Sunday Night Chat with Tayari Jones!

I blogged recently about the talented Tayari Jones, author of The Untelling, Leaving Atlanta, and the recently released Silver Sparrow, (which we'll be discussing in April 2012).  Ms Jones will be featured on a live chat TONIGHT, Sunday October 30th at 8 pm Central Time. It's free and readers can even submit questions either though the event web page, Twitter, or Facebook.

November discussion: King of the World, Muhammad Ali and the Rise of An American Hero

What a great conversation we had about Who Does She Think She Is? last week! It was great to welcome our new members, as well as several "veterans".

Next month's book, King of the World, is the powerful story of Muhammad Ali and his game-changing role in the civil rights movement, and the evolving imagery of black men in America. Author David Remnick contrasts the three major heavyweight champions of the 1960s (Sonny Liston, Floyd Patterson, and Ali) as competing models of black identity: the "Bad Negro", (Liston) the "Good Negro", (Patterson) and Ali, who refused to follow either prescribed role.Plenty to discuss  in this well-written book! As usual, call the Reader's Services desk at 847-448-8620 to register and reserve your copy.

Tuesday November 8th, 7:00 pm, Small Meeting Room of the Evanston Public Library

African American Halloween

As the nights get longer and the air chillier, our thoughts turn to ghostly spectres and brooding creatures of the night. If you've had your fill of Twilight, Anne Rice, and Freddie Kruger, maybe it's time to try some culturally diverse Halloween horror. I can't think of a better place to start than with Tananarive Due 's "African Immortals" series. Imagine a powerful tribe of, well...not vampires but superhuman beings who have experienced all of African American history firsthand. Dawit has survived as a black man for over 450 years, but he has one fatal flaw; he keeps falling in love. Will he be able to protect his mortal wife and child once they learn his secret? This atmospheric, romantic, and beautifully written thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Meet author Cameron McWhirter this Sunday

"Red Summer"

Sunday, October 16, 4 pm, Community Meeting Room, Main Library
Cameron McWhirter reads from and discusses his new book on the unprecedented wave of anti-black riots and lynchings which swept the country in 1919, and how Blacks responded by fighting back with an intensity and determination never seen before.. Focusing on the worst riots and lynchings—including those in Chicago, McWhirter chronicles the mayhem, while also exploring the first stirrings of a civil rights movement that would transform American society forty years later.

Meet Tayari Jones

Tayari Jones is a brilliant young sistah whose novels are tearing up the bestseller lists. Born in Atlanta, where most of her fiction is set, her debut, Leaving Atlanta recalls her experiences as a 10 year old during the mysterious and terrifying child murders of 1979-81. She followed that up with The Untelling, the compassionate story of a young woman dealing with infertility and family trauma. Her newest novel, The Silver Sparrow, depicts the growing relationship, and resentments between 2 teenage girls who discover they share a father. Never melodramatic, but with a gift for presenting sympathetic characters in unsympathetic situations. Jones is a writer to watch.

"Whatever Happened to Elvira?"

Join us at EPL for an evening with Northwestern English Professor Julia Stern, as she examines slavery and citizenship in Robert Alrich's film "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?"

Tuesday, October 4, 7 pm, Community Meeting Room, Evanston Public Library