The National Book Foundation released its longlist for fiction last week for the 2017 National Book Awards and “Sing, Unburied, Sing” by Jesmyn Ward, along with Margaret Wilkerson Sexton’s “A Kind of Freedom” (reviewed in this column Aug. 20) made the cut. Not surprising, of course, since Ward is a past National Book Award winner for “Salvage the Bones,” a novel about a family facing a hurricane on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, which is a gross simplification of the premise, but we’re limited for space.
“Sing, Unburied, Sing” also revolves around a Mississippi Coast family, told in multiple narratives: Jojo, a young boy coming of age; Leonie, his mother battling drug addiction and hallucinations of her dead brother when she is high; and Richie, the ghost of a young boy once imprisoned at Parchman Mississippi State Penitentiary. Jojo, his toddler sister, Leonie and a friend head up to Parchman to retrieve Jojo’s father, a white man who’s been serving time. Jojo’s grandfather, Pop, objects to the trip, which turns into a harrowing experience for the boy, a journey that transcends past and present when Ritchie arrives.
The book examines this fractured family with stalwart Pop as its unifying center, exposing the ugly truths that sometimes make up an American family, but also the strengths beneath. It’s an intimate portrayal of a family grappling with both hope and despair in many aspects of their lives. Ward’s beautiful, expressive language resonates throughout the book, drawing us into her reality, allowing us to feel and witness. Reading her story is akin to listening to music, lilting and powerful at the same time.
“When we pull off the highway and onto a back road, the sky is dark blue, turning its back to us, pulling a black sheet over its shoulder,” Jojo says as they make their way through Mississippi.
The audio version of the book is available with Chris Chalk, Rutina Wesley from “Queen Sugar” and “True Blood” fame and Kelvin Harrison Jr., a New Orleans native, reading passages. The book is also a finalist for the 2017 Kirkus Prize — and I’m sure more to come.
Ward grew up in DeLisle, Miss., and received her MFA from the University of Michigan, where she won five Hopwood awards for essays, drama, and fiction. A Stegner Fellow at Stanford, from 2008-2010, she has been named the 2010-11 Grisham Writer-in-Residence at the University of Mississippi. Her debut novel, “Where the Line Bleeds,” was an Essence Magazine Book Club selection, a Black Caucus of the ALA Honor Award recipient, and a finalist for both the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award and the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award. She is currently associate professor of creative writing at Tulane.
Ward will be signing her novel Oct. 10 at Octavia Books in New Orleans.
New releases
Two Louisiana authors – Patty Friedmann and M.A. Harper – will discuss and sign copies of their new books at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the East Bank Regional Library in Metairie. The event is free and open to the public.
Friedman is the author of “Organized Panic,” where sister is set against brother, born secular humanist against later-in-life evangelical Christian. In the end, Cesca and Ronald will have to face each other down, and each will have to try to prove the other is not above board. The manuscript took second place in the Faulkner-Wisdom competition. Friedman is the author of several novels, and she has served as writer-in-residence at Tulane University.
Harper is the author of “Things That Can Fall,” the latest novel in what she calls “Supernatural Lite.” Her character, Neil Overcash, wants Broadway stardom and stage manager Libby Papalekas wants Neil Overcash. Ramon wants to be a girl. Mickey and A.P. have no idea what they want, except each other. Welcome to Lower Manhattan, where it’s 1975 with disco barely born, AIDS yet unknown and violent crime rampant. Harper’s novels have been spotlighted via Barnes & Noble’s Discover Great New Writers program, the BookSense ‘76 List, TIME magazine and the 2015 Digital Book Awards where she was named as one of five finalists for Adult Fiction.
Also at the library is two New Orleans authors: Deborah Burst, author of “The Mystical Life of Trees” and Ronnie Virgets, author of “Saints and Lesser Souls.” They will talk about their latest works and sign copies at 7 p.m. Thursday at the East Bank Regional Library. Burst, a self-professed ambassador of trees, will share the beauty of trees from New Orleans to the Blue Ridge Mountains, and offer anecdotes of the healing power of nature. Virgets has written for several publications and been a radio and TV personality. He’s won an Emmy, an Edward R. Murrow award, two Eclipse honors and the 2001 Press Club of New Orleans Lifetime Achievement Award.
Lafayette Library
Matt de la Pena stops in Lafayette Thursday to talk about his children’s book, “Last Stop on Market Street.” The program will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the Main Library Meeting Room, but come early for a special tour of a city bus. For information on the author, visit http://mattdelapena.com/.
The Digital Bookmobile National Tour is also making a stop in Lafayette, from noon to 6 p.m. Monday at the South Regional Library. Traveling coast to coast, the newly updated 42-foot-long Toterhome mobile exhibit will provide an interactive experience for readers of all ages to explore eBooks and audiobooks available at the library. A high-tech update to the traditional bookmobile, visitors can learn how to borrow digital books, stop at the Gadget Gallery to explore a variety of devices, talk with eReading experts and so much more. Tours are free and open to the community. Readers can borrow eBooks and audiobooks anytime, anywhere by visiting http://bayouland.overdrive.com.
Book news
Margaret Simon of Iberia Parish Gifted Program will be speaking at the 2017 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) annual convention in St. Louis. Simon will present as a member of the panel, “Don't Give Up on Boys! How to Nurture Boy Readers and Writers.” The NCTE is dedicated to improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts at all levels of education.
Banned Books Week begins today and runs through Sept. 30, an annual celebration of the freedom to read. For this year’s celebration, the coalition of organizations that sponsor Banned Books Week — everyone from the American Library Association to the Center of the Book at the Library of Congress — will emphasize the importance of the First Amendment, which guarantees our inherent right to read.
Book events the week of Sept. 24-30
Dr. Jeff Foret, professor of history and distinguished faculty research fellow at Lamar University, will discuss his research for his nonfiction book project from 12 to 1 p.m. Tuesday at Nichol’s State University. His book follows the story of Washington, D.C. slave trader, William H. Williams, as he moved two dozen slaves from Virginia to Louisiana. The talk is part of the school’s Ellender Memorial Library’s traveling exhibit from the Historic New Orleans Collection, “Purchased Lives: The American Slave Trade from 1808 to 1865.”
William Barnwell signs “Angels in the Wilderness: Young and Black in New Orleans and Beyond,” at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Octavia Books in New Orleans.
Former U.S. representative and Louisiana Gov. Charles “Buddy” Roemer signs copies of his new book, “Scopena: A Memoir of Home,” at 6 p.m. Thursday at Barnes and Noble Baton Rouge-Citi Place and at 1 p.m. Saturday at Barnes and Noble Baton Rouge-Perkins Rowe.
Errol Laborde, Peggy Laborde and contributors to “New Orleans: The First 300 Years” will be on hand to discuss and sign the book at 6 p.m. Thursday at Garden District Book Shop in New Orleans.
Cheré Coen is the author of “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “Exploring Cajun Country.” She writes Louisiana romances and a paranormal mystery series under the pen name of Cherie Claire. Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.
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