In Darkness by Nick Lake YP FIC LAKE

“Shorty” is no stranger to darkness.  Even before the earth swallowed him up it was a familiar companion in Haiti.  Now, after the quake, trapped under the rubble, it is all he has.  But when he hears a voice in the darkness it is not one he knows, but one that stretches across two hundred years of the past to reach him.  It is Toussaint L'Ouverture, a slave, a leader, a man that died in darkness like Shorty is certain he will die.  What is the hero of Haiti telling Shorty, and can it save him?

I picked this up because the cover is gorgeous and I love Nick Lake’s Blood Ninja series.  To call this a departure would be understatement.  This is a dark book about darkness and about how evil, poverty, and tyranny can destroy souls and entire nations.  The blend of contemporary Haiti and that of the past really works well to show the timelessness and universality of the message of the novel: that in the greatest darkness there is still hope even if it remains unseen.  I was very pleasantly surprised that an author that excels at action-horror could write such a serious and moving work.  I felt the fear and hopelessness in Shorty’s life and the darkness encroaching.  It’s rare that a writer can transport you to a place so different from your own life and Lake pulls it off remarkably.  I was really impressed that the jump between modern day and the past didn’t feel gimmicky; it really adds something to the book and makes it special. I recommend this to fans of both contemporary and historical fiction, because it handles both so well.  In Darkness may not be a “fun” read, but it is one you’ll be glad you read. 

You can check our catalog for In Darkness here.

The Photographer: into war-torn Afghanistan with Doctors without Borders by Emmanuel Guibert, Didier Lefevre, and Frederic Lemercier (Translated by

Graphic novels are a unique format of storytelling, where image and text are used to communicate. Often times mistaken for comic books featuring superheroes, graphic novels feature a variety of characters and portray fictional and real life situations. The Photographer: into war-torn Afghanistan with Doctors without Borders is based on the real life experiences of a team of mostly French doctors and journalists, who were on mission in 1986 in Northern Afghanistan. During this time Afghanistan was a hotbed of violence between the Soviet Union and the Afghan Mujahideen. Using illustrations drawn by Emmanuel Guibert and the photographs and text of international photojournalist Didier Lefevre, The Photographer demonstrates the hardships of the Afghani people and the doctors determined to help them.

This graphic novel is unlike the typical illustrated story because of its use of Lefevre’s raw photographs- many of which are viewed from their original contact sheets. The drawings and text expand upon the photos and provide the narrative of this difficult journey. At times graphic, the reader encounters the same victims as the doctors, including children with fatal injuries. The cultural differences and political turmoil of the area travelled by the doctors is also communicated. The graphic novel easily expresses the physical and mental exhaustion experienced by all of those involved and visualizes the hardships of war. The story also dispels certain myths about the Afghani people, who have been misrepresented in the media. This story is relevant today because of the current democratization of Afghanistan and United States’ military involvement.

Currently the book is located in the New Books section at the front of the library. Once the book is added to the regular collection it will not located in the Young Adult collection. Instead it will be located in the Non-fiction section toward the back of the library. The call number for the book is: 070.4909581 Guibert.

Saint Iggy / by K.L. Goings

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High-minded claims of a disadvantaged youth would be hard-pressed to top Iggy Corso. Had by a crack-addict mother, his prospects were dim even prior his birth; having only depreciated with age as the destructive lifestyles of his derelict parents have kept him underfunded, undernourished and undereducated; not to mention under constant harassment from landlords, thieves and drug-dealers (his parents absent or indisposed most of the time). Life away from home is just as bad. Held back twice, suspended eight times and currently failing for a third consecutive term, Iggy's impending interview with the school superintendent is his last chance before he's kicked out for good.

Realizing his only chance for "any" future is to stay in school, Iggy resolves to make the most of things, seeking out his only reliable friend, Mo, for support. A drug user by profession, Mo is anything but Iggy's social equal; hailing from a wealthy upper-class background, his situation is one of choice obstinacy rather than misfortune. A law school dropout, his "minimalist" lifestyle--not unsimilar to Iggy's--would workout well were it not for his drug habit landing him in financial straits (debts to dealers); a problem now forcing him into the undesirable task of asking his mother for money. An entirely new dilemna now emerges for Iggy as, having accompanied Mo across town to his mom's grandiose apartment, he's made the buffer between a resentful Mo and his fearful but forgiving mother.