Featured Title
How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair
In beautiful, evocative prose, this memoir reflects on the author’s experience as one of four children raised in a strict patriarchal Rastafarian household in Jamaica. The guidelines of their sect and the repressive control of her father were intent on keeping the corrupting influences of the West (Babylon) at bay. Education and books, particularly poetry, would ultimately offer a pathway out, helping her find her voice and break free. This is an insightful story of self-discovery and triumph over oppression that carefully considers the complexities and motivations that lie underneath. Those who enjoyed memoirs such as
Educated or
Born a Crime should check this out.
What's New This Month
The big books of fall have landed on library shelves! For those eager to read something to celebrate spooky season,
Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig and
The Dead Take The A Train by Cassandra Khaw and Richard Kadrey, would be perfect choices. True crime fans may wish to check out
Kill Show by Daniel Sweren-Becker, a fictionalized story that explores America’s obsession with the genre.
Nonfiction readers have memoirs galore to check out, including
Thicker Than Water by Kerry Washington. There is also a corrective examination of 200 million years of evolution centering the female body in
Eve by Cat Bohannon, which balances scientific rigor with entertaining prose.
What's Hot This Month
If you enjoyed
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, check these books out!
What We Are Reading
A Most Tolerant Little Town by Rachel Louise Martin
"This is the sort of story that many want to forget ever happened—and the reasons for that are more complicated than you might think. It’s the story of Clinton High in Tennessee, one of the very first schools to be integrated in 1956, a year before Little Rock. It did not go well. There were riots, physical violence, property damage, outside agitators, bombings and more. The national media camped out there for a while, journalists were threatened and physically attacked. The National Guard brought tanks… Despite all of this, the story of the Clinton 12 does not have the same prominence as Little Rock. Martin came on the story when she was recording for an oral history project and found few would elaborate on the bare bones of what actually happened. Here she reports on the year-long conflict and the aftermath, speculating on why the incident is not prominent in the national consciousness. It’s a truly compelling and horrific story that will leave you wondering how many more of these stories you don’t know about."
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