Linda Sullivan, our book whisperer, is recommending fiction again this week, but more in the historical fiction genre with both authors deeply rooted in communicating the message accurately and effectively to their readers.
The first recommendation is The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett who was born and raised in Southern California, graduated from Stanford University and later earned her MFA in fiction at the University of Michigan.
Linda says The Vanishing Half is an interesting read:
“The many shades of skin color and how your shade determines value in society. Twins but far from identical! (that is the storyline) Read it. I don’t want to tell you anymore.”
Oh! This novel should be a mystery genre! I’m waiting for this book to be a movie or a Netflix series.
Linda’s second recommendation for this week: Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul.
Paul attended Spelman College and UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television and received her master’s in journalism from NYU. Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? is her first novel.
Linda gives us an inside teaser:
“Why did the White Hollywood legend, Kitty Karr Tate, leave her fortune to the St. John sisters? The sisters grew up next door to Kitty, but they are wealthy in their own right. Also, they are black. Even in 2017, the color difference raised eyebrows. We read the stories of three women, Hazel and Kitty from the past and Elise in the present, to find the answer. Some answers only lead to more questions.
“In this multigenerational historical fiction novel, Paul examines racism in the segregated South, colorism in the black community, and sexism in Hollywood from the 1930s to 2018.”
Linda recommends to read this in hard copy and not audio so you can flip back to pages if you need to as she says she couldn’t always keep everyone straight and had to flip back to found out who someone was or how they were connected.
I must comment on Linda’s recommendation from two weeks ago, i guess i haven’t learned that yet by Shauna Niequist. Oh, my goodness! Don’t miss it any way you can locate it! It will be one you will never forget and probably shouldn’t!
Remember: Knox County Online Library to search for Linda’s recommendations each week.
All of us have a story and I want to tell yours! Send them to susan@knoxtntoday.com