FICTION
The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki
“Mrs. Post, the President and First Lady are here to see you.” So begins another average evening for Marjorie Merriweather Post. Presidents have come and gone, but she has hosted them all. Growing up in the modest farmlands of Battle Creek, Michigan, Marjorie was inspired by a few simple rules: always think for yourself, never take success for granted, and work hard — even when deemed American royalty, even while covered in imperial diamonds.
Family Money by Chad Zunker
Alex Mahan is married to his high school sweetheart, Taylor. They have two daughters and a beautiful home, and Alex’s startup business is about to explode thanks to massive private funding from his compassionate and supportive father-in-law, Joe. With millions more to come, all is perfect ― until Joe is abducted and murdered during a family trip in Mexico.
Black Girls Must Be Magic by Jayne Allen
For Tabitha Walker, her grandmother’s old adage, “Black girls must die exhausted” is becoming all too true. Discovering she’s pregnant, Tabitha throws herself headfirst into the world of “single mothers by choice.” Between her job, doctor’s appointments, and preparing for the baby, she’s worn out. And that’s before her boss at the local news station starts getting complaints from viewers about Tabitha’s natural hair.
The Next Thing You Know by Jessica Strawser
As an end-of-life doula, Nova Huston’s job ― her calling, her purpose, her life ― is to help terminally ill people make peace with their impending death. Unlike her business partner, who swears by her system of checklists, free-spirited Nova doesn’t shy away from difficult clients: the ones who are heartbreakingly young, or prickly, or desperate for a caregiver or companion.
NONFICTION
The Cuckoo Syndrome: The Secret to Breaking Free from Unhealthy Relationships, Toxic Thinking, and Self-Sabotaging Behavior by Andrea Anderson Polk
Polk, a licensed professional counselor, compares cuckoo birds — nature’s infamous imposter — to the human experience, situations, and relationships demonstrating haunting confusion and unnecessary suffering. Cuckoos can invisibly sabotage our most intimate relationships, our ministries, and our careers — our deepest desires.
Bodies on the Line: At the Front Lines of the Fight to Protect Abortion in America by Lauren Rankin
Incisive, eye-opening, and uplifting, Bodies on the Line makes a clear case for the right to an abortion as a fundamental part of human dignity and the stakes facing us all if it ends. Abortion has been legal for nearly 50 years in the United States, but with a new conservative majority on the Supreme Court poised to overturn Roe v. Wade and an emboldened opposition in the street, the threat to its existence has never been more pressing.
The First, the Few, the Only: How Women of Color Can Redefine Power in Corporate America by Deepa Purushothaman
Women of color comprise one of the fastest-growing segments in the corporate workforce, yet often we are underrepresented — among the first, few, or only ones in a department or company. For too long, corporate structures, social zeitgeist, and cultural conditioning have left us feeling exhausted and downtrodden, believing that in order to “fit in” and be successful, we must hide or change who we are.
The Delusions Of Crowds: Why People Go Mad in Groups by William J. Bernstein
Inspired by Charles Mackay’s 19th-century classic Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, Bernstein engages with mass delusion with the same curiosity and passion, but armed with the latest scientific research that explains the biological, evolutionary, and psychosocial roots of human irrationality.
CHILDREN’S
The People Remember by Ibi Zoboi
This sumptuously illustrated nonfiction picture book relates the journey of African descendants in America to the seven principles of Kwanzaa — unity, self-determination, responsibility, cooperation, purpose, creativity and faith. Forcibly removed from their homelands in many nations and bound together facing an uncertain and often brutal future, the peoples of the African diaspora had to learn to work together and communicate with each other, even though they spoke many different languages and had diverse cultural customs. Over time, a shared American identity was born, combining memories of home with new traditions that promoted a sense of community in their new land. This lyrical book celebrates the resiliency, creativity, joy and innovation of the Black community and is an excellent resource to help young people celebrate their heritage.
Ages: 8-12
