Book Review: A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza

A Place For Us
by Fatima Farheen Mirza (Mirza)

A Place For Us is a multi-generational, non-linear domestic fiction novel. Fatima Farheen Mirza creates a moving, thoughtful novel based on family life in America from the perspective of East Indian Americans. The point of view changes based on who is narrating the chapter, jumping back and forth from the present to memories of the narrating character at different ages and time frames. This religiously diverse work offers insight to the struggle of culture conflict and a sense of belonging in a post 9/11 world.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Salt Houses by Hala Alyan, Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson, The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea, or Digging to America by Anne Tyler]

This is one of the Top Ten finalists for the 2020 One Book – One Lincoln. Check out the rest of the Top Ten at this link! And vote for your favorite of the top three via our online voting form! You've got one more week to vote -- through July 31st, 2020!

[ publisher’s official A Place For Us web page ] | [ official Fatima Farheen Mirza web site ]

Recommended by Rio B.
Bennett Martin Public Library – Public Service

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

And the winner is...

The title selected for the 2010 One Book - One Lincoln -- by popular public vote -- is Joe Starita's I Am a Man!

To see resources related to the topics and themes of I Am a Man, along with lists of discussion groups and special event programming for this year, visit our 2010 One Book - One Lincoln page.

You can also sign up to be notified by e-mail about all new developments regarding One Book -- One Lincoln. You can become a fan of One Book - One Lincoln on Facebook by "liking" the One Book Facebook group. We also encourage you to stop by the One Book -- One Lincoln Blog, where you can leave comments about the book selections and the entire One Book process in response to posted discussion topics.

And the selected title for 2009 is...

People of the Book, by Geraldine Brooks! This year's One Book - One Lincoln main title was announced this morning.

You can click here to visit our Primary Resource Guide for One Book - One Lincoln this year, including Discussion Groups, and Programs and Special Events.

We also encourage you to become a Fan of the One Book One Lincoln Facebook page if you're on that social networking site, and to follow the Lincoln City Libraries Twitter feed for regular postings associated with this year's One Book - One Lincoln.

And, of course, watch for discussion questions to be posted regularly on the One Book One Lincoln blog.

We look forward to hearing from readers about this year's title!

One Book One Lincoln - The Five Finalists for 2009

The five finalists for this year's One Book community reading project were announced this morning in the Lincoln Journal Star newspaper and on the libraries' web site. Click this link to jump to the page describing the five titles. From among these five, the one book that will be used as the actual One Book -- One Lincoln selection (upon which special programs and book discussions will be built) will be announced later this Fall.

Extra copies of all of the titles, including Book-on-CD editions, have been added to the collection to meet the demand. You'll also find Book Club in a Bag copies, so if you're part of a Book Discussion Group, you can get these titles in sets of 10 for group discussions.

Don't forget to check out the One Book -- One Lincoln blog, where questions and discussion topics related to the five finalists will be posted regularly throughout the summer...help us get some back-and-forth discussions going early! To get yourself added to our One Book -- One Lincoln e-mail list, for regular updates, click here. Also, if you're on the social networking site Facebook, you can become a fan of the One Book -- One Lincoln Facebook group, too!

One Book One Lincoln 2008 -- It's The Thirteenth Tale

The selected title for the 2008 One Book -- One Lincoln community reading project was announced on Monday. This year's book is Diane Setterfield's haunting novel, The Thirteenth Tale -- a tribute to the Gothic Literary Tradition, featuring a lonely heroine's journey of discovery as she tries to unearth the truths in a reclusive author's mysterious past.

Visit the official One Book -- One Lincoln web site for background about the book and author, lists of special programming events and book discussion opportunities, and resources to help you appreciate the various topics and themes of the novel.

We look forward to seeing you at any of the upcoming One Book -- One Lincoln events!

The Worst Hard Time is this year's One Book One Lincoln selection

The Worst Hard Time

The Lincoln City Libraries and the Lincoln Journal Star announced this morning, via today's paper and the library web site, that Timothy Egan's National Book Award-winning non-fiction title The Worst Hard Time has been selected for this year's One Book -- One Lincoln community-wide reading project.

Copies of this book are available in both print and book-on-CD editions. Special programs and events, based on the themes of The Worst Hard Time, are scheduled at various library branches and other locations throughout the city in September, October and November. And various opportunities for group discussions of the book will also be available throughout Lincoln.

All the information about this year's events and discussions, as well as background information about the book, the author and the themes and subjects of The Worst Hard Time, are available on the official 2007 One Book -- One Lincoln web site.

The library also now has a One Book -- One Lincoln blog site as well, for readers to leave comments about this year's book in response to posted questions and/or topics.