Book Reviews | Chapter 16

A Picture of Home, Bittersweet and Ephemeral

Photographer Heidi Ross and writer Ann Patchett capture the essence of the new Nashville—and the ghost of the old city, too

By Susannah Felts | November 5, 2018

Nashville: Scenes from the New American South, the new coffee-table book from photographer Heidi Ross and writer Ann Patchett, is true to its namesake—a glorious blur of music and lights and smiles and signs and people always on the move. Patchett and Ross will appear at Parnassus Books in Nashville on November 13 at 5:30 p.m.

A Fuller, Deeper Realization of the World

Objects compel attention in the art of Glennray Tutor

By Maria Browning | November 2, 2018

Portals provides a stunning selected retrospective of the work of painter Glennray Tutor, as well as an in-depth interview with the artist. Tutor will discuss the book at Novel in Memphis on November 11.

Convictions

Damien Echols guides readers through the spiritual practices that saved him on death row

By Emily Choate | October 31, 2018

“You’re already doing magick,” Damien Echols writes in High Magick, his introductory guide to the energy-based spiritual practices that helped him survive eighteen years on death row. Echols will discuss the book at Unity of Nashville on November 8 at 6:15 p.m.

The Black Scale

Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s Friday Black explores racial identity through satire

By Sean Kinch | October 30, 2018

Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s debut story collection depicts black characters who fear their race marks them as undesirable, or worse. Adjei-Brenyah will discuss Friday Black at Parnassus Books in Nashville on November 6, and at Novel in Memphis on November 7.

They Got the Beat

A new anthology considers the role of women artists in rock-n-roll

By Holly Gleason | October 29, 2018

Women Who Rock: Bessie to Beyonce, Girl Groups to Riot Grrrl, Evelyn McDonnell’s gorgeous new coffee-table book with illustrations by four impressive women visual artists, traces the evolution of women in music.

The Descent of Man

Barbara Kingsolver’s Unsheltered tells parallel stories of desperate families

By Sean Kinch | October 26, 2018

The protagonists of Barbara Kingsolver’s Unsheltered are two families, separated by 140 years, who occupy a dilapidated house during parallel periods of cultural crisis. Kingsolver will discuss Unsheltered at Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville on November 2. The event is part of the Salon@615 series.

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