Best of
Coming-Of-Age

1997

Flight of Passage: A True Story


Rinker Buck - 1997
    Having grown up in an aviation family, the two boys bought an old Piper Cub, restored it themselves, and set out on the grand journey. Buck is a great storyteller, and once you get airborne with the boys you find yourself absorbed in a story of adventure and family drama. And Flight of Passage is also an affecting look back to the summer of 1966, when the times seemed much less cynical and adventures much more enjoyable.

Three Complete Novels: Heaven/Dawn/Ruby


V.C. Andrews - 1997
    Andrews' series: "Heaven, Dawn, " and "Ruby"--an unprecedented hardcover collection--complete and unabridged--at an inviting price! Available.

Chasing Redbird


Sharon Creech - 1997
    So when she finds a long-forgotten trail in the wild woods near her home, she resolves to follow it. It's a journey that leads her to unravel the dark secrets of her aunt's life - and her own. And while Zinny chases ghosts in the woods, gorgeous Jake Boone is determined to chase her . . .

Until They Bring the Streetcars Back


Stanley Gordon West - 1997
    Stanley West weaves rollicking humor, riveting suspense, and a bittersweet love story into the fabric of those optimistic times. Through a seemingly harmless prank and a chance conversation, Cal Gant, previously secure in the friendly neighborhoods of his idyllic life, stumbles onto the naked face of cruelty, incest, and murder. When he attempts to rescue a strange and haunting girl, he finds himself in a heart-stopping struggle with her ruthless father, leading Cal to the brink of self-doubt, terror, and death itself. Can he find within himself the backbone to stand against the horror and the daring to concoct some scheme to set Gretchen free?

The Sky, the Stars, the Wilderness


Rick Bass - 1997
    . . a man tracks his wife through a winter wilderness . . . an ancient ocean buried in the foothills of the Appalachians becomes a battleground for a young wildcat oilman and his aging mentor. Here is Bass at his magical, passionate, and lyrical best.

A Time of Angels


Karen Hesse - 1997
    Guided by an angel, Hannah embarks on a journey to heal and restore her family.

Boys Like Us: Gay Writers Tell Their Coming Out Stories


Patrick Merla - 1997
    Here are accounts of revealing one's sexual identity to parents, siblings, friends, co-workers and, in one notable instance, to a stockbroker. Men tell of their first sexual encounters from their preteens to their thirties, with childhood friends who rejected or tenderly embraced them, with professors, with neighbors, with a Broadway star. These are poignant, sometimes unexpectedly funny tales of romance and heartbreak, repression and liberation, rape and first love defining moments that shaped their authors' lives. Arranged chronologically from Manhattan in the Forties to San Francisco in the Nineties, these essays ultimately form a documentary of changing social and sexual mores in the United States--a literary, biographical, sociological and historical tour de force.

Snow in August


Pete Hamill - 1997
    Set in a working-class Brooklyn neighborhood in 1947, this poignant tale revolves around two of the most endearing characters in recent fiction: an 11-year-old Irish Catholic boy named Michael Devlin and Rabbi Judah Hirsch, a refugee from Prague.

Mga Kuwento ng Pag-ibig


Liwayway A. Arceo - 1997
    Marks the seasons of the author's life, her early writing, her work as active media practitioner, and her religio-spiritual writing.

Living Somewhere Between Estrogen and Death


Barbara Johnson - 1997
    Living Somewhere Between Estrogen and Death is your wise and witty guide to the joys and challenges of aging gleefully."They say the best way to grow old is not to be in a hurry about it and Lord knows, I've put it off for as long as I could," says Barbara. But old age happens without any effort on our part. If you're alive, you're getting older. So what happens when you find yourself between menopause and LARGE PRINT? This best-selling author offers a delightful recipe for living life to the fullest in your later years and spices it with loads of laughter. She shows how she came to her own decision to age ferociously instead of gracefully.From savoring the "here and now" to preparing for our glorious future in heaven, Living Somewhere Between Estrogen and Death is a lighthearted and encouraging book on the joys and problems of growing older. You'll laugh at Barbara Johnson's zany insights on aging.

Another Day in Paradise


Eddie Little - 1997
    A teenage speed freak and petty thief, Bobbie and his Puerto Rican girlfriend, Rosie, are taken under the wing of an all-round criminal opportunist named Mel, who is old enough to be Bobbie's father, and Mel's girlfriend, Syd. Bobbie's chance to get back on his feet begins as the inside man in a pharmaceutical company break-in. The ensuing crime spree takes the foursome across the Midwest and California of the early '70s -- and deeper into the dark world of heroin addiction.

Antonio S and the Mystery of Theodore Guzman


Odo Hirsch - 1997
    In the same area lives a recluse actor called Theodore Guzman. Antonio draws him out by presenting a play. Guzman leads Antonio, in turn, into the magical world of theatre, where the only limit is the limit of imagination.

Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul: The Real Deal Challenges: Stories about Disses, Losses, Messes, Stresses & More (Chicken Soup for the Soul)


Jack Canfield - 1997
    Failing a class, getting dumped and figuring out where you fit in, are all difficult high school challenges. Finding the answer is not always easy. And let's face it, your parents may give you advice, but rarely do they really know where you’re coming from. So, if you’re looking for the real deal on issues like anorexia, dating, or helping a friend in trouble, you've come to the right place. So What's the Deal? The good news about tackling challenges is that you end up stronger and smarter once you reach the other side. These stories are from teenagers just like you who have gone through many of the same problems and survived. Whether it’s standing up to the mean girl in the cafeteria or staying true to yourself under peer pressure, Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul: The Real Deal Challenges tells you the absolute truth about what it means to be a teen.

Sugar in the Raw: Voices of Young Black Girls in America


Rebecca Carroll - 1997
    What they say about identity, self-esteem, the role of race in their perceptions and treatment, personal values, and their hopes for the future is both enlightening and moving. 144 pp. National pubilcity. 15,000 print.

Flix


Tomi Ungerer - 1997
    Flix, a dog born to cat parents, finds himself able to exist in two cultures, marries a cat, and campaigns for mutual respect between cats and dogs.

Soul Kiss


Shay Youngblood - 1997
    Seven-year-old Mariah Kin Santos is on a trip with her beautiful, sad mama, just the two of them, as always. When they reach the porch of a tidy white house, her mother rings the doorbell, is greeted coolly by her two maiden aunts, conducts a brief, cryptic conversation with them, and then flees, leaving Mariah in the care of two old strangers who claim to be family. Mariah's mother, devastated by yet another failed love affair, is sliding out of control, and rather than endanger the adoration her little girl has for her, she abandons the child before the good memories go bad. After a difficult start, Mariah and her aunts come to form a strangely harmonious threesome - soft, round Faith teaches Mariah to play the piano; strong, fierce Merleen teaches her to drive and to garden - but Mariah still dreams of her mother's glorious return and the far-off father she has never known. As a teenager nursing a nascent rebellion, she begins a flirtatious correspondence with him and before long travels to Los Angeles to confront the hero of her imagination. For his part, her father is suddenly face to face with a replica of the woman he loved passionately fourteen years earlier, and she is his daughter.

Miss Ophelia


Mary Burnett Smith - 1997
    Belly Anderson now in the autumn of her life, reminisces about the last summer of her childhood. A strong-willed and free-spirited eleven-year-old, she reluctantly leaves her home in rural Pharaoh and goes to Jamison to help her mean Aunt Rachel recover from surgery. Belly has two reasons for deciding to go to Jamison: She's left alone when her only friend becomes pregnant and is sent away, and she hopes that she'll be allowed to take piano lessons from her mother's childhood friend. While taking lessons from Miss Ophelia, she learns a terrible secret about her beloved teacher--a secret that forces Belly to grow up and learn what it really means to be an adult.

Little Miss Strange


Joanna Rose - 1997
    -- Floyd Skloot, Portland Oregonian"Sarajean's account of her life and experiences are bound to embed themselves thoroughly in a reader's memory.' -- Candace Horgan, The Denver Post"Little Miss Strange is a novel boldly reminding us that peace, love, and happiness weren't the only things to come out of the sixties and seventies...a gloriously descriptive novel, packed with colorful details reminiscent of the dream, the era of free-love left behind". -- Molly MacDermot, Redbook"The ending alone may be as perfect as any novel written this year. Four stars". -- Barbara Holliday, Detroit News/Free Press

The Red Tin Roof


Nirmal Verma - 1997
    The story has a brooding tone. Nirmal Verma explores an inner world.

Growing Little Women: Capturing Teachable Moments with Your Daughter


Donna Miller - 1997
    - Proverbs 22:6 NLT. In a time where modesty is of little value and many kids have had at least one sexual encounter before graduating high school, children are growing up faster than ever. They experience pressures that, in days past, we're not faced until adulthood. They encounter situations that many adults will never meet. So how do we teach our girls to follow God when life around them at school, in magazines, and on TV teaches them to follow nothing but their passions and desires? How to we share with them that Jesus is the answer to their every question and the fulfillment of their heart's desires? In this hopeful and insightful workbook, Donna Miller shows us how.Growing Little Women will provide you and your special girl with teachable moments from the Word of God. Filled with engaging stories, fun activities, and lessons on life, you will prepare her to become a godly woman and establish a bond with her that will smooth her passage to womanhood. In just one hour a week you can impact the future of that special young lady and nurture a friendship that will last forever. Time is ticking. Don't let it get away.