Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

With a Big Heart and Big Dreams

Susan Eaddy and Jessica Young compare notes on creating books for very young children

Nashville authors Susan Eaddy and Jessica Young will launch their new children’s books, Poppy’s Best Babies, Play This Book, and Pet This Book, at Parnassus Books in Nashville on May 20.

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How Much Damage Did I Do?

In Warlight, Michael Ondaatje delivers a literary mystery and a meditation on the power of memory

“In 1945 our parents went away and left us in the care of two men who may have been criminals.” Thus begins Michael Ondaatje’s newest novel, an engrossing literary mystery with echoes that hearken back to The English Patient. Ondaatje will discuss Warlight at Parnassus Books in Nashville on May 19.

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Learning the Value of a Dollar

Dollar General CEO Cal Turner Jr. traces the humble beginnings of a multi-billion-dollar company

In My Father’s Business, Cal Turner Jr. shares his family’s incredible success story and the leadership lessons he’s learned along the way. Turner will appear in conversation with Dave Ramsey on May 18 at Lipscomb University in Nashville.

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Idler’s Manifesto

Alan Lightman makes the case for slow living with In Praise of Wasting Time

With In Praise of Wasting Time, Memphis native Alan Lightman delivers an eloquent argument for the necessity of idleness.

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The Power of Belief

Teens confront the issue of sexual abuse in Ashley Herring Blake’s latest YA novel

In her new YA novel, Girl Made of Stars, Ashley Herring Blake addresses complex cultural issues in the context of the everyday drama of high school. Blake will appear at Parnassus Books in Nashville on May 18 in conversation with novelist Lily Anderson.

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The Wrong Side of History

In Varina, Charles Frazier portrays the first lady of the Confederacy as a reluctant witness

Charles Frazier’s Varina returns to the era of Cold Mountain but focuses on the Southern elite who bear the historical burden of instigating the Civil War. Frazier will discuss Varina, in conversation with novelists Paula McLain and Ann Patchett, at the Nashville Public Library on May 14.

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