Staff Picks

Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom

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Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom (Hardcover)

By David W. Blight
$37.50
ISBN: 9781416590316
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Simon & Schuster - October 16th, 2018

 

A moving portrait of an extraordinary man, one who could have found his place in the pages of Plutarch. Amidst his “nation of inconsistencies, completely made up of inconsistencies,” Douglass' story endures through the work of a historian writing at the height of his powers.

James

The Hole

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The Hole (Paperback)

By Jose Revueltas, Amanda Hopkinson (Translator), Sophie Hughes (Translator)
$12.95
ISBN: 9780811227780
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: New Directions Publishing Corporation - October 30th, 2018

 

The Hole is a cross between Blood Meridian, Train Dreams, and Jean Genet’s works set in prisons. Yes, Revueltas fits all of that into into this little explosive seed. Reading it is about a four hour experience; one hour to read it and three hours to stare at a wall recovering from it.

Josh

Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments

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Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments: Intimate Histories of Social Upheaval (Hardcover)

By Saidiya Hartman
$28.95
ISBN: 9780393285673
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: W. W. Norton & Company - February 19th, 2019

 

A stunning, intimate examination of lives led by black women during the early 20th century who dared to strive for more than white society allowed them to be. Between the stark history, beauty of the prose, and determination of the subjects, this book left me speechless.

Stacey

The Raven Tower

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The Raven Tower (Hardcover)

By Ann Leckie
$26.00
ISBN: 9780316388696
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Orbit - February 26th, 2019

 

The easiest way to describe this book is as a good and compelling Hamlet retelling (starring a trans character!), but it's so much more than that. It's a murder mystery, a revenge story, and a musing about the power of language and intention, with a wonderfully built mythology and a fascinatingly weird narrator.

 

Ari

Blood Water Paint

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Blood Water Paint (Paperback)

By Joy McCullough
$10.99
ISBN: 9780735232136
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Penguin Books - March 5th, 2019

 

You may not have heard of Renaissance painter Artemisia Gentileschi, the first woman to be accepted into the Florence fine arts academy. But Joy McCullough brings her story to vivid life, from her days as a talented (but largely brushed aside) young artist\ to her assault by her mentor and her fight to get him convicted in court--a story that unfortunately still feels familiar today. This gorgeous, devastating, and ultimately uplifting novel-in-verse is the perfect pick for National Poetry Month.

Kate

Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit

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Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit (Paperback)

By Jaye Robin Brown
$9.99
ISBN: 9780062271006
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: HarperTeen - May 8th, 2018

 

When Jo's dad, a popular radio preacher, moves them from Atlanta to the small town of Rome, Georgia, he asks Jo to do the impossible: go back in the closet and lie low for her senior year. But when she meets the perfect girl, how can she keep her secret and go after love? The perfect sweet, sexy, teen romance for fans of Love, Simon.

April

Internment

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Internment (Hardcover)

By Samira Ahmed
$17.99
ISBN: 9780316522694
Availability: Available at Warehouse
Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - March 19th, 2019

 

In a near-future United States that's all too easy to imagine, Layla and her parents are forced into an internment camp for Muslim-American citizens. Terrifying but ultimately hopeful, this story is about the power of every voice and every witness.

Rebecca

Dealing in Dreams

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Dealing in Dreams (Hardcover)

By Lilliam Rivera
$18.99
ISBN: 9781481472142
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers - March 5th, 2019

 

Girl gangs keep order in the remnants of Mega City, and Nalah and her Mal Criadas want to be on top. But when Déesse sends Las Mal Criadas on a mission outside the city, Nalah starts to question the stories she's always believed about her hardscrabble world.

Sarah

Cilla Lee-Jenkins the Epic Story

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Cilla Lee-Jenkins: The Epic Story (Hardcover)

By Susan Tan, Dana Wulfekotte (Illustrator)
$16.99
ISBN: 9781250183637
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Roaring Brook Press - March 26th, 2019

 

Funny and sweet, with endearing, complex characters, this book will steal your heart. A great read aloud for younger elementary readers or a solid novel for 3rd-5th graders looking for something good enough to read under desks, on top of the monkey bars, or with a flashlight.

Marika

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