I'm a big World War II buff, and in addition to all of the books I own about the battles, campaigns, weaponry, and general histories of the war, I also own many biographies and autobiographies of people, both famous and unknown, from the era. However, one thing I lacked was a good biography of Stalin. I have a few, but they were written before the Iron Curtain had fallen, and primarily used "western" rather than Soviet sources.
Things are amiss at 99 Maple Lane. Ingrid's dad's job is in jeopardy and her brother, Ty, is getting buff—really buff—but his moodiness is making Ingrid start to wonder . . . Meanwhile, Ingrid's beloved soccer coach is replaced by an icy newcomer who seems a little too savvy to be in it for the postgame pizza. True to her hero, Sherlock Holmes, Ingrid begins fishing around to find out who's really pulling the strings in Echo Falls. But one morning, while en route to the dreaded MathFest, Ingrid is kidnapped and locked in the trunk of a car. Even if she escapes, will anyone believe her story?
The Tortilla Curtain (1995) is a novel by U.S. author T.C. Boyle about middle-class values, illegal immigration, a fear and hatred of foreigners, poverty, and environmental destruction. Of the twelve novels Boyle has written so far, The Tortilla Curtain has turned out to be his most successful.
