Staff Picks Books, Gary L - Powell's Books

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For anyone who knows me, it should come as no surprise that this is my top choice — I've read Mrs Dalloway every summer (or thereabouts) for over 20 years. And this new annotated edition is like reading it again for the first time. Editor Merve Emre's meticulously researched notes, her critical analysis of Woolf's writing, and all of the photos and illustrations throughout are bound to add something new and fascinating to your reading of... (read more)
Recommended by Gary L.

Notes From a Black Woman's Diary: Selected Works of Kathleen Collins

Kathleen Collins

Kathleen Collins's posthumous 2016 short story collection, Whatever Happened to Interracial Love?, was one of the best books I read that year, if not this decade... or this century. And I thought that would be all we'd ever get of her absolutely unique voice. Needless to say, I was elated to learn that Collins's daughter had compiled this new collection of letters, diary entries, short stories, a novel excerpt, plays and film scripts,... (read more)
Recommended by Gary L.

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.

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