February book giveaway

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Squeaking in here at the last minute with the book giveaway!

Details for entering are in this month’s newsletter, which goes out Wednesday. Enter by February 28th, 2020, 9 pm Pacific. Winner will be announced on the blog February 29th!

This month’s book is James Baldwin’s Go Tell It On the Mountain.  This is a challenging (and semi-autobiographical) novel about John, the 14-year-old son of a Pentecostal preacher struggling to waken to his own identity and faith.  The novel takes place mainly during a couple of church services where John and the other characters confront memory, desire, expectation, and truth.  Baldwin’s dive into the enormous pressure and emotional manipulation of a Pentecostal upbringing astounded me and took me right back to my own teen years.  (With the caveat that Baldwin’s Pentecostalism is also an escape from a racially charged and oppressive world I have no ability to understand.)  This is a book about race, doubt, sexuality, abuse, and rage, and Baldwin is a profoundly skilled writer. I hope you’ll give it a try.

Good luck!

July book giveaway

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Time for another giveaway!

This month I’m offering a book by Willy Vlautin, an author who lives in my small town. Lean on Pete is about a teen boy who steals an aging racehorse and takes off on a journey to find home. It’s about love and determination and kids who fall through the cracks. It’s a touching and heart-breaking story, but Vlautin tells it with a kind of gentle spareness that reminds me at times of Kent Haruf’s writing. Once you’ve read the book, you can watch the movie adaptation which is pretty faithful to the original story and nicely acted. (The young actor who plays the lead is so sweet he'll break your heart.)

Entry details in the July newsletter. Sign up here!

Winner announced here, July 31, 2019.

Good luck!