Looking for your next great read? See what the Newfields librarians are reading and loving this month…
The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates
#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER – NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER – The renowned author of Between the World and Me journeys to three resonant sites of conflict to explore how the stories we tell—and the ones we don’t—shape our realities.
There are some authors whose writing is so elegant that you would read their grocery list—and Ta-Nehisi Coates is now one of them for me. This is my first book by Coates but will not be last. I picked this book up on a whim when I needed a quick audiobook to jumpstart my reading for the month.
While the book is physically light, its themes and message pack a punch. The book is technically divided into three essays, but it felt more like two halves upon reading. In part one, Coates reflects on his experience visiting Africa for the first time on a trip to Dakar, Senegal. He brings the city alive in this telling and shares the complex feelings he has visiting a continent he at once has roots in but simultaneously feels disconnected from.
We then move to Columbia, South Carolina where Coates writes about meeting a teacher whose job is threatened for teaching one of Coates’ books. The essay reflects on the rising tide of censorship, national identity, and who is allowed to tell stories—all amidst the backdrop of a place that remains steeped in Confederate history (and myth).
Then, we shift to the third and final essay on Palestine. And it is here that I think this book really shines.
When Coates visits Palestine, meeting with both Israelis and Palestinians, he discovers the jarring reality of the Israel-Palestine divide—something that is both physical, structural, and cultural—and how different that reality is on the ground compared to the Western narratives that have been promulgated for generations.
I can’t put into words how impactful Coates’ writing is. It is beautiful and elegant but also rings with such clarity and directness that the message (no pun intended) enters your mind but sits firmly in your soul.
Now, I’ll go ahead and wrap this review before I wax too poetic. But suffice to say this book is wonderful for both its style and quality of writing and even more so the message it delivers.
If you aren’t familiar with Coates’ work yet, this is a short book (the audiobook narration is just 5 hours) that is at once accessible and powerful. I highly recommend the audiobook as it is narrated by the author. But I did find myself wishing I had the physical copy in front of me so I could pore over the text more closely.
Whatever format you choose, you can’t go wrong. Just read it!
📖🎧This book is available to check out in our collection and on audiobook and ebook on the Libby app.
-Brittney T.
Mia Mayhem is a Superhero (Mia Mayhem #1) by Kara West, illustrated by Leeza Hernandez
Mia Macarooney is a regular eight-year-old girl who finds out that she’s A SUPERHERO! Her life literally goes from totally ordinary to totally super when she’s invited to attend the afterschool Program for In-Training Superheroes a.k.a. THE PITS! And the crazy thing is, in a weird meant-to-be sort of way, all of this news somehow feels super right. Because all her life, Mia thought she was just super klutz…but it turns out, she’s just SUPER! So now, it’s up to Mia to balance her regular everyday life and maintain her secret identity as she learns how to be the world’s newest superhero! -From the Publisher
Packed with heartfelt illustrations by Leeza Hernandez, Kara West crafts a warm and gratifying tale of Mia, an eight year old girl, who discovers she is, in fact, a superhero! Surrounded by an unassuming but caring family, Mia marvels at all the things she is truly capable of. Through the reframing of her reality, Mia finds a new sense of self-esteem and learns how much you can accomplish with a strong group of family and friends around you.
Filled with quirky and recognizable characters, this book is fantastic for an early chapter read. Whether read out loud or an early book to read by yourself, Mia Mayhem will help us all see what truly makes us super.
📖 This book series is available in our Early Chapter Book collection.
–Andy S.
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Ifemelu and Obinze are young and in love when they depart military-ruled Nigeria for the West. Beautiful, self-assured Ifemelu heads for America, where despite her academic success, she is forced to grapple with what it means to be Black for the first time. Quiet, thoughtful Obinze had hoped to join her, but with post-9/11 America closed to him, he instead plunges into a dangerous, undocumented life in London. Fifteen years later, they reunite in a newly democratic Nigeria, and reignite their passion—for each other and for their homeland. -Book jacket
“She rested her head against his and felt, for the first time, what she would often feel with him: a self-affection. He made her like herself. With him, she was at ease; her skin felt as though it was her right size.”
I can’t remember why I first picked up this book – I’m sure it was on a list somewhere or was some librarian/bookstore employee’s staff pick. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was instantly captivated.
Adichie is an astonishing writer. While this is indeed a powerful love story, it is also a piercing examination of identity, belonging, home, race, immigration, relationships, feminism, family…basically of the human experience. The story is compelling, the characters come to feel like your own friends, and even though the situations are worlds away from my own, the emotions are familiar and relatable.
📖 This book is available in our collection.
-Susan M.
