Sponsored by Ridgerunner by Gil Adamson (House of Anansi).
After nearly twenty years, the notorious thief, known as the Ridgerunner, has returned. November 1917. William Moreland is in mid-flight. Moving through the Rocky Mountains and across the border to Montana, the solitary drifter, impoverished in means and aged beyond his years, is also a widower and a father. And he is determined to steal enough money to secure his son’s future. Part literary Western and part historical mystery, Ridgerunner is the follow-up to Gil Adamson’s award-winning and critically acclaimed novel The Outlander.
Welcome to Read This Book, the newsletter where I recommend a book you should add to your TBR, STAT! I stan variety in all things, and my book recommendations will be no exception. These must-read books will span genres and age groups. There will be new releases, oldie but goldies from the backlist, and the classics you may have missed in high school. Oh my! If you’re ready to diversify your books, then LEGGO!!
Yesterday the literary world celebrated Alice Walker’s 77th birthday! Here’s to many, many more. Ms. Walker is a poet, novelist, social activist, and blogger. She coined the word “womanist” and helped revive the life and works of Zora Neale Hurston and returned the once forgotten Harlem Renaissance titan into the forefront of American culture and literature. However, she is likely best known for her National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Color Purple.
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Mostly set in rural Georgia, The Color Purple focuses on Southern life during the 1930s for several African American women. Sisters Nettie and Celie are separated as girls but stay connected despite time, distance, and silence through letters.
Despite having book nerd status, my first experience with the story from The Color Purple was through the adaptation starring Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey. I absolutely loved it from the first time I watched it as a kid even though I didn’t fully understand all the dynamics at play. I didn’t actually read The Color Purple until my late 20s / early 30s. I’m both glad and disappointed about waiting that long to read this book. Reading it later in life allowed me to better understand those dynamics of race, gender, and sexuality present in the movie that my kid brain just couldn’t comprehend. However, waiting so long denied me the pleasure of reading such a rich and compelling story centered around Black women.
If you have never read The Color Purple, then I implore you to add the book to the top of your reading pile. The violence against women may make you hesitant, but procrastination means missing out on a powerful story about family, sisterhood, and the resilience of Black women in America.
Until next time bookish friends,
Katisha
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