Naming Library Spaces: The Saxe Room

You may be aware of our two main meeting spaces, the Saxe Room and the Banx Room, but do you know how they got their names? Today's blog post is going to focus on the origins of the larger meeting room, the Saxe Room, named after James Alfred Saxe and his wife, Mary Wick Saxe.

"Succumbs," Worcester Telegram, May 20, 1948

So who were the Saxes and why are their names immortalized at our library? 

James Alfred Saxe, was born in Troy, NY, on December 2, 1863 and lived in Massachusetts most of his life. James, the twin brother of John W. Saxe and nephew of poet James Godfrey Saxe, was educated at Wilbraham Academy, Wesleyan College, and Harvard College. He also studied singing and violin at the Berlin Conservatory of Music before returning to the United States to study law at Harvard Law School. He graduated law school in 1892 and married Mary Wick of Cleveland, Ohio, the daughter of a banker, in June of that same year. James worked for a couple of years with his brother in Boston before James and Mary moved to Worcester in 1895, where he became a title examiner at the metropolitan water board. He founded the Worcester County Abstract Co. in 1897 [Note: a title examiner is a person who researches the history and previous owners of a specific piece of property], where he remained active in the company until 1929.

Undated Photo of James A. Saxe

James was an prominent member of the Worcester community, with news reports through the years detailing his performances as a bass singer in church quartets and other concerts, his memberships in the Church of the Unity/First Unitarian Church and the Worcester County Bar Association, his participation in golf tournaments, and his donation of a rare coin collection to the Worcester Historical Society.

Mary Wick Saxe's Photo on Her Emergency Passport Application, circa April 1920

Mary Wick Saxe was a frequent world traveler (many times accompanied by her mother, also named Mary, and sometimes her husband, James- the three of them even took a 9-month voyage around the world in 1907!), and would recount her grand adventures at gatherings of the Worcester Woman's Clubhouse Association and in the Worcester newspapers. She once wrote about her experiences in India in the Worcester Evening Gazette in 1914. By the late-1910s, James and Mary owned an estate in the American settlement of Vivi Agua (also known as Bibijagua), Isle of Pines, Cuba, that served as their winter home. There were even rumors of buried pirate treasure on the property but no troves were ever reported to have been found.

"Property of James A. Saxe May Hold Private Treasure." Worcester Sunday Telegram, May 18, 1919

"Saxe's Bungalow in Isle of Pines," 1933

Mary died in 1939 at the age of 71 in Cuba after a long illness. She was buried in Cuba at the Columbia Cemetery. 

Report of the Death of an American Citizen - "Mary Wicks [sic] Tennis Saxe" May 12, 1939

James Alfred Saxe died May 19, 1948 at the age of 84 in his home on 227 Burncoat Street in Worcester. He was buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Troy, NY.

J.A. Saxe, Title Examiner, Dies." Worcester Telegram, May 20, 1948

A week after Saxe died, the Worcester newspapers reported on the contents of Saxe's will. One major bequest was $50,000 to the City for the Worcester Public Library. At that time, it was the largest gift to the library and adjusted for inflation, $50,000 in 1948 currency would be worth over $650,000 today! Per the will, twenty-five thousand dollars would be used to create a James A. and Mary W. Saxe Room at the new public library, if and when it was erected (if you recall from previous blog posts, the new library building at 3 Salem Square would not be completed until 1964). The other half of the bequest for the library was to be used to purchase "books of a serious nature for the present library" (Worcester Evening Gazette, May 24, 1948).  The will stipulated that if the new public library was not built within 21 years, the money could be used to purchase additional books for the library. The Saxe Fund was to be left in the hands of private trustees and then it would be turned over to the city.

"$50,000 is Left City in Saxe Bequests," Worcester Evening Gazette, May 24, 1948, p.1

By 1953, part of the Saxe Fund was used to acquire poetry records, music scores, and projection equipment and screens to show documentary films and slide-film programs. Trustees of the Saxe Fund also created a scholarship fund in 1955 for present and prospective staff to study library science. The Saxe Fund is still in existence.

The Saxe Collection of Recorded Poetry Drama and Speech, 1953

In 1962, the library board asked the trustees of the Saxe estate to contribute the funds for two meeting rooms "in accordance with the provisions of the Saxe will" (Worcester Evening Gazette, November 14, 1962).  In May 1964, the new library building at 3 Salem Square finally opened to the public, with the Saxe Room and Conference Room A located on the second floor of the library. Both rooms were designed in the fashion of the 1960s, with walls in teak and drapes in wildly clashing colors, called "Joseph's Coat." The Saxe Room would fit 135 people and Conference Room A would fit 40 people. The Saxe Room was intended to be used for film screenings and recitals, among other meetings. 

"I'm Confident Our Readers Will Like It," Worcester Sunday Telegram - Feature Parade Section, March 1, 1964

Conference Room A would become the Al Banx Room in 1974. Renovation of the Saxe and Banx Rooms began in the summer of 1988. It included new ceilings, carpet, paneling, furniture, and most importantly, asbestos abatement. The Saxe and Banx Rooms were rededicated in October 1988.

The Saxe and Banx Rooms moved to their present location on the first floor by the parking lot entrance during the major library renovation that finished in 2001. The two rooms are still in use today for library programs and community meetings. So when you attend one of our library programs in the Saxe Room, you can surprise everyone with your knowledge of the history of the space!

Stay tuned for a future blog post on the Banx Room...

Sources:

"Announce Fund for Library Scholarships." (1955, March 3). Worcester Evening Gazette, 8.

"Banx, Saxe Rooms Rededicated." (1988, October 23). Worcester Sunday Telegram, 35 A.

"50,000 is Left City in Saxe Bequests." (1948, May 24). Worcester Evening Gazette, 1.

"I'm Confident Our Readers Will Like It." (1964, March 1). Worcester Sunday Telegram - Feature Parade Section, 14.

"J.A. Saxe, Title Examiner, Dies." (1948, May 20). Worcester Telegram, 1.

"James A. Saxe, 84, Dies in His Home." (1948, May 20). Worcester Evening Gazette, 60.

"Library Anticipates $1,800 Budget Hike." (1962, November 14). Worcester Telegram, 18.

"Library Tour A Colorful Experience." (1964, April 21). Worcester Telegram, 13.

"Mrs. James A. Wick Saxe." (1939, May 13). Worcester Telegram, 4.

"$100,000 Charity Bequests in James A. Saxe's Will." (1948, May 25, 1948). Worcester Telegram, 11.

"Postal Rate Rise Hits Library Budget. (1962, November 14). Worcester Evening Gazette, 6.

"Property of James A. Saxe May Hold Private Treasure." (1919, May 18). Worcester Sunday Telegram, 12C.

"Rare Old Coins Given Society." (1945, July 5). Worcester Telegram, 2.

"Saxe Tours the World." (1907, August 2). Worcester Telegram, 14.

"Work, Real Hard Work." (1900, July 1). Worcester Sunday Telegram, 9.

The Worcester Free Public Library. (1953). The Saxe Collection of Recorded Poetry Drama and Speech.

New Releases - May Edition

Check out these highly anticipated new releases featuring fiction and nonfiction titles. Click on the title to request a copy or get your name on the waitlist. Don’t forget to watch for more featured releases next month!

FICTION

The Original Daughter by Jemimah Wei.  California-based Singaporean writer Wei, a Pushcart Prize nominee, brings to readers a family tale set in working-class Singapore and New Zealand and centered on 27-year-old Genevieve. In her childhood, her grandfather's secret family came to light with the arrival of his newly discovered descendant Arin, who is a year younger than Gen. Gen's parents took Arin in as a daughter, since she was seemingly abandoned by her birth family, and Gen has resented her ever since. Gen narrates a lifetime of strife with Arin, who later becomes a famous actress, and also deals with her mother's breast cancer and her father's emotional infidelity. Wei's multilayered writing sweeps readers up to carry them alongside Gen through her emotional and financial struggles and lifelong conflict with Arin as they both vie for their mother's love and attention. . .   VERDICT This novel should appeal to readers who appreciate relationship-based stories within families; also a good candidate for book clubs.—Shirley Quan.  Copyright 2025 Library Journal.

Old School Indian by Aaron John Curtis. A Native American man returns home to heal wounds both literal and metaphorical. Abe Jacobs, the hero of Curtis’ finely tuned debut, is 43 and seriously ill. He’s taken a break from his job as a bookseller in Miami (and from his wife, Alexandria East), to visit family on a Mohawk reservation in upstate New York. . .  while he waits for a formal diagnosis, he skeptically but desperately accepts some folk treatment from a great-uncle. Otherwise, he spends his stay reconnecting with friends and family, attempting to make sense of his various past struggles: a depression that led to a suicide attempt, a difficult open relationship with Alex, and a stalled career as a poet. That last challenge gives the novel a poignant, lyrical lift: An alter ego of Abe’s, Dominick Deer Woods, regularly intrudes on the narrative, sharing excerpts of Abe’s poetry and generally serving as his snarkier, more confident self. . .  Some of those sidebars deal with Native American life, from food to tribal relationships, to the bigotry that informs Abe’s skepticism of traditional medicine, to forced sterilizations, and more. . . An affecting tale of loss and healing that thrives through its seriocomic style. Copyright Kirkus 2025.

Anima Rising by Christopher Moore. Moore (Shakespeare for Squirrels) offers an absurdist and sardonic sequel, of sorts, to Frankenstein. It begins in early-1900s Vienna and is populated with historical figures like Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and a young Hitler. Readers meet painter Klimt when he is out early one morning and finds the body of a young woman who appears to have drowned in the river. He is struck by the unique tint of her skin and is compelled to sketch her. When it seems she's not dead yet, he brings her back to his studio, but the woman, whom he names Judith, cannot remember who she is. Klimt calls upon Freud for assistance, and he eventually calls upon his protégé Jung for help with this unique case. These sessions reveal hidden memories about her creation and bizarre history, which include Victor Frankenstein and a trip to the underworld. VERDICT This is a wild adventure through history, art, and literature for Moore's many fans and those who enjoy historical fiction with a side of fantasy and wry humor. Highly recommended.—Kristen Stewart. Copyright 2025 Library Journal.

NONFICTION

Life and Art by Richard Russo.  Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Russo's (Somebody's Fool) second essay collection focuses on writing and his life. He has written screenplays for a number of his books, including an HBO miniseries for Empire Falls. Reading about his childhood, youth, and early adulthood, growing up in a Rustbelt town in upstate New York as the son of an often-absent father and an ambitious mother, helps readers understand the source of his books' settings, their characters, and his (and their) outlooks on life. Thirteen essays (some of which originally appeared in The Atlantic, Harper's, and the Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association) reveal even more of Russo's background and interests—studying for his Ph.D. in literature at the University of Arizona, teaching English at Colby and other colleges, traveling across the country on book tours, screenwriting and adapting his own work. Russo also writes of his interest in Kingsley Amis's novel Lucky Jim, the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (and one of its stars, Paul Newman), and Townes Van Zandt's song "Pancho and Lefty." VERDICT A welcome visit with a major contemporary writer.—Marcia Welsh Copyright 2025 LJExpress.

The Art Spy by Michelle Young.  Young chronicles the vividly atmospheric saga of Rose Valland, a French art historian who risked everything to spy on the Nazis during World War II, as a key Resistance spy in the heart of the Nazis' art-looting headquarters. While Hitler was amassing stolen art for his future Führermuseum, Valland was secretly working to stop him from looting paintings by Picasso, Monet, Cézanne, Gauguin, Braque, Degas, Modigliani, and Toulouse-Lautrec. Based on previously undiscovered historical documents, this extensively detailed portrait of Valland's bravery and strategic intelligence makes for exciting reading. The fascinating book offers insights into the Nazi's art looting operations and Valland's crucial role in preserving France's cultural heritage. The story of Valland's courage and dedication to art and justice is compelling and inspiring. VERDICT This book should have broad appeal, thanks to its previously unsung World War II Resistance spy heroine and the rich details of her exploits, making it ideal for fans of espionage and strong narrative nonfiction that reads like a compelling novel.—Lawrence Mello Copyright 2025 LJExpress.

They Poisoned the World: Life and Death in the Age of Forever Chemicals by Mariah Blake. Investigative journalist Blake tells the story of her investigation into the lives and workings of the people in a small town in upstate New York who had grown suspicious of the local industrial plant after there had been an inordinate amount of health problems and cancer deaths among the small population. This industrial plant employed most townspeople and made food-preserving products, including Teflon. Obtaining her information through personal interviews with the local people and through numerous public documents, Blake discovered that this plant was dumping waste into the local water supply. All the while, the chemical industry at large was aware of the deadly and long-term effects of these "forever chemicals." The company running the plant in New York had gone to extreme lengths to cover it up, including manufacturing false research studies. Ultimately, the chemicals were banned, yet long-term health issues and environmental problems persist. Blake tells this heartbreaking and horrifying story in a manner that should motivate and outrage readers. VERDICT A powerfully written narrative that needs to be shared widely.—Steve Dixon Copyright 2025 LJExpress.

New Releases - April Edition

Check out these highly anticipated new releases featuring fiction and nonfiction titles. Click on the title to request a copy or get your name on the waitlist. Don’t forget to watch for more featured releases next month!

NONFICTION

No New Things by Ashlee Piper. Piper, a sustainability expert and author of Give a Sh*t: Do Good. Live Better. Save the Planet, offers a guide to help readers stop buying new things, based on her experiences doing so for over a year.  Her book is filled with daily action items and exercises.  Copyright 2024 Library Journal.

 

Medicine River: A Story of Survival and the Legacy of Indian Boarding Schools by Mary Annette Pember.  A concise history of Native American boarding schools and their enduring consequences. The daughter of a boarding school survivor, the author explores a highly personal subject while tracing out its broader historical dimensions. . . Elegantly weaving together her mother’s stories, those of other boarding school students, and concise accounts of federal assimilationist policies and common institutional practices, she provides an informed and unsettling perspective on the schools’ individual and collective impact. . . we gain a striking sense of how an ethic of righteous domination shaped institutions meant to accelerate the destruction of indigeneity. Particularly compelling are the accounts of the schools’ coercive religious authority, myriad forms of physical and psychological abuse, and insistent shaming, all of which aimed at, and often succeeded in, destroying the self-esteem of vulnerable children. As we come to understand, routine cruelties coexisted with the self-professed benevolence of the pedagogical bureaucracy. Indigenous resistance is also carefully charted, especially in relation to the “sense of common purpose and pan-Indian identity” that many students managed to establish in the face of crushing assimilative pressures. . . . A gripping, often harrowing account of the personal and communal toll of cultural genocide. Copyright Kirkus 2025 Kirkus/BPI Communications.

 Accidentally on Purpose by Kristen Kish.  In her delightful debut memoir, Top Chef host Kish (It’s All in the Sauce: Bringing Your Uniqueness to the Table, a children’s cookbook) covers her early experiences in the kitchen and the path to her TV breakthrough. Born in 1983 Seoul and adopted by American parents in Michigan, Kish details a mostly ordinary childhood laced with spaghetti with red sauce and Creamsicle sodas. Encouraged by her mother to explore her affinity for cooking as a teenager, Kish paid a visit to Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago. After enrolling in and graduating from the culinary school, Kish moved to Boston, where she worked under chef Barbara Lynch at Stir and dabbled in cocaine and alcohol while finding her footing in the pressure-filled world of fine dining. Her winning run on Top Chef gets a lot of play in the narrative, as do inspiring encounters with the likes of Emeril Lagasse and Padma Lakshmi, whom Kish replaced as host of Top Chef in 2023. Also touching are sections about Kish coming out as gay to her family and friends after her professional success bolstered her confidence. Self-assured yet down-to-earth, Kish’s account will resonate with aspiring chefs and Top Chef fans alike. Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly.

FICTION

Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez.  The latest from Perkins-Valdez (Take My Hand) features a dual narrative that starts with Washington, DC, real estate agent Nikki Lovejoy being summoned to rural North Carolina by her estranged grandmother Rita. Mother Rita needs help managing the family homestead. As the story and relationship between Rita and Niki develop, readers learn about family secrets and history of the Kingdom of the Happy Land. The historical side of the narrative is revealed by Luella, a Lovejoy ancestor known as the queen of Happy Land. Luella is part of a group of formerly enslaved people who migrated to this spot after emancipation to create a settlement for themselves. Through hard work and saving, the community was able to purchase the land, which they called the Kingdom of the Happy Land. In the contemporary storyline, Perkins-Valdez reveals how that land was stolen from the Lovejoys and how Rita fights to retain it for her family. VERDICT This is a lyrical and unique work of historical fiction. The Kingdom is based on a real place about which readers will want to know more after reading Perkins-Valdez's novel. Fans of hidden-history narratives will enjoy her hopeful, empowering tale.—Kristen Stewart.  Copyright 2025 Library Journal.

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett. Following their first twisty case of murder and political corruption (chronicled in The Tainted Cup), Ana and Din are sent to the opposite fringe of the Empire to solve what appears to be a classic locked-room murder mystery. But no case that Special Investigations sends their most special team to is ever that simple. The moment that eccentric senior investigator Ana is on the scene, she knows that the case is about something no one wants to admit; it's all misdirection for a plot decades in the making, involving sleeper agents, ambitious officers, and corruption of both the body and the soul, all in service of a goal no one remembers except the man who has been enslaved to it for his entire life. VERDICT This Holmes and Watson-like investigative duo are compelling to follow, and the truly epic fantasy world where the series is set, with its falling empire, corrupt politics, and magic pharmacopeia engineered from monster blood, takes the familiarity of mystery and creates a truly fantastic fever-dream of a world and a story.—Marlene Harris.  Copyright 2025 Library Journal.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women: a novel by Marie Bostick.  Bostwick's (Esme Cahill Fails Spectacularly) latest explores the lives of four housewives in 1963 suburban Virginia. Margaret, Viv, and Bitsy are living the American dream. However, "having it all" leaves them feeling guilty and wondering if there should be more to their lives than just domesticity. Enter Charlotte, their arty, fashionable, and eccentric new neighbor from New York City. These four women start a book club, with The Feminine Mystique as their first title, a controversial and groundbreaking book that inspires each of them to examine their own lives, illustrating why they each feel pressured, unhappy, and unfulfilled. Through their discussions of other books, they form an unbreakable bond and encourage one another not only to acknowledge their fears and dreams but also to seek change to make their longings a reality. VERDICT Bostwick's latest is ideal for fans of historical fiction and those who enjoyed Bonnie Garmus's Lessons in Chemistry, Kristin Hannah's The Women, or Kate Quinn's The Briar Club, which explore the historical roles of women and the challenges they faced within a society structured to define and limit their roles in and out of the home.—Linsey Milillo. Copyright 2025 Library Journal.

Owl Be Here for You: The History of the Owl Statues at Worcester Public Library

We often hear children and their families excitedly pointing out the two large owl statues that are mounted above the staircases between the first and second floors of the Main Library. I personally delight in explaining to them that the owls actually have names, "Whooo" and Whoom," and that they were named such in a naming contest. But what's the story behind the owls? Read on to learn more!

Worcester Public Library (then known as the Worcester Free Public Library) used to be located on the southside of Elm Street from 1861 until it moved to its present location at 3 Salem Square in 1964. Even in the 19th century, there was talk of moving the library. By the late 1880s, the library had outgrown its original Elm Street building at 18 Elm Street and the library directors looked at either moving to a new building or expanding. They eventually settled on building an addition to the existing structure by having the city purchase the adjacent Dr. J.O. Marble property in 1888. The cornerstone for the addition was laid November 27, 1889 and the addition was completed in 1891.  

The plans by well-known Worcester architect Stephen C. Earle were primarily carried out by the contractors Cutting & Bishop. There was also an additional artistic component: two sculpted horned owls that would be added to either side of the new addition's entrance! According to the Worcester Evening Gazette, the sculptor of the two stone owls was a 33-year-old sculptor from Boston named Terrence Dunn.

Two Owls. Worcester Evening Gazette, September 13, 1890

The December 24, 1890 issue of the Worcester Telegram was a bit critical in its discussion of the owls at the entrance: "The only uninviting feature about the whole building is the glum look on the two stone owls that perch on either side of the arch at the main entrance on Elm street [sic]. And yet the owls look so learned that the critic in gazing at them wants to go beyond and see what is within." 

Free Public Library, Worcester, Mass., circa 1905-1915, Detroit Publishing Co.
Courtesy of the Library of Congress. - note the owls over the left-side building's arch

And so the owls stayed on their perches outside the Elm Street entrance, silently observing all who entered the hallowed halls of the Worcester Free Public Library, until once again, the library outgrew its space. The city and library board decided to build a brand new library that would be located at 3 Salem Square opposite City Hall (see one of our previous blog posts for information about the 1962 laying of the cornerstone for the new building). 

How Wise is the Elm Street Library Owl? Worcester Evening Gazette, March 25, 1950

Look Up! Sunday Telegram, July 5, 1959

In 1963, the Worcester Telegram reported that then-library director Thurston Taylor and City Manager Frances J. McGrath had discussed the upcoming demolition of the Elm Street library building. Taylor advocated for preserving the library owls, as well as the stone arch above the entrance. McGrath also recommended saving the bas-reliefs of Cicero, Shakespeare, Benjamin Franklin, and Thucydides that adorned the exterior of the library addition towards the top of the building. Unfortunately, McGrath ultimately concluded with the library directors that they weren't able to find a new home for the bas-reliefs and stone arch at the new building and furthermore, preservation of these items was too costly for the city. Fortunately, the city agreed to salvage the two owls at the cost of $50 (roughly $515 adjusted for inflation) (Worcester Telegram, October 7, 1963). The library ultimately mounted the owls on the walls of the Social Science department of the new library building. The new building at Salem Square was officially dedicated on May 22, 1964 and the library opened to the public the following Monday. The Elm Street library was subsequently torn down and the site later became the Pearl-Elm Parking Garage.

Worcester Sunday Telegram, May 23, 1965

Fast forward to September 1980. For years, the owls had been unofficially named "Hoot" and "Toot," according to an article in the September 11, 1980 issue of the Worcester Telegram. The Friends of Worcester Public Library decided to name the owls with a "Great Give a Hoot Contest," which would be open to all Worcester-area residents. According to the article, there would be winners in three age brackets (ages 6-12, 12-18, and over 18) and an overall grand prize winner, with the winning entries being selected on Halloween. The contest would be judged by four judges and one honorary judge, retired head librarian Thurston Taylor. 

The Friends of the Worcester Public Library received over 280 entries but the grand prize winner was Patrick B. Holland, a 14-year-old boy from Worcester, with his entry, "Whooo" and "Whooom." The other winners were "Winkie" and "Blinkie" from 10-year-old Holly Burns and "Wisdom" and "Common Sense" by 24-year-old Joseph Trent. Each winner received a $20 gift certificate for books and Patrick Holland also received a framed print of an Albrecht Dürer drawing of an owl.

He Gave a Hoot - And Won. Worcester Evening Gazette, November 8, 1980*

Now you know the story of Whooo and Whooom (we do not know which one is which) so say hi to them the next time you stop by the Main Library!

For more information about another work of art in the Main Library, check out our blog post about the 3 large WPA murals above the 2nd floor!

*Note: the articles from 1980 claimed that the statues were cast metal but all previous articles indicated that the statues were made of stone.

Sources:

Done in First-Class Shape. (1890, December 24). Worcester Daily Telegram. p. 4.

Fletcher Street Teen Wins 'Great Give a Hoot Contest.' (1980, November 6). Worcester Telegram. p. 37.

He Gave a Hoot -- And Won. (1980, November 8). Worcester Evening Gazette. p. 7.

Green, F. He Wanted Everyone to Read Read Read. (1965, May 23). Worcester Sunday Telegram. Feature Parade Section, p. 6.

Library Demolition. (1963, October 7). Worcester Evening Gazette. p. 9.

Owl Figures, Door Arch to be Saved. (1963, May 28) Worcester Evening Gazette. p.27.

Public Library Addition. (1889, November 28). Worcester Telegram. p. 2.

Two Owls. (1890, September 13). Worcester Evening Gazette. p. 4.

You Can Get Wise with the Owls? (1980, September 11). Worcester Telegram. p. 9.

New Releases - March Edition

Check out these highly anticipated new releases featuring fiction and nonfiction titles. Click on the title to request a copy or get your name on the waitlist. Don’t forget to watch for more featured releases next month!

FICTION

Rooms for Vanishing by Stuart Nadler.  Nadler (Wise Men) follows a Viennese Jewish family shattered by the Holocaust across four alternate timelines in his dazzling latest. In each of the four narrative threads, a different member of the Alterman family is the sole survivor. The first, set in 1979 London, focuses on Sonja, rescued from the war at age five by the Kindertransport train. She’s married to Franz, a famous orchestra conductor, with whom she lost a young daughter to a terminal illness. Franz disappears after becoming convinced the girl is still alive. Nadler then turns to Sonja’s mother, Fania, who survived a displaced persons camp somewhere in Europe and now works as a masseuse in 1966 Montreal. In the third timeline, Fania’s younger son, Moses, an infant when the family was rounded up by the Nazis, narrowly escapes being killed during an anti-communist protest in 1960s’ Prague. While Moses awaits the birth of his grandchild in 2000 New York City, the ghost of a friend begs him to return to Prague. The final iteration centers on Fania’s husband, Arnold, who lives in Vienna in 2016. He receives a message from a woman claiming to be Sonja after she tracks him down via the DNA test he shared on an ancestry site. Throughout, Nadler beautifully conveys the ways in which his characters’ sense of reality is distorted by their trauma. This is a wonder. Agent: PJ Mark, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly.

The River Has Roots by Amal
El-Mohtar. The Hawthorn family has tended the magical willows on their land for generations, providing songs of thanks in exchange for the trees' power. The residents of the town of Thistleford, sitting near the edge of Faerie, know that sisters Esther and Ysabel Hawthorn continue to provide according to the ancient agreement, and the two sisters are as much tied to each other as they are to their enchanted trees. However, love and life can still bring the possibility of taking one, or both, away from each other. When Esther rejects a suitor in favor of her lover from Faerie, the devastating results may not only separate the sisters but end their lives as well. El-Mohtar's poetic prose brings the magic of language and song to life, with a river that is filled with grammar and two women who use songs to show the world their truths. VERDICT El-Mohtar's solo debut (after cowriting This Is How You Lose the Time War with Max Gladstone) is a heart-wrenching fairy tale about the bonds of love and family. It's a murder ballad in book form that will linger long after the final page is turned.—Kristi Chadwick.  Copyright 2025 Library Journal.

Red Dog Farm by Nathaniel Ian Miller.  Miller (The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven) serves up a rich coming-of-age tale about the son of a farmer exploring his roots. In spring 2012, Orri cuts short his first year at university and comes home from Reykjavik to help his father, Pabbi, on the family farm in Bifröst, a settlement north of the city. According to Orri’s Mamma, a professor at the local university, Pabbi has been depressed, and Orri keeps an eye on him as they tend to the cattle and make hay. Orri also reconnects with his childhood classmate Rúna, who’s now a farmer. As Orri learns more about farming, he delays his return to Reykjavik, wondering if higher education is the right fit for him. Meanwhile, he sparks an online romance with Mihan, a student enrolled at a university a few hours away, and eventually visits her there. The novel reaches a crisis point as Pabbi talks of selling the farm and Mamma begins spending nights away from home, prompting Orri to worry that his parents are keeping secrets from him. . . . Miller’s earthy realism effectively conveys the toll farming takes, especially on Pabbi. The result is a charming novel of desire and identity in a small community. Agent: Esmond Harmsworth, Aevitas Creative Management. Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly.

NONFICTION

 Mesopotamian Riddle by Joshua Hammer.  Journalist Hammer follows up The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu with another dazzling archival adventure.  By the 1850s, several scholars claimed to have decoded cuneiform, an ancient Mesopotamian script that had first been discovered several decades earlier.  But, as Hammer explains, the public was skeptical, considering all the claims "decipherment" to be "hoaxes."  William Henry Fox Talbot, a wealthy inventor (known as the "father of photography" alongside Louis Daguerre), had produced his own decipherment and, eager to prove to judgmental friends that his new pursuit wasn't "quackery," proposed an experiment:  four different scholars who claimed to have decoded cuneiform would turn in their translations of the same text to the Royal Asiatic Society; if the translations matched, it would prove decipherment was possible.  Hammer delves into the backstories of the scholars who participated alongside Talbot, detailing how each came to their all-consuming passion for decoding cuneiform . . . Novelistic and immersive, this historical saga astounds.  Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly. 

Rebel Queen by Susan Polgar and Yasser Seirawan. The allure of chess. Hungarian-born chess grandmaster Polgar, winner of the world’s six most prestigious chess crowns, recounts a triumphant career that began when she was 3. Excited by a chess set she discovered in a beat-up cabinet, she was eager to learn how to play with the enticing new toys. Her father incorporated chess into her homeschooling, teaching her moves for one piece at a time, gradually building up to openings and strategies. Clearly a prodigy, Polgar entered her first tournament when she was 4½, winning against older girls. In 1979, at age 10, she became the youngest person to earn official rating through the International Chess Federation. Although Hungary repeatedly refused to grant her a passport to leave the communist Eastern Bloc, publicity about her prowess soon led the government to relent. Competing internationally, she rapidly ascended in stature. In 1983, she ranked among the top 10 female players in the world. . . Throughout her career, Polgar rose above considerable challenges: from those who believed that women shouldn’t compete against men; from political threats to her and her family; from bitter animosity from a woman champion; and from virulent antisemitism at home and abroad. The game sustained her. A champion’s engaging memoir. Copyright Kirkus 2025 Kirkus/BPI Communications.

Cellar Rat: My Life in the Restaurant Underbelly by Hannah Selinger.  Working in fancy restaurants starts as a heady rush but devolves into a dehumanizing grind, in this overwrought debut memoir from James Beard Award winner Selinger. The food writer recaps her post-college decade in the industry in the early 2000s, charting her path from waitressing at casual Massachusetts eateries to sommelier gigs at Manhattan fine-dining establishments including BLT Prime and Jean-Georges. She rhapsodizes about the “electric” atmosphere of upscale dining rooms, with their convivial glow, celebrity sightings (Gwyneth Paltrow “tipped ten percent, the icy little troll”), and employee camaraderie, and describes in richly evocative prose how she came to appreciate gourmet cuisine (“I could explain the softness of the meat, how lean it was, how it came from a less worked muscle of the cow”). Along the way, Selinger also catalogs the downsides: long shifts on erratic schedules, an after-hours drinking culture that got her a DUI conviction, and unpredictable, angry bosses. . .  This provides a vivid glimpse behind the scenes of America’s most glamorous dining rooms, but falls short as a polemic. Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly.