'Black Box' explores effects of depression

Julie Schumacher's new novel, "Black Box," (Delacorte, 176 pages, $15.99), is a gripping, heart-wrenching read. The things that happen in this book -- to Dora, to her sister Lena and, consequently, to the whole family -- are like little bombs going off every few pages. Dora is a teenager who gets caught in the grip of severe clinical depression. Lena is her even-keeled little sister, who takes on the weight of Dora's illness and the stability of the family -- and starts to buckle under her burden.

It's being marketed as a young adult book, but "Black Box" is as tightly written and compelling as any novel for adults. Yes, you learn about the devastating effects of depression, but no, you never feel talked down to or lectured. It's a novel, not a treatise.

Schumacher's publication party, reading and book signing will be at 7 p.m Friday at the Loft Literary Center, 1011 Washington Av. S., Mpls.

Also...

• After a meal at one of their favorite restaurants -- a Perkins in Minneapolis (their other favorite was the Golden Valley Perkins) -- Mitch Pearlstein and Gov. Al Quie decided to do a book. Pearlstein, who runs the Center of the American Experiment, is a former Quie speechwriter. Quie is about to turn 85, but, as he tells Pearlstein, he still has all his marbles. The result is "Al Quie: Riding Into the Sunrise; A Life of Faith, Service and Civility," published this month by the Pogo Press, with forewords by Charles Colson and Roger Moe. There's a book signing at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Humphrey Institute, 301 19th Av. S., Mpls. The event is free, but please register by calling 612-625-5002.

• Benjamin Arda Doty, an MFA candidate at the University of Minnesota, is on the short list for Ireland's 2008 Sean Ó Faolain Short Story Prize. The winner will receive 1,500 euros, second place 500 euros, and the eight runners-up will each receive 100 euros. Each writer will also be published in the December issue of Southword, an Irish literary magazine. The winner will be announced Saturday at the Frank O'Connor Short Story Festival in County Cork.

• St. Paul writer Christa Ann Banister has published her second novel, "Blessed Are the Meddlers," with NavPress.

• Singer Dionne Warwick will sign copies of her picture book, "Say a Little Prayer," at 6 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Mall of America.