Shelf life

By Jan Gardner  |  January 20, 2008

In her new book, Brandeis history professor Jane Kamensky revisits a Boston business scandal from a century ago for a tale that resonates today. "The Exchange Artist: A Tale of High-Flying Speculation and America's First Banking Collapse" (Viking) tells the story of the Exchange Coffee House, once a landmark of downtown Boston.

The artist of the title is Andrew Dexter, who in 1809 built the seven-story Coffee House, then the tallest building in the United States. To finance it, Dexter engaged in real estate and currency speculation, with banks from Boston to Detroit issuing millions of dollars in paper money. His scheme collapsed as the building - a combination stock exchange, hotel, and coffee house (housing more liquor than coffee) - was set to open, and he fled to Canada.

The scandal shook the nation just as Americans were overcoming their distrust of paper money and banks. Despite Dexter's dishonesty, Kamensky sees him as a more complex and truly American character: a fallen dreamer.

Another professor, Jennifer Finney Boylan, who teaches at Colby College, looks back at her own history in "I'm Looking Through You: Growing Up Haunted" (Broadway). Five years ago, Boylan told the story of her sex change in "She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders." In her new book, she returns to her childhood growing up in a haunted house in Devon, Pa., and meditates on what it means to be "haunted."

The Boston-based Foundation for Children's Books sponsors talks and forums to introduce parents and educators to the best of children's literature. "What's New in Children's Books?" is a half-day conference in April. The following month "New England Voices" will feature authors and illustrators.

Also coming up are appearances by Jarrett Krosoczka, author and illustrator of "Punk Farm" (Knopf), and Barbara McClintock, illustrator of "Adèle and Simon" (Farrar, Straus & Giroux). ThisTuesday, the foundation will host a talk by Randy Testa of Walden Media about movie adaptations of children's books. He'll show a clip from "Prince Caspian," based on the book of the same name from C. S. Lewis's Narnia series and scheduled for release in May. Fees vary. Visit thefcb.org for details.

Orson Scott Card, recently honored by the American Library Association for his teen novels, is the featured guest this weekend at Vericon, the annual science-fiction convention at Harvard. Also appearing are Lois Lowry, M. T. Anderson, and other young-adult novelists. Admission will be free on Friday for children under 14 accompanied by an adult. Card and other writers will visit the Harvard Book Store at 2 p.m. Saturday for a signing. Visit Vericon.org and Harvard.com for details.

"Kyra," by Carol Gilligan (Random House)

"Your Inner Fish: A Journey Into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body," by Neil Shubin (Pantheon)

"The Next American Century: How the U.S. Can Thrive as Other Powers Rise," by Nina Hachigian and Mona Sutphen (Simon & Schuster)

Pick of the week

Michael Lowenthal, author of "Charity Girl," recommends "Someday This Pain Will be Useful to You" by Peter Cameron (Farrar, Straus & Giroux): "The book both fits within and smashes any number of literary molds: coming-of-age novel, New York novel, 9/11 novel. From the first sentence, you'll be snagged by its precocious, funny-sad narrator and his you'd-pay-to-hear-him-read-the-phone-book voice."

Jan Gardner can be reached at JanLGardner@yahoo.com.