The most recommended books about Atlanta

Who picked these books? Meet our 65 experts.

65 authors created a book list connected to Atlanta, and here are their favorite Atlanta books.
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A Man in Full

By Tom Wolfe,

Book cover of A Man in Full

Cara Bertoia Author Of The Perfect Breasts

From the list on showing life in the big city isn’t all glitz and glam.

Who am I?

When I was a child, I grew up in a very crowded house in suburbia with three sisters. Reading was the best way to escape all the mayhem. By the age of eight I was reading my parents’ novels, whatever books I could find. I wanted to move to a big city like the ones in their novels. At night I would tell myself Cinderella-type stories where I lived in a fabulous apartment and got to be the heroine. I took a class at Harvard Extension, and the professor read my story aloud to the group. From that day on I was hooked.

Cara's book list on showing life in the big city isn’t all glitz and glam

Why did Cara love this book?

I lived in Atlanta for a while and this is a great novel about the New South. Reading this novel is like taking a master class in real estate investing.

As with every Tom Wolfe novel it is a huge sprawling book that explores where all classes and races that inhabit a huge city intersect. Charles Croker a prosperous real estate investor is deeply in debt but that doesn’t stop the demands of his much younger trophy wife. Race relations are shattered when Fareek Fanon a star running back for a local college is accused of raping a girl from a prominent family.

Wolfe’s attention to detail paints a full picture of a city in the midst of change. 

By Tom Wolfe,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked A Man in Full as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A dissection of greed-obsessed America a decade after The Bonfire of the Vanities and on the cusp of the millennium, from the master chronicler of American culture Tom Wolfe

Charlie Croker, once a fabled college football star, is now a late-middle-aged Atlanta real estate entrepreneur-turned conglomerate king. His expansionist ambitions and outsize ego have at last hit up against reality. Charlie has a 28,000 acre quail shooting plantation, a young and demanding second wife and a half-empty downtown tower with a staggering load of debt. Wolfe shows us contemporary America with all the verve, wit, and insight that have made…


Book cover of Something Rich and Strange: Selected Stories

Claire Fullerton Author Of Mourning Dove

From the list on Southern books that touch upon culture, history, and society.

Who am I?

I'm the multiple, award-winning author of 4 novels and one novella, raised in Memphis, Tennessee, and now living in Southern California. The geographical distance gives me a laser-sharp, appreciative perspective of the South, and I celebrate the literary greats from the region. The South is known as the last romantic place in America, and I believe this to be true. The South’s culture, history, and social mores are part and parcel to its fascinating characters, and nothing is more important in the South than the telling of a good story. As a writer, I'm in love with language. I love Southern turns of phrase and applaud those writers who capture Southern nuance. It is well worth writing about Southern sensibilities.

Claire's book list on Southern books that touch upon culture, history, and society

Why did Claire love this book?

Ron Rash is a national, literary treasure. The author of multiple award-winning novels, this book is an assembly of 34 short stories, most set in Appalachia, and depicting the social nuances and landscape of the American rural South. I recommend this because it will provide a great introduction to the incomparable author known as The Appalachian Shakespeare. As a writer, Ron Rash epitomizes the idea of landscape as destiny, and his well-drawn characters come to life from his flawless use of regional language. 

By Ron Rash,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Something Rich and Strange as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the acclaimed, New York Times bestselling award-winning author of Serena and The Cove, thirty of his finest short stories, collected in one volume.

No one captures the complexities of Appalachia—a rugged, brutal landscape of exquisite beauty—as evocatively and indelibly as author and poet Ron Rash. Winner of the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, two O Henry prizes, and a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, Rash brilliantly illuminates the tensions between the traditional and the modern, the old and new south, tenderness and violence, man and nature. Though the focus is regional, the themes of Rash’s work are universal,…


Book cover of The Greatest Player Who Never Lived: A Golf Story

James Y. Bartlett Author Of The Majors Collection: Hacker Golf Mystery Box Set

From the list on golf fiction.

Who am I?

I started writing about golf years ago… I went from freelancing to working for Golfweek and pretty soon had a career! I thought I had a brilliant idea: a series of mysteries with a golf theme! Then I learned there were about 267 other golf mysteries already out there, starting with Dame Agatha’s Murder on the Links! Oops.  I eventually wrote seven Hacker novels, finally getting my golf-writer-turned-sleuth through all four majors. I also published a historical novel set in Scotland (sorry, no golf) and just launched the new Swamp Yankee Mystery series, set in a small Rhode Island town remarkably similar to the one I live in!

James' book list on golf fiction

Why did James love this book?

J. Michael Veron is a trial lawyer and avid golfer who has written a trilogy of legal thrillers (he’s been called the John Grisham of golf) that all have a strong golf theme. The Greatest Player was the first, featuring a summer intern at an Atlanta law firm who finds an old file of correspondence between the legendary Bobby Jones (who was, when not winning most of the golf tournaments between 1920 and 1930, when he retired from tournament golf, an Atlanta attorney) and a fictional teen-aged golf prodigy named Beau Stedman.

There’s a murder mystery and a court case and a lot of golf from the Golden Age of the sport.

By J. Michael Veron,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Greatest Player Who Never Lived as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When Charley Hunter goes to work as a summer intern at a prestigious Atlanta law firm, he has no idea that his passion for golf will come into play on the job. Stumbling onto a yellowed file containing correspondence between Beau Stedman, an astonishingly talented teenage golfer, and the legendary Bobby Jones (once a partner at the firm), Hunter finds himself embroiled in a decades-old murder case–and searching for an invisible champion who won nearly all his matches with the masters.

As Hunter unravels the facts of Stedman’s case, his hunger for the truth is matched only by his deepening…


The Last Widow

By Karin Slaughter,

Book cover of The Last Widow

Steve Liskow Author Of Oh Lord, Won't You Steal Me a Mercedes Benz

From the list on mysteries featuring feisty females.

Who am I?

I grew up in a family of strong women, and have always been drawn to women with brains and a sense of humor. When I worked in theater as an actor, director, and designer, my favorite stage manager and designers were women because they looked at the production challenges from a different angle than mine, so we both learned something while coming up with the best possible ideas and solutions. I can’t stand fluffy “victim” females. The women in my stories are always looking for a better way and a better world. Both my detective series feature several strong, resourceful women that complement the male detective, adding humor and insight, and—I hope—more humanity.

Steve's book list on mysteries featuring feisty females

Why did Steve love this book?

Doctor Sarah Linton, the star of an earlier series before this one, is now a medical examiner and her partner is Will Trent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. When a group of domestic terrorists and survivalists bomb two hospitals and the office of the Center for Disease Control, Sarah rushes to the scene to help. The group kidnaps her and she’s forced into a male-dominated commune where she has to rely on her wits and her acting skills to survive, while trying to get word out to Will and his colleagues where the group is hiding…hopefully, before they strike again to unleash an environmental disaster that will kill millions of people. 

By Karin Slaughter,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Last Widow as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller!

It begins with an abduction.
The routine of a family shopping trip is shattered when Michelle Spivey is snatched as she leaves the mall with her young daughter. The police search for her, her partner pleads for her release, but in the end...they find nothing. It's as if she disappeared into thin air.

A month later, on a sleepy Sunday afternoon,
medical examiner Sara Linton is at lunch with her boyfriend Will Trent, an agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. But the serenity of the summer's day is broken by the wail of…


Atlanta, 1847-1890

By James Michael Russell,

Book cover of Atlanta, 1847-1890: City Building in the Old South and the New

Wendy Hamand Venet Author Of Gone But Not Forgotten: Atlantans Commemorate the Civil War

From the list on 19th century Atlanta Georgia.

Who am I?

Wendy Hamand Venet is an emeritus professor of history at Georgia State University. She is the author or editor of three books about Atlanta, Sam Richards’s Civil War Diary: A Chronicle of the Atlanta Home Front (edited work); A Changing Wind: Commerce and Conflict in Civil War Atlanta; Gone but not Forgotten: Atlantans Commemorate the Civil War.

Wendy's book list on 19th century Atlanta Georgia

Why did Wendy love this book?

This book provides an excellent overview of Atlanta’s rise from humble beginnings as a rail hub before the Civil War to a thriving commercial center by the end of the century. Russell argues that the war accelerated Atlanta’s commercial and industrial development, but its path was already set before General William T. Sherman’s army arrived during the Civil War. White business elites dominated city politics until the election of Atlanta’s first Black mayor, Maynard Jackson, in 1973.

White Flight

By Kevin M. Kruse,

Book cover of White Flight: Atlanta and the Making of Modern Conservatism

Kyle Burke Author Of Revolutionaries for the Right: Anticommunist Internationalism and Paramilitary Warfare in the Cold War

From the list on the history of American conservatism.

Who am I?

I’m a professor of modern US and global history at Hartwick College in upstate New York. I have been reading and researching the history of conservative and right-wing movements in the United States and the wider world for almost two decades. My first book, Revolutionaries for the Right: Anticommunist Internationalism and Paramilitary Warfare in the Cold War, was published by University of North Carolina Press in 2018. My articles, essays, and reviews have appeared in Jacobin, Diplomatic History, Terrorism and Political Science, H-War, and H-Diplo. I’m currently at work on two projects: a history of the transatlantic white power movement and a film documentary about the short-lived white supremacist nation of Rhodesia and its contemporary legacies.

Kyle's book list on the history of American conservatism

Why did Kyle love this book?

The rise of the right was in many ways a southern phenomenon as the Old South transformed into the Sun Belt. White Flight explores how white supremacy and fears over desegregation propelled the conservative movement in Atlanta and on the national stage. As federal initiatives spelled the end for segregation in the 1950s and 1960s, southern whites managed to preserve racial discrimination through more subtle avenues. Whites fled Atlanta’s urban core for its suburbs where they reformed the world of white supremacy, giving birth to new causes such as tax revolts, tuition vouchers, and the privatization of public services.

By Kevin M. Kruse,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked White Flight as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

During the civil rights era, Atlanta thought of itself as "The City Too Busy to Hate," a rare place in the South where the races lived and thrived together. Over the course of the 1960s and 1970s, however, so many whites fled the city for the suburbs that Atlanta earned a new nickname: "The City Too Busy Moving to Hate." In this reappraisal of racial politics in modern America, Kevin Kruse explains the causes and consequences of "white flight" in Atlanta and elsewhere. Seeking to understand segregationists on their own terms, White Flight moves past simple stereotypes to explore the…


Echoes of the Soul

By Echo Bodine,

Book cover of Echoes of the Soul: The Soul's Journey Beyond the Light - Through Life, Death, and Life After Death

Lois Cloarec Hart Author Of Walking the Labyrinth

From the list on beginning a metaphysical awakening.

Who am I?

My passion for metaphysics was ignited by an odd sequence of events that followed my husband’s death in 2001. He had been profoundly affected by progressive multiple sclerosis. Yet, beginning the night after his death and for the twenty-two years since, he has reached out to me time and again. I take great comfort in knowing that he's still somewhere, and very much his former vibrant, funny, loving self. Even though my life has moved on, and I met the woman who would later become my wife, my late husband remains very much a part of my life and spiritual education. As to who I am—only time will tell.

Lois' book list on beginning a metaphysical awakening

Why did Lois love this book?

As part of my metaphysical quest, I had several readings through a medium my sister-in-law recommended.

In the second reading, my late husband came through loud and clear, and I was given a recommendation to read Echoes of the Soul. When I read it, it was as if I remembered it, rather than reading it for the first time. I understand this book, too, was a soul signal I set before birth that kept me moving toward my destiny.

My wife and I had the opportunity several years later to attend a seminar Echo Bodine conducted in Atlanta, and Echo was as impressive in person as on the pages of Echoes of the Soul.

By Echo Bodine,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Echoes of the Soul as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A renowned psychic's soul-stirring odyssey to spiritual realms beyond the material world.


The Quilts of Gee’s Bend

By William Arnett, Alvia Wardlaw, Jane Livingston, John Beardsley, Paul Arnett

Book cover of The Quilts of Gee’s Bend

Susan Goldman Rubin Author Of The Quilts of Gee's Bend

From the list on quilting created by African American women.

Who am I?

I first saw the quilts of Gee’s Bend at the Whitney Museum in New York. I was wowed! I viewed the quilts as works of art and included some in a book I was doing, Art Against the Odds: From Slave Quilts to Prison Paintings. But I wanted to show and tell more about the quilters. Who were these women who dreamed up incredible designs and made art out of scraps despite their poverty and hard lives? Since I never quilted I had to find out how they did it, and realized that quilting not only produced covers for their families, but expressed individual creativity, and brought women together.

Susan's book list on quilting created by African American women

Why did Susan love this book?

I used this adult coffee table book as a main reference for writing my children’s book of the same title. The amazing reproductions of the quilts are beautiful. The colors glow. I could see the bits of patterns –flowers, triangles, plaids – ingeniously composed like abstract paintings. Captions give the names of the quilters.  And there are photos of them as well as vintage pictures. Quotes from the quilters tell their histories. One of the most touching stories was by Missouri Pettway who told that when her Daddy died her mother took his old work clothes to make a quilt “to remember him, and cover-up under it for love.” I have seen this extraordinary quilt displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and remembering the story behind it, was deeply moved.

By William Arnett, Alvia Wardlaw, Jane Livingston, John Beardsley, Paul Arnett

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Quilts of Gee’s Bend as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Since the 19th century, the women of Gee’s Bend in southern Alabama have created stunning, vibrant quilts. Beautifully illustrated with 110 color illustrations, The Quilts of Gee’s Bend includes a historical overview of the two hundred years of extraordinary quilt-making in this African-American community, its people, and their art-making tradition. This book is being·released in conjunction with a national exhibition tour including The Museum of Fine Art, Houston, the Whitney Museum of American Art, The Corcoran Gallery of Art, The Museum of Fine Art, Boston, The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Milwaukee Art Museum, The High Museum of Art, Atlanta,…


Book cover of Race and the Atlanta Cotton States Exposition of 1895

Wendy Hamand Venet Author Of Gone But Not Forgotten: Atlantans Commemorate the Civil War

From the list on 19th century Atlanta Georgia.

Who am I?

Wendy Hamand Venet is an emeritus professor of history at Georgia State University. She is the author or editor of three books about Atlanta, Sam Richards’s Civil War Diary: A Chronicle of the Atlanta Home Front (edited work); A Changing Wind: Commerce and Conflict in Civil War Atlanta; Gone but not Forgotten: Atlantans Commemorate the Civil War.

Wendy's book list on 19th century Atlanta Georgia

Why did Wendy love this book?

The 1895 Cotton States and International Exposition, a seminal moment in Atlanta’s history, is best remembered as the setting for Booker T. Washington’s opening day address in which he suggested that the races could be “as separate as the fingers” in “all things social.” Theda Perdue considers the white supremacist attitudes of the fair’s organizers and the ways in which people of color were represented. The designated Negro Building allowed Black educators and artists to showcase their accomplishments in a segregated setting, but exhibits about Native Americans by the Smithsonian and Office of Indian Affairs treated them as ancient cultures of the past and not as vibrant cultures of the present.

By Theda Perdue,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Race and the Atlanta Cotton States Exposition of 1895 as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Cotton States Exposition of 1895 was a world's fair in Atlanta held to stimulate foreign and domestic trade for a region in an economic depression. This uses the exposition to examine the competing agendas of white supremacist organizers and the peoples of colour who participated.


The Downstairs Girl

By Stacey Lee,

Book cover of The Downstairs Girl

Carol Gordon Ekster Author Of Trucker Kid

From Carol's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Who am I?

Author Passionate Educator Learner Determined

Carol's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Plus, Carol's 8-year-old's favorite books.

Why did Carol love this book?

I love books that deal with justice and make you feel strong emotions. This book did that and more.

The story included discrimination against Chinese and Black Americans in the South in the early 1900s. The plot was moving, riveting and the writing was impeccable.

I'd often stop and be amazed at the wonderful way the author strung her words together. Stacey Lee is a talented and unique writer. It was filled with love, hope, and surprises. 

By Stacey Lee,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Downstairs Girl as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A Reese's Book Club YA Pick and New York Times Bestseller
 
From the critically acclaimed author of Luck of the Titanic, Under a Painted Sky, and Outrun the Moon comes a powerful novel about identity, betrayal, and the meaning of family.

By day, seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady's maid for the cruel daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta. But by night, Jo moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column for the genteel Southern lady, "Dear Miss Sweetie." When her column becomes wildly popular, she uses the power of the pen to address…


Vernon Can Read!

By Vernon Jordan Jr., Annette Gordon-Reed,

Book cover of Vernon Can Read!: A Memoir

Paul Kendrick Author Of Nine Days: The Race to Save Martin Luther King Jr.'s Life and Win the 1960 Election

From the list on memoirs of the civil rights movement.

Who am I?

My father and I have written three books of narrative history. We tell stories from the American past that have a theme of interracial collaboration. Not sentimentally, but so that in a clear-eyed way, we can learn from moments in our history that may offer us hopeful ways forward. Growing up, I was shaped by narrative history techniques such as Simple Justice: The History of Brown v. Board of Education and Black America's Struggle for Equality by Richard Kluger and Taylor Branch’s America in the King Years trilogy. For this list, I wanted to share five favorite civil rights movement memoirs.

Paul's book list on memoirs of the civil rights movement

Why did Paul love this book?

Like Andrew Young, Vernon Jordan was another generous, legendary person who I treasured interviewing for Nine Days. Sadly, he passed away this year, but left us a captivating account of his life, from childhood in Georgia to being a young lawyer under Donald Hollowell facing life and death stakes to surviving an assassination attempt. Jordan was a masterful orchestrator of change who appreciated his mentors and taught us all through this book.

By Vernon Jordan Jr., Annette Gordon-Reed,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Vernon Can Read! as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

As a young college student in Atlanta, Vernon E. Jordan, Jr. had a summer job driving a white banker around town. During the man's post-luncheon siestas, Jordan passed the time reading books, a fact that astounded his boss."Vernon can read!" the man exclaimed to his relatives. Nearly fifty years later, Vernon Jordan, now a senior executive at Lazard Freres, long-time civil rights leader, adviser and close friend to presidents and business leaders and one of the most charismatic figures in America, has written an unforgettable book about his life and times. The story of Vernon Jordan's life encompasses the sweeping…


Finding Balance

By Kati Gardner,

Book cover of Finding Balance

Kate Larkindale Author Of Stumped

From the list on YA with amputee characters.

Who am I?

I’m a YA writer who likes to tackle difficult subject matter. My books cover things like euthanasia, drug abuse, coming out, and accessing sex as someone with a disability. If my books are found by even just one person who needs to see themselves in a story, then I feel like my job is done.

Kate's book list on YA with amputee characters

Why did Kate love this book?

This book deals with two different experiences of being a cancer survivor which is not something I've seen in a book before. I liked the way the book explored the idea of visible and invisible disabilities and how people view them differently. It's not a subject I've seen covered often in YA books and it's something so many people deal with every day. Jase was a jerk through a lot of the book, but I felt like this behavior was realistic given his past and his desire not to be seen through the cancer lens. His growth through the book was the most significant and it was gratifying to see the way his friendship with Mari changed his perspective on the world and his place in it.

By Kati Gardner,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Finding Balance as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Jase Ellison doesnt remember having acute lymphocytic leukemia when he was three years old. His cancer diagnosis only enters his mind twice a year. Once at his yearly checkup at the oncology clinic and one when he attends Camp Chemo in the summer. No one in his real life knows about his past, especially his friends at Atlanta West Prep. Mari Manos has never been able to hide her cancer survivorship. She wakes every morning, grabs her pink forearm clip crutches, and starts her day. Mari loves Camp Chemowhere shes developed a healthy crush on fellow camper Jase. At Camp,…


Free Rein

By Gillian Rolton,

Book cover of Free Rein: The Autobiography of an Olympic Heroine

Rita Lee Chapman Author Of Winston - A Horse's Tale

From the list on horse lovers.

Who am I?

I have always loved horses and riding. My dream was to become a showjumper but, unfortunately, my opportunities in London were limited and although I rode a lot in Australia, my jumping was limited to the odd log in the bush. I’m an avid reader and particularly enjoy horse books written for adults, which is why I wrote a book for horse lovers. I have recommended books that gave me pleasure and which I am sure other horse lovers will enjoy.

Rita's book list on horse lovers

Why did Rita love this book?

Free Rein is the autobiography of two-time Australian Olympic champion, Gill Rolton, who famously remounted at the Atlanta Olympics with a broken collarbone to finish the team event. Gillian was a late starter to eventing at the age of twenty-one but went on to compete for thirty years. This autobiography reveals the injuries to herself and her horses which meant missing the LA and Seoul Olympics, the success she achieved with her wonderful horse, Peppermint Grove and her inclusion in the Australia Sporting Hall of Fame.

By Gillian Rolton,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Free Rein as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?


the autobiography of two-time Olympic gold medallist equestrian Gillian Rolton. Gill Rolton is one of Australiaᱠmost accomplished riders. Her riding career has spanned over 30 years and includes Olympic Games, World Championships and internationals. Even more impressive when you find out Gill started eventing and showjumping at the relatively late age of 21. Free Rein follows Gill from her days as a horse-mad, music-loving Adelaide surfie chick to her inclusion in the Australian Sporting Hall of Fame. She reveals how injury to horse and rider meant she missed out on the LA Olympics and also on Seoul. After the incredible…


The Seminarian

By Patrick Parr,

Book cover of The Seminarian: Martin Luther King Jr. Comes of Age

W. Jason Miller Author Of Origins of the Dream: Hughes's Poetry and King's Rhetoric

From the list on Martin Luther King, Jr. and his words.

Who am I?

Lost audio reels, archived poetry drafts, personal interviews, and undeveloped photograph negatives spark my compulsive curiosity to tell stories about language that people have never heard. Uncovering what is hidden has led to a digital project dedicated to Martin Luther King’s first “I Have a Dream” speech, a museum exhibit based on never-before-seen images of an 1,800 person KKK march staged in opposition to a King appearance in 1966, and an intimate interview with Dorothy Cotton about her memories of Dr. King. Of my three books, I have written a recent biography, Langston Hughes: Critical Lives. Part of my current research details the poet’s collaborative relationship with jazz singer Nina Simone.  

W.'s book list on Martin Luther King, Jr. and his words

Why did W. love this book?

Ever wonder how a kid from Atlanta became the leader of the 1960s civil rights movement? This book shows you through its rare photographs and compressed prose. Focusing on the crucial (and overlooked) years in King’s life (when he was training to be the preacher we now know), this book shows him shooting pool as much as studying. Remarkable interviews with his classmates, as well as a stunner with a white woman King seriously considered marrying, make this a real page-turner.

By Patrick Parr,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Seminarian as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

2019 Washington State Book Award Finalist (Biography/Memoir)  * Excerpted in The Atlantic and Politico  *TIME Magazine - One of 6 Books to Read in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Death
 
Martin Luther King Jr. was a cautious nineteen-year-old rookie preacher when he left Atlanta, Georgia, to attend divinity school up north. At Crozer Theological Seminary, King, or "ML" back then, immediately found himself surrounded by a white staff and white professors. Even his dorm room had once been used by wounded Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. In addition, his fellow seminarians were almost all…


Book cover of Atlanta, Cradle of the New South: Race and Remembering in the Civil War's Aftermath

Wendy Hamand Venet Author Of Gone But Not Forgotten: Atlantans Commemorate the Civil War

From the list on 19th century Atlanta Georgia.

Who am I?

Wendy Hamand Venet is an emeritus professor of history at Georgia State University. She is the author or editor of three books about Atlanta, Sam Richards’s Civil War Diary: A Chronicle of the Atlanta Home Front (edited work); A Changing Wind: Commerce and Conflict in Civil War Atlanta; Gone but not Forgotten: Atlantans Commemorate the Civil War.

Wendy's book list on 19th century Atlanta Georgia

Why did Wendy love this book?

This book looks at Atlanta’s role in the emergence of a “New South” and the way that journalist and civic leader Henry Grady used the story of Atlanta’s wartime burning and destruction and its postwar rebuilding to rebrand the city. While supporting segregation in the South, Grady urged northern Whites to invest in the New South economy and denied that the region had a race problem. Black Atlantans presented an alternate narrative, one that emphasized the war as a first step in the fight for freedom and equality. The Atlanta Race Riot of 1906 left Grady’s New South concept “tattered and frayed”; the term was seldom used after that.

By William A. Link,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Atlanta, Cradle of the New South as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

After conquering Atlanta in the summer of 1864 and occupying it for two months, Union forces laid waste to the city in November. William T. Sherman's invasion was a pivotal moment in the history of the South and Atlanta's rebuilding over the following fifty years came to represent the contested meaning of the Civil War itself. The war's aftermath brought contentious transition from Old South to New for whites and African Americans alike. Historian William Link argues that this struggle defined the broader meaning of the Civil War in the modern South, with no place embodying the region's past and…


Magic Tides

By Ilona Andrews,

Book cover of Magic Tides

Kat Wheeler Author Of There Is No Cloud

From Kat's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Who am I?

Author Technologist Marketer Reader Author Sports Junkie

Kat's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Why did Kat love this book?

For those mourning the conclusion of the ten-book Kate Daniels series, rejoice! Ilona Andrews gifts us with Magic Tides, a riveting extension set a few years after we last left our fierce heroine.

Kate's brilliance, unyielding spirit, and savviness have cemented her as an iconic figure in urban fantasy (and my personal fave). Now outside of Atlanta, she and her family plunge into fresh adventures, but with that familiar kickass flair and intricately woven mythology that's unparalleled in the genre. This isn't just an urban fantasy—it's the gold standard.

By Ilona Andrews,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Magic Tides as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


The Story of O

By Pauline Reage,

Book cover of The Story of O

Candace Blevins Author Of Quinacridone

From the list on kinky stories published before the internet was a thing.

Who am I?

I am fifty-five years old, and I’ve been active in the BDSM lifestyle since my early twenties. My Safeword series was written because, at the time, most of the BDSM hitting the ebook market was clearly written by people who’d never felt the sting of a whip. I was certain I could do better, and eventually, after six attempts, I wrote something I thought a publisher might be interested in. Fifteen years later, I write mostly paranormal romance, but a fair amount of kink and power exchange still sneaks in. Vampires and werewolves aren’t known for submitting to others, after all.

Candace's book list on kinky stories published before the internet was a thing

Why did Candace love this book?

I was first introduced to The Story of O in a college psychology book, where a three-paragraph exerpt was listed, which I read and reread, over and over.

I needed the entire book, but since this was around 1987, finding one in a bookstore in Chattanooga (also known as the buckle of the bible belt) proved difficult. A friend found me a copy in Atlanta, and I devoured it.

I’d known something wasn’t normal about my sexual tastes, and this told me at least one more person on the planet felt the same as me. I wasn’t certain what to think about the fact the book was published in 1954.

I also learned about the Marquis de Sade in that psych class, but he was a bit over the top for me.

By Pauline Reage,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Story of O as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The classic French erotic bestseller that preceded Fifty Shades of Grey

A beautiful young French woman, known only as 'O', is taken by her lover Rene to a splendid mansion near Paris. Here, she is initiated into an elite secret society, where she must learn to serve the sexual fantasies of Rene and his fellow members. But she must also explore the nature of her own darkest desires - and confront just how far she is willing to go for love...


All Her Little Secrets

By Wanda M Morris,

Book cover of All Her Little Secrets

Bonnie Kistler Author Of The Cage

From the list on office thrillers keeping you on the edge of your chair.

Who am I?

I’m a full-time novelist now, but for twenty-plus years, I was a practicing attorney. I was a business litigator, representing companies that were suing or being sued by other companies. I toiled away in high-rise office buildings, danced around office politics, and got up close and personal views of how people of every stripe navigate their work and lives in the office. I witnessed sexual harassment, bloodless coups, financial scandals, and professional disgrace—but I also enjoyed the support and encouragement and lifelong friendships that can come from collaborative work experiences. I like to think of the office environment as a petri dish to examine the full range of human behavior.

Bonnie's book list on office thrillers keeping you on the edge of your chair

Why did Bonnie love this book?

All Her Little Secrets brings the office thriller into the 21st century. Gone is the stereotypical white male protagonist. Ellice Littlejohn is a woman and an Ivy-educated Black lawyer with a harrowing back story full of poverty, abuse, and addiction. This novel doesn’t shy away from tackling institutionalized corporate racism, but make no mistake: it’s a thriller through and through. It’s wildly entertaining to follow Ellice in a climactic chase scene through office cubicles that are almost as adrenaline-spiked as Vertical Run.

By Wanda M Morris,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked All Her Little Secrets as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

“All Her Little Secrets is a brilliantly nuanced but powerhouse exploration of race, the legal system, and the crushing pressure of keeping secrets. Morris brings a vibrant and welcome new voice to the thriller space.” —Karin Slaughter, New York Times and international bestselling author  

In this fast-paced thriller, Wanda M. Morris crafts a twisty mystery about a black lawyer who gets caught in a dangerous conspiracy after the sudden death of her boss . . . A debut perfect for fans of Attica Locke, Alyssa Cole, Harlan Coben, and Celeste Ng, with shades of How to Get Away with Murder…


To 'Joy My Freedom

By Tera W. Hunter,

Book cover of To 'Joy My Freedom: Southern Black Women's Lives and Labors After the Civil War

Alison Lefkovitz Author Of Strange Bedfellows: Marriage in the Age of Women's Liberation

From the list on the politics of doing the laundry.

Who am I?

I dig into family dramas of the past. But these dramas interest me most when I understand how personal stories intersected with the legal and policy structures that shaped what was possible for families. Overall, I am interested in the many ways that inequality—between races, genders, and classes—began at home. I am now working on a project on sex across class lines in the 20th century United States. I am an associate professor in the Federated History Department at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers-Newark.

Alison's book list on the politics of doing the laundry

Why did Alison love this book?

In the postbellum south, black women did the bulk of the laundry. Tera Hunter’s beautiful book tracks washerwomen’s everyday lives at work and at leisure in Atlanta in the late 19th century. Some of the most inspiring sequences analyze a strike in 1881 on the eve of the International Cotton Exposition. Though washerwomen controlled the conditions of their labor much more than many other domestic workers, they received paltry wages for tough work.

Before the exposition, a washerwoman secret society canvassed the city to recruit all washerwomen to join the work stoppage, and in three weeks, three thousand washerwomen were striking. The city tried to put down the strike by threatening a $25 license for each worker; the strikers defeated it by reframing it as a fee that would force the city to protect their livelihoods. The city walked back the license, and the washerwomen successfully countered Atlanta boosters’…

By Tera W. Hunter,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked To 'Joy My Freedom as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

As the Civil War drew to a close, newly emancipated black women workers made their way to Atlanta--the economic hub of the newly emerging urban and industrial south--in order to build an independent and free life on the rubble of their enslaved past. In an original and dramatic work of scholarship, Tera Hunter traces their lives in the postbellum era and reveals the centrality of their labors to the African-American struggle for freedom and justice. Household laborers and washerwomen were constrained by their employers' domestic worlds but constructed their own world of work, play, negotiation, resistance, and community organization.

Hunter…


Bet Your Bottom Dollar

By Karin Gillespie,

Book cover of Bet Your Bottom Dollar

Cheryel Hutton Author Of The Ugly Truth

From the list on getting you lost in small town life.

Who am I?

I was raised in a don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-it town in southeast Tennessee. I was embarrassed by where I came from for a long time, and worked on getting rid of my tell-tale accent. Then, as the years went on,  I figured out who I am as a person was shaped by being a small-town Southern girl. So I embraced my Southerness. When I started writing fiction, it never occurred to me to set my books anywhere but small towns, and every one of them is. I’m fact, with the exception of one, all my books are set in Tennessee. At this point, I can't imagine not writing small-town stories.

Cheryel's book list on getting you lost in small town life

Why did Cheryel love this book?

This is one of my all-time favorite novels.

It's a very funny take on a small Southern town. The characters could be people I know or grew up with, and that made me laugh all the harder. Not that you can't enjoy the book if you aren't Southern. The story is one about community and friendship. And it'll also give you a taste of being Southern.

It's a book I definitely recommend.

By Karin Gillespie,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Bet Your Bottom Dollar as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

WARM AND WITTY, A FEAST FOR THE HEART ... "Use your very last bottom dollar, if you have to. Just BUY THIS BOOK. You will laugh yourself sick and love every minute of it." - Jill Conner Browne, The Sweet Potato Queen Welcome to the Bottom Dollar Emporium in Cayboo Creek, South Carolina, where everything from coconut mallow cookies to Clabber Girl Baking Powder costs a dollar but the coffee and gossip are free. For the Bottom Dollar gals, work time is sisterhood time. When news gets out that a corporate dollar store is coming to town, the women are…