Memorial Day is quickly approaching, marking the official start of summer as we know it, and summer reading. Writer and self-proclaimed “book evangelist” Alison Law continues her tradition of rounding up some of the essential, eclectic reads for the online publication, The Bitter Southerner.
In this interview, “City Lights” host Lois Reitzes spoke with Law to talk about the 20 books on this year’s summer reading list.
“When our American libraries and schools have faced an unprecedented number of book bans and legislative challenges to drag queen story hours, I really had to ask myself, ‘Why do we — as a culture or society — read books? And why do some people want us NOT to read certain books?’” Law pondered. “The simplest logic was that books make us see and understand and feel things that we might not otherwise know. We cannot possibly know. And emotion spurs action. That’s dangerous to some people. I want to introduce books that elicit strong emotions.”
Here is a list of summer recommended reading from Alison Law:
- “The Kingdom of Sand,” Andrew Holleran
- “Koshersoul,” Michael W. Twitty
- “I Am From Here: Stories and Recipes from a Southern Chef,” Vishwesh Bhatt
- “Diary of a Misfit: A Memoir and a Mystery,” Casey Parks
- “Demon Copperhead,” Barbara Kingsolver
- “The Way Home: A Celebration of Sea Islands Food and Family,” Kardea Brown
- “The Passenger and Stella Maris,” Cormac McCarthy
- “Now is Not the Time to Panic,” Kevin Wilson
- “We Deserve Monuments,” Jas Hammonds
- “Moonrise Over New Jessup,” Jamila Minnicks
- “Short Film Starring My Beloved’s Red Bronco,” K. Iver,
- “Decent People,” De’Shawn Charles Winslow
- “What Things Cost,” Rebecca Gayle Howell and Ashley M. Jones
- “Above Ground,” Clint Smith
- “House of Cotton,” Monica Brashears
- “This Isn’t Going to End Well: The True Story of the Man I Thought I Knew,” Daniel Wallace
- “The Wishing Pool and Other Stories,” Tananarive Due
- “Don’t Tell Anybody the Secrets I Told You,” Lucinda Williams
- “Cooking for the Culture: Recipes and Stories from the New Orleans Streets to the Table,” Toya Boudy
- “The Forgotten Girls: A Memoir of Friendship and Lost Promise in Rural America,” Monica Potts
Law also wrote an article for The Bitter Southerner newsletter including the above listed reading recommendations. You can find that article here.
