Old Tales Worth Revisiting

Looking for something new yet familiar? Try one of these contemporary novels – each author starts with a well known plot, and then updates or retells the story for a modern audience:

 

Re Jane
by Patricia Park

Jane Re, half-Korean, half-American orphan, has been trying to escape Flushing, Queens her whole life. Desperate for a new life, she’s thrilled to become the au pair for the Mazer-Farleys, two Brooklyn English professors and their adopted Chinese daughter.
“Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte

 

 

Great
by Sara Benincasa

In this contemporary retelling of The Great Gatsby, seventeen-year-old Naomi Rye becomes entangled in the drama of a Hamptons social circle and a tragedy that shakes the summer community.
“The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

 

 

Catherine
by April Lindner

In this retelling of “Wuthering Heights,” Catherine explains how she fell in love with a brooding musician and left her family to return to him, and her daughter describes searching for her mother many years later.
“Wuthering Heights” by Emily Bronte

 

 

 

For Darkness Shows the Stars
by Diana Peterfreund

Told partially through secret letters between forbidden childhood friends, this novel is a postapocalyptic retelling of Jane Austen’s Persuasion. Four years earlier, Elliot refused to elope with Kai, a mechanical prodigy and descendant of the Reduced. Now he’s back as Capt. Malakai Wentforth, flirting with Elliot’s pretty neighbor and being savage to Elliott.
“Persuasion” by Jane Austen

 

 

 

Going Bovine
by Libba Bray

Cameron Smith, a disaffected sixteen year-old who, after being diagnosed with Creutzfeld Jakob’s (aka mad cow) disease, sets off on a road trip with a death-obsessed video gaming dwarf he meets in the hospital in an attempt to find a cure.
“Don Quixote” by Miguel de Cervantes

 

 

 

The Meursault Investigation
by Kamel Daoud, translated by John Cullen

Harum is the brother of “the Arab,” killed by the infamous Meursault, the antihero of Camus’s classic novel. Seventy years after that event, Harun, who has lived since childhood in the shadow of his sibling’s memory, refuses to let him remain anonymous: he gives his brother a story and a name – Musa – and describes the events that led to Musa’s casual murder on a dazzlingly sunny beach.
“The Stranger” by Albert Camus

 

 

 

The Flight of Gemma Hardy
by Margot Livesey

Overcoming a life of hardship and loneliness, Gemma Hardy, a brilliant and determined young woman, accepts a position as an au pair on the remote Orkney Islands where she faces her biggest challenge yet.
“Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte

 

 

 

Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty
by Jody Gherman

Sixteen-year-olds Geena, Hero, and Amber spend the summer working at a Sonoma, California coffee shop, where they experience romance, identity crises, and newfound friendships.
“Much Ado About Nothing” by William Shakespeare

 

 

 

Moonrise
by Cassandra King

Helen Honeycutt has a difficult time fitting in with her new husband’s friends. When she stumbles upon the secret of her predecessor’s death, she must decide if she can ever love again.
“Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier

 

 

 

Stop Dreaming and Take Action

Are you looking for ways to balance work and your family? Are you thinking about starting a home-based business?

These books, DVDs and websites can help:

 

Start Your Own Retail Business and More
by the Staff of Entrepreneur Media, Inc. and Ciree Linsenman

Personalized shopping experiences powered by the use of mobile devices has helped nearly double the number of retail stores in operation since the last edition. This guide provides the tools to help retail savvy entrepreneurs start a successful retail business in brick-and-mortar stores, online, mail orders, or kiosks.

 

 

How to Start a Home-Based Business – Series
by Various Authors

This series includes titles on home-based businesses such as daycares, retail, craft, app development, web design, graphic design, interior design, food trucks, editorial services and more. Topics include market research, business planning, financing, legal issues, marketing and more.

 

 

Moms Mean Business
by Erin Baebler and Lara Galloway

A guide to creating a successful company and happy life as a mom entrepreneur. Includes sections on time management, self-care, owning your business, business planning, productivity tools and more.

 

 

 

Weeds
DVD [2006-2012]

After her husband’s unexpected death and subsequent financial woes, suburban mom Nancy Botwin embraces a new profession: the neighborhood pot dealer. And it seems like everyone secretly wants what she’s selling – except for her best friend.

 

 

Work at Home Now
by Christine Durst and Michael Haaren

Want to explore the idea of working at home? This book covers it all, from an overview, convincing a boss, avoiding scams, the different types available, networking and reputable sites, freelance and the resume & interview. Tips from actual teleworkers are icing on the cake.

 

 

 

The Digital Mom Handbook
by Audrey McClelland and Colleen Padilla

Mothers have been looking for the middle ground for more than half a century. Staying at home and raising the kids full-time isn’t it. Working full-time and rushing home to tuck the kids in at 7 p.m. sharp ain’t it either. Even part-time work outside the house can be a scramble for most women, as they try to “have it all” between 9 am and 5 pm. In this book McClland and Padilla show other moms how to find middle ground via the frontier of the Internet.

 

 

Breaking Bad
DVD [2009-2013]

While you may need extra money or want to work from home, this series maybe an entertaining if cautionary lesson in what not to do. After an unremarkable chemistry teacher learns he has terminal cancer, he turns to an exciting life of crime to provide for his loved ones.

 

 

 

Grow Your Handmade Business
by Kari Chapin

Applying her “you-can-do-it” coaching style to the nuts and bolts of business planning, Chapin covers all of the issues involved in turning a creative hobby into a successful business.
More books on Home Craft business

 

 

The work at home sourcebook
by Lynie Arden

This expanded sourcebook covers opportunities from starting your own business, telecommuting to salaried full time work at home opportunities. This book includes step-by-step directions for getting a home-based job.

 

 

Work-from-Home Web Resources

• Rat Race Rebellion – Looking for a home-based job but don’t know where to start? This website provide leads on home-based jobs and lessons on avoiding scams.
• Dice.com – The career hub for tech.
• Job Seekers – Online library resources for your job search

 

 

Who is Singing that Beautiful Song?

April – May is Warbler migration season in Northern Virginia, but there are great opportunities for year round bird watching in our area.

Learn more about local birds and bird watching with these books and films:

 

Finding Birds in the National Capital Area
by Claudia Wilds

Wilds provides information on birding from Delaware to North Carolina, including maps, directions, and descriptions. Accessible to the novice and detailed enough for the experienced birder.

 

 

 

The Warbler Guide
by Tom Stephenson and Scott Whittle, drawings by Catherine Hamilton

Warblers are among the most challenging birds to identify. They exhibit an array of seasonal plumages and have distinctive yet oft-confused calls and songs. The guide enables birders to quickly identify any of the 56 species of warblers in the United States and Canada.

 

 

 

Birders: The Central Park Effect
DVD [2013]

A diverse group of full of attitude, New Yorker reveals how a hidden world of beautiful wild birds in the middle of Manhattan has upended and magically transformed their lives.

 

 

 

Living On the Wind: Across the Hemisphere with Migratory Birds
by Scott Weidensaul

The one truly unifying natural phenomenon in the world, bird migration stitches the continents together. Starting at a wildlife refuge in Alaska, the author follows birds on their southward migration, discovering how birds navigate on their journeys, using the sun during the day, the stars to orient by night, or even the Earth’s magnetic field as a compass.

 

 

 

The Singing Life of Birds
by Donald E. Kroodsma ; drawings by Nancy Haver

Anyone who wonders why birds sing, if their songs are learned or inherited, why mockingbirds sing at night, or why some species mimic will find engaging answers in this authoritative and entertaining book on bird vocalizations. discusses how songs develop, different bird dialects, extremes of male song, songs in the hour before dawn, and avian species whose females also sing.

 

 

 

Bird Talk: What Birds are Saying and Why
by Lita Judge

Birds have lots of ways of communicating: They sing and talk, dance and drum, cuddle and fight. But what does all of the bird talk mean? Filled with gorgeous illustrations, this fascinating picture book takes a look at the secret life of birds in a child-friendly format that is sure to appeal to readers of all ages – whether they’re die-hard bird-watchers or just curious about the creatures in their own backyards.

 

 

Virginia Bird Watching: A Year Round Guide
by Bill Thompson III and the staff of Bird Watcher’s Digest

The birds that frequent the backyards of Virginia differ from the birds that frequent the backyards of Tennessee. In addition to unique descriptions, each bird profile includes a range map to identify each bird’s North American distribution. One hundred birds are profiled, each with a color photograph, to ensure accurate identification.

 

 

 

Build Your Own Birdhouse and Feeders
by John Perkins

Perkins, an architectural design technician, offers 25 designs for birdhouses and feeders of varying complexity. This title includes such elaborate designs as a medieval tournament tent and a log cabin, as well as a traditional dovecote and a martin condo.

 

 

100 Birds and How they Got their Names
by Diana Wells, illustrated by Lauren Jarrett

Provides a short history and illustrations of one hundred common and exotic birds, including the cardinal, goose, bird of paradise, and the flamingo.

 

 

 

A Birder’s Guide to Everything
DVD [2014]

A fifteen year old birding fanatic, thinks that he’s made the discovery of a lifetime. On the eve of his father’s remarriage, he escapes on an epic road trip with his best friends to solidify their place in birding history.

 

 

 

 

We Love Artificial Intelligence…

Even before Asimov’s “I Robot,” humans have been fascinated by the idea of artificial intelligence.

And recent films like “Her,” “Chappie” and “Ex Machina” prove that we’re still fascinated by our love and fear of robots and drones. So check out more of our favorite books and films that explore the idea of humanity – in a world where the line between humans and robots gets closer all the time.

 

Robopocalypse
by Daniel H. Wilson

In the near future, at a moment that no one will notice, all the dazzling technology that runs our world will unite and turn against us. A movie based on the original novel is in pre-production.

 

 

 

Love + Sex with Robots: the Evolution of Human-Robot Relations
by David Levy

Draws on cutting-edge research, as well as examples from cultural history and psychology, to explore humanity’s fascination with the scientific potential of emotional relationships with artificial intelligence.

 

 

 

Battlestar Galactica
DVD [2005]

After losing the war against the Cylon robots, the Battlestar Galactica crew heads toward the fabled 13th colony, Earth. Galactica Commander Adama and President Laura Roslin are facing the problems of waning supplies and crushed morale. Along the way they have to deal with the credible threat that Cylons may be aboard the ship.

 

 

Military Robots and Drones: A Reference Handbook
by Paul J. Springer

Provides a general history of robotic warfare; examines key individuals, agencies, documents, and models; discusses controversies within the field of robotic and drone warfare, such as ethical considerations; and explains how increased reliance on robotics has affected the structure and strategy of the military.

 

 

 

Flood and Fire
by Emily Diamond

In 22nd-century Cambridge, England, thirteen-year-old Lilly Melkun must try to stop the strange, uncontrollable robots that were activated when a sinister-looking chip in her hand-held computer triggered a false anti-terrorist alert.

 

 

 

The Peripheral
by William Gibson

As a favor to her brother, Flynne Fisher fills in on a mysterious job beta testing a new game. Remotely flying a copter around a high-rise building, Flynne’s job is to simply keeping the paparazzi drones away from one of the apartments, but everything changes when she witnesses a murder.

 

 

 

Blade Runner
DVD [1982]

Los Angeles, 2019: Rick Deckard of the LAPD’s Blade Runner unit prowls the steel & microchip jungle of the 21st century. His job is to track down and eliminate assumed humanoids known as ‘replicants.’ Replicants were declared illegal after a bloody mutiny on an Off-World Colony, and are to be terminated upon detection.

 

 

 

Moral Machines: Teaching Robots Right from Wrong
by Wendell Wallach and Colin Allen

Machines that look like people, fall in love, and wreck worlds may be on their way, but realistically the problem now is with computer programs that act autonomously – by playing roles in electric blackouts and blocking credit cards, and machines that drive subway trains and guide military vehicles.

 

 

 

We Just Can’t Get Enough Corruption in the Halls of Power…

Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy is the latest historic novel to jump to the small screen, in the form of a new series on PBS. 

“Wolf Hall” fictionalizes the life of Thomas Cromwell, crafty architect of Henry VIII’s annulment from Catherine of Aragon, the execution of Sir Thomas Moore, Henry’s schism with the Church of Rome, and the Reformation.

 Keep busy between episodes with more shows featuring beautiful people, struggles for power, and political intrigue:

 

Rome
DVD [2006-2007]

Four hundred years after the founding of the Republic, Rome is the wealthiest city in the world – a cosmopolitan metropolis of one million people and epicenter of a sprawling empire. But the principles of shared power and fierce personal competition on which the empire was founded are crumbling, eaten away by corruption and excess. 2 seasons.

 

 

The Borgias
DVD [2011-2013]

Rodrigo Borgia becomes Pope Alexander VI in 1468, propelling him, his two Machiavellian sons Cesare and Juan, and his scandalously beautiful daughter, Lucrezia, to become the most powerful and influential family of the Italian Renaissance. 3 seasons.

 

 

The Tudors
DVD [2008-2010]

Covers the early life of King Henry VIII, beginning after his assumption of the British throne at the age of 19, in 1509.  4 seasons.

 

 

War and Peace
DVD [2007]

Set during the years surrounding Napoleon’s invasion of Russia (1812), and follows the changing fortunes of brooding hero Prince Andrej, his bookish friend Pierre, and the spirited but naive Natasha. As Napoleon’s armies menace their privileged lives, the horrors of the battlefield reach into the elegant ballrooms and bedrooms of Moscow. 4 episodes.

 

 

Jewel in the Crown
DVD [1984]

Set in the 1940’s, tells the story of the last days of British occupation of India, depicting the trials faced by the families and their problems of dealing with and loving across the races. 14 episodes.

 

 

 

House of Cards
DVD [1990]

The original British mini-series, based on Michael Dobbs’ novel about a man who schemes and backstabs his way to the top until he is standing on a pile of broken promises, betrayals, and the bodies of those who oppose him. 4 episodes.

 

 

Scandal
DVD [2012-present]

With her steadfast rule of always trusting her gut, Olivia Pope leads an expert team of crisis management consultants skilled at making even the most sordid, salacious political and personal scandals disappear. But as these self-proclaimed ‘gladiators in suits’ begin to reveal the cracks in their armor, will the masters of damage control be able to control the damage in their own personal lives? 3 seasons (so far).

 

We’re Always Looking for Inspiration

In February, we made a fun list of the Top 10 Professions for Romance Novel Heroes.

But in trying to do the same for the heroines, we found the most common job options were way less cool… What is up with that?

 

Luckily, there are at least a few inspirations in the top 10:

 

1. Male Impersonator

She can travel without being harassed, hide among thieves, or engage in political intrigue.

 

 

 

2. Spy, Suffragette, or Double Identity 

She’s determined to use her talents to help her family, her country, and her fellow heroines.

 

 

 

3. Witch, Vampire Queen or Paranormal Investigator

An awesome option, especially if she’s battling an ancient evil, uncovering mysteries, or fending off super villains.

 

 

 

4. Nurse, Veterinarian or Search and Rescue

These jobs allow her to show off her nurturing skills in a cliche way, but at least they’re truly cool professions in real life.

 

 

 

5. Swordswoman, Reporter or Soldier

These women can take care of themselves, even when they fall in love (or get into trouble).

 

 

 

And then there are the top 5 less inspiring professions…

We love these authors, but their heroines could use broader job options than these tired tropes:

 

6. Owner of a Charming Business

How else will the handsome hero win her heart if not by brilliantly saving her business?

 

 

7. Governess, Prairie School Marm or Librarian

Just ask her to take off her glasses (we love librarian heroines, but not librarian stereotypes).

 

 

8. Mail Order Bride

Because ranchers have to find wives somehow.

 

 

9. Blackmail Victim or Amnesiac

She may fall for her rescuer, or her blackmailer. That’s not at all creepy.

 

 

 

10. Ward, Secretary or Personal Assistant

So the billionaire, guardian or pro-athlete doesn’t have to leave work/home to find a wife.

 

 

 

Do you have a favorite romance author who writes excellent professions for the heroines? Please let us know!

 

March 7, 2015

 

Check out some of this year’s NoVA Teen Book Fest featured authors – and remember, great YA Lit isn’t just for teens!

Get the full 2015 author lineup.

 

Matt de la Peña

Author of “The Living” – After an earthquake destroys California and a tsunami wrecks the luxury cruise ship where he is a summer employee, high schooler Shy confronts another deadly surprise.

 

 

 

Shaun David Hutchinson

Author of “The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley” – Convinced he should have died in the accident that killed his parents and sister, sixteen-year-old Drew lives in a hospital, hiding from employees and his past, until Rusty, set on fire for being gay, turns his life around. Includes excerpts from the superhero comic Drew creates.

 

 

 

Lydia Kang

Author of “Control” and “Catalyst” – In 2150, when genetic manipulation has been outlawed, seventeen-year-old Zelia must rescue her kidnapped sister with the help of a band of outcasts with mutated genes.

 

 

 

Robin Talley – local author

Author of “Lies We Tell Ourselves” – Sarah Dunbar is one of the first black students to attend the previously all-white Jefferson High School. Linda Hairston is the daughter of the town’s most vocal opponents of school integration. Forced to work together on a school project, Sarah and Linda must confront harsh truths about race, power and how they really feel about one another.

 

Kat Spears – local author

Author of “Sway” – A Cyrano De Bergerac story with a modern twist: When Ken, captain of the football team, hires Jesse to help him win the heart of Bridget, Jesse agrees. While learning about Bridget, he falls helplessly in love.

 

 

 
Jason Reynolds

Author of “The Boy in the Black Suit” – After his mother’s death, Matt takes a job at a funeral home in his tough Brooklyn neighborhood and through attending and assisting with funerals begins to accept her death and his responsibilities as a man.

 

 

 

Marie Rutkoski

Author of the “Winners” trilogy – An aristocratic girl who is a member of a warmongering and enslaving empire purchases a slave, an act that sets in motion a rebellion that might overthrow her world as well as her heart.

 

 

 

Kristen Simmons

Author of the “Article 5” trilogy and the upcoming “The Glass Arrow” – In a future society in which Moral Statutes have replaced the Bill of Rights and offenses carry stiff penalties, 17 year old Ember Miller has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. But when the only boy she has ever loved arrests her rebellious mother, Ember must take action.

 

 

Jasmine Warga

Author of “My Heart and Other Black Holes” – Seventeen-year-old Aysel’s hobby (planning her own death) takes a new path when she meets a boy who has similar plan of his own.

 

 

 
Martina Boone – local author

Author of the “Heirs of Watson Island” trilogy – After the death of her disfigured, shut-in mother, Barrie Watson moves to her aunt’s South Carolina plantation, which is guarded by an ancient spirit who cursed one of the island’s three founding families and gave the others magical gifts that become compulsions.

 

 

Are You Cactus or Grapefruit League?

It may not yet feel like spring, but Major League Baseball’s spring training doesn’t wait for warm weather – even in Florida and Arizona.

So celebrate one of baseballs’ great traditions by flexing your baseball-fan muscles with these books and films:

 

Pow! A Peanuts Collection
Charles M. Schulz

As manager of the endlessly losing team, Charlie Brown soldiers on to keep his team’s spirits up, while being constantly blown off the pitching mound in a clothes-exploding fashion. It doesn’t help that his catcher is a musician by nature or that his shortstop is a dog.

 

 

 

Baseball: A Film by Ken Burns
DVD [1995]

It is an epic overflowing with heroes and hopefuls, scoundrels and screwballs. It is a saga spanning the quest for racial justice, the clash of labor and management, the transformation of popular culture, and the unfolding of the national pastime. Here is the story of a nation at work and play.

 

 

 

You Gotta Have Heart
by Frederic J. Frommer

A history of Washington baseball: from the pioneering Nationals in 1859 to the the city’s 1924 World Series championship; from the Homestead Grays – a perennial Negro League pennant winner of the late 1930s through mid-1940s that consistently outplayed the Senators – to the Senators’ 1971 departure; and from the return of the Nationals and on to the 2012 National league East championship.

 

 

The Baseball: Stunts, Scandals and Secrets Beneath the Stitches
by Zack Hample

The holy grail, the fountain of youth, the golden fleece, and the baseball: rarely do objects inspire such madness. The Baseball is a salute to the ball, filled with insider trivia, anecdotes, and generations of ball-induced insanity.

 

 

 

Where Nobody Knows Your Name: Life in the Minor Leagues of Baseball
by John Feinstein

Sports journalist John Feinstein explores the colorful and mysterious world of minor-league baseball–a gateway through which all major-league players pass in their careers . . . hoping never to return.

 

 

 

The Devil’s Snake Curve: A Fan’s Notes from Left Field
by Josh Ostergaard

Offers an alternative American history, in which colonialism, jingoism, capitalism, and faith are represented by baseball. Personal and political, it twines Japanese internment camps with the Yankees; Walmart with the Kansas City Royals; and facial hair patterns with militarism, Guantanamo, and the modern security state.

 

 

 

Outsider Baseball
by Scott Simkus

The story of the mostly forgotten world of the mercenaries, scalawags, and outcasts who made up the independent professional ball clubs: an alternate baseball universe where Babe Ruth, Rube Waddell, and John McGraw crossed bats with the Cuban Stars, Tokyo Giants, Brooklyn Bushwicks, dozens of famous Negro league teams, and novelty acts such as the House of David and Bloomer Girls.

 

 

 

Yes it’s Hot in Here: Adventures in the Weird. Wooly World of Sports Mascots
by A.J. Mass

A lighthearted, personal, and amusing cultural history of the sports mascot by a former Mr. Met, from its jester roots in Renaissance society to the slapstick pantomime of the Clown Prince of Baseball, Max Patkin, all the way up to the mascots of the slam-dunk, rock-and-roll, Jumbotron culture of today.

 

 

 

Biggie
by Derek E. Sullivan

Henry “Biggie” Abbott has hidden behind his weight for years, and although he is the son and stepson of two of Finch, Minnesota’s most famous athletes, he prefers academic success until the girl of his dreams suggests he join the baseball team, and, with his stepbrother’s help, he discovers he is a great pitcher.

 

 

 

The Contract
by Derek Jeter

As a young boy, Derek Jeter dreams of begin the shortstop for the New York Yankees. He even imagines himself in the World Series. So when Derek is chosen for the Little League Tigers, he hopes to play shortstop. But on the day of the assignments, Derek Starts at second base. Still, he tries his best while he wishes and dreams of that shortstop spot. And to help him stay focused on school, his parents make him a contract: keep up the grades or no baseball.

 

 

The Bilko Athletic Club: The Story of the 1956 Los Angeles Angels
by Gaylon H. White

Before Walter O’Malley brought the Dodgers to Southern California in 1958, Los Angeles belonged to the Angels. A part of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League (PCL), it was a minor league affiliate of the Chicago Cubs and was as loved in its time as Brooklyn loved its bums.

 

 

 

An Illustration is Worth a Thousand Words

Expand your reading of American history with these visually powerful graphic novel memoirs, biographies and historical fiction.

Then celebrate Black History Month at Arlington’s 23rd annual Feel the Heritage Festival on Saturday, February 28, 2015 from 1-6 p.m. at Drew Community Center. 

 

Harlem Hellfighters
by Max Brooks, illustrated by Caanan White

A fictionalized account of the 369th Infantry Regiment, the first African American regiment mustered to fight in World War I, who spent more time in combat than any other American unit – but have never received their due. Intense black-and-white illustrations throughout.

 

 

 

Incognegro
by Mat Johnson, illustrated by Warren Pleece

Inspired by the real-life Walter White, who passed as white in the Deep South to sleuth out lynchings in the 1930s. The fictional Zane Pinchback writes a Harlem “Incognegro” column that similarly exposes racist atrocities. He is about to trade his column for an editor job when he hears that his brother has been set up for murder in Tupelo, so he heads south one last time for an investigative gig too close for comfort.

 

 

I See the Promised Land
text by Arthur Flowers, illustrations by Manu Chitrakar, design by Guglielmo Rossi

African American writer, griot and blues singer Arthur Flowers tells a masterful story in musical prose, while Manu Chitrakar, scroll-painter from Bengal, carries the tale confidently into the vivid idiom of Patua art, turning King’s journey into a truly universal legacy.

 

 

Bayou
created by Jeremy Love, colors by Patrick Morgan

Lee Wagstaff is the daughter of a black sharecropper in the depression-era town of Charon, Mississippi. When Lily Westmoreland, her white playmate, is snatched by agents of an evil creature known as Bog, Lee’s father is accused of kidnapping. Lee’s only hope to save her father from lynching is to follow Lily’s trail into this fantastic and frightening alternate world.

 

 

The Silence of Our Friends
by Mark Long and Jim Demonakos, illustrations by Nate Powell

The story unfolds from two sets of eyes, those of a white TV reporter (Long’s father) and a black demonstration leader. Deciding that “men of conscience have got to join together,” the two forge a friendship that crosses the color line, is not looked upon favorably by either of their communities, and gets tested when a demonstration involving Stokely Carmichael’s Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee turns ugly.

 

 

 

Bluesman
by Rob Vollmar & Pablo C. Callejo

One of America’s most celebrated creations, the blues grew out of an African-American experience rife with poverty and oppression. This “twelve bar graphic narrative in the key of life and death” tells a true story of the blues through the fictional Lem Taylor and Ironwood Malcott, a pair of early 20th-century bluesmen wandering Arkansas’ cornfields in search of backwoods juke joints, pliant women and their next meal.

 

 

 

March
by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, art by Nate Powell

A vivid first-hand account of Congressman John Lewis’ lifelong struggle for civil and human rights, this trilogy paints a devastating picture of America in the 1960s, taking to task those who attacked peaceful protestors, and politicians who were desperate to maintain segregation. Volume 3 is not yet published.