Newman, Thomas 1955-

White oleander ( Visual )
8 editions published between 2003 and 2010 in English and German and held by 1,155 libraries worldwide
Ingrid, a smart, free-spirited, and somewhat narcissistic artist kills her deceitful lover in a crime of passion. Even while serving a prison sentence, she exerts control over her adoring teenage daughter, Astrid, who's forced to spend her teenage years in a series of foster homes before becoming her own person. Explores the strange relationship of Ingrid and Astrid, and includes Astrid's relationship with her foster mothers. At first merely an appendage of her mother, Astrid develops as a result of her peripatetic adolescence.

In the bedroom ( Visual )
2 editions published between 2001 and 2002 in English and held by 1,155 libraries worldwide
The Fowlers are a normal family in Maine. Matt is the town doctor and loves to fish, his wife, Ruth, is the school's choir leader, and their son, Frank, is home from his first year of college. Frank is in love with Natalie, a young mother who isn't quite divorced yet from her ex-husband, Richard Strout, whose family runs the local cannery. It makes Richard's blood run cold to see his wife running around with another man. And soon, an unthinkable tragedy happens that will tear the Fowlers apart.

Jarhead ( Visual )
3 editions published in 2006 in English and held by 1,127 libraries worldwide
Follows "Swoff," a third-generation Marine enlistee, from a sobering stint in boot camp to active duty, sporting a sniper's rifle and a hundred-pound ruck on his back through the Middle East deserts. There is no cover from intolerable heat or from the Iraqi soldiers, who are always potentially just over the next horizon. Swoff and his fellow Marines sustain themselves with sardonic humanity and wicked comedy on blazing desert fields in a country they don't understand, against an enemy they can't see, for a cause they don't fully understand. Sergeant Sykes, a Marine lifer, heads up the scout/sniper platoon, while Troy, Swoff's friend and mentor, is a die-hard member of STA - the elite Marine Unit.

The good German ( Visual )
2 editions published in 2007 in English and held by 1,026 libraries worldwide
Takes place in the ruins of post-WWII Berlin, where U.S. Army war correspondent Jake Geismar becomes involved with Lena Brandt, a former lover whose missing husband is the object of a manhunt led by both the American and Russian armies. Intrigue mounts as Jake tries to uncover the secrets Lena may be hiding in her desperation to get herself and her husband out of Berlin. Tully is an American soldier working in the U.S. army motor pool who is assigned to drive Jake around Berlin. Tully has black market connections that may be Lena's way out. But he could lead them all into even darker territory.

The horse whisperer ( Visual )
2 editions published between 1998 and 1999 in English and held by 954 libraries worldwide
Fourteen-year-old Grace MacLean and her friend Judith go horseback riding in upstate New York on a winter morning, but their horses lose their footing on ice and slide onto a road, where Judith and her horse are killed by a jackknifing truck. Grace has her right leg amputated, and the frightening incident leaves a lasting trauma not only on Grace but also on her horse, Pilgrim. Grace's mother, seeking Grace's recovery, feels there's a link between her crippled, embittered daughter and Pilgrim's behavior. Learning about a horse trainer with a special gift, she takes Grace and Pilgrim to Montana where horse whisperer Tom Booker lives on a ranch with his family.

The Shawshank redemption ( Visual )
10 editions published between 1997 and 2008 in 3 languages and held by 826 libraries worldwide
"Red" Redding is a lifer who knows the ropes at Maine's Shawshank State Prison. New inmate Andy Dufresne is a quiet banker, unjustly convicted of murder. Andy's indomitable will earns Red's friendship and his resourcefulness brings hope and change to the entire prison. Andy is full of surprises--and he saves his best surprise for last.

How to make an American quilt ( Visual )
3 editions published between 1996 and 2003 in English and held by 639 libraries worldwide
A young woman visits her grandmother one summer to think over a marriage proposal, and the women in a quilting bee confide to her the stories of the loves that have shaped their lives.

Jarhead by Sam Mendes ( Visual )
7 editions published between 2006 and 2010 in English and French and held by 535 libraries worldwide
Follows "Swoff," a third-generation Marine enlistee, from a sobering stint in boot camp to active duty, sporting a sniper's rifle and a hundred-pound ruck on his back through the Middle East deserts. There is no cover from intolerable heat or from the Iraqi soldiers, who are always potentially just over the next horizon. Swoff and his fellow Marines sustain themselves with sardonic humanity and wicked comedy on blazing desert fields in a country they don't understand, against an enemy they can't see, for a cause they don't fully understand. Sergeant Sykes, a Marine lifer, heads up the scout/sniper platoon, while Troy, Swoff's friend and mentor, is a die-hard member of STA - the elite Marine Unit.

Pay it forward ( Visual )
9 editions published between 2001 and 2009 in English and German and held by 498 libraries worldwide
When a young man starts "paying it forward" for a social studies project, unusual things happen in this bittersweet and uplifting tale.

WALL-E by Thomas Newman ( Recording )
3 editions published in 2008 in English and Undetermined and held by 390 libraries worldwide
Features music from Pixar's 2008 film about a robot and his quest.