Chapter 16
A Community of Tennessee Writers, Readers & Passersby

The Nation’s Oldest Student

Rita Lorraine Hubbard shares the remarkable life of Mary Walker, who learned to read at age 116

Author Rita Lorraine Hubbard reminds young readers that they’re “never too old to learn” by telling the extraordinary life story of Chattanooga’s beloved Mary Walker in The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read, illustrated by Oge Mora.

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A Bright Shining Lie

Andrew Maraniss discusses his new book for young readers about the 1936 Olympic games in Berlin

Andrew Maraniss’ new YA nonfiction book, Games of Deception, recounts the experiences of the first U.S. Olympic basketball team in 1936, when Hitler put on a grand show to hide his plans for war. 

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“For Chloe, on Turning Eighteen”

Book Excerpt: Candescent

Linda Parsons’ poetry has appeared in The Georgia Review, Prairie Schooner, and Shenandoah, among many other journals and anthologies. She is playwright-in-residence for The Hammer Ensemble, the social justice wing of Flying Anvil Theatre in Knoxville. Candescent is her fifth poetry collection. 

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Beyond Hemingway

Ruta Sepetys’ The Fountains of Silence uncovers the hidden history of Franco’s Spain

Ruta Sepetys’ riveting fourth novel, The Fountains of Silence, shines light on yet another story the world has conspired to forget. 

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Siblings in Exile

A brother and sister wrestle with the past in Ann Patchett’s The Dutch House

Ann Patchett’s The Dutch House traces the complex and often torturous history of a pair of siblings and the alluring mansion they called home, once upon a time. 

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Don’t Let This Turn You Mean

In Silas House’s Southernmost, a pastor grapples with the evolution of his beliefs

In Silas House’s Southernmost, Asher Sharp’s evolving beliefs have estranged him from his congregation, but he pins his hopes on his young son. 

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