Here’s a look at some of the exciting debuts novels hitting our shelves in March. Place your holds now! For a more complete list, please visit our catalog.
“Conjure Women” by Afia Atakora
Conjure Women is a sweeping story that brings the world of the South before and after the Civil War vividly to life. Spanning eras and generations, it tells of the lives of three unforgettable women: Miss May Belle, a wise healing woman; her precocious and observant daughter Rue, who is reluctant to follow in her mother’s footsteps as a midwife; and their master’s daughter Varina. The secrets and bonds among these women and their community come to a head at the beginning of a war and at the birth of an accursed child, who sets the townspeople alight with fear and a spreading superstition that threatens their newly won, tenuous freedom. Continue reading “Debut Author Spotlight: March 2020”
This year marks 100 years since the passage of the 19th Amendment, which opened up the right to vote to women throughout the country. Women spent many years working for suffrage, enduring the taunts and occasional threats from those who did not believe they should step foot in the voting booth. As we celebrate this anniversary, here are a few books that explore the people who made universal suffrage possible and the challenges they faced in bringing the vote to all people. Continue reading “Literary Links: Marking 100 Years of Votes for Women”
Study up on the directors featured at this year’s True/False Film Festival. The following past documentaries are available for check out as DVDs or online streaming though Kanopy. Continue reading “Previous Docs From True/False 2020 Directors”
Read on below to learn more about a few popular titles coming out in March! For a more extensive list of new nonfiction books coming out this month check out our catalog. Continue reading “Nonfiction Roundup: March 2020”
I like to think of Maya Angelou as a Missourian, although she spent only a small part of her life in the state. She was born in St. Louis in 1928 with the name Marguerite Anne Johnson. Upon the break-up of her parents’ marriage when she was three years old, she and her older brother Bailey were sent to live with their paternal grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. Continue reading “Classics for Everyone: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”
Our lives are so carefully structured and scheduled that it can be difficult to imagine them being completely upended by nature. This is a reality for many. Here are some stories (both fiction and nonfiction) from the survivors, the helpers and the researchers of natural disasters.
“Haiti After the Earthquake” Three days after the massive 2010 earthquake, Dr. Paul Farmer rushed to Port-au-Prince to help. Having lived in Haiti for nearly thirty years, Farmer offers his perspective on the socioeconomic and political factors that made the earthquake even more devastating. Other doctors, volunteers, and survivors offer their perspective on the disaster and recovery efforts. Continue reading “Read Harder 2020: Books About Natural Disasters”
My 10-year-old daughter was struck down with the flu two weeks ago. This is the second year in a row that she has gotten the virus even after receiving a flu shot. Indeed, throughout the months of January and February nearly all her friends and acquaintances were struck down with either influenza A or B. All them had gotten the trivalent vaccination. At the same time as the bizarre infections among her cohorts in Mid-Missouri, the coronavirus was spreading rapidly through China and causing terror throughout the world. Humankind seemingly cannot escape flu-like illnesses and viruses, no matter hard we try. Continue reading “The Flu and Other Friendly Neighborhood Viruses”
“Brave, Not Perfect” is about empowering women to just be brave enough to try. It talks about how women are raised to believe in order to try something, they must be perfect at it. This isn’t the case! The author gives many motivating and heartfelt examples of how she or others have tried and failed or tried and succeeded, but the most important thing was that they tried. I think it is absolutely true that we are not taught that failure is okay. We are taught to be perfect and anything short is detrimental; the judgement from other women for not being perfect (or even their version of perfect) is astronomical. I can very much relate to what she is saying. In a society where everyone wants to prove everyone wrong, I feel stupid when people correct me, and it shouldn’t be like that. I think it is important what she is doing: telling women it is okay to apply for jobs you don’t 100% qualify for, or to learn about coding, or to fail. The important thing is to be brave, not perfect.
Three words that describe this book: Empowering, Motivating, Women
You might want to pick this book up if: You need a boost to help you jump-start that thing you’ve been too nervous to try.
-Veronica
While a few Black documentary film directors like Ava DuVernay (“13th”) and Spike Lee (“When The Levees Broke”) have achieved celebrity status, many more are flying under the mainstream radar. Given a lack of representation, people have called out #OscarsSoWhite every year since 2015. Acknowledging that audiences want to see diversity both on screen and behind the camera, 2018 became a boom for Black filmmakers and film festivals like Sundance and our local True/False are more intentionally playing and recognizing work by Black directors. In celebration of Black History Month, check out these documentaries by Black directors: Continue reading “Behind the Camera: Docs by Black Directors”
