QUICK DELIVERY
Swift dispatch
Sankofa by Chibundu Onuzo
Anna is at a stage of her life when she's beginning to wonder who she really is. In her 40s, she has separated from her husband, her daughter is all grown up, and her mother—the only parent who raised her—is dead.
Searching through her mother's belongings one day, Anna finds clues about the African father she never knew. His student diaries chronicle his involvement in radical politics in 1970s London. Anna discovers that he eventually became the president—some would say dictator—of a small nation in West Africa. And he is still alive...
When Anna decides to track her father down, a journey begins that is disarmingly moving, funny, and fascinating. Like the metaphorical bird that gives the novel its name, Sankofa expresses the importance of reaching back to knowledge gained in the past and bringing it into the present to address universal questions of race and belonging, the overseas experience for the African diaspora, and the search for a family's hidden roots.
Examining freedom, prejudice, and personal and public inheritance, Sankofa is a story for anyone who has ever gone looking for a clear identity or home, and found something more complex in its place.
Transparent City by Ondjaki
In a crumbling apartment block in the Angolan city of Luanda, families work, laugh, scheme, and get by. In the middle of it all is the melancholic Odonato, nostalgic for the country of his youth and searching for his lost son. As his hope drains away and as the city outside his doors changes beyond all recognition, Odonato’s flesh becomes transparent and his body increasingly weightless. A captivating blend of magical realism, scathing political satire, tender comedy, and literary experimentation, Transparent City offers a gripping and joyful portrait of urban Africa quite unlike any before yet published in English, and places Ondjaki, indisputably, among the continent’s most accomplished writers.
The Cheat Sheet: It’s the game ...
Bree Camden is helplessly (and secretly) in love with her longtime best friend and NFL legend, Nathan Donelson. And that’s the least of her problems. After a car accident ended her chance of becoming a ballerina, Bree now runs her own dance studio if she can afford the rent to keep it open, that is.
When Nathan comes to the rescue and buys the entire building, a stubborn Bree is not happy about it. Rebelling with a couple okay, maybe more than a couple of tequila shots, she spills her deepest, darkest secret to a TMZ reporter. One viral video later, the world thinks Nathan and Bree are the perfect couple and Nathan’s publicist has an idea that could mean financial security for Bree.
The catch? They have to pretend to be in love. For three. whole. weeks. Is now the moment for Bree to finally act on her hidden feelings?
And is it possible that Nathan has been hiding some of his own?
SUFFERING WITHOUT BITTERNESS: Love Th...
In a society ruined by decades of hatred, divisions, and unthinkable crimes against humanity, there is an urgent need for a guiding star to steer our course back toward the promised land.
In his intriguing novel, Suffering Without Bitterness, the author, Tut Kuany Kok, laid a blueprint to help us redirect our efforts, reimagine our society, and re-engineer a cohesive nation where we can live without boundaries or confines.
The outstanding story of Athiei and Dhiel, two young people who hailed from once friendly communities but were turned rivals by the political decision-makers, melts hearts as it unfolds. Their struggle to mend the patches created over the decades of the divisive gospel of hatred met stiff opposition from their immediate relatives.
However, despite the difficulties encountered on the journey, they remained consistent with the cause they believed was worth dying for. The growing strong bond between the two in the face of unimaginable suffering, and their resilience to face it with love and compassion for all humanity, narrowed the valley separating the two communities and culminated in a momentous end.
Fireman Sam Story Collection
Sleeping Beauty
Lucky Girl by Irene Muchemi Ndiritu
Soila is a lucky girl by anyone’s estimation. Raised by her stern, conservative mother and a chorus of aunts, she has lived a protected life in Nairobi. Soila is headstrong and outspoken, and she chafes against her mother’s strict rules. After a harrowing assault by a trusted family friend, she flees to New York for college, vowing never to return home.
New York in the 1990s is not what Soila imagined it would be. Instead of finding a golden land of opportunity, Soila is shocked by the entitlement of her wealthy American classmates and the poverty she sees in the streets. She befriends a Black American girl at school and witnesses the insidious racism her friend endures, forcing Soila to begin to acknowledge the legacy of slavery and the blind spots afforded by her Kenyan upbringing. When she falls in love with a free-spirited artist, a man her mother would never approve of, she must decide whether to honor her Kenyan identity and what she owes to her family, or to follow her heart and forge a life of her own design.
Lucky Girl is a fierce and tender debut about the lives and loves we choose—what it meant to be an African immigrant in America at the turn of the millennium, and how a young woman finds a place for herself in the world.
Country of My Skull by Antjie Krog
Ever since Nelson Mandela dramatically walked out of prison in 1990 after twenty-seven years behind bars, South Africa has been undergoing a radical transformation. In one of the most miraculous events of the century, the oppressive system of apartheid was dismantled. Repressive laws mandating separation of the races were thrown out. The country, which had been carved into a crazy quilt that reserved the most prosperous areas for whites and the most desolate and backward for blacks, was reunited.
The dreaded and dangerous security force, which for years had systematically tortured, spied upon, and harassed people of color and their white supporters, was dismantled. But how could this country--one of spectacular beauty and promise--come to terms with its ugly past? How could its people, whom the oppressive white government had pitted against one another, live side by side as friends and neighbors?
To begin the healing process, Nelson Mandela created the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, headed by the renowned cleric Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Established in 1995, the commission faced the awesome task of hearing the testimony of the victims of apartheid as well as the oppressors.
Amnesty was granted to those who offered a full confession of any crimes associated with apartheid. Since the commission began its work, it has been the central player in a drama that has riveted the country.
In this book, Antjie Krog, a South African journalist and poet who has covered the work of the commission, recounts the drama, the horrors, the wrenching personal stories of the victims and their families. Through the testimonies of victims of abuse and violence, from the appearance of Winnie Mandela to former South African president P. W. Botha's extraordinary courthouse press conference, this award-winning poet leads us on an amazing journey.
Dune by Frank Herbert
Dune is a 1965 epic science fiction novel by American author Frank Herbert, originally published as two separate serials in Analog magazine.
It tied with Roger Zelazny's This Immortal for the Hugo Award in 1966 and it won the inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel.
It is the first installment of the Dune saga.
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
William Waters grew up in a house silenced by tragedy, where his parents could hardly bear to look at him, much less love him—so when he meets the spirited and ambitious Julia Padavano in his freshman year of college, it’s as if the world has lit up around him. With Julia comes her family, as she and her three sisters are inseparable: Sylvie, the family’s dreamer, is happiest with her nose in a book; Cecelia is a free-spirited artist; and Emeline patiently takes care of them all. With the Padavanos, William experiences a newfound contentment; every moment in their house is filled with loving chaos.
But then darkness from William’s past surfaces, jeopardizing not only Julia’s carefully orchestrated plans for their future, but the sisters’ unshakeable devotion to one another. The result is a catastrophic family rift that changes their lives for generations. Will the loyalty that once rooted them be strong enough to draw them back together when it matters most?
An exquisite homage to Louisa May Alcott’s timeless classic, Little Women, Hello Beautiful is a profoundly moving portrait of what is possible when we choose to love someone not in spite of who they are, but because of it.
The Book Of Echoes by Rosanna Amaka
Brixton, 1981. Sixteen-year-old Michael is already on the wrong side of the law. In his community, where job opportunities are
low and drug-running is high, this is nothing new.
When Michael falls for Ngozi, a vibrant young immigrant from the Nigerian village of Obowi, their startling connection runs far deeper than they realize.
Narrated by an African woman who lost her life on a slave ship two centuries earlier, this powerful story reveals how michael and ngozi's struggle for happiness began many lifetimes ago.
Through haunting, lyrical words, one unforgettable message resonates: love hope and unity will heal us all.
We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pri...
Jen and Riley have been best friends since kindergarten. As adults, they remain as close as sisters, though their lives have taken different directions. Jen married young, and after years of trying, is finally pregnant. Riley pursued her childhood dream of becoming a television journalist and is poised to become one of the first Black female anchors of the top news channel in their hometown of Philadelphia.
But the deep bond they share is severely tested when Jen’s husband, a city police officer, is involved in the shooting of an unarmed Black teenager. Six months pregnant, Jen is in freefall as her future, her husband’s freedom, and her friendship with Riley are thrown into uncertainty. Covering this career-making story, Riley wrestles with the implications of this tragic incident for her Black community, her ambitions, and her relationship with her lifelong friend.
We Are Not Like Them is both a powerful conversation starter and a celebration of the enduring power of friendship.
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by ...
The Year of Women--in which I'm devoting 2021 to reading female authors only--continues with my introduction to Deesha Philyaw and her debut short story collection The Secret Lives of Church Ladies. Published in 2020, this is a book that grows in richness with each entry. A lot of collections slot the best story first, sometimes using it as the title for the book. My favorite of Philyaw's nine stories were the last, then second to last, then third to last. Each involves a Black woman in America exploring her precarious relationship with the church. Her stories progress from okay to good to great.
In Eula, 40-year-old Caroletta rings in New Year’s Eve 1999 in a hotel two towns over with her childhood friend Eula, who definitely does not think of herself as gay and clings to the Christian ideal of saving herself for a good husband, a life goal Caroletta gave up on long ago, much to her lover’s surprise.
In Not-Daniel, a daughter visiting her ailing mother in hospice carries on an affair in the parking lot with a married man she meets visiting his terminally ill mother at the same facility. The affair sparked when she initially mistook him for a boy she attended junior high school with named Daniel McMurray.
In Dear Sister, a woman writes a letter to her half-sister to notify her that Wallace “Stet” Brown, the wayward father they share with three other sisters, has passed away.
SUFFERING WITHOUT BITTERNESS: LOVE TH...
In a society ruined by decades of hatred, divisions, and unthinkable crimes against humanity, there is an urgent need for a guiding star to steer our course back toward the promised land. In his intriguing novel, Where They Didn't Reach, the author, Tut Kuany Kok, laid a blueprint to help us redirect our efforts, reimagine our society, and re-engineer a cohesive nation where we can live without boundaries or confines.
The outstanding story of Athiei and Dhiel, two young people who hailed from once friendly communities but turned rivals by the political decision-makers, melts hearts as it unfolds. Their struggle to mend the patches created over the decades of the divisive gospel of hatred met stiff opposition from their immediate relatives.
However, despite the difficulties encountered on the journey, they remained consistent to the cause they believed was worth dying for. The growing strong bond between the two in the face of unimaginable suffering, and their resilience to face it with love and compassion for all humanity, narrowed the valley separating the two communities and culminated in a momentous end.
The Cousins by Karen M. McManus
Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story are cousins, but they barely know each other, and they've never even met their grandmother. Rich and reclusive, she disinherited their parents before they were born. So when they each receive a letter inviting them to work at her island resort for the summer, they're surprised... and curious.
Their parents are all clear on one point—not going is not an option. This could be the opportunity to get back into Grandmother's good graces. But when the cousins arrive on the island, it's immediately clear that she has different plans for them. And the longer they stay, the more they realize how mysterious—and dark—their family's past is.
The entire Story family has secrets. Whatever pulled them apart years ago isn't over—and this summer, the cousins will learn everything.
Communion: The Female Search for Love...
Intimate, revealing, provocative, Communion challenges every woman to courageously claim the search for love as the heroic journey we must all choose to be truly free.
In her trademark commanding and lucid language, hooks explores the ways ideas about women and love were changed by the feminist movement, by women's full participation in the workforce, and by the culture of self-help, and reveals how women of all ages can bring love into every aspect of their lives, for all the years of their lives.
Communion is the heart-to-heart talk every woman -- mother, daughter, friend, and lover -- needs to have.
Salvation: Black People and Love by b...
Written from both historical and cultural perspectives, Salvation takes an incisive look at the transformative power of love in the lives of African Americans.
Whether talking about the legacy of slavery, relationships and marriage in Black life, the prose and poetry of Martin Luther King, Jr., James Baldwin, and Maya Angelou, the liberation movements of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, or hip hop and gangsta rap culture, hooks lets us know what love’s got to do with it.
Combining the passionate politics of W.E.B. DuBois with fresh, contemporary insights, hooks brilliantly offers new visions that will heal our nation’s wounds from a culture of lovelessness. Her writings on love and its impact on race, class, family, history, and popular culture will help us heal and create beloved American communities.