@ Your Library 9.10.19
Another wonderful book review by our own Jen Henry:
American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson. I saw this book on the shelf in the new book section of my local library and initially I dismissed it as not my sort of thing. I actively avoid reading anything to do with politics, government or spy intrigue and initially categorized this book as something from that genre. After hearing an interview with the author on the podcast, So Many Damn Books I decided to give it a try. I had no regrets! This book was fast paced in all the right places, nostalgic and sentimental when required, and empowering and heartbreaking in others. Mother of young twin boys, Marie is also a trained assassin and international spy who must make difficult decisions to avenge loved ones lost and protect her young family. The book is told from Marie's perspective as she writes a lengthy set of letters for her young sons explaining who she is, what she does, and why she does it. Contained within Marie's narrative are her struggles with race and gender and how the two greatly influenced her options personally and professionally and led her toward paths in life that offered the most difficult choices. This book isn't one that seeks a happy ending, it instead offers up a story that is relatable and human while still providing plenty of action and espionage. Personally, as a fan of the television show Archer, in my head I unintentionally made the character Lana Kane into the role of Marie, thus adding an additional layer of sarcastic comedy to this novel that likely not every reader would experience. This book is destined to become a movie or tv series eventually. It's a good time! ~ Jen
American Spy: A Novel by Lauren Wilkinson. 1986, the heart of the Cold War. A young black woman working in an old boys' club, Marie Mitchell's FBI career has stalled out and her days are filled with monotonous paperwork. Given the opportunity to join a task force aimed at undermining Thomas Sankara, the charismatic revolutionary president of Burkina Faso whose Communist ideology has made him a target for American intervention, she says yes. In the year that follows Marie observes Sankara, seduces him-- and has a hand in the coup that will bring him down. But doing so will change everything she believes about what it means to be a spy, a lover, a sister, and a good American. -- Adapted from jacket
Programs for Adults:
Free Mobile Mammography: Upstate University Hospital will be offering free mobile mammography screenings TOMORROW - Wednesday, September 11, 2019 at the Newell Field House on the St. Lawrence University campus. Women 40 years and older are eligible to use the van if they have not had a mammogram in the past year and they show no signs or symptoms of breast cancer. PRE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. You can register by phone: 315-464-2582, or online at www.upstate.edu/noexcuses
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