In this periodic feature, we highlight books either about Alabama people or events or written by Alabama authors. Summaries are not reviews or endorsements. We also occasionally highlight book-related events. Email submissions to [email protected]. Due to the volume of submissions, we are unable to feature all the books we receive.
The Tensaw River:
Alabamaโs Hidden Heritage Corridor
by Mike Bunn, $24.95 trade paper, The University of Alabama Press (Earth science) The author is the director of historic Blakeley State Park, which is nestled in a prominent bend of the majestic Tensaw River. The Tensaw has had little industrial development and has been left largely undisturbed; located near popular Gulf Coast travel destinations, the Tensawโs 41-mile โforgotten corridorโ is a gateway to the enchanting beauty of, and humankindโs enduring relationship to, the landscape of the American South.
John Lewis: A Life
by David Greenberg, $14 hardcover, Simon and Schuster (biography) Born into poverty in rural Pike County, Lewis rose to prominence in the civil rights movement as a Freedom Rider, a survivor of a brutal beating on โBloody Sundayโ and friend of the Rev. Martin Luther King. This new work follows Lewisโ journey beyond the civil rights era, highlighting his leadership in the Voter Education Project, and the little-known story of his ascent into politics, first locally in Atlanta and then to Congress, where he was respected on both sides of the aisle.
Villages
by Robert Inman, $19.95 trade paper, Livingston Press (novel) Jonas Boulware has come home to his small Southern town after serving as a medic in the Middle East, where he was severely wounded. With help from friends and an unorthodox counselor, he must come to grips with his post-traumatic stress disorder to survive; in doing so, he uncovers secrets from his past that shed hopeful light on his new normal. The author is a native of Elba and University of Alabama graduate who has written six motion pictures for TV and eight published stage plays.
The Last Luau:
A Mac Ross Mystery
by Guy McCullough, $14.99 paperback, Agile Publishing (detective mystery) In the hours before the Pearl Harbor attack, a beloved Japanese-American teacher is murdered in Honolulu. As Oahu struggles to recover, private eye Mac Ross must solve a homicide the authorities donโt seem to care about. The closer Ross gets to finding answers, the greater the danger, until he is lured into a firefight and comes face-to-face with the ultimate betrayal. The book is an old-school detective story wrapped inside a WWII thriller. The author and his wife live in Huntsville.
Holy Ground: On Activism, Environmental Justice, and Finding Hope
by Catherine Coleman Flowers, $25.33 hardcover, Spiegel & Grau (environmental policy) The author, born in Birmingham and raised in Lowndes County, has dedicated her life to fighting for vulnerable communities โ rural, poor, of color โ who have been deprived of a clean, safe and sustainable environment. The personal and political essays in this book frame the challenges we face as a society and chart the way toward equity, respect and a brighter future.
The Story She Left Behind
by Patti Callahan Henry, $26.99 hardcover, Atria Books (historical fiction) Clara Harrington, a divorcee with a young daughter, is haunted by the 1927 disappearance of her mother, who had written a best-selling book in her own unique language as a child. By 1952, Clara is raising her own daughter and is compelled to visit London to investigate a discovery of her motherโs lost language, where she must uncover the truth about her mother and the story she left behind. The best-selling author of 16 novels lives part-time in Mountain Brook.
