A routine DNA test upends Dani Shapiro’s sense of identity
Dani Shapiro was unprepared for a routine DNA test’s stunning revelation: that her beloved father was not a biological relative. Her new memoir, Inheritance, tracks the fallout of these results, one surprising revelation after another. Shapiro will discuss Inheritance at Parnassus Books in Nashville on January 30.
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In Shake Your Hips, Randy Fox tells the story of Nashville’s Excello Records
Nashville’s reputation as the capital of the country-music industry belies the fact that some of the city’s deepest, richest musical veins trace back to Nashville’s African-American community. In Shake Your Hips, Randy Fox describes the canny conversion of art and commerce that led Ernie Young to found Excello Records, tapping into the hidden heartbeat of Music City and broadcasting it to the world.
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Eli Saslow’s Rising Out of Hatred recounts one man’s confrontation with his own racism
In Rising Out of Hatred, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Eli Saslow tells the story of Derek Black, a former white nationalist who now speaks out against racism. Saslow will give a free public lecture at the University of Memphis on January 23.
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Peter Ash takes on both gangs and white supremacists in Nick Petrie’s most recent thriller
The trip to Memphis was supposed to be healing for combat veteran Peter Ash. Then he gets on the wrong side of both a powerful gang and a psychotic white supremacist. Nick Petrie will discuss Tear It Down at Novel in Memphis on January 22.
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Mesha Maren’s debut novel, Sugar Run, is a tale of suspense and gritty social realism
In Sugar Run, her debut novel, Mesha Maren explores the complications of addiction, obsession, and rural poverty through the lens of an ex-convict’s love affairs with two captivating and self-destructive women. Maren will discuss Sugar Run at Parnassus Books in Nashville on January 22.
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A Sky for Us Alone, the debut YA novel by Nashville author Kristin Russell, portrays a struggling coal-mining community
Kristin Russell’s A Sky for Us Alone opens on Harlowe Compton’s eighteenth birthday. It’s a wonderful summer day in the country. It’s also the last time Harlowe will see his older brother alive. Russell will appear at Parnassus Books in Nashville on January 18.
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