SUMMER READING
1) Bonfire of the Vanities, by Tom Wolfe
A high-powered investment banker strikes a black kid from the projects while speeding in his Mercedes, entering into a battle against a media-savvy D.A. fighting for reelection. Can anybody say Dupont University goes New York?
READ IF YOU... live a parallel life
2) Suite Francais, by Irene Nemirovsky
A French Jewish author celebrated before the Nazi occupation, Nemirovsky wrote the first two novels of an intended "suite" of five before she was sent to Auschwitz and died in 1942. Her daughters later discovered the handwritten notes containing this work, and the published result-already a hit in France-is a haunting account.
READ IF YOU... jump-start the hype
3) To Hate Like This Is to Be Happy Forever, by Will Blythe
In this blended sports book and memoir, former Esquire editor and N.C. native Blythe chronicles his life as a fan. Though he supports the wrong end of Tobacco Road, Blythe constructs a poignant narrative about family and tradition, ACC style.
READ IF YOU... mourn J.J. graduating
4) Too Rich, by Pony Duke & Jason Thomas
The only child of James B. Duke, Doris inherited half the family fortune when she was 13. She spent her money charitably, but never boringly: high-profile affairs, the adoption of a 35 year-old and $400 in donations. With a Susan Sarandon-Ralph Fiennes biopic due out soon, timing couldn't be better.
READ IF YOU... study the statues
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