Authors' Series

All Authors' Series are at 10 am in the Community Room at the Saratoga Library

March 7, 2012
Tim Stanley: The Last of the Prune Pickers

Find out more about " The Last of the Prune Pickers" | Contact 2 Timothy Publishing
 

Not long before silicon reigned in the Santa Clara Valley of California, the valley was largely covered with orchards. There were orchards of pears, apricots, cherries, walnuts, and the king of them all: prunes. Most of the orchards were part of small family farms, and there were thousands of them. This is the story of what preceded those farms, how they came into being, and how they thrived. It is also the story of one of the last of those farms, of the farmer, and of some of the young boys and girls who had the privilege of working for him.

The book is written in two parts. Part One is a well researched, yet engaging, general history of the area. The emphasis is on agriculture, particularly on the rise and decline of the orchard farms. Incorporated in it are many important pieces of the historical picture that are lacking in most historical accounts.

Tim Stanley, who grew up in Saratoga, has tried to present the “how” and “why” behind the events that took place.

April 4, 2012
Lillian Natsue Morgan: Made in Japan-Lillian Natsue Uehara Morgan's Life Story

Find out more about "Made in Japan"
 

Lillian Natsue Morgan, is a retired nurse, was born in Japan prior to WW II to an American Missionary mother and a Japanese physician.

This book is a true account of her life from 1930 through the difficult and at times horrific war torn years in Japan. She had to overcome racial prejudice because she was an Ainoko, (meaning child of mixed marriage). She earned US citizenship in 1958 and continued a fulfilling life as a registered nurse until her retirement in 1990.

May 2, 2012
Alice LaPlante: Turn of Mind

Find out more about "Turn of Mind" | Read more about "Turn of Mind" at NPR website
 

Turn of Mind, Alice LaPlante's bestselling debut novel, won the Wellcome Trust Book Prize and was named a New York Times and Booklist Editors' Choice.

LaPlante is also an award-winning writer of creative nonfiction, including The Making of a Story: A Norton Guide to Writing Fiction and Nonfiction.