Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

Sarah Carter

A March to the Mountaintop

Alice Faye Duncan’s picture book tells the story of MLK’s last days in Memphis

FROM THE CHAPTER 16 ARCHIVE: Alice Faye Duncan’s award-winning 2018 picture book, Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop, offers children an account of the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers’ strike and the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

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Back to West Texas

Jeannette Brown’s The Illusion of Leaving follows its protagonist home to face her past

FROM THE CHAPTER 16 ARCHIVE: In Jeannette Brown’s The Illusion of Leaving, Jamie Wright leaves Silver Falls, Texas, gladly kicking the dust from her boots. But when her father’s impending death calls her back, Jamie must face her difficult past to imagine a different future. Jeannette Brown will take part in an author discussion, “Be the Final Writer,” at Union Ave. Books in Knoxville on January 17.

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Deep Loss and Deep Joy

Jeff Zentner’s fourth novel explores risking the life you know for the life you want

In Jeff Zentner’s In the Wild Light, best friends face a dilemma: Will they stay in their hometown forever, hanging on to the semblance of stability they’ve found? Or will they risk it all for a different life? Zentner will discuss In the Wild Light at Parnassus Books in Nashville on August 10.

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From Fur Traders to Chart Toppers

Hidden History of Music Row dives into the history of Nashville’s most iconic neighborhood

Hidden History of Music Row by Brian Allison, Elizabeth Elkins, and Vanessa Olivarez is a deep dive into the history one of Nashville’s most magnetic areas. From early fur traders to fringe, this book details the guts, glam, and glory of Nashville’s most iconic neighborhood and the people who made it famous.

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Traitor to Whom?

Amanda McCrina’s YA novel explores shifting allegiances in a time of conflict

Franklin writer Amanda McCrina’s new YA novel, Traitor, follows Toyla, a young soldier whose family heritage embodies both sides of a wartime conflict in the city of Lwów.   

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A Taste of Tennessee’s History

Taproots of Tennessee is equal parts history, cookbook, and travel guide

Songwriter Lynne Drysdale Patterson visited 17 historical sites across the state to gather the material for Taproots of Tennessee, a book that reaches across genres to deliver historical narrative, travel information, and recipes from each place.

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