A Publication of Humanities Tennessee

Defiance

Defiance

Defiance

C.J. Redwine

Balzer + Bray
432 pages
$9.99

“In this distinctively imagined dystopian fantasy, Rachel and Logan must throw their lots together in order to fight for justice against a cruel city-state dictator known as the Commander. At 15, Rachel possesses qualities normally forbidden to girls, such as fighting skills, self-confidence, and a nurtured belief in her own independence. …In alternating voices, Redwine unfolds the adventures, threats, deep disappointments, and hard-won gains the two teens experience. Logan is a tech whiz who places logic and planning above quick response, while Rachel’s passionate disposition has her reaching further than she can readily grasp. … Fans of Ursula K. Le Guin will be excited to meet this new but skilled fantasist.”

–Booklist

Go Down, Moses

November 19, 2013 In Swing Low, Sweet Harriet, her new historical novel for young readers, Knoxville writer Rhonda Hicks Rucker tells a suspenseful story of Civil War espionage and the inspiring struggle for freedom waged by African Americans—both those whose names we know, like Harriet Tubman, and many more unsung heroes.

A Twin, Untwinned

October 21, 2013 Just two months have passed since Marsh Windsor’s identical twin, Austin, was killed in a car wreck, with Marsh at the wheel. But what nobody imagines is the real reason behind the teen’s odd behavior. He’s seeking a “thin space,” a passage through which it’s possible to slip into the afterlife. Jody Casella will read from her debut novel, Thin Space, at The Booksellers at Laurelwood in Memphis on October 26, 2013, at 2 p.m.

Making the Ancient World Fresh and Relevant

October 4, 2013 Rick Riordan continues his popular Heroes of Olympus series with the fourth installment, The House of Hades, in which Percy Jackson and his friends head to the very gates of Hell. Today Riordan talks with Chapter 16 prior to his appearance at the twenty-fifth annual Southern Festival of Books, held in Nashville October 11-13, 2013. All festival events are free and open to the public.

Making the Ancient World Fresh and Relevant

Where the Plots Are

October 2, 2013 When Maile Meloy—the author of two novels and two short-story collections for adults—tried her hand at writing for children, the result was The Apothecary. Intelligent, deftly plotted, magical and historical in equal measure, the novel might easily win a kid over to books for a lifetime—that is, if her parents don’t swipe it from her first. Meloy will visit Nashville’s Parnassus Books on October 3, 2013, at 6:30 p.m. to read from The Apprentices, her newly released sequel to The Apothecary.

Where the Plots Are

Because It Makes our Hearts Glad

October 2, 2013 Janis Ian’s new picture book, The Tiny Mouse, marks the singer-songwriter’s first foray into children’s literature, although the two-time Grammy Award-winner is the author of a well-received 2008 autobiography, Society’s Child. Janis Ian will appear at the twenty-fifth annual Southern Festival of Books, held in Nashville October 11-13, 2013. All festival events are free and open to the public.

Because It Makes our Hearts Glad

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