Growing Up Fast
Lola Kirke’s witty, insightful Wild West Village recalls a privileged, dysfunctional childhood and her journey to move past it. Kirke will discuss the book at Urban Cowboy Nashville on January 30.
Nonfiction
Safety Without Violence
White Property, Black Trespass by Nashville scholar and activist Andrew Krinks examines mass incarceration and racial hierarchies through a spiritual lens, with a perspective rooted in the belief that “there is life beyond the present order of exploitation, dispossession, and death.”
Soulful Dudes
In Before Elvis, acclaimed writer Preston Lauterbach digs into the deep culture of Black Memphis, finding the origins of the superstar’s music and style.
An American Original
Jeff Apter’s Carl Perkins: The King of Rockabilly tells the story of a legitimate rock ‘n’ roll pioneer, as influential as his more celebrated peers at Sun Records like Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash.
Latin Lessons
Immigration, Policy and the People of Latin America, a new book by attorney Bryce Ashby and historian Michael LaRosa, combines history, policy, and personal profiles to illuminate the diverse experiences of migrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela, and Colombia.
The Way Forward
Memphis-born storyteller Alice Faye Duncan has made it her life’s mission further the message of Martin Luther King Jr. through her transcendent work as a children’s author, educator, and librarian. Her recent picture books celebrate African American music as a source of joy and a form of resistance.
