Tulsa's Historic Greenwood District by Hannibal B. Johnson

 I had first heard of Greenwood about two years ago when I read the YA novel, Dreamland Burning (which was fantastic, btw), and I've ended up finding more and more reference to it lately. I've been watching Lovecraft Country (which is a really good show loosely based around a really good novel), and a lot of the characters' stories are related to the 1921 Greenwood massacre. However, I started to wonder what the actual Greenwood was like, not just the tragedy. This book was perfect for that. The character and resiliency of the community is clear in the photos showing Greenwood in its early days through the present. I enjoy the Images of America series because I feel like I can actually step back in time to get a feel for very specific communities and their histories.

 

213 pages

Don't Know Much About History...

Heavenly Bodies by Paul Koudounaris

In the late 16th century, a new section of the Roman Catacombs were discovered. The Church recognized the skeletons as those of Early Christian martyrs, and sent them to Catholic churches as saints across Germanic Europe. The relics were then richly adorned with jewels and costumes, and the laity came on long pilgrimages to pray at their shrines. While the tradition fell out of practice by the 19th century, many of these relics are still found in churches across Europe. Koudounaris presents this photographic history with his beautiful, and enthralling images. This book is just way too cool!

189 pages


Kinloch: Missouri's First Black City by John A. Wright

Longtime resident John A. Wright has collected photos and interviews to tell the story of Kinloch, located north of St. Louis. Going from wealth and luxury, white flight, school desegregation, as well as church and community life, the book gives an overview of this city's history. While Kinloch itself is in decline, a population shift has retained much of its heritage in nearby Ferguson.

128 pages




An American Plague by Jim Murphy

I wasn't sure I wanted to read a plague history right now, given.... you know. But this book on the 1793 Philadelphia plague felt distant enough that I didn't mind reading it. Although it is technically juvenile nonfiction, this is definitely a book that can be enjoyed by all ages. Murphy is very good at telling the stories of the main doctors and public officials involved in the crisis, as well as the vital role of the Free African Society. The discussion on the various theories of causes for the (pre-germ theory) plague were telling-placing blame on foreigners is certainly not new. This book is an engaging and informative read. I've also read his book, The Great Fire of Chicago, which is also fantastic!

165 pages


Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

You know, for the most part I really liked this one. You see Laura really start to grow up and participate in the social conventions of the era. The sociable! Lunatic fringes! Name cards! I couldn't imagine having to wear a corset. I made the mistake of googling "corset damage" and the images gave me nightmares. The story is quite pleasant until the end. That minstrel show... Yikes.

307 pages



Don't know much Biology...
Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake

This book is definitely not to everyone's tastes, but I freakin' loved reading about the history and cultures around fungi, mushrooms, lichens-everything! Did you know fungi were the first to colonize land, forming giant towers as prototaxes? Or that mychorrhizal fungi form vital connections in a forest, swapping nutrients and "feeding" younger and weaker trees? Scientists are testing the chemicals in psilocybin mushrooms for potential treatments for anxiety and depression! And yes, Star Trek collaborated with Paul Stamets, an actual mycologist, to develop Discovery's fictional mycelial network, designed by Lt. Commander... Paul Stamets.

352 pages



Conservation Trails by Teresa Kight/ MO Dept. of Conservation

So many great trails and Conservation Areas to explore in Missouri! While this publication is a bit dated, most of these trails haven't changed much in the past decade or so... It gives me some ideas of places to explore once this whole mess has blown over...

96 pages





A Guide to Missouri's Snakes from the MO Dept. of Conservation

Sneks. Everybody loves snakes, right? No? Only me? ... okay. We have sooo many watersnakes. And unfortunately they get killed for no good reason because folks assume any snake in the water is a cottonmouth. Copperheads are nasty. I remember killing one once with a garden hoe. And baby rat snakes are the cutest thing ever!

59 pages





The Lost Words by Robert MacFarlane

This oversize book focuses on words disappearing from children's lives, pairing poems with pages and pages of colorful paintings. Each poem focuses on a word-bramble, wren, acorn-that may or may not enter children's vocabularies with our increasingly indoor culture.Beautiful poetry. Gorgeous artwork.

128 pages





Don't know much about geography...

Yellowstone: A Journey Through America's Wild Heart by David Quammen

Quammen combines tales of his adventures in America's first national park with breathtaking images of wildlife and the landscape. The nature photography is phenomenal! I enjoyed reading about the history of the park and challenges it faces today. I've never been able to visit, but I definitely want to take a road trip now...

222 pages

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

I've been recommended this book many times. Then DBRL chose it for the One Read... and I caved. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed it! It follows the story of Count Alexander Rostov, who is sentenced to house arrest by the Bolsheviks in the Metropol. Across from the Bolshoi, the Metropol is a grand hotel (I've been there, it's huge) yet I'm sure it would feel tiny after 40-ish years. I enjoyed how the Count watched the passage of early Soviet history. The author definitely did his research, which I appreciated. The hype around this novel is not over exaggerated!

462 pages

 
Don't know what a slide rule is for...
Me neither, dude. I had to look it up. Makes me real grateful for calculators.

This song is now stuck in your head!
That, or you're trying to look up the reference.
You're welcome.

What a wonderful world this would be.

Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff

This book was awesome. Lovecraftian horror infects two families in Chicago during 1950s Jim Crow era.  Tentacled rock monsters, a secret cult society of alchemists, mechanical clockwork space machinery, ghost mansions, demon dolls, and those aren't even the really scary parts. Set up as a collection of interrelated short stories, it makes for a really fun yet thought-provoking read. Also, I hear it is being turned into an HBO series soon!

Fun, social-commentary filled horror.

372 pages

Book Club Reads

A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler

A story of class and race in suburb America. Valerie clashes with the entitled local celebrity Brad over losing her beloved oak tree. Meanwhile, their children are beginning a forbidden relationship. I loved this one, it kept me interested all the way through. I was rooting for Juniper and Xavier the whole time, and cried a bit by the end of it.

311 pages




Conjure Women by Afia Atakora

Rue is a midwife, healer, and conjurer trying to hold her community together in the aftermath of the Civil War. Meanwhile, she has to deal with a charismatic traveling preacher and keep the secrets of her former plantation owner's daughter. I really liked this one for the rich depiction of root work and spirituality during the period of slavery. Although it was a bit difficult to follow the shifts between pre- and post-Civil War, the story was totally worth it!

400 pages



All Adults Here by Emma Straub

Astrid basically has a three-quarter life crisis when she witnesses an old friend being struck and killed by a school bus. Now she regrets how she raised her children, and decides to open up about her relationship with her hairdresser. This was a good family drama, and I really liked the story of Cecelia and Robin's friendship. If you are looking for a lighthearted, fun read, that isn't completely devoid of wisdom and insight into modern families, this is your book.

356 pages



The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

The identical Vignes twins dramatically diverge as adults, with one woman eventually returning to her local black community, and the other secretly passing as white in California, her husband and friends knowing nothing of her past. Yet their story intertwines, across the generations and the decades. This book was really great! I enjoyed the contrast between Stella's life and Jude's in late 1970's LA.

343 pages

The Life of Frederick Douglass: A Graphic Narrative of a Slave's Journey from Bondage to Freedom by David F. Walker

Wow. So I've heard of Frederick Douglass from history class. Famous abolitionist and writer, right? He is so much more than that. He was a slave, a father, a runaway, a freedman, an orator, a poet, a newspaper publisher, and the most photographed man of the 19th century. This book takes you through his entire life story, and it is a fascinating one. The art is beautiful, and the author clearly did a lot of research to make the fullest story possible. It offers a very honest and revealing look into the realities of slavery in the early 1800's. I'm probably going to go pick up Douglass' autobiographies now.

Amazing! Read this. Fascinating history.

192 pages

Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Well-written murder mystery that looks at both race and love as motivators for crime. A hate crime in his home state of Texas inspires a star law student to make a career shift and become a Texas Ranger. Years later he his tasked with solving two murders which appear to be racially motivated. Is it ok to let sleeping dogs lie or better to unearth the truth?

320 pages

Extraordinary Black Missourians: Pioneers, Leaders, Performers, Athletes, and Other Notables Who've Made History by John A. Wright, Sr. and Sylvia Wright

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

Missouri TV personalities such as Julius Hunter, news anchor, journalist, and author, musicians W.C. Handy and Count Basie, and politician Freeman Bosley, Jr. are some of the black Missourians who are in this wonderful book.  240 pages.

Ten Seconds by Louis Edwards

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

A ten-second race at a high school track meet equals a slow-motion of Eddie’s life and future.

Audio:  4 hrs. 18 min.

Print:  166 pages

Jazz by Gary Giddins and Scott DeVeaux

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

Traces and talks about the evolution of jazz. Parishes of New Orleans sparked the fermenting of jazz, later Chicago became a magnet when southerners moved north. Kansas City was hot in the 30’s and LA was in the 50’s, but New York became the focus where jazz matured.

Audio:  29 hrs. 45 min.

Print:  619 pages

The Turner House, By Angela Flournoy

This lovely tale is Ms. Flournoy's debut novel; it is the story of the Turner family -- parents who migrated from the south in the 1940s to Detroit.  They purchased the house on Yarrow Street, in east Detroit and raised their 13 children there.  It is well written, with nicely developed characters and a plot that is driven by the family drama, pathos, and humor. 

352 pages

Loving Day: A Novel, By Mat Johnson

Warren Duffy has been living out of the United States in Wales for years, however, his marriage has fallen apart and his Irish father in Philadelphia has died so he returns.  Not back in the U.S. a day, and he discovers a 17-year-old daughter, Tal, who assumed she was white. The story takes off on a wild ride through the insanity that is race and color and what that means and what it doesn't mean in 21st-century United States. This compelling story is thoughtful and wise; Mat Johnson raises some brilliant questions as Warren and Tal try to figure out their family.
304 pages

Wanted Woman by Eric Jerome Dickey

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

She was trained by her father to be a professional hit person.  They say she messed up so they left her out there.  They treated her poorly . . . not a good thing to do.

Audio:  14 hrs. 28 min.
Print:  480 pages

St. Louis: An Illustrated Timeline by Carol Ferring Shepley

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

Home of the World Series St. Louis Cardinals, Art Museum, Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, recording artist Nelly, Opera Theatre of St. Louis founded in 1976.  In 1958, the St. Louis Hawks beat the Boston Celtics for their only championship and later moved to Atlanta.  In 1954, St. Louis school board prepares for Brown vs. Board of Education.  Charles Lindberg crosses the Atlantic Ocean in the airplane named the Spirit of St. Louis.  213 pages.

Ran Away by Barbara Hambly

A Turk living in 1830s New Orleans is accused of murdering two of his concubines. Someone saw him throw the women to their deaths from an upper story window. Enter Benjamin January- musician, doctor, and unofficial detective. It turns out that Benjamin knows the Turk, Huseyin Pasha, from his medical school days in Paris.  Hambly takes us back to Benjamin's earlier life in Paris. We get to know his first wife Ayasha and the role she played in the first encounter between Benjamin and Huseyin Pasha.  Once again, Benjamin uses his connections among the servants and working class of New Orleans to solve the murders.  An engrossing story with lots of historical detail.  256 pages.

"Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa" by Andrea Davis Pinkney, Illustrated by Brian Pinkney

What a cool and beautiful book!  Ella's story is told by Scat Cat Monroe in rhymes and rhythms, from her childhood dream of being a dancer to her work with Dizzy Gillespie at Carnegie Hall in 1947.  The illustrations are flowing and colorful, with Ella and her various collaborators and bands flying high and dancing with energy.  Scat Cat is in almost every scene, explaining the magic of the music and Ella's contribution to jazz.  Highly recommended.  32 pages.

Run Man Run by Chester Himes

Posted for Paul Mathews

Drunken white detective kills two black porters in a restaurant and wounds a third one. He pursues this man in order to remove all witnesses to what he has done.  

Audio:  6 hrs. 45 min.
Print:  192 pages

"Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner

I'd heard a lot about this book over the years but had never picked it up before now.  I've always found economics boring or incomprehensible, and some of the topics covered here were both (such as cheating in sumo wrestling!).  Lots of statistics were reported to back up the findings and could be a bit mind-numbing but there were some results that really surprised me, especially about teaching and child rearing.  The most interesting part dealt with the unusual names that African-Americans have given their children over the last couple of decades, why they do it, and the consequences for doing so.  Levitt is an economist, and Dubner is a journalist.  320 pages; about 6 hours on CD.

Freeman by Leonard Pitts

Have you ever wondered exactly how average people responded to emancipation when the American Civil War ended?  Slavery was an inherently American institution, which was so firmly interwoven within the economy, the society, the psychology as well as religious, philosophical, and ethical mores of the country, and was suddenly it was over.  It must have been overwhelming in many ways! Indeed, scholars have and can continue to spend their entire careers examining the period, its impact then, and the continued effect upon this country.
It is well known that many of the formerly enslaved hit the road  -- everywhere in land, all manner of black folks set out trying to find lost mothers, fathers, children, siblings -- lost lives.  It is also well known that this is the period wherein many schools sprang up throughout the South to educate the formerly enslaved, which delighted the knowledge starved blacks and inflamed those who felt this upset the natural order of things. Leonard Pitts, Jr., a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the Miami Herald, has taken these two elements and fashioned a remarkably powerful piece of historical fiction that depicts just how it must have been for some.
Sam Freeman sets out from Philadelphia, where he has been working in a library since his discharge from the Union army, and begins walking to Mississippi to find his wife, Tilda.  He has not seen her in 15 years, and like most on similar searches, he has no idea if she is alive or dead, if she has taken another husband, been sold elsewhere.  He knows only that he loves her and must be with her, if it is at all possible.
Prudence Cafferty Kent, a white widow from Boston, along with her black foster sister Bonnie, head to Buford, Mississippi to open a school.  These are the main characters, and their story -- their quest for redemption, will capture you and keep you enthralled until the novel concludes.  Hopefully, it will keep its readers thinking about the damage of America's peculiar institution long after completion.   

432 pages, 15 hours, 46 minutes

Yellow Crocus by Laila Ibrahim

This is a haunting story of love and friendship set in antebellum Virginia and Ohio.  The baby Lisbeth is handed over to Mattie, her black, enslaved wet nurse, moments after birth, which begins the bond that is carried through both women's lives. Elizabeth is the privileged daughter of southern plantation owners, and Mattie is, of course, enslaved. Mattie cares for and loves the child just as she loves her own, and Lisbeth spends more time with Mattie than her own distracted mother. As Lisbeth grows into womanhood, Mattie finds that she must seek freedom for her own family and she escapes, which produces some of the most harrowing scenes in the text. Lisbeth later, upon the realization of just how horrifying slavery really is, escapes herself with an abolitionist minded husband. Both women find themselves in Ohio, where the story takes on a melancholy tone, as race and class still impact their existence.

252 pages

My Soul to Keep from African Immortals Series (Book 1) by Tananarive Due

This is the intriguing story of a young Miami newspaper reporter, Jessica and her mysterious husband, David.  David is handsome, intelligent, accomplished, and it becomes evident, has lived for over 500 years.  He belongs to a secret society of men called "the immortals," who have undergone a ritual that gives them everlasting life.  But David has fallen deeply in love with Jessica; they share a five-year-old child, Kira, so he devises a scheme to keep them with him forever.  Once begun, this book is incredibly hard to put down.  Tananarive Due is an extremely talented writer with a gifted imagination and the ability to weave unusual stories.
352 pages