Amy Harmon is an accomplished storyteller who uses diary entries to highlight conflicts between presenting oneself as a man in a man’s brutal world while also feeling the emotions and desires of a woman. After marching in Deborah’s boots, it’s thrilling to know there’s much more to learn. An online search will link to Smithsonian displays, statues, parks, plaques, reference materials, and multiple media portrayals.
From New York Times bestselling author Amy Harmon comes the saga of a young woman who dares to chart her own destiny in life and love during the American Revolutionary War.
In 1760, Deborah Samson is born to Puritan parents in Plympton, Massachusetts. When her father abandons the family and her mother is unable to support them, Deborah is bound out as an indentured servant. From that moment on, she yearns for a life of liberation and adventure.
Twenty years later, as the American colonies begin to buckle in their battle for independence, Deborah, impassioned by the cause, disguises herself…
I’d seen the movie American Fiction around the same time I read James and thought it interesting that similar ironic humor about the ‘Black experience’ appeared in both. While looking up Everett’s biography, I discovered his 2001 book, Erasure, was used for the film adaptation. The author’s sarcasm, storytelling talent, and wit shine through every version of his work.
A recent NPR book reviewer said that Historical Fiction is an up-and-coming genre. Culturally we know that the educational narratives from our schools was lacking. For those motivated to learn, there’s a craving to hear from authors like Percival Everett who lead us into new ways of thinking, feeling, and understanding the history of our friends, neighbors, coworkers, and fellow Americans.
'Truly extraordinary books are rare, and this is one of them' - Roddy Doyle, Booker Prize-winning author of Paddy Clarke, Ha Ha Ha
James by Percival Everett is a profound and ferociously funny meditation on identity, belonging and the sacrifices we make to protect the ones we love, which reimagines The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. From the author of The Trees, shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and Erasure, adapted into the Oscar-winning film American Fiction.
The Mississippi River, 1861. When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a new…
This book paints a picture of a world-renown author in her cozy Marin County home designed to attract feathered friends. In it, we see a relaxed and curious Amy when she can observe and wonder without constraints, expectations, and stress. The book chronicles her life between 2017 – 2022 from COVID through California wildfires, and the death of dear friend. Within the pages, she reprimands free ranging cat owners – something she’s held back from doing on Facebook, - describes window fatalities, and death forensics. Her sketch pages are filled with behavioral notes and thought bubbles showing the voice and humor that made her who she is. Near the end she says, “When watching birds, I feel free.”
My wish for Ms. Tan is that she continues her journal project for as long as she has birds visiting her backyard.
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A gorgeous, witty account of birding, nature, and the beauty around us that hides in plain sight, written and illustrated by the best-selling author of The Joy Luck Club • With a foreword by David Allen Sibley
“Unexpected and spectacular” —Ann Patchett, best-selling author of These Precious Days
"The drawings and essays in this book do a lot more than just describe the birds. They carry a sense of discovery through observation and drawing, suggest the layers of patterns in the natural world, and emphasize a deep personal connection between the watcher and the…
This book is a vividly human re-imagining of the love, sacrifices, and history that laid tracks for the North America of today.
Leaving behind ancestral Chinese homelands and their family, brothers Yang and Lee face harrowing challenges as they join countless immigrants seeking a better life in the 1860s.This story follows their remarkable journey across the ocean to San Francisco, then into the Sierra Nevada Mountains, where they'll labor to build the Transcontinental Railroad. Surrounded by California's new marvels, and carrying their cultural traditions in their hearts, Yang and Lee find themselves in precarious situations. Their passions, struggles, dreams, and bravery create ripple effects for generations.
