance today.