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Everyday People The Color of Life a Short Story Anthology

Jennifer Baker

In her introduction to Everyday People, editor Jennifer Baker writes that she hopes this anthology will one day join "other seminal anthologies used for study and inspiration...on shelves not only for reference but for pleasure." I think this collection is a success in that regard. Collecting an outstanding array of writers of color, some you may know (Yiyun Li, Jason Reynolds) and some you may not know just yet (Dennis Norris II,... (read more)
Recommended by Gary L.

Hunger: A Memoir of My Body

Roxane Gay

Hunger is the heartbreaking story of one woman's body — a body that is too large, a body that is too brown, a body that is too female. It is the story of a body that is invisible while also being all too visible. It is the story of a body that takes up too much space and yet does not exist. Gay's story is difficult. It is complex. And it stayed with me for weeks after I finished reading it. I cannot recommend this one enough.
Recommended by Gary L.

641 to Paris

Jean Philippe Blondel, Alison Anderson

This is a favorite novel about a heartbreaking relationship. It's a lot like reading a Richard Linklater movie.
Recommended by Gary L.

All American Boys

Jason Reynolds, Brendan Kiely

This is a fantastic novel about the emotional complications we experience, but seldom talk about, when confronting police brutality and social injustice. It raises some difficult questions and then leaves the reader to figure out their own answers. Don't let the Young Adult label fool you; this book should be required reading for all age groups.
Recommended by Gary L.

The Whale: A Love Story

Mark Beauregard

With his debut novel, The Whale, Beauregard gives us a historical romance from a seldom-seen viewpoint. This is a novel about a tortuous, tempestuous love affair between two of American literature's greatest writers, a romance found buried deep within these authors' actual letters and journals. The Whale is beautifully written, well-researched, and one of the best novels I've read in quite some time. I can't recommend it enough.
Recommended by Gary L.