Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

She Had a Dream

Freedom Faith examines the little-known influence of civil rights leader Prathia Hall

FROM THE CHAPTER 16 ARCHIVE: Prathia Hall was a minister, activist, and academic who played a critical but largely unknown role in the civil rights movement. Memphis church historian Courtney Pace recounts her pivotal influence in Freedom Faith: The Womanist Vision of Prathia Hall.

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Looking Back on 50 Years of Tennessee Books

50 Books / HT50, Part 7: 2006-2010

The years from 2006 to 2010 brought a shocking financial crisis and the global Great Recession that followed, but there was happier news in the Tennessee book world, as well as a new outlet for reporting it: Chapter 16 was launched in September 2009. This seventh installment of the 50 Books / HT50 series includes two Pulitzer Prize winners, a riveting account of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., and two highly praised novels.

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The Depth of Sisterhood

Claire Jiménez’s debut novel explores the impact of a family tragedy

What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez, the debut novel by Claire Jiménez, is both a fast-paced, engrossing mystery and a deep look at the complexities of identity and sisterhood. Jiménez will appear at Vanderbilt University on March 21.

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Chasing the Dream

Caroline Frost’s The Last Verse sets a mystery in 1970s Nashville

An aspiring Nashville singer/songwriter finds a world of trouble in Caroline Frost’s new novel, The Last Verse. Frost will discuss the book at The Bookshop in Nashville on March 14.

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River of Loss

Anna Quindlen’s latest novel considers the impact one life can make

In her 10th novel, After Annie, author Anna Quindlen starts things off with a bang: the shocking sudden death of the title character. Quindlen will discuss the book at Parnassus Books in Nashville on March 14.

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Strategies for Survival

Margaret Verble’s Stealing weaves a tapestry of pain and resilience

FROM THE CHAPTER 16 ARCHIVE: In her latest novel, Stealing, Margaret Verble probes the ugly history of institutionalizing Native children through the story of one little girl in 1950s Oklahoma. 

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