2016 Southern Festival of Books | Chapter 16

Four Brooklyn Girls

Jacqueline Woodson’s Another Brooklyn meditates on the nature of friendship, love, and loss

By Erica Ciccarone | August 30, 2016

AnotherBrooklyn HC C With Another Brooklyn, celebrated children’s author Jacqueline Woodson has written her first novel for adult readers in twenty years—the coming-of-age story of four Brooklyn girls determined not to be defined by their family’s tragedies. Woodson will speak at the Nashville Public Library on September 7, 2016, and at Crosstown Arts in Memphis on September 8. Both events are free and open to the public.

Like A Kid Who Doesn’t Quite Belong

Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance still loves the Appalachia he left behind

By Clay Risen | August 29, 2016

HillbillyElegy Final Jacket J.D. Vance’s memoir, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, is more than the story of Vance’s still-young life: it is also a sharp, compelling analysis of anomie and social breakdown in modern America. Vance will discuss Hillbilly Elegy at the Southern Festival of Books, held in Nashville October 14-16, 2016.

Falling from Great Heights

In her debut novel, Sunset City, Melissa Ginsburg offers a fresh take on classic noir

By Erica Wright | August 25, 2016

SunsetCity hc c Melissa Ginsburg’s debut crime novel, Sunset City, unravels the brutal killing of a porn star while exploring some unexpected side effects of grief. Ginsburg will be at the Southern Festival of Books, held in Nashville October 14-16, 2016. Festival events are free and open to the public.

Dream Images

Erik Reece takes a road trip through America’s experiments in utopian living

By Win Bassett | August 24, 2016

Utopia Drive: A Road Trip Through America’s Most Radical Idea chronicles Erik Reece’s search for communities of people who embraced political, economic, social, and environmental “alternatives that now seem impossible but might soon prove inevitable.” Reece will appear at the Southern Festival of Books, held in Nashville October 14-16, 2016. Festival events are free and open to the public.

A Cruel and Compassionate Hero

James Lee McDonough exposes the many contradictions of William Tecumseh Sherman

By Chris Scott | August 23, 2016

William Tecumseh Sherman: In the Service of My Country: A Life is James Lee McDonough’s detailed look at a brilliant, multi-faceted soldier who never hesitated to visit the hell of war on his enemies. McDonough will appear at the Southern Festival of Books, held in Nashville October 14-16, 2016.

Joking as a Martial Art

Jason Miller talks with Chapter 16 about his second mystery set in Illinois coal country

By Stephen Usery | August 18, 2016

Jason Miller, RED DOG In his latest crime novel, Jason Miller turns his attention to a nasty strain of white supremacy that’s rearing its head again in the economically-challenged parts of rural America. Miller will discuss Red Dog at Parnassus Books in Nashville on August 25, 2016, at 6:30 p.m., and at the Southern Festival of Books, held in Nashville October 14-16. Both events are free and open to the public.

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