Book Reviews | Chapter 16

Wherever You Go, There You Are

A teenager explores her heritage and herself in Delhi

By Tracy Barrett | May 12, 2021

In Sheba Karim’s fourth YA novel, The Marvelous Mirza Girls, Noreen is grieving the death of her beloved aunt. She postpones her first year of college and travels to Delhi, where — with the charming Kabir as her guide — she explores the chaotic and beautiful city, a stark contrast to her suburban New Jersey home. Karim will discuss The Marvelous Mirza Girls at Parnassus Books in Nashville on May 18.

The Curvature of the World

Great Circle explores the interconnected lives surrounding a famous woman aviator

By Emily Choate | May 11, 2021

Maggie Shipstead’s century-spanning Great Circle traces aviator Marian Graves’ single-minded pursuit of flight and the lives of numerous characters connected to her, including a scandalous movie star preparing to play Marian onscreen. Shipstead will discuss the novel at a virtual event hosted by Parnassus Books in Nashville on May 20^.

The Cost of Healing

Anjali Enjeti’s The Parted Earth follows several generations of personal fallout from India’s Partition

By Emily Choate | May 6, 2021

Running through the core of Anjali Enjeti’s debut novel, The Parted Earth, is the volatile atmosphere of India’s Partition, a deadly era of violence that tore apart communities and families. Spanning generations and countries, the story examines the personal costs of starting over in the face of tragedy.

Empowering People for the Long Haul

Stephen Preskill revisits the story of Myles Horton and the Highlander Folk School

By Peter Kuryla | May 5, 2021

Stephen Preskill’s Education in Black and White revisits the history of the Highlander Folk Center and its longtime director Myles Horton. The author weaves the stories of several activist-educators who, as they learned together at Highlander, imagined possibilities for participatory democratic life. Preskill will discuss the book at a virtual event hosted by Parnassus Books in Nashville on May 12.

Freedom from Delusion

Joan Silber’s characters stumble through work, family, and romance in Secrets of Happiness

By Sean Kinch | May 4, 2021

In seven interlocking chapters, Joan Silber’s novel Secrets of Happiness dramatizes the lives of characters at crossroads that force reassessments of values. Silber will discuss the novel at a virtual event hosted by Parnassus Books in Nashville on May 6.

Beyond Catharsis

Stephanie Danler’s memoir disrupts the usual narrative structures found in stories of addiction

By Lee Conell | April 30, 2021

In Stray, Stephanie Danler doesn’t just look directly at her own childhood trauma, but tracks the borders and shapes that trauma forms in her adult life. Danler will discuss the book at a virtual event hosted by Parnassus Books in Nashville on May 4.