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The leap year gene / by Wood, Shelley,1971-author.;
"February 29, 1916. A baby girl is born -- but as the months and years go by, Kit McKinley inexplicably ages just one year for every four. Her mother Lillian, a fledgling botanist, fears that Kit's condition will catch the attention of Lillian's fellow suffragettes, who have embraced the eugenics craze sweeping North America targeting unfit, unwed mothers and "defective" children. For decades, Kit and her family must keep on the move to conceal her secret and protect her from the unwanted attention of Nazi scientists, nosy doctors, Big Pharma and the insatiable news media that is always hunting for the next sensational story. When Kit finally reaches her teens and can pass for an adult, she must decide whether she wants to stay perpetually on the run or stay put and form lasting ties. The only problem is Will Katzen, whose life -- first as a baby, then as a boy, and then as a man -- keeps intersecting with hers, complicating every instinct she has to flee, or to love. Part medical mystery, part love story, The Leap Year Gene is an unforgettable tour de force that traces the past century's burgeoning understanding of genetics, eugenics and what constitutes "normal" while exploring the tensions, losses, love and sense of duty that can bind families together or split them apart."--
Subjects: Historical fiction.; Novels.; Abnormalities, Human; Difference (Philosophy); Eugenics; Families; Genetics; Man-woman relationships;
Available copies: 2 / Total copies: 2
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Swift River / by Chambers, Essie,author.;
It's the summer of 1987 in Swift River, and Diamond Newberry is learning how to drive. Ever since her Pop disappeared seven years ago, she and her mother hitchhike everywhere they go. But that's not the only reason Diamond stands out: she's teased relentlessly about her weight, and since Pop's been gone, she is the only Black person in all of Swift River. This summer, Ma is determined to declare Pop legally dead so that they can collect his life insurance money, get their house back from the bank, and finally move on. But when Diamond receives a letter from a relative she's never met, key elements of Pop's life are uncovered, and she is introduced to two generations of African American Newberry women, whose lives span the 20th century and reveal a much larger picture of prejudice and abandonment, of love and devotion. As pieces of their shared past become clearer, Diamond gains a sense of her place in the world and in her family. But how will what she's learned of the past change her future? A story of first friendships, family secrets, and finding the courage to let go, Swift River is a sensational debut about how history shapes us and heralds the arrival of a major new literary talent.
Subjects: Bildungsromans.; Novels.; African American women; Family secrets; Missing persons; Race relations; Racially mixed families;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The Leap Year Gene A Novel [electronic resource] : by Wood, Shelley.aut; cloudLibrary;
From the author of The Quintland Sisters, a sweeping, imaginative historical epic that follows the remarkable lives of the McKinleys, a family forever altered by daughter Kit’s secret. February 29, 1916. A baby girl is born—but as the months and years go by, Kit McKinley inexplicably ages just one year for every four. Her mother Lillian, a fledgling botanist, fears that Kit’s condition will catch the attention of Lillian’s fellow suffragettes, who have embraced the eugenics craze sweeping North America targeting unfit, unwed mothers and “defective” children. For decades, Kit and her family must keep on the move to conceal her secret and protect her from the unwanted attention of Nazi scientists, nosy doctors, Big Pharma and the insatiable news media that is always hunting for the next sensational story. When Kit finally reaches her teens and can pass for an adult, she must decide whether she wants to stay perpetually on the run or stay put and form lasting ties. The only problem is Will Katzen, whose life—first as a baby, then as a boy, and then as a man—keeps intersecting with hers, complicating every instinct she has to flee, or to love. Part medical mystery, part love story, The Leap Year Gene is an unforgettable tour de force that traces the past century’s burgeoning understanding of genetics, eugenics and what constitutes “normal” while exploring the tensions, losses, love and sense of duty that can bind families together or split them apart.
Subjects: Electronic books.; Family Life; Medical; Historical;
© 2024., HarperCollins Canada,
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Free ride : heartbreak, courage, and the 20,000-mile motorcycle journey that changed my life / by Schoenmaker, Noraly,author.; translation of:Schoenmaker, Noraly.Keerpunt.English.;
"By the YouTube sensation with more than two million followers, the inspiring account of a woman in her thirties who, in a moment of personal crisis, embarked on an epic, transcontinental motorcycle ride -- and along the way found a new sense of purpose. Noraly Schoenmaker was a thirty-something geologist living in the Netherlands when she learned that her live-in partner had been having a long-term affair. Suddenly without a place to stay, she decided to quit her job and jet off to India in search of a new beginning. Her plans were dashed when she fell quickly and helplessly in love: with a motorcycle. Behind the handlebars, she felt alive and free -- nimble enough to trace the narrowest paths, powerful enough to travel the longest of roads. She first rode toward the Pacific, through the jungles of Myanmar and Thailand, then into Malaysia. Rather than satisfy her appetite for the open road, this ride only piqued it. She shipped her bike to Oman, at the base of the Arabian Peninsula, and embarked on a journey through Iran, across Turkmenistan along its border with Afghanistan, over the snowy peaks of Central Asia, and into Europe, all the way back home to the Netherlands. She covered remote and utterly unfamiliar territory; broke down on impossibly steep mountains; and pushed too many miles along empty roads, farther and farther from civilization. But through her travels, she discovered the true beauty of the world -- the kindness of its people, the simplicity of its open spaces, as well as her own inner strength. In spirit of The Motorcycle Diaries and Wild, this is an inspiring story of self-discovery and renewal. Filled with unforgettable figures, hilarious disasters, and powerful human connections, it shows you what happens when you open your heart and let the world in"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Personal narratives.; Schoenmaker, Noraly; Courage; Internet personalities; Life change events; Loss (Psychology); Motorcycle touring.; Self-actualization (Psychology);
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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The Walworth beauty / by Roberts, Michèle,author.;
2011: When Madeleine loses her job as a lecturer, she decides to leave her riverside flat in cobbled Stew Lane, where history never feels far away and move to Apricot Place. Yet here too, in this quiet Walworth cul-de-sac, she senses the past encroaching: a shifting in the atmosphere, a current of unseen life. 1851: Joseph Benson has been employed by Henry Mayhew to help research his articles on the working classes. A family man with mouths to feed, Joseph is tasked with coaxing testimony from prostitutes. Roaming the Southwark streets, he is tempted by brothels' promises of pleasure - and as he struggles with his assignment, he seeks answers in Apricot Place, where the enigmatic Mrs. Dulcimer runs a boarding house. As these entwined stories unfold, alive with the sensations of London past and present, the two eras brush against each other.
Subjects: Historical fiction.; Domestic fiction.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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