A Holiday Party Tease

Want to guess what books are being nominated at our holiday party? Hopefully I've given you enough hints that you'll be able to guess 1 or 2 of them. PLEASE DON'T POST THE ANSWERS. Once you figure them out, feel free to post more hints if you like. You'll have to attend the Holiday Party to find out!

I am a “theme” kinda gal. When I last nominated in August 2011, the theme was “Women who Escaped (something/someone)…” and we chose Infidel.

This time the theme is “Memories of Boyhood”. I read all three and enjoyed them almost equally.  Each is set outside the U.S.. All got 4 or 4.5 stars (out of 5) on Barnes & Noble.  All available in paperback from Barnes & Noble, our host from January thru October every year.

Here are the hints:

 - Boyhood heavily impacted by religion. This man did not write and publish his first book until age 96! (in 2007); in this, the first of his several books, he recalls the first 12 years of his life (his/his siblings' growing-up years) in England just before World War I; he moved with his family to the US at the outbreak of WWI;  3 words in this book’s title*, initial letters TIW, 354 pages; Jews and Christians; cobbled street; mill town.

- Boyhood of hunger and doing without, until he saved his community. This young man is from a small country in Africa; 6 word title*, initial letters TBWHTW; published 2010; 290 pages; he had a co-author; engineering, magic beliefs, old bicycle wheel; blue gum trees; MacGyver; library; nsima; now attends Dartmouth.

- Boyhood of privilege, until communism. This author was born in 1950. His story is about the first 12 years of his life, the entry of communism into his life, and he and his brother's participation in the Pedro Pan operation; 5 word title*, initial letters WFSIH; 400 pages; learn about the good life before communism, and the early days of life after (when even Coca-Cola did not taste the same); firecrackers; lizards; son of a judge; now a Yale professor. National Book Award in Nonfiction, 2003.

*This references the primary title (all of them also have subtitles).

Janice already knows the titles because I asked her if Cedar Park Library club read them (answer was no). Dennis I mentioned these to you, but probably not the titles.

Enjoy, but remember, DON'T POST ANSWERS!
Pam