Summer is right around the corner from us. If you haven’t put together your summer reading list, Rooted MKE of Milwaukee’s got your back!
Happy Reading!
Ruby René Had So Much to Say
"Did you know that flamingos don't have teeth?" Questions, facts, and dreams--Ruby René could talk for hours. Once she got going, it was hard for her to stop. It didn't matter if it was history, science, or the lunch menu--Ruby René had so much to say! But when her teacher called home because she found her sharing distracting, Ruby vowed to keep quiet. Until . . . she finds the perfect outlet for her gift of gab.
With charming text by debut author/educator Ashley Iman and colorful illustrations by Gladys Jose, Ruby René Had So Much to Say is a celebration of owning your voice, honing your skills, and turning challenges into opportunities.
(Children’s)
A Midnight Moon
A Midnight Moon is a moving collection of poetry from celebrated bestselling author r.h. Sin. With the honesty and transparency that he has become known for, Sin takes readers on a journey of goodbyes, the unforgivable, and secret treks to find solace beneath the moon. A poetic journey through sleepless nights, A Midnight Moon is r.h. Sin's best work yet.
(Poetry)
Long After We Are Gone
"Don't let the white man take the house."
These are the last words King Solomon says to his son before he dies. Now all four Solomon siblings must return to North Carolina to save the Kingdom, their ancestral home and 200 acres of land, from a development company, who has their sights set on turning the valuable waterfront property into a luxury resort.
While fighting to save the Kingdom, the siblings must also save themselves from the secrets they've been holding onto. Junior, the oldest son and married to his wife for 11 years, is secretly in love with another man. Second son, Mance, can't control his temper, which has landed him in prison more than once. CeCe, the oldest daughter and a lawyer in New York City, has embezzled thousands of dollars from her firm's clients. Youngest daughter, Tokey, wonders why she doesn't seem to fit into this family, which has left an aching hole in her heart that she tries to fill in harmful ways. As the Solomons come together to fight for the Kingdom, each of their façades begins to crumble and collide in unexpected ways.
(Literary)
What Fire Brings: A Thriller
Bailey Meadows has just moved into the remote Topanga Canyon home of thriller author Jack Beckham. As his writer-in-residence, she's supposed to help him once again reach the bestseller list. But she's not there to write a thriller--she's there to find Sam Morris, a community leader dedicated to finding missing people, who has disappeared in the canyon surrounding Beckham's property.
The missing woman was last seen in the drought-stricken forest known for wildfires and mountain lions. Each new day, Bailey learns just how dangerous these canyons are--for the other women who have also gone missing here...and for her. Could these missing women be linked to strange events that occurred decades ago at the Beckham estate?
As fire season in the canyons approaches, Bailey must race to unravel the truth from fiction before she becomes the next woman lost in the forest.
(Thriller)
Evolving While Black: The Ultimate Guide to Happiness and Transformation on Your Own Terms
"If you asked my grandmother what self-care was," says Chianti Lomax, "I'm pretty sure her response would be: 'Self-care? That's for rich white women!'" Our mothers and grandmothers were too busy fighting for the future of their families to often consider their own wellness and happiness--and now, as the inheritors of their mighty labors, we have the opportunity to do more than simply survive. So how do we thrive? How do Black women grow, transform, and make good use of the power they have?
(Nonfiction)
The Lagos Wife
Nicole Oruwari has the perfect life: a handsome husband, a palatial house in the heart of Lagos, and a glamorous group of friends. She left gloomy London and a troubled family past behind for sunny Lagos, becoming part of the Nigerwives--a community of foreign women married to Nigerian men.
But when Nicole disappears without a trace after a boat trip, the cracks in her alleged perfect life start to show. As the investigation turns up nothing but dead ends, her auntie Claudine decides to take matters into her own hands. Armed with only a cell phone and a plane ticket to Nigeria, she digs into her niece's life and uncovers a hidden side filled with dark secrets, isolation, and even violence. But the more she discovers about Nicole, the more Claudine's own buried history threatens to come to light.
(Thriller)
Trespass: Portraits of Unhoused Life, Love, and Understanding
According to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA), nearly 70,000 people were unhoused in the city as of September 2022. Writer, director, and photographer Kim Watson began connecting with these unhoused people near his LA neighborhood by delivering food out of the back of his car. As his relationships grew to become trusted friendships, he began to interview and photograph those he encountered, documenting their experiences. Through profiles, essays, and stunning black-and-white photography, Trespass sheds light on the complex situations that lead to homelessness, the individuals who struggle to rise out of it, and those who have resigned themselves to it. Fueled by a deep sense of care, Watson's portraits capture the hopes and demands of people in need of support and consideration. In this book of extraordinary photo essays, Watson dares us to look inside ourselves and confront our own biases as we consider the conditions of others so, together, we can process our collective trauma and develop sustainable solutions.
(Nonfiction)
The Silence of the Choir
Seventy-two men arrive in the middle of the Sicilian countryside. They are "immigrants," "refugees" or "migrants." But in Altino, they're called the ragazzi, the "guys" that the Santa Marta Association have taken responsibility for. In this small Sicilian town, their arrival changes life for everybody.
While they wait to know their fate, the ragazzi encounter all kinds of people: a strange vicar who rewrites their pasts, a woman committed to ensuring them asylum, a man determined to fight against it, an older ragazzo who has become an interpreter, and a reclusive poet who no longer writes.
Each character in this moving and important saga is forced to reflect on what it means to encounter people they know nothing about. They watch as a situation unfolds over which they have little control or insight. A story told through a growing symphony of voices that ends only when one final voice brings silence to the choir.
(Literary)