Books Sandwiched In

One of FFRPL’s most popular programs, Books Sandwiched In (BSI) has been running continuously since 1956.

Books Sandwiched In reviews are held on Tuesdays in the Spring and Fall, 12:12pm-12:52pm, in Central Library’s Kate Gleason Auditorium (115 South Avenue).

Watch livestream reviews on the RPL YouTube Channel: ‘Rochester Public Library NY’ (scroll down for archived reviews, listed by season)

FFRPL’s Fall 2025 BSI series runs September 9 – October 28.

View/download the Fall brochure

September 9

Homestand: Small Town Baseball and the Fight for the Soul of America by Will Bardenwerper

Batavia, New York hosted its first professional baseball game in 1897. Despite decades of deindustrialization and evaporating middle-class jobs, the Batavia Muckdogs endured. When Major League Baseball shut them down in 2020, the town fought back, reviving the Muckdogs as a summer league team comprised of college players. Homestand captures the essence of small town life and the values of modern America. (62)

Reviewer: Dan Mason, General Manager of the Rochester Red Wings. The 2025 baseball season marked Dan’s 36th season with the Rochester Red Wings and his 30th as the club’s General Manager.

September 16

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Box Office Poison: Hollywood’s Story in a Century of Flops by Tim Robey

Robey offers an entertaining alternative history of Hollywood through a century of its most notable flops. “Fusing Hollywood history, industry analysis and passionate, deeply informed film criticism, Robey draws sharp distinctions between maligned masterpieces and outright catastrophes, yet embraces them all with the same generosity of spirit and knowledge.”— Justin Chang, film critic, The New Yorker. (56)

Reviewer: Scott Pukos, Director of Communications for the Little Theatre. A former award-winning newspaper reporter, and television news producer, Scott currently works at The Little where he talks about indie films, popcorn, and hosts Movies and a Microphone: The Little’s podcast.

September 23

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Warhol’s Muses: the Artists, Misfits, and Superstars Destroyed by the Factory Fame Machine by Laurence LeamerLeamer explores the lives of ten complex, unconventional women Warhol dubbed his “Superstars,” who inspired and starred in his legendary underground films. Set in Manhattan during the turbulent, transformative 1960’s, the historical biography examines Warhol’s obsession with celebrity and uncovers intimate details about the life and work of one of the most legendary artists of all time. (57)

Reviewer: Don Hyatt is a Librarian Assistant in the Central Arts division and has a background in art and photography. He works with all ages teaching photography and does freelance photography. His work can be seen at Donaldjhyatt.com

September 30

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Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson

Imagining the year 2050, Klein and Thompson write “The world has changed. Not just the virtual world … The physical world, too: its houses, its energy, its infrastructure, its medicines, its hard tech. How different this era is from the opening decades of the twenty-first century, which unspooled a string of braided crises … For years, we constrained our ability to solve the most important problems. Why?” (67)

Reviewer: As Foodlink’s Chief Impact Officer, Mitch Gruber has the opportunity to lead many innovative, nationally-renowned programs like the Curbside Market and Career Fellowship. Mitch also serves as a City Councilmember and holds a PhD in American history from the University of Rochester.

October 7

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Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor

In this unique book-within-a-book, Zelu – a disabled Nigerian American woman – writes a wildly successful Sci-Fi novel set in Chicago, Lagos, and space, where androids and AI wage war in the aftermath of human civilization. Unlike anything you’ve read before,

Death of the Author is a surprisingly cutting, heartfelt drama about art, love, identity, connection, and humanity. (56)

Reviewer: Edward Ashton is the author of seven novels, including MICKEY7 (the basis for Bong Joon-ho’s “Mickey 17”) and AFTER THE FALL, forthcoming from St. Martin’s Press (February 2026).

October 14

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Everyone Who is Gone is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis by Jonathan Blitzer

Fleeing persecution, crime, or hunger, hundreds of thousands of people arrive every year at the US-Mexico border: a high percentage come from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Using forensic and unprecedented reporting, Blitzer braids personal stories of Central Americans attempting to navigate U.S. immigration policies with those trying to regulate them and those advocating for changing them. (57)

Reviewers: Paige Hauser (pictured) and Rachel Saper, Attorneys at The Legal Aid Society of Rochester.

October 21

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Bibliophobia: A Memoir by Sarah Chihaya

Utilizing titles such as Anne of Green Gables, Possession, A Tale for the Time Being, and The Last Samurai as her own personal manuals, Chihaya explores her childhood, racial and cultural identity, experiences with “harmful practices of survival” and depression, as well as the myriad ways books can influence readers who become obsessed with them. (55)

Reviewer: Tyler Barton is a writer, teacher, literary advocate, and author of Eternal Night at the Nature Museum (Sarabande Books) and The Quiet Part Loud (Split/Lip Press).

October 28

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Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane

Focusing on three landscapes in Ecuador; south-east India; and Canada, Macfarlane explores the ancient idea that rivers should be recognized as living beings in imagination and law. “This book is a journey into an idea that changes the world – the idea that a river is alive. What does such a recognition mean for perception, law and politics?” (57)

Reviewer: Semi-retired journalist Steven Orr was a reporter at the Democrat and Chronicle, specializing in the environment and conservation. He is a board member of Genesee RiverWatch, a non-profit that works to improve water quality and public access to the Genesee River.