Ginseng, the Divine Root: The Curious History of the Plant That Captivated the World
by David A. Taylor (Algonquin)

In many ways, it's an all too familiar story: finite natural resource plundered because of its economic value. But the tale of ginseng is, like the gnarled root itself, far more complex, mysterious, and alluring than that. Prized for its reputed health benefits, which still confound Western researchers, ginseng has been nearly dug out of existence in the wild and stands at the brink of survival in both Asia and North America. Author David A. Taylor gamely penetrates the secretive industry that surrounds it, interviewing in 'literary journalism' style players ranging from back-holler diggers in Kentucky to high-stakes importers in the booming trade hub of Puning, China. Along the way, he detours into ginseng's storied past and its likely future as a largely cultivated plant. While the bad news is quite apparent -- even ginseng poachers know the party is ending -- the good news is that cultivation may ease pressure on wild stock, and that ginseng is wily. Its sheer elusiveness and erratic growing patterns -- it can lie dormant for years -- may ultimately give it the long life that its users seek. -- Keith Goetzman

Beasts in Snow: Poetry of the American West

by Jane Elkington Wohl (High Plains)
A prayer is an ideal transformed into simple words that mysteriously convey the meaning of the whole. Jane Elkington Wohl begins this collection with a series of Psalms paired with poems, then contrasts their abstract meanings with the daily realities of the American West. Between the lines of spare, perfect verse that encompass elements such as growing schoolchildren and the changing seasons, she creates a symmetrical balance between the ephemeral and the eternal. Her compassionate voice emerges from deep within bodily human experience, ultimately weaving an intimate and complex relationship between the worldly and the sacred. -- Sarah Wash

My Father's Keeper: The Story of a Gay Son and His Aging Parents
by Jonathan G. Silin (Beacon)
Telling the story of his parents' passage into 'the country of the frail elderly' and his own transition into the role of primary caregiver, Jonathan G. Silin writes with analytical precision, delivering, without undue sentimentality, a look at the private struggles and quiet delights of caring for aging parents. Which is not to say that Silin seems distant; rather, he's extremely honest. Drawing on his experiences as an early_childhood educator and a gay man, Silin eschews a chronological story for a series of illuminating investigations into the themes of aging: independence, guilt, control, acceptance, forgiveness. Through it all, he has a refreshing knack for handling contradiction and complexity without seeking resolution. 'I am the adult responsible for his care and the child who continues to want his approval,' he reports plainly. -- J.H.