|
Book Award Winners June 2020
|
|
“I believe there is power in words, power in asserting our existence, our experience, our lives, through words.” ― Jesmyn Ward
Greetings readers. It is safe to say that 2020 has been a challenging year for most of us. Right now our society wrestles with the deep injustice and horror of another needless murder. Many of us desperately want change but struggle to know how to make a difference.
While there is no easy solution, as author Jesmyn Ward reminds, there is power in words. One way we can work toward healing is to better understand what is broken. The award winners presented this month highlight issues of race and social justice. Some are heart-breaking, some are full of humor, and all are powerful reminders of why we need to change as a society in order to exist as a nation of liberty and justice for all. We hope you find these reads meaningful.
|
|
The Revisioners by Margaret Wilkerson SextonThis multi-generational tale explores the impact of racism and privilege on future generations. Told from the perspective of Josephine, a slave who freed herself and went on to own a thriving farm, and her descendant Ava who is struggling a century later to make ends meet, The Revisioners is a powerful story of family and the history that both ties families together and breaks them apart.
2020 Image Award Winner for Fiction
|
|
How Long 'til Black Future Month?by N. K JemisinWritten by the acclaimed author of the Inheritance trilogy, this diverse collection of 22 short stories blends social commentary with speculative fiction and fantasy. From a haunted New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina to the gritty streets of New York, Jemisin offers readers a look into other worlds while addressing topics relevant to our own. 2019 Alex Award Winner
|
|
|
|
Notes from a Young Black Chef : a memoir by Kwame OnwuachiA South Bronx native and past Top Chef contestant, Onwuachi shares his culinary journey from helping his mother with her grassroots catering company as a kid, to spending his pre-teen years with family in Nigeria, and to eventually owning a restaurant receiving rave reviews. Telling of a journey not without growing pains and hurdles, Onwuachi shares a diverse perspective on the struggle of trying to make it in the culinary world.2020 James Beard Award Nominee
|
|
Heavy : an American memoirby Kiese LaymonEssayist and novelist Kiese Laymon has written a deeply vulnerable book about a complicated childhood full of secrets, a mother's incredibly high expectations, and his life-long struggle to be truly free.
2019 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Non-Fiction
|
|
|
The Hate U Giveby Angie ThomasThe Hate U Give follows the heart-breaking experience of 16-year-old Starr Carter after she watches her best friend Khalil killed by police during a traffic stop. Khalil's death makes national headlines and, even though he was unarmed, some media sources begin to imply otherwise and to engage in victim-blaming. Despite the heavy subject matter, The Hate U Give is not without hope and presents a very timely picture of what it means to personally experience and fight against injustice. 2018 Coretta Scott King Book Award Winner
|
|
|
|
The Fire this Time : a new generation speaks about race by Jesmyn WardA modern continuation of James Baldwin's 1963 classic The Fire Next Time, Ward has collected essays and poetry that examine racial issues in the context of past, present, and future.
2016 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Non-Fiction
|
|
|
Born a Crime : stories from a South African childhood by Trevor NoahPoignant and often hilarious, Trevor Noah's autobiography shares his experiences growing up in post-Apartheid South Africa. Born of an illegal interracial relationship, Noah's young life was complicated by prejudice, violence, and poverty. However, despite these challenges, this is a story of love and personal growth. Noah's reading of the audiobook is especially recommended.
2017 Thurber House Prize for Humor
|
|
|
Forsyth County Public Library 660 W 5th Street Winston Salem, North Carolina 27101 336-703-3030www.forsythlibrary.org |
|
|
|