September 2020 Staff PicksLike this list

16 items

• A Burning

  Majumdar, Megha,

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  Majumdar's searing, timely debut tells the story of Jivan, a Muslim shop-girl who lives with her parents in Kolabagan, a slum of Kolkata, India. When Jivan witnesses a train being set on fire at the railway station near her home, and then…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Caste

  the Origins of Our Discontents

  Wilkerson, Isabel,

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  Isabel Wilkerson's latest (after the One Book One Chicago selection The Warmth of Other Suns) blends research, hard-won insight, and the kind of first-hand anecdotal evidence that makes big ideas relatable into a work of rare acuity. Her…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Color of Air

  a Novel

  Tsukiyama, Gail,

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  It's November, 21st 1935, an important evening for the tight-knit community of Hilo, Hawaii, as locals gather at the Okawa Fish Market to welcome home Daniel Abe from Chicago. It is also the evening that the fire goddess Pele roars to life…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Death in Her Hands

  Moshfegh, Ottessa,

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  Moshfegh excels at evoking discomfort in readers with her unsettling narratives featuring alienated female protagonists, and she stays true to form with Death in Her Hands. The book opens with Vesta Gul, a widow living in a cabin in a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Last Flight

  a Novel

  Clark, Julie, 1971-

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  Desperate to escape her abusive and powerful husband, Claire makes a fateful snap decision to swap identities and plane tickets with a complete stranger, Eva. When Eva's plane crashes into the ocean, Claire is left alone with the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Memorial Drive

  a Daughter's Memoir

  Trethewey, Natasha D., 1966-

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  In this compact memoir, Trethewey (a two-term United States Poet Laureate) revisits the harrowing circumstances of her mother's murder. Threthewey was raised in Mississippi, the daughter of civil rights-era activists, and her mother's…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Nori

  Hara, Rumi, 1982-

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  Soon to turn four-year old Noriko (Nori for short) is so very curious about the world and how things work. In this debut comic story collection, author and award-winning illustrator Rumi Hara takes readers on six beautifully-drawn…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• One to Watch

  a Novel

  Stayman-London, Kate,

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  Bea is a plus-size fashion blogger who's given up on love after a major heartbreak. When she's asked to star on a Bachelor-like TV show, she reluctantly agrees, in part to show the world that women of all sizes deserve love, and also to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Saving Ruby King

  West, Catherine Adel,

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  West's debut novel does a wonderful job educating its readers about Chicago. She writes about the history of Chicago you'll find in textbooks but also dares to share the kind of oral history that's often passed down through generations.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Sea Wife

  Gaige, Amity, 1972-,

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  Juliet and Michael's marriage isn't perfect. They don't just disagree, but diverge sharply on worldview, politics, and child-rearing philosophy. Both are dissatisfied with their middle-class suburban existence, and each is in a rut of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Sharks in the Time of Saviors

  Washburn, Kawai Strong, 1980-

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  Washburn's immersive, lyrical debut is steeped in Hawaiian mythology, folklore, and geography. The story opens in 1994, focusing on Malia, the matriarch of a working-class Filipino-Hawaiian family. Perspective shifts between Malia and her…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Star Is Bored

  Lane, Byron, 1978-

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  Kathi Kannon is known worldwide as sci-fi franchise heroine Priestess Talara, as daughter of a showbiz legend and sometimes a writer of high regard. She hobnobs with celebrities and lives a lavish lifestyle that would amaze any young…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• This Is All I Got

  a New Mother's Search for Home

  Sandler, Lauren,

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  In this absorbing deep-dive into the grim realities of modern homelessness in New York City, reporter Sandler follows "Camila," a strong young Dominican-American woman in 2015, the first year of her infant son's life. In addition to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Utopia Avenue

  a Novel

  Mitchell, David (David Stephen),

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  In his latest genre-hopping foray, Mitchell (Cloud Atlas) portrays the rise of band in late 60s London, forged by a manager/talent scout from an eclectic group of musicians - Jasper de Zoet, Dean Moss, Elf Holloway and Griff Griffin -…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Warhol

  Gopnik, Blake,

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  Andy Warhol was one of the most controversial artist of his era. Was he a genius or a plagiarist? Find out in Blake Gopnik's massive (900+ pages) biography. Gopnik covers the artist's life from growing up as a Carpathian immigrant to his…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• You Had Me at Hola

  a Novel

  Daria, Alexis,

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  This new romance by RITA award-winning writer Alexis Daria is a sizzling hot and fun ode to soap operas. Jasmine, a soap actor, and Ashton, a telenovela actor, have just been cast on a popular streaming service TV show that promises to…Read moreRead more of this annotation