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Boston Noir 2: The Classics (Akashic Noir #0)
by Dennis Lehane, Mary Cotton, Jaime ClarkeDennis Lehane returns to coedit, with Cotton & Clarke, the sequel to the best-selling evergreen anthology Boston Noir, culling classic stories from the city’s dark literary legacy.“The contributor list is delightfully quirky . . . The collection’s unifying element is a deep understanding of Boston’s Byzantine worlds of race and class—as seen terrifyingly in Andre Dubus’s tale of mill town resentment and pampered preppies.” —Boston GlobeFeaturing stories by: Linda Barnes, Jason Brown, Andre Dubus, Chuck Hogan, George Harrar, George V. Higgins, Dennis Lehane, Joyce Carol Oates, Robert B. Parker, David Ryan, Kenneth Abel, Barbara Neely, Hannah Tinti, and David Foster Wallace.From the introduction by Jaime Clarke, Mary Cotton, & Dennis Lehane:“What is noir and what is not inhabits a gray area. Its definition is continually expanding from the previous generation’s agreed-upon notion that noir involves men in fedoras smoking cigarettes on street corners. Noir alludes to crime, sure, but it also evokes bleak elements, danger, tragedy, sleaze, all of which is best represented by its root French definition: black. We used this idea as our guide for this sequel to the best-selling Boston Noir anthology . . ."The commonwealth is an endless source of fascinating landscapes: the autumnal light spreading across the Charles River; the ice floes in the wintry Boston Harbor; a spring air tantalizing leaves in Harvard Yard; the salty taste of summer as sunbathers peer into the horizon, shielding their eyes from the glare, squinting into the middle distance. Beyond the postcard fabric, though, lies a community populated by broken families, criminal minds, voyeurs, and outsiders. They look like you and me. These are their stories.”
Black Lotus: A Novella
by K'wanFinding the Black Lotus murderer is Detective Wolf’s chance to avoid an Internal Affairs investigation. That’s when things get personal.—Selected for the Library Services for Youth in Custody 2015 In The Margins List“[A] heart-thumping thriller . . . K’wan does a masterful job of keeping readers on their toes right up to the very last page.” —Publishers Weekly “Fans expecting another thug-in-the-street story will be pleasantly surprised at this rough police procedural.” —Library JournalPart of the Infamous Books imprint, curated by Albert “Prodigy” Johnson. Detective James Wolf earned the nickname Lone Wolf from his inability to work with a partner. He’s a hard cop who doesn’t mind bending the rules to the point of breaking them to make a case, which is why Internal Affairs is digging in his backyard, looking for buried bones. People are starting to wonder: Which side of the law is the Lone Wolf really hunting for? His career hanging on by a thread, he needs a major show of good faith to keep employed and out of prison. That’s when he gets the call. From the moment he arrives at the crime scene, Detective Wolf knows that he’s in over his head. He’s a narcotics detective, called in to consult on a homicide, but this is no ordinary homicide—a priest was butchered and left for dead inside his own church, with the promise of more bodies to follow. The only lead is the killer’s calling card: a black lotus flower left at the crime scene. Detective Wolf now has the opportunity to quietly track and stop the Black Lotus before the next victim is claimed, in exchange for wiping his service record clean. Accepting this case started as Detective Wolf’s attempt to get Internal Affairs off his back. But when his hunt for the Black Lotus leads him to a cold case from his past, it becomes personal. Infamous Books, curated by Albert “Prodigy” Johnson of the legendary hip-hop group Mobb Deep, is a revolutionary partnership that pairs the Infamous Records brand with Brooklyn-based independent publisher Akashic Books. Infamous Books’ mission is to connect readers worldwide to crime fiction and street lit authors both familiar and new.
Out of Mesopotamia: A Novel
by Salar AbdohInformed by firsthand experience on the battlefronts of Iraq and Syria, Abdoh captures the horror, confusion, and absurdity of combat from a seldom-glimpsed perspective that expands our understanding of the war novel. "Abdoh's powerful novel follows an Iranian war reporter who is torn between his wearying job on the front lines and a civilian existence that he finds increasingly alienating. The book is as much a reflection on memory and art as it is a war story, and Abdoh's writing captures beautifully the absurdity of both the battlefield and modern life." —New York Times Book Review, Editors' Choice Saleh, the narrator of Out of Mesopotamia, is a middle-aged Iranian journalist who moonlights as a writer for one of Iran's most popular TV shows but cannot keep himself away from the front lines in neighboring Iraq and Syria. There, the fight against the Islamic State is a proxy war, an existential battle, a declaration of faith, and, for some, a passing weekend affair. After weeks spent dodging RPGs, witnessing acts of savagery and stupidity, Saleh returns to civilian life in Tehran but finds it to be an unbearably dislocating experience. Pursued by his official handler from state security, opportunistic colleagues, and the woman who broke his heart, Saleh has reason to again flee from everyday life. Surrounded by men whose willingness to achieve martyrdom both fascinates and appalls him, Saleh struggles to make sense of himself and the turmoil in his midst. An unprecedented glimpse into "endless war" from a Middle Eastern perspective, Out of Mesopotamia follows in the tradition of the Western canon of martial writers—from Hemingway and Orwell to Tim O'Brien and Philip Caputo—but then subverts and expands upon the genre before completely blowing it apart. Drawing from his firsthand experience of being embedded with Shia militias on the ground in Iraq and Syria, Abdoh gives agency to the voiceless while offering a meditation on war that is moving, humane, darkly funny, and resonantly true
Little John Crow
by Ziggy Marley Orly MarleyAfter being abandoned by his animal friends, Little John Crow must come to terms with what it means to be part of a community when you are a vulture.“Little John Crow is full of energy and color." —People MagazineLittle John Crow is a young vulture growing up in Bull Bay on the edge of the Blue Mountains in Jamaica, where he lives with his loving parents Sharil and Rusil Crow. He spends his days playing with his friends, a motley group that includes a snake, George; Missy, the French pigeon; Chiqueen, a chicken hawk; Hummy, the hummingbird; and the Three Little Birds.One morning while the group of friends is relaxing by a cool river, they start chatting about life, their parents’ jobs, and what they want to be when they grow up. As the conversation continues, Little John Crow realizes he has no idea what his parents do for work.Little John Crow and his friends set out to solve this mystery, but what they discover shocks them—Little John Crow and his vulture parents are scary scavengers! Most of his friends are disgusted when they learn this, and before Little John Crow can even adjust to this news, a terrible tragedy strikes. Feeling lonely and isolated from his friends, the young vulture flees Bull Bay.After traveling for days, a tired and hungry Little John Crow is fortunate to be found by a group of vultures. With their support and encouragement, the young vulture learns to embrace his future, and after months away, he returns to Bull Bay just in the nick of time to save his home from ruin.Filled with humor and memorable characters, Little John Crow reminds us of the importance of accepting our differences and remembering that life offers a place and purpose for all of us.
Coming Up Hot: Eight New Poets from the Caribbean
by Danielle Boodoo-Fortuné Danielle Jennings Ruel Johnson Monica MinottEight talented Caribbean poets are featured in this second publication from Peekash Press.Featuring a preface by Kwame Dawes.Featuring poems from: Danielle Boodoo-Fortuné, Danielle Jennings, Ruel Johnson, Monica Minott, Debra Providence, Shivanee Ramlochan, Colin Robinson, and Sassy Ross. With a preface by Kwame Dawes. With a generous sample from each poet, this anthology is an opportunity to discover some of the best, new, previously unpublished voices from the Caribbean. This is a generation that has absorbed Derek Walcott, Kamau Brathwaite, Martin Carter, and Lorna Goodison, while finding its own distinctive voice. Peekash Press is a collaboration between Akashic and UK-based publisher Peepal Tree Press, with a focus on publishing writers from and still living in the Caribbean. The debut title from Peekash, Pepperpot: Best New Stories from the Caribbean, was published in 2014.
The Warmest December: A Novel
by Bernice L. McFaddenThe long-awaited reissue of McFadden’s best-selling second novel praised by Toni Morrison, USA Today, Washington Post, and others—published simultaneously with McFadden’s new novel Gathering of Waters.“McFadden’s reissued second novel takes an unflinching look at the corrosive nature of alcoholism . . . This is not a story of easy redemption . . . McFadden writes candidly about the treacherous hold of addiction.” —Publishers Weekly “Riveting . . . so nicely avoids the sentimentality that swirls around the subject matter. I am as impressed by its structural strength as by the searing and expertly imagined scenes.” —Toni Morrison, author of BelovedFor Kenzie, growing up in the Lowe household means opening the bottom drawer of her father’s dresser to choose which belt she’ll be whipped with that night, furtive trips to the Bee Hive liquor store for her father’s vodka, and dreaming of the day she can escape apartment 5A. Buoyed by the lyrical, redemptive voice that characterizes McFadden’s writing, The Warmest December tells the powerful, deeply moving story of one Brooklyn family and the alcoholism and abuse that marked the years of their lives. Narrated by Kenzie Lowe, a young woman reminiscent of Jamaica Kincaid’s Annie John, the story moves fluidly between the past and the present as she visits her dying father and finds that choices she once thought beyond her control are very much hers to make. The Warmest December is ultimately a cathartic tale of hope, healing, and forgiveness.
How the Left Lost Teen Spirit: (and How They're Getting It Back!)
by Danny GoldbergIncludes Goldberg’s groundbreaking book Dispatches from the Culture Wars, plus a new author introduction and additional chapters.“Danny Goldberg’s memoir contains the powerful reflections of the most progressive activist in the recording industry. His candor, vision and sense of humor is infectious.” —Cornel West“If Lester Bangs and Maureen Dowd had a love child, he’d have written this book.” —Arianna HufflingtonWhen did American government become the enemy of American pop culture?Music insider and progressive activist Danny Goldberg has spent decades tuning in to the rhythms and voices that speak straight to the hearts and desires of America’s youth. In that time, one fact has become increasingly clear: Our venerable political leaders are too often tone deaf. In this startling, provocative book, Goldberg shows how today’s professional public servants have managed to achieve nothing less than the indefensible, wholesale alienation of an entire generation.
The Fourth Wave: Business in the 21st Century
by Susan E. Mehrtens Herman MaynardApplying the concept of historical waves originally propounded by Alvin Toffler in The Third Wave, Herman Maynard and Susan Mehrtens look toward the next century and foresee a "fourth wave," an era of integration and responsibility far beyond Toffler's revolutionary description of third-wave postindustrial society. Whether we attain this stage of global well-being, however, will depend on how well our business institutions adapt and change. The Fourth Wave examines the ways business has changed in the second and third waves and must continue to change in the fourth. The changes concern the basics-how an institution is organized, how it defines wealth, how it relates to surrounding communities, how it responds to environmental needs, and how it takes part in the political process. Maynard and Mehrtens foresee a radically different future in which business principles, concern for the environment, personal integrity, and spiritual values are integrated. The authors also demonstrate the need for a new kind of leadership-managers and CEOs who embrace an attitude of global stewardship; who define their assets as ideas, information, creativity, and vision; and who strive for seamless boundaries between work and private lives for all employees.
Leading with Character and Competence: Moving Beyond Title, Position, and Authority
by Timothy R. ClarkLeading with Character and CompetenceMoving beyond Title, Position, and Authority "Leadership is an applied discipline, not a foamy concept to muse about," says three-time CEO, Oxford-trained scholar, and consultant Timothy R. Clark. "In fact, it's the most important applied discipline in the world." The success of any organization can be traced directly to leadership. And leadership can be learned. But too many books and development programs focus exclusively on skills. In reality, performance and ultimate credibility are based on a combination of character and competence. As Clark puts it, character is the core and competence the crust. He shows how greatness emerges from a powerful combination of the two, although in the end character is more important. A leader with character but no competence will be ineffective, while a leader with competence but no character is dangerous.Clark spotlights the four most important components of character and competence and offers a series of eloquent, inspiring, and actionable reflections on what's needed to build each one. Fundamentally, he sees leadership as influence—leaders influence people "to climb, stretch, and become." You need character to influence positively and competence to influence effectively. This is a book for anyone, no matter where he or she is on the organization chart. Because today employees at all levels are being asked to step up, not only can everyone be a leader, everyone has to be. Clark's insights are profound, and his passion is infectious. "Leadership" he writes, "is the most engaging, inspiring, and deeply satisfying activity known to humankind. Through leadership we have the opportunity to progress, overcome adversity, change lives, and bless the race."
Source Selection Step by Step: A Working Guide for Every Member of the Acquisition Team
by Charles D. Solloway Jr.The path to successful source selection begins with Source Selection Step by Step: A Working Guide for Every Member of the Acquisition Team. Whether you are new to the acquisition team or an experienced practitioner looking to sharpen your skills, this comprehensive, highly readable handbook will guide you through the entire acquisition process, from designing an effective source selection plan, to preparing the solicitation, evaluating proposals, establishing a competitive range, and documenting the source selection decision. With clarity and frankness, Charles Solloway presents government source selection in a step-by-step guide that offers readers quick access to needed information. In addition to guidance about the process, the book includes: • Techniques to streamline the process and reduce time and expense• Ways to avoid common pitfalls• Alternatives to common procedures that yield better results• Methods to involve contractors more effectively• Definitions of the key terms associated with government source selection. Make this book your first stop for quick and easy guidance on all aspects of government source selection.
Make Their Day!: Employee Recognition That Works: Proven Ways to Boost Morale, Productivity, and Profits
by Cindy VentriceIn this thoroughly updated and expanded edition of the bestselling guide (over 20,000 of the 1st edition sold) to employee recognition, author Cindy Ventrice explores how managers need to adapt their recognition strategies to deal with global, virtual, and generational realities. Additions include chapters on workplace culture, fairness, and remote communication.
The Power of Collective Wisdom: And the Trap of Collective Folly
by Alan Briskin Sheryl EricksonAn inspired and practical approach to developing the innate power of groups to make wise, compassionate, and creative decisions • Based on nine years of research involving scores of participants • Includes real-life examples and specific practices to help readers understand and cultivate collective wisdom and avoid collective folly If we are to disentangle the extraordinary challenges that we face today in organizations, communities, and nations we must transcend our divisions and develop solutions together. But what enables us to collectively make wise choices and sound judgments instead of splintering apart? When human beings gather together, a depth of awareness and insight, a transcendent knowing, becomes available. Based on nine years of research The Power of Collective Wisdom shows how we can tap into the extraordinary cocreative potential that exists in every group. Collective wisdom is elusive and unpredictable – it can’t be willed into being, but the authors describe six commitments people can adopt that will increase the likelihood of its appearing. Stories and historical examples throughout serve to illuminate and illustrate how collective wisdom has emerged in a range of settings and through the lives and traditions of varied cultures. Equally important, the authors describe how to recognize the pitfalls of polarization or false agreement, either of which can lead to collective folly – a phenomenon with which recent history has made us all too familiar. And they offer a set of practices to help readers maintain the key lessons of the book. The Power of Collective Wisdom is a foundational book for an emerging field of study and practice relevant to everyone seeking more effective and satisfying ways of working with others.
How You Learn Is How You Live: Using Nine Ways of Learning to Transform Your Life
by David A. Kolb Kay PetersonWhat's Your Learning Style?Being a lifelong learner is one of the secrets to happiness, success, and personal fulfillment. But what's the best way to become one? Kay Peterson and David Kolb have the answer. They offer deep, research-based insights into the ideal process of learning and guide you in identifying your dominant style. You'll discover how knowing your learning style can help you with all kinds of everyday challenges, from remembering someone's name to adding a crucial professional skill to your repertoire. This book is a guide to awakening the power of learning that lies within each of us.
Work Breakdown Structures for Projects, Programs, and Enterprises
by Gregory T. Haugan PhD, PMPBecome an Expert on the Work Breakdown Structure!The basic concept and use of the work breakdown structure (WBS) are fundamental in project management. In Work Breakdown Structures for Projects, Programs, and Enterprises, author Gregory T. Haugan, originator of the widely accepted 100 percent rule, offers an expanded understanding of the WBS concept, illustrating its principles and applications for planning programs as well as its use as an organizing framework at the enterprise level. Through specific examples, this book will help you understand how the WBS aids in the planning and management of all functional areas of project management.With this valuable resource you will be able to:• Tailor WBSs to your organization's unique requirements using provided checklists and principles• Develop and use several types of WBS• Use WBS software to gain a competitive edge• Apply the 100 percent rule when developing a WBS for a project or program• Establish a WBS for a major construction project using included templates• Understand portfolio management and establish an enterprise-standard WBS
Lead Without Blame: Building Resilient Learning Teams
by Diana Larsen Tricia BroderickA detailed framework for leaders to move past outdated workplace blame and shame strategies to cultivate resilient teams capable of facing adversity and setbacks confidently.Workplace finger-pointing stifles creativity, reduces productivity, and limits psychological safety. Although no one sets out to be judgmental, learning new habits is hard. Two experienced leadership and agilists coaches share a road-tested leadership model that continuously embraces humility and failure as part of the growth process to deliver results.By facilitating blame-free retrospective meetings, leaders chart a productive path forward. They amplify three essential motivators of purpose, autonomy, and co-intelligence within their team. Layered on with four resilience factors: inclusive collaboration, transparent power dynamics, collaborative learning, and embracing conflict. After applying these strategies, learning leaders will help their teams and themselves become more resilient and better equipped to handle any unexpected and challenging tasks that comes their way.
Project Measurement
by Steve NeuendorfLearn how to create a measurement-oriented program for your unique organization. With new insights on measurement as a communications tool, this book offers step-by-step guidance on how to use specific quantitative actions-and-results assessments to ensure the success of key initiatives. You'll master the new skills needed to incorporate stakeholder requirements into the structure and operation of the measurement program. You'll also learn how to implement a measurement program and develop understanding of the measurement life cycle, including how to keep your tactics and processes evolving to stay in step with your organization and new challenges.
The Inside Guide to the Federal IT Market
by David Perera Steve CharlesUnlock the Door to the Federal IT MarketplaceHere's your key to selling IT goods and services to the government. David Perera and Steve Charles present the ins and outs of successfully competing for—and winning—a share of the tens of billions of dollars the federal government spends each year on IT. Getting a piece of that business is not easy—it takes accurate knowledge of systems and procedures, as well as sharp insight into the structure and details of government procurement.The Inside Guide to the Federal IT Market penetrates the haze of jargon and apparent complexity to reveal the inner workings of the IT contracting process. Whether you're just setting out or seek a bigger share, this comprehensive book provides valuable information you can put to immediate use. The Inside Guide to the Federal IT Market covers:• Technology standards• Basic contracting concepts• Advanced contracting concepts, such as getting on and staying on the GSA schedules• The effect of the federal budget process on the sales cycle• What you need to know about ethics to earn business fairly, without avoidable delays and hassleThis book's focus on the IT market makes it a unique reference on federal procurement for private companies. Government procurement personnel will also find the depth and breadth of coverage useful in reviewing and evaluating IT offerings.
Scone Cold Dead (A Country Store Mystery)
by Maddie DayAfter a body is found in a local farmer&’s field, country store and café owner Robbie Jordan suspects that a newcomer in South Lick, Indiana, may not be a stranger to everyone in town . . . Robbie is just weeks away from giving birth. While her husband Abe scrambles to get the house ready for their baby&’s arrival, Robbie makes last minute arrangements to keep her shop and restaurant, Pans &’N Pancakes, up and running when she&’s on maternity leave. And it seems Robbie and Abe aren&’t the only ones grappling with anxiety—a stranger is causing a stir in town and Robbie&’s Aunt Adele appears unusually preoccupied at the baby shower . . . But when someone finds a body in the ram field on Adele&’s sheep farm, it&’s Robbie&’s turn to be worried. Especially after Chief Buck Bird uncovers a troubling link between Adele and the possible murder victim. Robbie has no choice but to knit the clues together and solve this mystery before anything else gets flocked up . . . Includes Recipes for You to Try!
Calder Country (The Calder Brand #4)
by Janet DaileyFor fans of Yellowstone, the Roaring 20s in America's Wild West come to vivid life in this inspiring saga of love, hope and endurance.1920s, Blue Moon, Montana. The small cattle town is alight with the excitement of cars, telephones, and airplanes. But as new inventions and new roles for women collide with Prohibition and the rising battle between gangsters and the FBI, Blue Moon finds itself—and some of its most infamous residents and powerful families—in battles of their own, between hearts and minds . . . Heir to the Hollister Ranch on his mother&’s side, Mason Dollarhide is back home after a five-year prison sentence for smuggling bootleg liquor. Cynical and daring, he&’s already up to his old tricks, having his goods trafficked to him by plane. . . . Until the pilot is injured in a crash and captured by federal agents. Ruby Weaver learned to fly from her smuggler father. To keep him from a harsh prison sentence, she agrees to take over his route and go undercover to help the Feds break up a bootlegging ring. Mason is only one part of that operation, but he&’s part that makes an impression. Soon Ruby is fighting an attraction that could jeopardize them both, while harboring a secret that could destroy any hope of a future together . . . Mason has never met a woman like Ruby. Not only is she brave and beautiful, but she understands his ways—and may even inspire him to change them. The first step will be trusting her enough to open his heart. Meanwhile, other star-crossed romances blaze, as old family rivalries between the Dollarhides and the Calders continue. But when tables unexpectedly turn, some dreams may go up in smoke . . . The epic tale of the settling of the American West comes to vivid life in this inspiring saga of love, hope, and endurance.
Southern Comfort (Playaway Adult Fiction Ser.)
by Fern MichaelsA DEA agent in Florida encounters a seductive suspect in this romantic and emotional thriller from the#1 New York Times bestselling author… Atlanta homicide detective Patrick "Tick" Kelly turned his back on the world the day his wife and children were murdered. Holed up in a beach shack on Mango Key, Florida, he drowned his grief in Jack Daniels. Now sober and a bestselling author, Tick would gladly stay a recluse forever if his brother Pete didn't keep trying to drag him back to the land of the living. After years of sacrificing her personal life in favor of her DEA job, special agent Kate Rush resigned and moved back to her native Miami. But the unofficial assignment that has just come her way is too intriguing to pass up. She and a fellow ex-agent are relocated to Mango Key to keep an eye on an imposing, mysterious fortress believed to be at the center of a human trafficking ring. At first, the Kelly brothers are suspected of involvement, but Kate is sure Tick poses no danger--except for the slow-burning gaze that makes her breath catch and her heart race. . .
Severed Heart (Ravenhood Legacy)
by Kate StewartGo deeper with the Ravenhood Legacy in this second installment of the sizzling, darkly seductive, internationally bestselling series spin-off. Here, at last and in his own words, is Tyler&’s story… NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED. Once upon a time there lived an ambitious boy determined to become a man before his time. And there lived a woman, one who believed herself past the point of redemption. Her scars mild in comparison to the secrets she holds. Intent on his quest, Tyler enlists the only person who can help him—his best friend&’s volatile aunt, Delphine. A woman twelve years his senior, and one he can&’t seem to stop fantasizing about. Delphine&’s only goal is to shape him into the Raven soldier he needs to be. But the forbidden connection between them grows. It&’s the forging of their bond that will irrevocably change them both. And for Tyler, it&’s the loss of that love that will birth the warrior within. But then, nothing has ever been fair in love and war . . .
Paper Cuts: An Enchanting Cozy Mystery (A Secret, Book, and Scone Society Novel #6)
by Ellery AdamsMiracle Springs, North Carolina, is famed for its healing springs. But bookstore owner Nora Pennington has a tendency to land in a different kind of hot water. Though she loves to practice bibliotherapy by finding the perfect books for her customers while listening to their secrets, she also likes to bury her nose in the occasional local crime . . . Nora escaped her past a decade ago. So it feels like a visit from another world when Kelly Walsh—the woman her ex-husband left her for—walks through the door of Miracle Books along with her son. Kelly hasn&’t come to gloat, though. As it turns out, she&’s been dumped too. She&’s also terribly ill, and all she wants from Nora is forgiveness. Shockingly, however, this woman who&’s been the victim of so much misfortune is about to become a murder victim. Who would do such a thing? Certainly not Nora, but that doesn&’t stop the gossip and suspicion—especially after Kelly&’s brother claims that he saw the two women arguing. In seeking justice for Kelly, The Secret, Book, and Scone Society joins forces with the sheriff&’s department, but they&’ve barely begun their probe when life throws another wrench. After serving a twenty-year sentence, Estella&’s father returns to Miracle Springs. And when his past comes back to haunt him, it might be more than the four friends can handle.
Praise Song for the Butterflies: A Novel
by Bernice L. McFaddenA young woman must learn to love and trust again after experiencing the brutality of ritual servitude in West Africa.—Longlisted for the 2019 Women’s Prize for Fiction —A Black Caucus of the American Library Association 2019 Honor title, Fiction“McFadden, writer of great, imaginative novels for years now (including Sugar and Gathering of Waters), is back with one of her best yet. Exploring ritual sacrifice in contemporary West Africa, Praise Song offers a fascinating, painful glimpse into a world beyond America’s shores, filled with tragedy and love and hope.” —Entertainment Weekly, One of 20 New Books to Read in August “The novel has a timeless quality; McFadden is a master of taking you to another time and place. In doing so, she raises questions surrounding the nature of memory, what we allow to thrive, and what we determine to execute . . . McFadden brings the sweeping drama of her earlier works — The Book of Harlan, Glorious, Gathering of Waters — into this small book, and reminds me of the gentle fierceness of Edwidge Danticat’s writing.” —Los Angeles Review of BooksAbeo Kata lives a comfortable, happy life in West Africa as the privileged nine-year-old daughter of a government employee and stay-at-home mother. But when the Katas’ idyllic lifestyle takes a turn for the worse, Abeo’s father, following his mother’s advice, places the girl in a religious shrine, hoping that the sacrifice of his daughter will serve as atonement for the crimes of his ancestors. Unspeakable acts befall Abeo for the fifteen years she is held in the shrine. When she is finally rescued, broken and battered, she must struggle to overcome her past, endure the revelation of family secrets, and learn to trust and love again. In the tradition of Chris Cleave’s Little Bee, this novel is a contemporary story that offers an eye-opening account of the practice of ritual servitude in West Africa. Spanning decades and two continents, Praise Song for the Butterflies will break you heart and then heal it.
Sing in the Morning, Cry at Night: A Novel
by Barbara J. TaylorA page-turning debut novel set in Scranton, Pennsylvania, during the height of coal mining, vaudeville, and evangelism.—Nominated for a 2014 Lime Award for Excellence in Fiction“An earnest, well-done historical novel that skillfully blends fact and fiction.” —Publishers Weekly “Solomon enticingly described the novel Sing in the Morning, Cry at Night by Barbara J. Taylor (Akashic), set in a coal-mining town in 1913, as ‘one of those sit on the couch and don’t bother me’ reads.” —Shelf Awareness, NCIBA Spring Rep PicksAlmost everyone in town blames eight-year-old Violet Morgan for the death of her nine-year-old sister, Daisy. Sing in the Morning, Cry at Night opens on September 4, 1913, two months after the Fourth of July tragedy. Owen, the girls’ father, “turns to drink” and abandons his family. Their mother Grace falls victim to the seductive powers of Grief, an imagined figure who has seduced her off-and-on since childhood. Violet forms an unlikely friendship with Stanley Adamski, a motherless outcast who works in the mines as a breaker boy. During an unexpected blizzard, Grace goes into premature labor at home and is forced to rely on Violet, while Owen is “off being saved” at a Billy Sunday Revival. Inspired by a haunting family story, Sing in the Morning, Cry at Night blends real life incidents with fiction to show how grace can be found in the midst of tragedy.
Now Lila Knows: A Novel
by Elizabeth NunezThere is nothing like racial injustice in America to teach an outsider the differences between perception and reality.“Powerful in message . . . An engaging, warm-hearted, page-turner of a novel.” —New West Indian GuideFor Lila Bonnard, the opportunity to take a position as a visiting professor in the US has come at precisely the right time. Still nursing the wounds of one failed relationship and facing uncertainty over her current boyfriend’s marriage proposal, spending a year at a small liberal arts college in a picturesque Vermont town offers her sanity a well-deserved rest.Within moments of her arrival, Lila is forced to face anti-immigrant mentalities and becomes a witness to the fatal police shooting of an unarmed Black man—a fellow professor at Mayfield who was giving CPR to a white woman.The three Black faculty members in the otherwise all-white, tight-lipped college expect Lila to testify in the case—but at what cost? Mistrust of outsiders, racial tensions, even outright condemnation of others who “don’t know their place” . . . all of it comes crashing down around her as she confronts the dangers of speaking out against the police.Now Lila Knows is a gripping story that explores our obligation to act when confronted with hatred and prejudice. A page-turner with universal resonance, this novel will leave readers rethinking the meaning of love, empathy, and even humanity.