Adult Recommendations

Need to Know by Karen Cleveland

Vivian Miller, a CIA counterintelligence analyst, labors long hours to identify the leaders of Russian sleeper cells in America. The Agency tried unsuccessfully for years to identify the sleepers themselves and now Vivian focuses her energies on finding those running the cells—the handlers. Her investigation targets Yury, the last potential Russian operative identified by her algorithm. When accessing his laptop remotely, Vivian learns something that puts everything she holds dear in jeopardy. Faced with impossible choices and not knowing whom she can trust, Vivian agonizes over her potentially life-changing decisions.  

Tautly written by a former CIA analyst, this suspenseful debut novel grabs hold and does not let go.

Breaking Free: How I Escaped My Father-Warren Jeffs-Polygamy, and the FLDS Cult by Rachel Jeffs

This is the harrowing tale of Rachel Jeffs, daughter of self-proclaimed prophet, Warren Jeffs. For years, he sexually and emotionally abused her and countless others as he led the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS). Breaking Free explores her experience growing up in a polygamist family with multiple mothers, countless siblings, and firm patriarchal values—where disobeying men led to dire consequences.

As Warren Jeffs’ power grew, life for Rachel became increasingly dark. When her father was unhappy with her, he separated Rachel from her children and husband for months on end. In 2015, while her father was serving life in prison, Rachel finally had the courage to take her children and leave the church and everything they had ever known. Unsettling and enlightening, Jeffs' book is an insightfull look at the FLDS community and the many struggles of its members.

The Royal Nanny by Karen Harper

Once again, Karen Harper does a masterful job of combining historical fact and fiction, this time creating a rich and thoughtful insight into the private lives of Britain’s King George V, Queen Mary, and their offspring. Charlotte Bill comes to work as an undernurse in the royal nursery and receives a promotion to head nurse (nanny) after exposing the children’s mistreatment by the current nurse in charge. She soon becomes an integral member of the family and a strong advocate for the children. One child in particular captures Charlotte’s attention. Johnnie, ill from birth and suffering from epilepsy and learning disorders, normally could expect to be shunned and hidden away but Charlotte fights to give him as happy and fulfilling a life as possible.

Set in a fascinating period of historical upheaval and change, this is an engaging story that leaves the reader wondering how close the author may have come to the truth.

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