One of the earliest Jewish religious volumes to be illuminated with images, the Sarajevo Haggadah survived centuries of purges and wars thanks to people of all faiths who risked their lives to safeguard it.  Geraldine Brooks, has turned the intriguing but sparely detailed history of this precious volume into an emotionally rich, thrilling fictionalization that retraces its turbulent journey.  This is a complex love story, thrilling mystery, a vivid history lesson and the enduring power of ideas.

This is an optimistic, uplifting debut novel set during the civil rights movement in Jackson, MS in the early 60s where black women were trusted to raise white children but not to polish the household silver.  Skeeter Phelan wants to  be a writer and begins to collect the stories of the black women enlisting the help of Aibileen a maid who has raised 17 children, and Aibileen’s best friend, Minny, who has found herself unemployed many times after mouthing off to her white employer.  This novel is full of heart and history and has become a bestseller.