Nine Lives: Death and Life in New Orleans by Dan Baum, Spiegel & Grau, non-fiction, 335 pp., $26

It would take a raid on a thesaurus to find enough superlatives to do justice to this incomparable work of journalism. Baum has taken the stories of nine New Orleans residents and given us a vivid, respectful  account of the ordinary and extraordinary times of their lives which include the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Often, the author allows his subjects to speak for themselves.

There is Ronald Lewis who grew up in the lower ninth ward, the poorest area of the city, which was destroyed in the mid-sixties during Hurricane Betsy and nearly wiped out altogether after Katrina. His oft stated goal was to be “a man”, and he is quite a man indeed. Anthony Wells is a good natured ne’er do well who’d be content sitting on any porch talking to passers by, strangers or not, and staying mellow. Dr. Frank Minyard, handsome and happy, a womanizer in his youth, embraces redemption by becoming the city’s outraged coroner. Joyce Montana is the wife of the late Tootie Montana, who was determined to overcome violence in the city in his own unique way, sewing magnificent Mardi Gras suits. She watches helplessly as her son struggles in his relationship with his famous father. Billy Grace married into a life of privilege and tried to use his bully pulpit to assist the displaced Katrina victims, but was alone in his efforts. Tim Bruneau is a cop who in a department as corrupt as New Orleans is, shines like a diamond in a pile of coal. John Guidos is an anxious transsexual, yearning to become Joann. Belinda Carr Smalls Rawlins was born poor and smart. She wanted more than she started with and she found it, lost it, and found it again with Wilbert Rawlins, Jr., a dedicated and successful band teacher in the city’s poorest schools. We share these lives from various beginnings through Katrina, which threw this city built in a bowl into utter chaos. We learn about local government’s failure to respond and the incredibly callous mismanagement of the emergency by the feds. News reports barely revealed what we learn here about the extent of the tragedy in human terms

This book is an immersion in the culture of New Orleans and a baptism in diversity. What John Berendt (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil) did for Savannah, Baum does for New Orleans, but with greater significance and effect. To produce a work of such power is what writing is about. These nine lives are unforgettable, compelling, and authentic.

Please don’t miss this one.

Audacious Creativity, Edited by Stephanie Gunning, Creative Blast Press, self-help, 269 p., $15.99

Creativity isn’t just for writers, artists, and performers. It’s the component that fuels innovation. In this uplifting anthology there are 30 pieces by writers, a lawyer, spiritual leaders, a psychologist, a medical doctor, a chiropractor, composers, a photographer, and others in special fields of endeavor. The goal here is to find the message that speaks to the reader about reawakening the kind of courageous creativity most people had in childhood, but lost while succumbing to the constraints of practicality and learned self-doubt. The book is about taking chances and risking failure without sacrificing feelings of self-worth. Most of the writers link creativity to spirituality, faith that manifests in various forms here.

The pieces are thought-provoking and beg for a thorough examination. I love the title chosen by contributor Laura Duksta, “We Make It All Up Anyway…Might as Well Make It Up Good!” There are stories about finding the real passion for expression in our lives which may be starkly opposed to the work we currently do. We can be creative anywhere and anytime if we care enough about what we’re doing and if we don’t attach ourselves to one kind of outcome.

This is a book I will read again, more slowly each time, because there is a great deal to absorb, question, evaluate, and perhaps even reject. Sorting it all out and finding personal relevance is the fun of it.

Galway Bay by Mary Pat Kelly, Grand Central Publishing, historical fiction, 567 pp., $26.99

Mary Pat Kelly based this rich, sumptuous novel on the experiences of her great-great grandmother Honora Kelly who endured the twin tragedies of Ireland’s potato famine and the barbaric domination of the Irish by the British which led her and her five children to seek a better way in Chicago. Two million Irishmen immigrated there after the potato crops failed time after time and the people starved. While the Irish grew many other crops, these were ruthlessly collected for export to England.

This touching story is beautifully and lovingly told, and it is an education in the unfathomable suffering and deprivation of a kind, gentle, and fun loving people, so deeply rooted in their Catholic faith. Once in America, the Irish fought in great numbers in the Civil War, all the while hoping to marshal an army to liberate their beloved Ireland.

Honora traveled to America with her sister Maire and her children, eight between them. Their rugged determination and the help of Honora’s brother-in-law, a famed Irish patriot, led to their securing gainful employment and the promise of the future to which they’d aspired on the day they boarded a stinking overcrowded ship for the long, uncomfortable journey here.

Galway Bay is a celebration of family, love, grit, and hard won triumph over impossible circumstances, and it may be just the perspective we need in these challenging times.

The Second Opinion by Michael Palmer, St. Martin’s Press, medical thriller, 376 pp.,$25.95

Michael Palmer, M.D. has written a slew of page-turning medical thrillers, and The Second Opinion is no exception.

Dr. Thea Sperelakis  is summoned from Africa where she serves with Doctors Without Borders, to Boston to the bedside of her father, the highly accomplished internist, Dr. Petros Sperelakis, the victim of an unidentified hit and run driver. Thea’s twin siblings, doctors both, want to cease life support and let their father go. Thea does not. Their brother Dmitri has no interest in the matter except to tell Thea he believes their father was deliberately run down.

Thea has Asperger syndrome which means she is a bit awkward socially. On the plus side, she has an extraordinary memory and is compulsive about details. It is Thea who notices that her father, otherwise paralyzed and unable to speak, can move one of his eyes in response to her questions. It soon becomes clear Petros will ‘speak’ only to Thea.

Why would Petros, one of the great draws at an exclusive medical center, not wish to communicate with family and colleagues? It’s up to Thea to find out, and her pursuit of the truth leads to some of the most hair- raising terror-filled situations imaginable. Assisting her is a hospital security guard, a former Boston cop who is beguiled by Thea’s Asperger- driven honesty. Together they risk their lives to learn why Petros was forced to lose his.

Palmer seamlessly blends education and entertainment in this mind-bending tale of medical ‘miracles’, horror, and greed. Plan to stay up late.

Cream Puff Murder by Joanne Fluke, Kensington, cozy mystery, 310 p., $24

Murder in Four Parts: A Dan Rhodes Mystery by Bill Crider, Minotaur Books, cozy mystery, 279 pp., $24.95

This series is about a small town east Texas sheriff who’s more laid back than a pile of stones. Nonetheless, he has his share of problems to solve. This time out, there’s a stray alligator, a chicken crisis, a gambling den to keep an eye on, a streaker, and a dead florist, and all this as the tone deaf sheriff is wondering why he was asked to join the local barbershop quartet. I love this series for its corny humor and relaxed pace. Sheriff Rhodes always gets his man, and it sure is fun to go along for the ride.

The Makedown by Gitty Daneshvari, 5Spot, chick lit, 324 pp., $13.99

An insecure young woman meets a gorgeous guy. Too gorgeous. So Anna Norton decides to make him fat, partially bald, and less attractive. But then what? This one looks great.

Eat Like There’s No Tomorrow by Hans Rueffert, cookbook, $24.95 plus $6 shipping and handling, available exclusively at www.hanscooks.com

In 2005 Hans Rueffert of Jasper, Georgia competed in the first season of the Food Network’s incredibly popular special series, “Who Wants to Be the Next Food Network Star”. Hans placed third, and went back home to his wife and children and resumed his job as chef for his family’s business, the Woodbridge Inn. Shortly thereafter, on the day before he was to turn 33, Hans learned he had gastric cancer which led to the removal of half his stomach and a portion of his esophagus. Just one year before, he had lost his beloved sister Sonja to cancer.

Hans fought back against his disease, and in the process developed the intense appreciation for life experienced by those who have come so close to losing it. Seventy pounds lighter, he returned to public television and now he has written a high end soft cover cookbook that showcases his love for food, those who grow it, and those who consume it, but this is a bit more than a cookbook. With wry humor Hans talks some about his ordeal and offers his philosophy on cooking which is experiment, enjoy, share, and eat healthy.

There is much here for foodies like grilled quail with fig-chipotle BBQ sauce, tilapia en papillote, and smoked trout cakes with horseradish dill sauce. There are numerous German recipes like frittaten suppe, strips of crepes with a simple chicken vegetable soup ladled over them. Hans made this lovely soup when he appeared on the Food Network. There are also many recipes that the average home cook can easily manage like a splendidly sloppy Monte Christo sandwich, an especially moist cranberry orange cake that is a must for me next fall, and a Vidalia onion marmalade that looks irresistible. Hans’s advice is to use the very best and freshest local ingredients you can manage no matter what you’re making. The many photographs are spectacular and were taken by Hans and his wife Amy.

From the book I tried a savory bread pudding flavored with garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, multi-grain bread, and cheese and enhanced with shredded zucchini. This bread pudding can be made in a 9x13 pan or in muffin tins. The proportion of ingredients was a perfect blend, and this dish is particularly desirable for its ease of preparation and reasonable cost. I used the muffin tins. The result was moist, dense, and flavorful mounds of  bread pudding. The presentation is lovely with the vivid red and green of the vegetables. This pudding would be an ideal meatless lunch or a unique side dish to a paillard of chicken or broiled fish. I made a simple tart lemon cream sauce to drizzle over the puddings. It was delicious. This recipe is a keeper, suitable for a dinner party or anytime.

These recipes are hip, healthy, and unique. My own philosophy is that if I find just one recipe that becomes a family favorite, the cost of a cookbook is worth it. This cookbook has exceeded my expectations.