Blood and Profit
American Prison by Shane Bauer is a searing indictment of for-profit prisons, both in his own experience and in American history. Bauer will appear at Parnassus Books in Nashville on September 22.
Book Reviews
Spreading the Gospel of Southern Living
The principal charm of Whiskey in a Teacup is Reese Witherspoon’s narrative voice, which is so sincere, un-fussy, and personable, it’s like you’re sharing a casual chat with an old friend over a Moon Pie and an RC Cola. Witherspoon will discuss her book at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville on September 23.
What’s Wrong with Me?
J.M. Holmes’s debut story collection, How Are You Going To Save Yourself, tracks four friends who form a posse in their teens but drift apart in their twenties. The book addresses twenty-first-century issues, particularly those facing young African-Americans, without sugar-coating. Holmes will appear at the 2018 Southern Festival of Books, held in Nashville October 12-14.
Confessions of a Fangirl
Alice Bolin’s essay collection, Dead Girls, is a savvy mix of cultural critique, coming-of-age diary, and confessions of a pop-culture fangirl. Bolin will read at Novel in Memphis on September 20, at The Bookshop in Nashville on September 23, and at the 2018 Southern Festival of Books, held in Nashville October 12-14.
The Scourge of War and the Perils of Peace
With The Thin Light of Freedom, Edward L. Ayers casts new light on the Civil War through the experience of two communities—one Northern, one Southern—occupied by enemy armies made up of their former countrymen. Ayers will appear at the 2018 Southern Festival of Books, held in Nashville October 12-14.
A Lavish Mural of 1970s Indulgence
Glen David Gold’s vibrant memoir, I Will Be Complete, tracks the 1970s, from fashion trends to punk bands, while probing psychic scars inflicted by his mother, a ravishing “Linda Evans”-like Englishwoman transplanted to the West Coast. Gold will appear at the 2018 Southern Festival of Books, held in Nashville October 12-14.
