ORANGE COUNTY through the eyes of the creator of “Ask A Mexican!”; well-researched, irreverent, poignant, and real. B PLUS

ORANGE COUNTY: A PERSONAL HISTORY by Gustavo Arellano
New York: Simon and Schuster
September 2008

AN EVANGELICAL GIRLHOOD in 1970s Missouri, remembered with a refreshing touch of sardonic, yet always loving, wit. B PLUS

DATING JESUS: A STORY OF FUNDAMENTALISM, FEMINISM, AND THE AMERICAN GIRL by Susan Campbell
Boston: Beacon Press
January 2009

CHATTY, breezy look at the business and culture of defying the aging process engages, but avoids the big questions. B PLUS

DRINKING PROBLEMS AT THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH by Beth Teitell
New York: William Morrow
October 2008

SWEET MEMOIR of growing up Japanese in rural Indiana has charm, poignancy, but may seem slight to some readers. B PLUS

BENTO BOX IN THE HEARTLAND: MY JAPANESE GIRLHOOD IN WHITEBREAD AMERICA by Linda Furiya
Berkeley, CA: Seal Press
January 2009

LITERATE CHICKFIC with a few new twists: artist heroine, composer hero, grad-school setting. Still, familiar turf. B PLUS

EVERYONE IS BEAUTIFUL by Katherine Center
New York: Ballantine Books
February 2009