We hope you’re immersed in the world of the California Book Club’s May selection, Dagoberto Gilb’s The Flowers, a novel full of racial tension and peopled with such characters as Sonny, his mother, Cloyd Longpre, Cindy, Nica, Mary, and Bud. It’s a swift read, and if you haven’t had a chance to start it yet, there’s still plenty of time before the event on May 21.
After a period of unpredictable weather (at least in the Bay Area), summer is around the corner, and with it come three new stellar picks. You won’t want to miss any of these: for July, an inspiring work of history about an early part of the 20th century; for August, a fascinating, multifaceted exploration of a library fire; and for September, a heartfelt memoir of a mother-daughter relationship.
AMERICAN MIDNIGHT: THE GREAT WAR, A VIOLENT PEACE, AND DEMOCRACY’S FORGOTTEN CRISIS, BY ADAM HOCHSCHILD
We are living in political times that may seem uniquely dangerous and dark. However, through journalist Adam Hochschild’s work of history, American Midnight, we may see that the country has faced similar conditions before, during the period from 1917 to 1921—and being able to see this parallel, and know that there were heroes, to know that there are always figures of light, is paradoxically uplifting. That time was one of mass imprisonments, vigilante violence, workers fighting for their rights, and false criminal charges. Hochschild draws for us a host of memorable, colorful characters, ranging from those behind the gears of power to admirable and principled dissenters.
THE LIBRARY BOOK, BY SUSAN ORLEAN
In the spring of 1986, a catastrophic fire burned for over seven hours, destroying or damaging 1.1 million books at the Los Angeles Public Library and causing the library to shut down for seven years. It was the most devastating library fire in the country’s history, yet the cause of the blaze went unknown for many years. Orlean’s lucid The Library Book reopens the mystery, giving us a fascinating portrait of the primary suspect, a suspicious storyteller whose alibi is ever shifting. The case is intriguing, of course, but so are the other aspects of the library itself, which Orlean explores with characteristic exuberance and imbues with meaning.
NATIVE COUNTRY OF THE HEART, BY CHERRÍE MORAGA
Professor, poet, and essayist Cherríe Moraga’s mother, Elvira Isabel Moraga, was an “unlettered” mestizo woman, while her father was white. In her heartfelt memoir, Native Country of the Heart, the writer explores her relationship with her mother, bringing us from her own coming-of-age and her formative early years with her mother, who had grown up picking cotton in Imperial Valley, to her mother’s decline from Alzheimer’s. The insightful book reveals Moraga’s journey toward understanding herself and her place in the world as a lesbian woman of mixed heritage.
Join us on May 21 at 5 p.m. Pacific time, when Dagoberto Gilb will sit down with host John Freeman and a special guest to discuss The Flowers. Register for the Zoom conversation here.
SLASHED FROM THE HEADLINES
Critic and novelist Jim Ruland reviews Jordan Harper’s A Violent Masterpiece. —Alta
14 NEW BOOKS
Here are works on and of the West that we’re excited to see published this month. —Alta
SANTA ROMANCE
Read Catherine Womack’s piece about the Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Book Club at the Culver City bookstore Ripped Bodice. —Alta
CALIFORNIA CLASSIC
John Steinbeck’s East of Eden is being adapted by Netflix as a seven-episode limited series, starring Florence Pugh and written and executive-produced by Zoe Kazan. —Tudum
TINSELTOWN IN THE DARK
Los Angeles author Kelly Yang recommends eight mysteries set in Hollywood. —New York Times
CINCO DE MAYO
Tonight, Zyzzyva celebrates its Issue 132 at City Lights in San Francisco at 7 p.m. —City Lights
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