Asbury Park Zest The Rainbow Issue Summer 2015 | Page 39
in her eventual healing destination of Hawaii,
Coppola was spiritually informed that she
would write this book. She began writing about
her recovery process after the tragic death of
her husband, but knew the focus would shift.
Years later she would recover from a nearly
deadly car crash. The former owner of the
Garden State Center for Holistic Healthcare,
a massage and bodywork school in Lakewood, which closed in the ‘90s, has been on a
perpetual healing journey you’ll want to follow
whether or not you’re interesting in bodywork.
It’s the kind of book that takes you places you
might never go otherwise.
LOCAL LEGENDS
Legendary Locals of Asbury Park by Tom
Chesek
If you’re hip on local history, this beach read
is a must. Chesek, who has enjoyed a long and
arduous writing career, says, “I'd characterize
it more as excellent bathroom reading.” But
no matter where you read it, you will find that
Chesek, who has been the writer-in-residence
at the historic Stephen Crane House in Asbury
Park for the past four years, captures the rich
history and magical essence of where the city
meets the sea, and, Chesek writes, the “parade
of personalities, from the visionaries who challenged nature to the true believers who sought,
against tremendous odds, to make a yearround life in this city of summers.”
YOUNG ADULT
Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
Blume’s book published in 2014 is about a
girl named Davey Wexler, whose father has
been shot in an Atlantic City 7-11. Davey, who
moves to New Mexico to recover near family
members, is reminiscent of earlier characters
faced with loneliness and something major to
be sad about. It’s my 12-year-old daughter’s
favorite book so far, the one I believe made
her a reader for life.
FOR CHILDREN
The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
Not easily forgotten for its beautiful story as
well as the equally brilliant illustrations, this is
a book important for every child’s collection.
The life lessons about acceptance, sharing and
happiness are delivered with a spoonful of
sugar. I happily read this book to my children
when they were little until I was rainbow blind.
FOR NEW READERS
Anything by John Green
Sparrow says, “Even though he is basically
a young adult author, all of (Green’s) books
are complex, imminently readable and contain
many wonderful life lessons. All are page-turners and can keep the newest readers of any
age excited about picking up a book.”
MEMOIR
Brown Girl Dreaming
by Jacqueline Woodson
This National Book Award winner is the memoir of a young girl growing up in the south and
New York during the ‘60s, says Sparrow, and
“is written entirely in stunning verse.” Memoir
is my absolutely favorite genre. Sparrow suggests it as the top choice for families to read
together and discuss “how grit and resilience
can pay off.”
TRUE STORY
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
by Rebecca Skloot
This 2010 biography is still on the Best Seller
list. It reads like an exciting novel, according to
Sparrow, “and tells the story of how the cells
of a poor black woman, Henrietta Lacks, were
harvested without her knowledge, bought and
sold billions of times and have been continuously used for medical research, etc. And yet,
her family is still poor and lacks medical insurance,” she says. “An amazing story!”
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