October paperback releases offer good choices for reading groups

REVIEWS BY JULIE HALE

This National Book Award finalist tells the story of fashion model Charlotte Swenson, whose life is irrevocably altered when she's involved in a car accident that savages her face. After undergoing reconstructive surgery, Charlotte returns to her old life in New York to find that no one recognizes her. Paralleling her story is that of the teenaged daughter of her former best friend—a young girl in search of an identity who has an affair with her high school math teacher. Exploring the effects of fame and the strange new worlds available in cyberspace, Egan has written an elegant, timely and suspenseful novel—a book that captures all the speed and glamour of contemporary culture. A reading group guide is available in print and online at www.anchorbooks.com.


Gordimer, a Nobel Prize winner, has written a stream of powerfully perceptive novels offering insights into South African politics and culture. Her latest follows the adventures of wealthy Julie Summers, whose car breaks down in a seedy South African neighborhood, where she meets a young Arab mechanic named Abdul. The two are drawn to each other for different reasons: Abdul—an illegal immigrant—hopes to avoid being deported, while Julie is trying to shake off her privileged past. Marked by charged emotions and unexpected repercussions, a relationship soon develops between the two, one that alters their perceptions of each other—and their lives—forever. Gordimer writes revealingly about race, religion and the modern Arab world. A reading group guide is available in print and online at www.greatbooks.org and www.penguinputnam.com.


The first lady of short fiction returns with another classic collection of stories. Each of these nine pieces, set in Munro's home territory of Ontario and British Columbia, probes the nature of human connection. In "The Bear Came Over the Mountain," a cheating husband puts his wife in an old-age home, where she unexpectedly finds romance. A biology teacher battles creationists in "Comfort." Narratives like "Nettles" and "Post and Beam" reveal the surprises and disappointments inherent in love relationships. With astonishing clarity and wisdom, Munro portrays the nature of passion, the pull of memory and the power of the past. A reading group guide is available in print and online at www.vintagebooks.com/read.


In this national bestseller, everybody's favorite science writer tells the story of his incredible Jewish family and the childhood he spent in England. Surrounded by relatives who encouraged his interest in nature, Sacks was strongly influenced by his Uncle Dave (the Tungsten of the title), who operated a light-bulb factory and introduced him to the wonder of metals. Offering a fascinating overview of scientific history along with his own story, Sacks recounts how his love of learning helped him survive life in a British boarding school so dreary it would've made Dickens cringe. Written with humor, candor and stirring insight, this memoir captures both the curiosity of Sacks as a young student and his singular brilliance as a mature scientist. A reading group guide is available in print and online at www.vintagebooks.com/read.


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