In The Sacrifice of Darkness (Archaia), Roxane Gay, Tracy Lynne Oliver, and Rebecca Kirby adapt Gay’s New York Times bestselling short story, “We Are the Sacrifice of Darkness,” as a full-length graphic novel, expanding and further developing the unforgettable world where the sun no longer shines. “When I was a young girl, my husband’s father flew an air machine into the sun. Since then, the days have been dark, the nights bright.” Follow one woman’s powerful journey through this new landscape as she discovers love, family, and the true light in a world seemingly robbed of any. As she challenges notions of identity, guilt, and survival, she’ll find that no matter the darkness, there remains sources of hope that can pierce the veil. Please note:…
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Undaunted: My Fight Against America’s Enemies, at Home and Abroad (Celadon) is a powerful and revelatory memoir from former CIA Director John O. Brennan, spanning his more than 30 years in government. Friday, January 6, 2017: On that day, as always, John Brennan’s alarm clock was set to go off at 4:15 a.m. But nothing else about that day would be routine. That day marked his first and only security briefing with President-elect Donald Trump. And it was also the day Brennan said his final farewell to Owen Brennan, his father, the man who had taught him the lessons of goodness, integrity, and honor that had shaped the course of an unparalleled career serving his country from within the intelligence community. In his brutally honest…
Comments closedAuthor Jory John and illustrator Liz Climo join us for kids’ storytime to read from their new picture book, First Day Critter Jitters (Dial Books). It’s almost the first day of school, and the animals are nervous. Sloth worries about getting there on time, snake can’t seem to get his backpack fastened onto his body, and bunny is afraid she’ll want to hop around instead of sitting still. When they all arrive at their classroom, though, they’re in for a surprise: Somebody else is nervous too. It’s their teacher, the armadillo! He has rolled in as a ball, and it takes him a while to relax and unfurl. But by the next day, the animals have all figured out how to help one another through…
Comments closedA wildly entertaining account of the rules, lessons, procedures, and experiences of space travel, How to Astronaut (Workman) is a book that will appeal to anyone with even a passing interest in space. Written by Col. Terry Virts, a former NASA astronaut, space shuttle pilot, and International Space Station commander who spent 200 consecutive days in space, it answers all of our curious questions and much more: Here’s how to survive that first brush with weightlessness (in the so-called vomit comet); the nearly indescribable thrill of a first blastoff; managing the daily tasks — eating, bathing, doing chores, going to the bathroom — that are anything but ordinary when you’re orbiting the earth at 17,000 miles per hour; how to don your space suit and…
Comments closedIn his new book, A Place of Exodus: Home, Memory, and Texas (Kelson), acclaimed writer David Biespiel tells the story of the rise and fall of his Jewish boyhood in Texas, and his search for the answer to his life’s central riddle: Are we ever done leaving home? Raised in the 1970s in Meyerland, the historic Jewish neighborhood of Houston, Biespiel explores the story of triumph and shame that changed his relationship to the world around him. With cinematic fluidity, he writes of his early years as a teenager who yearns for bold self-invention as he grapples with the enigmas of illness, death, love, and the meaning of faith. Growing up in a family devoted to Jewish identity, Biespiel comes under the tutelage of the…
Comments closedSet during Mussolini’s 1935 invasion of Ethiopia, Maaza Mengiste’s The Shadow King (W. W. Norton), shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize, takes us back to the first real conflict of World War II, casting light on the women soldiers who were left out of the historical record. At its heart is orphaned maid Hirut, who finds herself tumbling into a new world of thefts and violations, of betrayals and overwhelming rage. In incandescent, lyrical prose, Mengiste breathes life into complicated characters on both sides of the battle line, shaping a heartrending, indelible exploration of what it means to be a woman at war. Mengiste will be joined in conversation by Hannah Giorgis, culture writer at The Atlantic. Register for the Zoom event / Buy the Book
Comments closedIn a world in which the word masculinity now often goes hand in hand with toxic, comedian, actor, and father Michael Ian Black offers up a way forward for boys, men, and anyone who loves them. Part memoir, part advice book, and written as a heartfelt letter to his college-bound son, A Better Man (Algonquin) reveals Black’s own complicated relationship with his father, explores the damage and rising violence caused by the expectations placed on boys to “man up,” and searches for the best way to help young men be part of the solution, not the problem. “If we cannot allow ourselves vulnerability,” he writes, “how are we supposed to experience wonder, fear, tenderness?” Honest, funny, and hopeful, Black skillfully navigates the complex gender issues…
Comments closedAuthor and illustrator Ben Hatke joins us for kids’ storytime to share his new picture book, Julia’s House Moves On (First Second). Julia and her house full of fantastic friends are back for another sweet adventure! Julia’s house is restless. Julia and her family of lost creatures are ready to move on. But where will they go? And how will they get there? Don’t worry — Julia has a plan for that! Julia always has a plan. But when Julia’s plans all fail… What’s left for her? Register for the Zoom event / Buy the Book
Comments closedDo children have a right to inherit a livable planet, and if so, is the government obliged to protect it? That’s the question posed by Juliana v. United States, one of the most critical lawsuits of our time. In her new book, As the World Burns (Timber Press), award-winning investigative journalist Lee van der Voo reports on Juliana v. the United States. Combining unparalleled access to the plaintiffs and reporting on the natural disasters that form an urgent backdrop to the story, Van der Voo shares a timely and important story about the environment, the law, and the new generation of activists. Twenty-one young people from across America sued the federal government over climate change, charging that U.S. actions to promote a fossil fuel economy…
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