Jennifer Weiner, who excels at writing fiction about bright young women as they make their way through life, turns her attention to the joys and woes of pregnancy. Three friends in Philadelphia are pregnant when they meet, and Weiner describes their utterly realistic adventures en route to motherhood and beyond. Becky is a plus-size chef married to a lovable doctor; Kelly's blonde adorableness doesn't help much when her husband loses his job and turns into a couch potato; Ayinde is drop-dead gorgeous but her sports-superstar husband is probably cheating on her. In addition, Lia--new in town--is estranged from her husband and trying to accept the death of her baby. As each woman copes with her attitudes to marriage and motherhood, plus a kaleidoscopic array of personal problems, she can always count on the support of her warm circle of friends--and generate a few laughs in the process.

Young Ju Park is 5 years old when her family emigrates from Korea to the United States. Young Ju has dreams that life in America will be wonderful, but as time passes, she becomes more and more aware of her father's sexism, growing depression, and increasingly violent behavior. This story traces Young Ju's life from childhood to early adulthood and explores not only the theme of a family in crisis but also the experiences of an immigrant family adjusting to life in the United States. Nominated for a 2001 National Book Award in the Young People's Literature category, this book was also named a New York Times 2001 Notable Book and one of the Best Children's Books 2001 by Publishers Weekly.

Azar Nafasi formed a book club in Tehran comprised of seven young women who got together to discuss such books as THE GREAT GATSBY, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, DAISY MILLER, and, of course, LOLITA--books forbidden by the Islamic government. In this memoir, Nafasi, who was expelled from the country for refusing to wear the veil, writes about those women, the books, and her own career as a teacher of English literature--first in Iran, now (less precariously) at Johns Hopkins.