Nonfiction offers personal, painful tales

Memoirs and biographies make up about half of our nonfiction roundup this season. Some feel too much ink already has been used to recount the story of Laci and Scott Peterson, but it's hard to resent a book by Laci's grieving mother, Sharon Rocha. "Rent" star Anthony Rapp's memoir, "Without You," involves grief as well, as he watches cancer claim his beloved mother. On the lighter side, Diablo Cody writes about her days as a Minneapolis stripper, and Suzanne Hansen spills the beans about life as a Hollywood nanny.

Other nonfiction this season runs the gamut. Chocolatier Milton S. Hershey's life and times are unwrapped in the amazingly thorough "Hershey." America's agony in the days of the 1930s Dust Bowl is remembered in "The Worst Hard Time." Nancy Klein Maguire takes readers inside the private walls of a monastery. Medical student Shannon Moffett examines "the Three-Pound Enigma" that is the human brain, and Portland lawyer Bill Merritt tells a rollicking crime tale that's more absurd than agonizing.   —Gael Fashingbauer Cooper

Seasons of love
Three levels of readers will all take different things away from Anthony Rapp's "Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical 'Rent' " (Simon & Schuster, $25). Rentheads, the devoted fans who know every note of every song, will adore the book, of course. They'll get the most out of Rapp's intimate knowledge of the musical's history, and will be fascinated by the information on early songs that were dropped and casting changes.

Readers who know the musical but aren't quite as devoted will still find plenty to hold them. "Rent" has a well-known history: Creator Jonathan Larson died on the final night of dress rehearsal. Rapp's insider tale of how Larson's loss sent shockwaves through the show, and his touching recollection of a special performance given for Larson's family and friends just after his death is chill-inducing.

Those who don't know "Rent" at all probably won't be picking up this book at all, but they'd find something in it too. As Rapp is rising to fame starring in a musical about love and loss, he's facing the biggest loss of his own life as his beloved mother, Mary, is dying of cancer. Anyone who's dealt with disease and loss will see themselves in Rapp's desperate attempts to beat back time. At points the book can get too diary-like, especially when Rapp recounts the details of his dating life. But when the story returns to his relationship with his mom, the emotion makes the book both hard to continue reading and impossible to put down. "No day like today," indeed.    —G.F.C.

A daughter remembered
In 2002, Sharon Rocha was an ordinary California mom looking forward to her daughter's first baby when son-in-law Scott Peterson called her to report that Laci was "missing." Since then, she has never awoken from the horrible nightmare she chronicles in "For Laci: A Mother's Story of Love, Loss and Justice" (Crown, $26).

Say what you will about the attention the media overpoured onto the Peterson case, the chilling facts of the murder are just as horrifying today. Laci Peterson was seven months pregnant, she was killed by her own husband, on or around Christmas Eve, and Scott Peterson went on to lie, lie, lie about everything from his fidelity to his hair color — publicly and shockingly.

Those who followed the case may not learn anything new from "For Laci," but it indeed serves two purposes. It may offer some comfort to others who are grieving, as Rocha reiterates how she found solace in the support of others and small signs — such as ladybug and dragonfly sightings — that she believes Laci sent her. And if anyone out there is still hoisting the "Scott Was Framed" flag, they need to read about how he treated his mother-in-law — ducking her calls, changing his story, refusing to let her claim some of her daughter's belongings.

There are already plenty of books on the Peterson case (Catherine Crier's is exceptional), but Rocha was forced by cruel necessity to have a very intimate take on things. Her book is better-written than readers have a right to expect from a victim's family member, and she does her daughter proud by providing the voice Laci Peterson was denied.    —G.F.C.

MORE FROM SUMMER BOOKS 2006

Redefining the summer beach book

Redefining the summer beach book New cookbooks for summer savoring Nonfiction tales of lawn love, competitive chow   Add Summer books 2006 headlines to your news reader: