Book Reviews | Chapter 16

Seventy-Six Pounds of Wet Hair and Poor Decisions

Rick Bragg’s canine love story about the worst dog in the world

By Tina Chambers | August 5, 2022

FROM THE CHAPTER 16 ARCHIVE: Rick Bragg’s The Speckled Beauty is about finding the heart to love the most wayward and aggravating dog imaginable, who also turns out to be smart, tenacious, loyal, fearless, full of life, and just what the doctor ordered for a man who is learning new lessons about losing and letting go. Bragg will appear at the 2022 Southern Festival of Books, held in Nashville on October 14-16.

A Planet and Stars Align for Memphis Teens in Love

Former Memphian sets debut novel in her hometown

By Peggy Burch | August 4, 2022

Memphis native Kelis Rowe says her story in Finding Jupiter is designed to represent the everyday progress of a romance between teens “living while Black.”

Sitting in the Memories

Kendra Allen’s unconventional memoir reckons with trauma and personhood

By Amanda Haggard | August 3, 2022

The stories in Kendra Allen’s memoir Fruit Punch are delivered in a lyrical mix of poetry and prose that can make you forget the story she’s telling is her own. Allen will appear at the 2022 Southern Festival of Books, held in Nashville on October 14-16.

Illuminating the Invisible Work

Jami Attenberg reveals the writing life

By Sarah Norris | August 2, 2022

In her new book, I Came All This Way to Meet You, bestselling novelist Jami Attenberg presents a stellar collection of essays about the writing life. She will appear at the 2022 Southern Festival of Books in Nashville on October 14-16.

Wonders and Weirdness and Hope

Magical adventures await a heroine who refuses to be defined by her disability

By Tina Chambers | August 1, 2022

Natalie Lloyd’s signature style shines throughout Hummingbird, a delightful yet poignant mashup of reality and fantasy, highlighting the heartbreak of the body’s physical limitations versus a soaring spirit and boundless imagination. Natalie Lloyd will discuss Hummingbird at Parnassus Books in Nashville on August 3.

Nothing Contrived

Stories from the Attic is the final collection by William Gay

By Wayne Catan | June 27, 2022

When William Gay died suddenly in 2012, he left behind a considerable amount of unpublished work that has been slowly making its way into print. The final posthumous release, due in July, is Stories from the Attic, a collection of short stories, essays, and fragments from works-in-progress.

Tias and Primas: On Knowing and Loving the Women Who Raise Us

By Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez, illustrated by Josie Del Castillo
Seal Press
304 pages
$30

“Within these pages, I found my abuela, my tías and my primas — laughing, crying, and nodding alongside me. This book is a gift of understanding, and loving one’s family, even when our families are complicated and painful. It’s a beautiful reminder of the power of storytelling and the profound connection of kinship.”

~ Paola Mendoza, author, organizer and filmmaker