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Your Recommendations

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MSJ Picks (for Leisure Reads)

NHAH Month - Sept. 2025

September's “Leisure Reads” celebrates National Hispanic American Heritage Month, which is observed in the United States from September 15-October 15. Below is a diverse mix of fiction and nonfiction, including Isabelle Allende’s novel, The Infinite Plan; Junot Díaz’s picture book, Islandborn; and Javier Zamora’s memoir of emigration, Solito.

The Eighth Continent & Other Stories by Alba N. Ambert
“This powerful and enriching collection of nine stories explores and illuminates the fusion of intimate and public dramas. Focusing on the persistence of personal memory amid political and historical upheaval, the tales in The Eighth Continent portray the impact of broad political and historical events on individual lives, success in the face of low expectations and the humor that redeems everyday struggles. In rich evocative language, award-winning author Alba Ambert invokes strong characters and demonstrates the cool detachment of modern life. Populating the stories are engrossing individuals: underground revolutionaries faced with fear of betrayal; a woman who looks back at a massacre she witnessed as a child and the wrenching consequences of this event on her life; a linguist who makes a dangerous trip to a tropical island and finds a language on the verge of extinction; and a young woman in a mental hospital who challenges our perception of truth and lies, sanity and insanity.” – Publisher’s Summary
Our America: A Hispanic History of the United States by Felipe Fernández-Armesto
“This absorbing narrative begins with the explorers and conquistadores who planted Spain’s first colonies in Puerto Rico, Florida, and the Southwest. Missionaries and rancheros carry Spain’s expansive impulse into the late eighteenth century, settling California, mapping the American interior to the Rockies, and charting the Pacific coast. During the nineteenth century Anglo-America expands west under the banner of 'Manifest Destiny' and consolidates control through war with Mexico. In the Hispanic resurgence that follows, it is the peoples of Latin America who overspread the continent, from the Hispanic heartland in the West to major cities such as Chicago, Miami, New York, and Boston. The United States clearly has a Hispanic present and future.” – Publisher’s Summary
Solito by Javier Zamora
“When Javier Zamora was nine, he traveled unaccompanied by bus, boat, and foot from El Salvador to the United States to reunite with his parents. This is his memoir of that dangerous journey, a nine-week odyssey that nearly ended in calamity on multiple occasions. It's a miracle that Javier survived the crossing, and a miracle that he has the talent to now tell his story so masterfully. While Solito is Javier's story, it's also the story of millions of others who have risked so much to come to this country. A memoir that reads like a novel, rooted in precise and authentic detail, this story is destined to be a classic of the immigration experience.” – Publisher’s Summary
Famous All over Town by Danny Santiago
“The scene is Los Angeles—but not the LA of sun-drenched beaches or glamorous Hollywood. This is the Los Angeles of the Chicano barrio, where everything in life is stacked against the teenaged hero, Chato Medina, his beleaguered, disintegrating family, his defiant and doomed friends, and the future he may not make it far enough to enjoy. Chato, however, is out to beat all those odds—in his own indefatigable, inimitable way.” – Publisher’s Summary
The Circuit by Francisco Jiménez
“After dark in a Mexican border town, a father holds open a hole in a wire fence as his wife and two small boys crawl through. So begins life in the United States for many people every day. And so begins this collection of twelve autobiographical stories by Santa Clara University professor Francisco Jiménez, who at the age of four illegally crossed the border with his family in 1947. "The Circuit," the story of young Panchito and his trumpet, is one of the most widely anthologized stories in Chicano literature. At long last, Jiménez offers more about the wise, sensitive little boy who has grown into a role model for subsequent generations of immigrants. These independent but intertwined stories follow the family through their circuit, from picking cotton and strawberries to topping carrots—and back again—over a number of years. As it moves from one labor camp to the next, the little family of four grows into ten. Impermanence and poverty define their lives. But with faith, hope, and back-breaking work, the family endures.” – Publisher’s Summary
Columbus, Cortés: And Other Essays by Ramón Iglesia
“Ramón Iglesia was not a dilettante historian—his work was always thoroughly grounded on the hard facts of the past. But he preferred to write, and always with grace and good judgment, about the facts of history, rather than simply to list them in some sort of chronological order. His essay on Hernán Cortés is perhaps the best short account of the Conqueror’s life in any language. He uses Cortés’ famous letters to good effect, extracting from them (in Cortés’ own words) the essence of the man. Iglesia is equally successful with Bernal Díaz del Castillo, Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo, and Christopher Columbus.” – Robert E. Quirk, Hispanic American Historical Review
Women Writers of Latin America by Trudy Balch (Translator); Karen Parker Lears (Illustrator)
“What does it take for a woman to succeed as a writer? In these revealing interviews, first published in 1988 as Historias íntimas, ten of Latin America's most important women writers explore this question with scholar Magdalena García Pinto, discussing the personal, social, and political factors that have shaped their writing careers. The authors interviewed are Isabel Allende, Albalucía Angel, Rosario Ferré, Margo Glantz, Sylvia Molloy, Elvira Orphée, Elena Poniatowska, Marta Traba, Luisa Valenzuela, and Ida Vitale. In intimate dialogues with each author, García Pinto draws out the formative experiences of her youth, tracing the pilgrimage that led each to a distinguished writing career. The writers also reflect on their published writings, discussing the creative process in general and the motivating force behind individual works. They candidly discuss the problems they have faced in writing and the strategies that enabled them to reach their goals. While obviously of interest to readers of Latin American literature, this book has important insights for students of women's literature and cultural studies, as well as for aspiring writers.” – Publisher’s Summary
The Infinite Plan by Isabel Allende; Margaret Sayers Peden (Translator)
“Born in the Hispanic barrio of Los Angeles, Gregory Reeves grew up in poverty, survived the killing fields of Vietnam, and is now a lawyer in San Francisco. Though he has successfully survived this hard journey, Gregory’s life has suddenly gone off the rails thanks to an illusory and wrongheaded quest that has left him feeling lost and listless. To find what he is missing and what his heart truly wants, he must return to his roots. Only by excavating the past can he see the way to his future.” – Publisher’s Summary
Islandborn by Junot Díaz; Leo Espinosa (Illustrator)
“Every kid in Lola's school was from somewhere else. Hers was a school of faraway places. So when Lola's teacher asks the students to draw a picture of where their families immigrated from, all the kids are excited. Except Lola. She can't remember The Island—she left when she was just a baby. But with the help of her family and friends, and their memories—joyous, fantastical, heartbreaking, and frightening—Lola's imagination takes her on an extraordinary journey back to The Island. As she draws closer to the heart of her family's story, Lola comes to understand the truth of her abuela's words: ‘Just because you don't remember a place doesn't mean it's not in you.’ Gloriously illustrated and lyrically written, Islandborn is a celebration of creativity, diversity, and our imagination's boundless ability to connect us—to our families, to our past and to ourselves.”-- Publisher's Summary
Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
“Luz ‘Little Light’ Lopez, a tea leaf reader and laundress, is left to fend for herself after her older brother, Diego, a snake charmer and factory worker, is run out of town by a violent white mob. As Luz navigates 1930s Denver, she begins to have visions that transport her to her Indigenous homeland in the nearby Lost Territory. Luz recollects her ancestors’ origins, how her family flourished, and how they were threatened. She bears witness to the sinister forces that have devastated her people and their homelands for generations. In the end, it is up to Luz to save her family stories from disappearing into oblivion.” – Publisher’s Summary
El Niño by Pam Muñoz Ryan; Joe Cepeda (Illustrator)
“Kai Sosa is so passionate about swimming he is practically a fish. This summer, he’s determined to become the athlete he once was on an elite swim team. But something invisible holds him back. His race times are off. Dreams of his sister Cali haunt him. And he hasn’t found her missing gold cuff, her last request. Mom is still talking about grief, even though it’s been two years since she disappeared. He’s fine now, isn’t he? When Kai discovers a library book Cali had checked out multiple times―about an underwater realm and a mysterious place called the Library of Despair and Sorrow―details from the story begin to appear in his own life: dolphin pods, imposing rock towers, unusual sea creatures, and even Cali’s beloved bracelet. As myth and reality collide, El Niño unleashes its fury, and Kai is swept up in a storm of events that will change his understanding of love, death, grief, and how best to honor those we’ve lost.” – Publisher’s Summary
El Niño (Edicion en Español) by Pam Muñoz Ryan; Joe Cepeda (Illustrator)
"Una apasionante aventura acuática llena de misterio y realismo mágico de la querida autora de Esperanza renace y Eco, en la lista de libros más vendidos del New York Times. Perfecta para los fans de Kate DiCamillo, Tae Keller, Jacqueline Woodson y Meg Medina. Kai Sosa espera demostrar su destreza como nadador en su famoso equipo de natación durante un verano en el que se dan las condiciones climáticas del fenómeno El Niño. El que fuera un atleta prometedor, está decidido a mantener el legado familiar en una competencia contra los infames Lobos Marinos, a pesar de ser el eslabón más débil del equipo. Sin embargo, recientemente ha tenido sueños desconcertantes en los que ve a Cali, su hermana desaparecida, nadando en el océano Pacífico con delfines y, cuando despierta, le resulta difícil acallar la sensación que ha estado tratando de contener con tanto esfuerzo. Kai está convencido de que Cali le está enviando un mensaje sobre su último deseo: encontrar su apreciado brazalete de oro desaparecido." -- Publisher's Summary
The Shamshine Blind by Paz Pardo
“In an alternate 2009, the United States has been a second-rate power for a quarter of a century, ever since Argentina’s victory in the Falklands War thanks to their development of ‘psychopigments.’ Created as weapons, these colorful chemicals can produce almost any human emotion upon contact, and they have been embraced in the US as both pharmaceutical cure-alls and popular recreational drugs. Black market traders illegally sell everything from Blackberry Purple (which causes terror) to Sunshine Yellow (which delivers happiness). Psychopigment Enforcement Agent Kay Curtida works a beat in Daly City, just outside the ruins of San Francisco, chasing down smalltime crooks. But when an old friend shows up with a tantalizing lead on a career-making case, Curtida’s humdrum existence suddenly gets a boost. Little does she know that this case will send her down a tangled path of conspiracy and lead to an overdue reckoning with her family and with the truth of her own emotions.” – Publisher’s Summary
Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez; Megan McDowell (Translator); Pablo Gerardo Camacho (Illustrator)
“A young father and son set out on a road trip, devastated by the death of the wife and mother they both loved. United in grief, the pair travel to her ancestral home, where they must confront the terrifying legacy she has bequeathed: a family called the Order that commits unspeakable acts in search of immortality. For Gaspar, the son, this maniacal cult is his destiny. As the Order tries to pull him into their evil, he and his father take flight, attempting to outrun a powerful clan that will do anything to ensure its own survival. But how far will Gaspar’s father go to protect his child? And can anyone escape their fate? Moving back and forth in time, from London in the swinging 1960s to the brutal years of Argentina’s military dictatorship and its turbulent aftermath, Our Share of Night is a novel like no other: a family story, a ghost story, a story of the occult and the supernatural, a book about the complexities of love and longing with queer subplots and themes. This is the masterwork of one of Latin America’s most original novelists, ‘a mesmerizing writer,’ says Dave Eggers, who demands to be read.’” – Publisher’s Summary
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez
“Perfect Mexican daughters do not go away to college. And they do not move out of their parents’ house after high school graduation. Perfect Mexican daughters never abandon their family. But Julia is not your perfect Mexican daughter. That was Olga’s role. Then a tragic accident on the busiest street in Chicago leaves Olga dead and Julia left behind to reassemble the shattered pieces of her family. And no one seems to acknowledge that Julia is broken, too. Instead, her mother seems to channel her grief into pointing out every possible way Julia has failed. But it’s not long before Julia discovers that Olga might not have been as perfect as everyone thought. With the help of her best friend Lorena, and her first love, first everything boyfriend Connor, Julia is determined to find out. Was Olga really what she seemed? Or was there more to her sister’s story? And either way, how can Julia even attempt to live up to a seemingly impossible ideal?” – Publisher’s Summary

Coming of Age - August 2025

This month’s “Leisure Reads” explores a variety of coming-of-age (bildungsroman) experiences in literature. While many novels on this theme are intended for a juvenile or young adult audience, they allow the older adult reader to reminiscence and reflect on their own experiences growing up—both good and bad—in order to make sense of them. Below you will find stories (in print and ebook formats) by Truman Capote, Toni Morrison, Chaim Potok, and others.

Print books:

Wringer by Jerry Spinelli
“In Palmer LaRue's hometown of Waymer, turning ten is the biggest event of a boy's life. But for Palmer, his tenth birthday is not something to look forward to but something to dread. Then one day, a visitor appears on his windowsill, and Palmer knows that this, more than anything else, is a sign that his time is up. Somehow, he must learn how to stop being afraid and stand up for what he believes in. Wringer is an unforgettable tour de force from Newbery Medal winner Jerry Spinelli.” – Publisher’s Summary
Other Voices, Other Rooms by Truman Capote
“Truman Capote’s first novel is a story of almost supernatural intensity and inventiveness, an audacious foray into the mind of a sensitive boy as he seeks out the grown-up enigmas of love and death in the ghostly landscape of the Deep South. At the age of twelve, Joel Knox is summoned to meet the father who abandoned him at birth. But when Joel arrives at the decaying mansion in Skully’s Landing, his father is nowhere in sight. What he finds instead is a sullen stepmother who delights in killing birds; an uncle with the face—and heart—of a debauched child; and a fearsome little girl named Idabel who may offer him the closest thing he has ever known to love.” – Publisher’s Summary
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
“In Morrison’s acclaimed first novel, Pecola Breedlove—an 11-year-old Black girl in an America whose love for its blond, blue-eyed children can devastate all others—prays for her eyes to turn blue: so that she will be beautiful, so that people will look at her, so that her world will be different. This is the story of the nightmare at the heart of her yearning, and the tragedy of its fulfillment. Here, Morrison’s writing is ‘so precise, so faithful to speech and so charged with pain and wonder that the novel becomes poetry’ (The New York Times).” – Publisher’s Summary
The Chosen by Chaim Potok
“It’s the spring of 1944 and fifteen-year-olds Reuven Malter and Danny Saunders have lived five blocks apart all their lives. But they’ve never met, not until the day an accident at a softball game sparks an unlikely friendship. Soon these two boys—one expected to become a Hasidic rebbe, the other at ease with secular America—are drawn into one another’s worlds despite a father’s strong opposition. Set against the backdrop of World War II and the creation of the state of Israel, The Chosen is a poignant novel about transformation and tradition, growing up and growing wise, and finding yourself—even if it might mean disappointing those you love.” – Publisher’s Summary
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
“It’s 1936, in Flint, Michigan. Times may be hard, and ten-year-old Bud may be a motherless boy on the run, but Bud’s got a few things going for him:

1. He has his own suitcase full of special things.
2. He’s the author of Bud Caldwell’s Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself
3. His momma never told him who his father was, but she left a clue: flyers advertising Herman E. Calloway and his famous band, the Dusky Devastators of the Depression!!!!!!

Bud’s got an idea that those flyers will lead him to his father. Once he decides to hit the road to find this mystery man, nothing can stop him—not hunger, not fear, not vampires, not even Herman E. Calloway himself.” – Publisher’s Summary

Ebooks:

Nilda by Nicholasa Mohr
“It's the summer of 1941, and all ten-year-old Nilda wants to do is enjoy the cool water with her friends. But the policemen's curses end their fun, and their animosity is played out repeatedly in Nilda's life. She is constantly treated with contempt by adults in positions of authority: teachers, nurses and social workers. At home she is surrounded by a large and loving family that supports her artistic abilities as they experience financial hardship, the onset of World War II and the death of loved ones. Named an "Outstanding Book of the Year" by The New York Times and one of the "Best Books of the Year" by the American Library Association in 1973 when it was first published, Nicholasa Mohr's classic novel about life as an immigrant in New York City offers a poignant look at one young girl's experiences. Issues of race, religion and machismo are realistically depicted in this groundbreaking novel that was one of the first by a Latina author to be hailed by the mainstream media.” – Publisher’s Summary
Ten is the Age of Darkness: The Black Bildungsroman by Geta LeSeur
“In Ten Is the Age of Darkness, Geta LeSeur explores how black authors of the United States and English-speaking Caribbean have taken a European literary tradition and adapted it to fit their own needs for self-expression. LeSeur begins by defining the structure and models of the European genre of the bildungsroman, then proceeds to show how the circumstances of colonialism, oppression, race, class, and gender make the maturing experiences of selected young black protagonists different from those of their white counterparts.... LeSeur's readings of African American novels provide new insights into the work of Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Paule Marshall, and Richard Wright, among others. When read as examples of the bildungsroman rather than simply as chronicles of black experiences, these works reveal an even deeper significance and have a more powerful impact....” – Publisher’s Summary
The Turmoil by Booth Tarkington by Booth Tarkington
“A familiar midwestern novel in the tradition of Sherwood Anderson and Sinclair Lewis, The Turmoil was the best-selling novel of 1915. It is set in a small, quiet city—never named but closely resembling the author’s hometown of Indianapolis—that is quickly being transformed into a bustling, money-making nest of competitors more or less overrun by ‘the worshippers of Bigness.’ ‘There is a midland city in the heart of fair, open country, a dirty and wonderful city nesting dingily in the fog of its own smoke,’ begins The Turmoil, the first volume of Pulitzer Prize-winner Booth Tarkington’s Growth trilogy. A narrative of loss and change, a love story, and a warning about the potential evils of materialism, the book chronicles two midwestern families trying to cope with the onset of industrialization. The Turmoil, the first great success of [Tarkington’s] career, tells the intertwined stories of two families: the Sheridans, whose integrity wanes as their wealth increases, and the Vertrees, who remain noble but impoverished. Linked by the romance between a Sheridan son and a Vertrees daughter, the story of the two families provides a dramatic view of what America was like on the verge of a new order.” – Publisher’s Summary
Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell
“Set in English Society before the 1832 Reform Bill, Wives and Daughters centers on the story of youthful Molly Gibson, brought up from childhood by her father. When he remarries, a new step-sister enters Molly's quiet life—loveable, but worldly and troubling, Cynthia. The narrative traces the development of the two girls into womanhood within the gossiping and watchful society of Hollingford. Wives and Daughters is far more than a nostalgic evocation of village life; it offers an ironic critique of mid-Victorian society.” – Publisher’s Summary

American Revolutionary Era - July 2025

July 2025’s Leisure Reads focuses on resources related to the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolutionary Era. Read online primary documents from the National Archives, browse print books on display in the MSJ Library Lobby, and consider numerous ebooks from our collections. Many thanks are due to MSJ librarian Cynthia Gregory for assembling all of the entries in this list!

Primary Sources

Declaration of Independence
From the National Archives, an online transcription of the original document.
America’s Founding Documents. Charters of Freedom: Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights
From the National Archives, presents transcripts of the original documents: "These three documents, known collectively as the Charters of Freedom, have secured the rights of the American people for more than two and a quarter centuries and are considered instrumental to the founding and philosophy of the United States."

Print Books

Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
“The #1 New York Times bestseller, and the inspiration for the hit Broadway musical Hamilton! ....Few figures in American history have been more hotly debated or more grossly misunderstood than Alexander Hamilton. Chernow’s biography gives Hamilton his due and sets the record straight, deftly illustrating that the political and economic greatness of today’s America is the result of Hamilton’s countless sacrifices to champion ideas that were often wildly disputed during his time.... Chernow here recounts Hamilton’s turbulent life: an illegitimate, largely self-taught orphan from the Caribbean, he came out of nowhere to take America by storm, rising to become George Washington’s aide-de-camp in the Continental Army, coauthoring The Federalist Papers, founding the Bank of New York, leading the Federalist Party, and becoming the first Treasury Secretary of the United States. Historians have long told the story of America’s birth as the triumph of Jefferson’s democratic ideals over the aristocratic intentions of Hamilton. Chernow presents an entirely different man, whose legendary ambitions were motivated not merely by self-interest but by passionate patriotism and a stubborn will to build the foundations of American prosperity and power.” – Publisher’s Summary
Weathering the Storm: Women of the American Revolution by Elizabeth Evans
“This book tells the stories of fourteen women who played a role in the American Revolution. These women ranged in age from twelve to ninety-one, and all had different reasons for fighting for their country. Some were motivated by patriotism, others by anger at the British, and still others by a desire for independence. Despite their differences, all of these women shared one common trait—they were willing to weather the storm. Evans eloquently tells their stories, painting a vivid picture of life during the war years and the challenges these women faced. Weathering the Storm is an excellent resource for students interested in the American Revolution, and it is sure to inspire readers to continue the fight for freedom.” – Publisher’s Summary
Thomas Paine: Apostle of Freedom by Jack Fruchtman
“The leading Thomas Paine expert in the U.S. presents both a biography of the controversial Founding Father and an analysis of his works. Known as 'the Voice of the Revolution,' Paine was a truly original thinker, a man whose magnificent, freedom-loving spirit is richly captured in this major biography.” – Publisher’s Summary
Washington’s Circle: The Creation of the President by D.S. & J.T. Heidler
“In 1789, as George Washington became the first president of the United States, the world was all but certain that the American experiment in liberty and representative government would founder. More than a few Americans feared that the world was right. In Washington’s Circle, we see how Washington and his trusted advisers, close friends, and devoted family defied the doomsayers to lay the foundation for an enduring constitutional republic. This is a fresh look at an aloof man whose service in the Revolutionary War had already earned him the acclaim of fellow citizens.... David S. Heidler and Jeanne T. Heidler reveal Washington’s character through his relationship with his inner circle, showing how this unlikely group created the office of the presidency. Here is a story of cooperation, confrontation, triumph, and disappointment, as the president, Congress, and the courts sorted out the limits of executive power, quarreled over funding the government, coped with domestic strife, and faced a world at war while trying to keep their country at peace....” – Publisher’s Summary
1776 by David G. McCullough
“In this masterful book, David McCullough tells the intensely human story of those who marched with General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence—when the whole American cause was riding on their success, without which all hope for independence would have been dashed and the noble ideals of the Declaration would have amounted to little more than words on paper. Based on extensive research in both American and British archives, 1776 is a powerful drama written with extraordinary narrative vitality. It is the story of Americans in the ranks, men of every shape, size, and color, farmers, schoolteachers, shoemakers, no-accounts, and mere boys turned soldiers. And it is the story of the King’s men, the British commander, William Howe, and his highly disciplined redcoats who looked on their rebel foes with contempt and fought with a valor too little known.” – Publisher’s Summary
John Adams by David G. McCullough
“In this powerful, epic biography, David McCullough unfolds the adventurous life journey of John Adams, the brilliant, fiercely independent, often irascible, always honest Yankee patriot who spared nothing in his zeal for the American Revolution; who rose to become the second president of the United States and saved the country from blundering into an unnecessary war; who was learned beyond all but a few and regarded by some as ‘out of his senses;’ and whose marriage to the wise and valiant Abigail Adams is one of the moving love stories in American history. This is history on a grand scale—a book about politics and war and social issues, but also about human nature, love, religious faith, virtue, ambition, friendship, and betrayal, and the far-reaching consequences of noble ideas. Above all, John Adams is an enthralling, often surprising story of one of the most important and fascinating Americans who ever lived.” – Publisher’s Summary
The Unknown American Revolution by Gary B. Nash
“In this audacious recasting of the American Revolution, distinguished historian Gary Nash offers a profound new way of thinking about the struggle to create this country, introducing readers to a coalition of patriots from all classes and races of American society. From millennialist preachers to enslaved Africans, disgruntled women to aggrieved Indians, the people so vividly portrayed in this book did not all agree or succeed, but during the exhilarating and messy years of this country's birth, they laid down ideas that have become part of our inheritance and ideals toward which we still strive today.” – Publisher’s Summary
Ladies of Liberty: The Women Who Shaped Our Nation by Cokie Roberts
“In this eye-opening companion volume to her acclaimed history Founding Mothers, number-one New York Times bestselling author and renowned political commentator Cokie Roberts brings to life the extraordinary accomplishments of women who laid the groundwork for a better society. Recounted with insight and humor, and drawing on personal correspondence, private journals, and other primary sources, many of them previously unpublished, here are the fascinating and inspiring true stories of first ladies and freethinkers, educators and explorers. Featuring an exceptional group of women—including Abigail Adams, Dolley Madison, Rebecca Gratz, Louise Livingston, Sacagawea, and others— Ladies of Liberty sheds new light on the generation of heroines, reformers, and visionaries who helped shape our nation, finally giving these extraordinary ladies the recognition they so greatly deserve.” – Publisher’s Summary
Black writers of the founding era, 1760-1800 by James G. Basker, Annette Gordon-Reed, Nicole Seary
"The writings gathered here reveal the complexity and dynamism of African American life and culture in the period and show how the principles of the American Revolution were seized upon and enlarged by Black Americans from the very beginning. Here are writers both enslaved and free, loyalist and patriot, women and men, Northern and Southern: soldiers, seamen, and veterans; painters, poets, and preachers; cooks, hairdressers, farmers, and many more. Alongside such better known works as Phillis Wheatley's poems and Benjamin Banneker's mathematical and scientific puzzles are dozens of first-person narratives offering a variety of Black perspectives on the political events of the times. These bold and eloquent contributions to public debate about the meanings of the Revolution and the republican values that gave rise to it dramatize the many ways in which protest and activism have always been integral for Black Americans. Intimate diaries and letters, many never before published, tell more private stories, indelibly altering our understanding of the lived experience of this crucial time in our history." -- Publisher's summary
The Whiskey Rebellion by Thomas P. Slaughter
“When President George Washington ordered an army of 13,000 men to march west in 1794 to crush a tax rebellion among frontier farmers, he established a range of precedents that continues to define federal authority over localities today. The 'Whiskey Rebellion' marked the first large-scale resistance to a law of the U.S. government under the Constitution. This classic confrontation between champions of liberty and defenders of order was long considered the most significant event in the first quarter-century of the new nation. Thomas P. Slaughter recaptures the historical drama and significance of this violent episode in which frontier West and cosmopolitan East battled over the meaning of the American Revolution.” – Publisher’s Summary
A New Age Now Begins: A People’s History of the American Revolution by Page Smith
“In this comprehensive, incisive narrative of the American Revolution, Page Smith shows how the American people were able to achieve the most remarkable movement from subordination to self-government in history, a model that has fascinated revolutionaries and politicians ever since. A New Age Now Begins depicts the Revolution as a people's rebellion and a stirring human drama. Smith covers every aspect of the struggle: the Congress, the states, the British Parliament and British public opinion, the actions and feelings of the colonists, soldiers, Tories, women, blacks, and native Americans. Rich in original interpretation, filled with stories and anecdotes drawn from letters, diaries, and official documents, A New Age Now Begins offers revealing insights into the development of a nation and a people.” – Publisher’s Summary
Hamilton, Adams, Jefferson: The Politics of Enlightenment and the American Founding by Darren Staloff
“American historian Darren Staloff delves into the political and intellectual lives of Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson to reveal how they embodied the collision of Europe’s grand Enlightenment project with the birth of a young nation. These three very different men each governed their public lives by Enlightenment principles. And the struggle for American independence would forever change their relationships to the politics of Enlightenment.” – Publisher’s Summary

Ebooks

The American Revolution: A Very Short Introduction by Robert J. Allison
“Here is a brisk, accessible, and vivid introduction to arguably the most important event in the history of the United States—the American Revolution.” – Publisher’s Summary
American History: A Very Short Introduction by Paul S. Boyer
“In a miracle of concision, Paul S. Boyer provides a wide-ranging and authoritative history of America, capturing in a compact space the full story of our nation. Ranging from the earliest Native American settlers to the presidency of Barack Obama, this Very Short Introduction offers an illuminating account of politics, diplomacy, and war as well as the full spectrum of social, cultural, and scientific developments that shaped our country.” – Publisher’s Summary
Slavery, Propaganda, and the American Revolution by Patricia Bradley
“Under the leadership of Samuel Adams, patriot propagandists deliberately and conscientiously kept the issue of slavery off the agenda as goals for freedom were set for the American Revolution. By comparing coverage in the publications of the patriot press with those of the moderate colonial press, this book finds that the patriots avoided, misinterpreted, or distorted news reports on blacks and slaves, even in the face of a vigorous antislavery movement.... Since propaganda on behalf of the Revolution reached a high level of sophistication, and since Boston can be considered the foundry of Revolutionary propaganda, the author writes that the omission of abolition from its agenda cannot be considered as accidental but as intentional. By the time the Revolution began, white attitudes toward blacks were firmly fixed, and these persisted long after American independence had been achieved.... Although the leaders of the Revolution did not articulate a national vision on abolition, the colonial anti-slavery movement was able to achieve a degree of success, but only in drives through the individual colonies.” – Publisher’s Summary
Common Sense by Thomas Paine; introd. by Diana Gabaldon
“In 1776, America was a hotbed of enlightenment and revolution. Thomas Paine not only spurred his fellow Americans to action but soon came to symbolize the spirit of the Revolution. His elegantly persuasive pieces spoke to the hearts and minds of those fighting for freedom. He was later outlawed in Britain, jailed in France, and finally labeled an atheist upon his return to America. ‘No writer has exceeded Paine in ease and familiarity of style; in perspicuity of expression, happiness of elucidation, and in simple unassuming language.’ – Thomas Jefferson” – Publisher’s Summary
Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton et al.
“Written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, The Federalist Papers explain the complexities of a constitutional government—its political structure and principles based on the inherent rights of man. Scholars have long regarded this work as a milestone in political science and a classic of American political theory.” – Publisher’s Summary
Power and Liberty: Constitutionalism in the American Revolution by Gordon S. Wood
“The half century extending from the imperial crisis between Britain and its colonies in the 1760s to the early decades of the new republic of the United States was the greatest and most creative era of constitutionalism in American history, and perhaps in the world. During these decades, Americans explored and debated all aspects of politics and constitutionalism—the nature of power, liberty, representation, rights, the division of authority between different spheres of government, sovereignty, judicial authority, and written constitutions. The results of these issues produced institutions that have lasted for over two centuries. In this new book, eminent historian Gordon S. Wood distills a lifetime of work on constitutional innovations during the Revolutionary era. In concise form, he illuminates critical events in the nation's founding, ranging from the imperial debate that led to the Declaration of Independence to the revolutionary state constitution making in 1776 and the creation of the Federal Constitution in 1787. Among other topics, he discusses slavery and constitutionalism, the emergence of the judiciary as one of the major tripartite institutions of government, the demarcation between public and private, and the formation of states' rights....” – Publisher’s Summary

Oscar Wilde -- June 2025

This month’s “Leisure Reads” celebrates Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), the legendary playwright, novelist, and wit whose life was cut short by prejudice. Below you will find plays such as The Importance of Being Earnest, collections of fairy tales such as A House of Pomegranates, and, of course, The Picture of Dorian Gray—Wilde’s only novel.

Print Books:

The Best Known Works of Oscar Wilde: including the poems, novels, plays, essays and fairy tales by Oscar Wilde
This anthology includes poetry, plays, and fairy tales of Wilde, as well as his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. Selected here are important poems such as The Ballad of Reading Gaol, “Charmides,” and The Sphinx; the plays Lady Windermere’s Fan, Salomé, A Woman of No Importance, and The Importance of Being Earnest; and the tales “The Happy Prince,” “The Nightingale and the Rose,” and “The Selfish Giant.”
The Happy Prince & Other Stories by Oscar Wilde
“The Happy Prince and Other Stories is a collection of short stories by Oscar Wilde, first published in 1888. The book contains five fairy tales, each infused with Wilde’s signature wit, rich imagery, and deep moral lessons. The stories are often melancholic, highlighting themes of sacrifice, love, and the contrast between wealth and poverty.” – Publisher’s Summary
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
“Here is Oscar Wilde's most brilliant tour de force, a witty and buoyant comedy of manners that has delighted millions in countless productions since its first performance in London's St. James' Theatre on February 14, 1895. The Importance of Being Earnest is celebrated not only for the lighthearted ingenuity of its plot, but for its inspired dialogue, rich with scintillating epigrams still savored by all who enjoy artful conversation. From the play's effervescent beginnings in Algernon Moncrieff's London flat to its hilarious denouement in the drawing room of Jack Worthing's country manor in Hertfordshire, this comic masterpiece keeps audiences breathlessly anticipating a new bon mot or a fresh twist of plot moment to moment.” – Publisher’s Summary
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
“In this celebrated work, his only novel, Wilde forged a devastating portrait of the effects of evil and debauchery on a young aesthete in late-19th-century England. Combining elements of the Gothic horror novel and decadent French fiction, the book centers on a striking premise: As Dorian Gray sinks into a life of crime and gross sensuality, his body retains perfect youth and vigor while his recently painted portrait grows day by day into a hideous record of evil, which he must keep hidden from the world. For over a century, this mesmerizing tale of horror and suspense has enjoyed wide popularity. It ranks as one of Wilde's most important creations and among the classic achievements of its kind.” – Publisher’s Summary
De Profundis by Oscar Wilde
“Bankrupt and with his reputation in ruins, Oscar Wilde wrote the astonishing letter “De Profundis” to his lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, while in prison. Editor Colm Toibin, the acclaimed author of The Blackwater Lightship, The Master, and Brooklyn, describes it as Wilde’s ‘greatest piece of prose writing....’” – Publisher’s Summary

Ebooks from Internet Archive

A House of Pomegranates by Oscar Wilde
“The walls were hung with rich tapestries representing the Triumph of Beauty. A large press, inlaid with agate and lapis-lazuli, filled one corner, and facing the window stood a curiously wrought cabinet with lacquer panels of powdered and mosaiced gold, on which were placed some delicate goblets of Venetian glass, and a cup of dark-veined onyx. Pale poppies were broidered on the silk coverlet of the bed, as though they had fallen from the tired hands of sleep, and tall reeds of fluted ivory bare up the velvet canopy, from which great tufts of ostrich plumes sprang, like white foam, to the pallid silver of the fretted ceiling. A laughing Narcissus in green bronze held a polished mirror above its head. On the table stood a flat bowl of amethyst.” – from “The Young King,” in A House of Pomegranates
An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde
“An Ideal Husband revolves around a blackmail scheme that forces a married couple to reexamine their moral standards—providing, along the way, a wry commentary on the rarity of politicians who can claim to be ethically pure. A supporting cast of young lovers, society matrons, an overbearing father, and a formidable femme fatale continually exchange sparkling repartee, keeping the play moving at a lively pace.” – Publisher’s Summary
Intentions by Oscar Wilde
“‘My own experience is that the more we study Art, the less we care for Nature. What Art really reveals to us is Nature’s lack of design, her curious crudities, her extraordinary monotony, her absolutely unfinished condition. Nature has good intentions, of course, but, as Aristotle once said, she cannot carry them out. When I look at a landscape I cannot help seeing all its defects. It is fortunate for us, however, that Nature is so imperfect, as otherwise we should have had no art at all. Art is our spirited protest, our gallant attempt to teach Nature her proper place. As for the infinite variety of Nature, that is a pure myth. It is not to be found in Nature herself. It resides in the imagination, or fancy, or cultivated blindness of the man who looks at her.’” – from “The Decay of Lying,” in Intentions
Lady Windermere’s Fan by Oscar Wilde
“Beautiful, aristocratic, an adored wife and young mother, Lady Windermere is ‘a fascinating puritan’ whose severe moral code leads her to the brink of social suicide. The only one who can save her is the mysterious Mrs. Erlynne whose scandalous relationship with Lord Windermere has prompted her fatal impulse. And Mrs. Erlynne has a secret—a secret Lady Windermere must never know if she is to retain her peace of mind.” – Publisher’s Summary
Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime, The Portrait of Mr. W. H., & Other Stories by Oscar Wilde
“‘Well, he is not a bit like a cheiromantist [palm-reader]. I mean he is not mysterious, or esoteric, or romantic-looking. He is a little, stout man, with a funny, bald head, and great gold-rimmed spectacles; something between a family doctor and a country attorney. I’m really very sorry, but it is not my fault. People are so annoying. All my pianists look exactly like poets, and all my poets look exactly like pianists; and I remember last season asking a most dreadful conspirator to dinner, a man who had blown up ever so many people, and always wore a coat of mail, and carried a dagger up his shirt-sleeve; and do you know that when he came he looked just like a nice old clergyman, and cracked jokes all the evening? Of course, he was very amusing, and all that, but I was awfully disappointed; and when I asked him about the coat of mail, he only laughed, and said it was far too cold to wear in England. Ah, here is Mr. Podgers! Now, Mr. Podgers, I want you to tell the Duchess of Paisley's hand. Duchess, you must take your glove off. No, not the left hand, the other.’ / ‘Dear Gladys, I really don't think it is quite right,’ said the Duchess, feebly unbuttoning a rather soiled kid glove. / ‘Nothing interesting ever is,’ said Lady Windermere...” – from “Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime”
Poems by Oscar Wilde
“This volume of Wilde's powerful poetry follows as closely as possible the chronological order of composition, highlighting autobiographical elements including the young Wilde's conflicting attitudes to Greece and Rome, pagan and Christian, and his fluctuating attraction to Roman Catholicism.... The poems reveal unexpected aspects of a literary chameleon usually identified with sparkling wit and social comedy.” – Publisher’s Summary
Salomé: A Tragedy in One Act by Oscar Wilde
“‘Thou wouldst have none of me, Jokanaan. Thou didst reject me. Thou didst speak evil words against me. Thou didst treat me as a harlot, as a wanton, me, Salomé, daughter of Herodias, Princess of Judæa! Well, Jokanaan, I still live, but thou, thou art dead, and thy head belongs to me. I can do with it what I will.” – from Salomé
In this short play originally written in French with Sarah Bernhardt in mind for the titular role, Oscar Wilde retells and expands the famous biblical story of the untimely end of John the Baptist (in the play called “Jokanaan”). In ornate and poetical—almost Symbolist and certainly Orientalist—dramatic prose, we are told of Salomé making advances towards Jokanaan, only to be brutally rebuffed—and of her revenge: in exchange for a sensual performance of the “Dance of the Seven Veils,” she asks King Herod for Jokanaan’s head on a silver platter. Famously, Wilde’s play could not be performed publicly in England, as biblical subject matter was at that time banned from the stage. In his preface to the English translation of Salomé (made by Lord Alfred Douglas), Robert Ross assures us that prior to its debut private performance in England in 1905, “[t]he obscure drama...had become for five years past part of the literature of Europe. It is performed regularly or intermittently in Holland, Sweden, Italy, France, and Russia, and it has been translated into every European language, including the Czech. It forms part of the repertoire of the German stage, where it is performed more often than any play by any English writer except Shakespeare.” Today, the strange and wonderful illustrations Aubrey Beardsley executed for the play’s publication are probably more famous than the text itself (see particularly “The Peacock Skirt”).
A Woman of No Importance by Oscar Wilde
“A house party is in full swing at Lady Hunstanton’s stately country home. One of the guests is Gerard Arbuthnot, an earnest, upright young man whose prospects are limited, so he is overjoyed when the suave Lord Illingworth offers him employment as his secretary. His mother, however, implores him to refuse this brilliant entrée into sophisticated society. Should she reveal the shameful secret that she has kept hidden for twenty years and possibly destroy her beloved son’s happiness forever? How can she show Gerard that, contrary to appearances, Lord Illingworth is ‘a man of no importance’?” – Publisher’s Summary

Japanese American Writers – May 2025

In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, this month’s “Leisure Reads” presents works by and about Japanese American writers in a variety of genres, mostly revolving around the Japanese American experience of being detained in internment camps, as well as the generations growing up in the decades following that collective trauma. Below you will find a graphic novel by George Takei about his experiences as a child detained in internment camps for Japanese Americans during World War II; an anthology of literary works produced by Japanese Americans while detained in those camps; and John Okada’s novel about the young men who famously said no twice: first to serving in the U.S. military during World War II, and second to pledging loyalty to the government that had interned their families.

Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata
“That's how Katie Takeshima's sister, Lynn, makes everything seem. The sky is kira-kira because its color is deep but see-through at the same time. The sea is kira-kira for the same reason. And so are people's eyes. When Katie and her family move from a Japanese community in Iowa to the Deep South of Georgia, it's Lynn who explains to her why people stop them on the street to stare. And it's Lynn who, with her special way of viewing the world, teaches Katie to look beyond tomorrow. But when Lynn becomes desperately ill, and the whole family begins to fall apart, it is up to Katie to find a way to remind them all that there is always something glittering—kira-kira—in the future.” – Publisher’s Summary
They Called Us Enemy by George Takei
“George Takei has captured hearts and minds worldwide with his magnetic performances, sharp wit, and outspoken commitment to equal rights. But long before he braved new frontiers in Star Trek, he woke up as a four-year-old boy to find his own birth country at war with his father's—and their entire family forced from their home into an uncertain future. In 1942, at the order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, every person of Japanese descent on the west coast was rounded up and shipped to one of ten ‘relocation centers,’ hundreds or thousands of miles from home, where they would be held for years under armed guard. They Called Us Enemy is Takei's firsthand account of those years behind barbed wire, the terrors and small joys of childhood in the shadow of legalized racism, his mother's hard choices, his father's tested faith in democracy, and the way those experiences planted the seeds for his astonishing future. What does it mean to be American? Who gets to decide? When the world is against you, what can one person do? To answer these questions, George Takei joins cowriters Justin Eisinger & Steven Scott and artist Harmony Becker for the journey of a lifetime.” – Publisher’s Summary
City Girls by Valerie J. Matsumoto
“Even before internment, Japanese largely lived in separate cultural communities from their West Coast neighbors. The first-generation American children, the Nisei, were American citizens, spoke English, and were integrated in public schools, yet were also socially isolated in many ways from their peers and subject to racism. Their daughters especially found rapport in a flourishing network of ethnocultural youth organizations. Until now, these groups have remained hidden from the historical record, both because they were girls' groups and because evidence of them was considered largely ephemeral. In her second book, Valerie Matsumoto has recreated this hidden world of female friendship and comradery, tracing it from the Jazz Age through internment to the postwar period. Matsumoto argues that these groups were more than just social outlets for Nisei teenage girls. Rather, she shows how they were critical networks during the wartime upheavals of Japanese Americans. Young Nisei women helped their families navigate internment and, more importantly, recreated communities when they returned to their homes in the immediate postwar period. This book will be a considerable contribution to our understanding of Japanese life in America, youth culture, ethnic history, urban history, and Western history. Matsumoto has interviewed and gained the trust of many (now old) women who were part of these girls' clubs." – Publisher’s Summary
No-No Boy by John Okada
“‘No-No Boy has the honor of being among the first of what has become an entire literary canon of Asian American literature,’ writes novelist Ruth Ozeki in her new foreword. First published in 1957, No-No Boy was virtually ignored by a public eager to put World War II and the Japanese internment behind them. It was not until the mid-1970s that a new generation of Japanese American writers and scholars recognized the novel’s importance and popularized it as one of literature’s most powerful testaments to the Asian American experience. No-No Boy tells the story of Ichiro Yamada, a fictional version of the real-life ‘no-no boys.’ Yamada answered ‘no’ twice in a compulsory government questionnaire as to whether he would serve in the armed forces and swear loyalty to the United States. Unwilling to pledge himself to the country that interned him and his family, Ichiro earns two years in prison and the hostility of his family and community when he returns home to Seattle. As Ozeki writes, Ichiro’s ‘obsessive, tormented’ voice subverts Japanese postwar ‘model-minority’ stereotypes, showing a fractured community and one man’s ‘threnody of guilt, rage, and blame as he tries to negotiate his reentry into a shattered world.’” – Publisher’s Summary
Seventeen Syllables and Other Stories by Hisaye Yamamoto; King-Kok Cheung (Introduction by)
“In the foothills of Pasadena, Mas Arai is just another Japanese American gardener, his lawn mower blades clean and sharp, his truck carefully tuned. But while Mas keeps lawns neatly trimmed, his own life has gone to seed. His wife is dead. And his livelihood is falling into the hands of the men he once hired by the day. For Mas, a life of sin is catching up to him. And now Bachi—the spirit of retribution—is knocking on his door. It begins when a stranger comes around, asking questions about a nurseryman who once lived in Hiroshima, a man known as Joji Haneda. By the end of the summer, Joji will be dead and Mas's own life will be in danger. For while Mas was building a life on the edge of the American dream, he has kept powerful secrets: about three friends long ago, about two lives entwined, and about what really happened when the bomb fell on Hiroshima in August 1945.” – Publisher’s Summary
That damned fence : the literature of the Japanese American prison camps by Heather Hathaway
“That Damned Fence paints a haunting and intimate portrait of the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans. Drawing on fiction, journalism, poetry and art produced by the internees themselves, the book explores how factors such as the camps' physical settings; the class, gender and generational composition of their populations; and the attitudes of camp administrators toward the enterprise shaped the experiences of the detained. In so doing, it reveals the sorry and the humor, the despair and resilience with which Japanese Americans faced the injustice of their wartime incarcerations.” – Publisher’s Summary
When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka
“Julia Otsuka’s quietly disturbing novel opens with a woman reading a sign in a post office window. It is Berkeley, California, the spring of 1942. Pearl Harbor has been attacked, the war is on, and though the precise message on the sign is not revealed, its impact on the woman who reads it is immediate and profound. It is, in many ways she cannot yet foresee, a sign of things to come. She readies herself and her two young children for a journey that will take them to the high desert plains of Utah and into a world that will shatter their illusions forever. They travel by train and gradually the reader discovers that all on board are Japanese American, that the shades must be pulled down at night so as not to invite rock-throwing, and that their destination is an internment camp where they will be imprisoned ‘for their own safety’ until the war is over. With stark clarity and an unflinching gaze, Otsuka explores the inner lives of her main characters–the mother, daughter, and son–as they struggle to understand their fate and long for the father who they have not seen since he was whisked away, in slippers and handcuffs, on the evening of Pearl Harbor. Moving between dreams, memories, and sharply emblematic moments.” – Publisher’s Summary

National Poetry Month 2025

April’s Leisure Reads celebrates National Poetry Month with African American poets selected from the late and great poet Nikki Giovanni’s anthology The 100 Best African American Poems. Below you will find print books as well as many ebook versions of some of the most prominent poets of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This includes, of course, Nikki Giovanni, as well as Gwendolyn Brooks, Sterling Brown, Lucille Clifton, and more!

Print Titles

The 100 Best African American Poems by Nikki Giovanni
“Immerse yourself in the heart and soul of African American literature with The 100 Best African American Poems. This diverse anthology offers a vibrant tapestry of voices that echoes centuries of struggle, triumph, and profound insight. The 100 Best African American Poems is a riveting exploration of African American life, culture, and history, as seen through the lens of poetry. The anthology spans different periods and styles, showcasing the richness and variety of African American poetic expression. From legendary poets like Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou to contemporary voices pushing the boundaries of poetic art, Giovanni's expertly curated selection provides a comprehensive view of the African American poetic tradition. Each poem is a lyrical journey that invites readers to engage with poignant themes, stirring narratives, and powerful emotions.” – Publisher’s Summary
African-American Poetry of the Nineteenth Century by Joan R. Sherman
“In this bestselling companion to her pioneering study, Invisible Poets, Joan Sherman continues to make new generations aware of the 'invisible' legacy of nineteenth-century black American poetry. The 171 poems here, by thirty-five men and women, have been transcribed from first editions and are annotated in detail.” – Publisher’s Summary. Includes poems by Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and more!
Chasing Utopia: A Hybrid by Nikki Giovanni
“The poetry of Nikki Giovanni has spurred social justice movements and inspired songs, turned hearts and informed generations about the reality of life—especially Black life—in America. One of the foremost African-American writers and activists of her generation, she has been hailed as a healer and a sage, a powerful voice on issues of race, equality, violence, and discrimination. With Chasing Utopia, Giovanni demands that the prosaic—flowers, food, birdsong, winter—be seen as poetic, and reaffirms once again why she is as energetic, ‘remarkable’ (Gwendolyn Brooks), ‘wonderful’ (Marian Wright Edelman), ‘outspoken, prolific, energetic’ (New York Times), and relevant as ever.” – Publisher’s Summary
The Essential Gwendolyn Brooks by Gwendolyn Brooks
“‘If you wanted a poem,’ wrote Gwendolyn Brooks, ‘you only had to look out of a window. There was material always, walking or running, fighting or screaming or singing.’ From the life of Chicago’s South Side she made a forceful and passionate poetry that fused Modernist aesthetics with African-American cultural tradition, a poetry that registered the life of the streets and the upheavals of the 20th century. Starting with A Street in Bronzeville (1945), her epoch-making debut volume, The Essential Gwendolyn Brooks traces the full arc of her career in all its ambitious scope and unexpected stylistic shifts.” – Publisher’s Summary
It Seems Like a Mighty Long Time by Angela Jackson
“Angela Jackson’s latest collection of poetry borrows its title from a lyric in Barbara Lewis’s 1963 hit single ‘Hello Stranger,’ recorded at Chess Records in Chicago. Like the song, Jackson’s poems are a melodic ode to the African American experience, informed by both individual lives and community history, from the arrival of the first African slave in Virginia in 1619 to post-Obama America. It Seems Like a Mighty Long Time reflects the maturity of Jackson’s poetic vision. The Great Migration, the American South, and Chicago all serve as signposts, but it is the complexity of individual lives—both her own and those who have gone before, walk beside, and come after—that invigorate this collection. Upon surveying so vast a landscape, Jackson finds that sorrow meets delight, and joy lifts up anger and despair. And for all this time, love is the agent, the wise and just rule and guide.” – Publisher’s Summary
To Repel Ghosts: Remixed from the Original Masters by Kevin Young
“In spare, jazzlike verse Kevin Young tells the story of Basquiat's rise from the mock prophet and graffiti artist SAMO to one of the hottest painters of the 1980s (‘blue-chip Basquiat / playing the bull / market’), exploring the artist's bouts with fame and heroin, mourning his untimely death, and celebrating his legacy. Along the way Young riffs on Basquiat's paintings and sayings, on the music he loved, on the artists he ran with (Andy Warhol and Keith Haring, among them), and on the black heroes (Charlie Parker, Muhammad Ali, Billie Holiday) who inspired him.” – Publisher’s Summary
A Wreath for Emmett Till by Marilyn Nelson
“In 1955, people all over the United States knew that Emmett Louis Till was a fourteen-year-old African American boy lynched for supposedly whistling at a white woman in Mississippi. The brutality of his murder, the open-casket funeral, and the acquittal of the men tried for the crime drew wide media attention. Award-winning poet Marilyn Nelson reminds us of the boy whose fate helped spark the civil rights movement. This martyr’s wreath, woven from a little-known but sophisticated form of poetry, challenges us to speak out against modern-day injustices, to ‘speak what we see.’” – Publisher’s Summary

Ebooks:

The Book of Light (ebook) by Lucille Clifton
“Though The Book of Light opens with thirty-nine names for light, we soon learn the most meaningful name is Lucille—daughter, mother, proud Black woman. Known for her ability to convey multitudes in few words, Clifton writes into the shadows—her father’s violations, a Black neighborhood bombed, death, loss—all while illuminating the full spectrum of human emotion: grief and celebration, anger and joy, empowerment and so much grace. A meeting place of myth and the Divine, The Book of Light exists “between starshine and clay” as Clifton’s personas allow us to bear the world’s weight with Atlas and witness conversations between Lucifer and God. While names and dates mark this text as a social commentary responding to her time, it is haunting how easily this collection serves as a political palimpsest of today. We leave these poems inspired—Clifton shows us Superman is not our hero. Our hero is the Black female narrator who decides to live. And what a life she creates! ‘Won’t you celebrate with me?’” – Publisher’s Summary
Collected Poems (ebook) by Robert Earl Hayden
“Robert Hayden was one of the most important American poets of the twentieth century. He left behind an exquisite body of work, collected in this definitive edition, including A Ballad of Remembrance, Words in the Mourning Time, The Night-Blooming Cereus, Angle of Ascent, and American Journal, which was nominated for a National Book Award.... In Hayden’s work the actualities of history and culture became the launching places for flights of imagination and intelligence. His voice―characterized by musical diction and an exquisite feeling for the formality of pattern―is a seminal one in American life and literature.” – Publisher’s Summary
The Collected Poems of Sterling A. Brown (ebook) by Sterling A. Brown
“Sterling A. Brown was renowned for his trenchant poetry and scholarship on African American folklife. A contemporary of Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, and Jean Toomer, Brown became the first poet laureate of the District of Columbia. His celebrated works, including Southern Road, address issues of race through collages of narrative and dialect unique to Brown’s unflinching poetic voice.” – Publisher’s Summary
HeartLove: Wedding and Love Poems (ebook) by Haki R. Madhubuti
“HeartLove is love that matters. In these poems, Madhubuti gives us essential meditations on commitment and caring. He offers honest and sometimes cutting criticism that is expected from a true friend or lover. And he gives us poetry—constant reminders of our wholeness and humanity. ‘Some of the finest human poems in English are in this book’ (Robert Bly).” – Publisher’s Summary
Homegirls and Handgrenades (ebook) by Sonia Sanchez
“Winner of the American Book Award.... ‘A lion in literature’s forest. When she writes she roars, and when she sleeps other creatures walk gingerly’ (Maya Angelou). Originally published in 1984, this collection of prose, prose poems, and lyric verses is as fresh and radical today as it was then. Sonia Sanchez, the premiere poet of the Black Arts Movement, shows the ‘razor blades’ clenched in her teeth in these powerful pieces.” – Publisher’s Summary
Johannesburg & Other Poems (ebook) by Sterling Plumpp
“A poetic and autobiographical fusing of three landscapes: the poet's native Mississippi, Chicago, and South Africa where Sterling Plumpp travelled in 1992. Plumpp paints here stunning and lyrical parallels between Black lives in the US and Black lives in South Africa. Through the prism of the blues Plumpp sees sharecroppers, maids, and the struggle for civil rights on two continents. Like a blues song, Johannesburg is a work where the reader may find a tragic, and often comic, common humanity as composed and sung by a master.” – Publisher’s Summary
Prophets for a New Day (ebook) by Margaret Walker
“A member of the Chicago Black Renaissance, Margaret Walker (1915–1998) was the first woman to receive a national writing prize (1942) and her novel Jubilee (1966) is considered a key landmark work. Issued by a Black publisher, this poetry collection has poems written for or about Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King, the Civil Rights Era and other topics on African-American history.” – Publisher’s Summary
Remembrances of Spring: Collected Early Poems (ebook) by Naomi Cornelia Long Madgett
“Naomi Long Madgett, a 2002 Michigan Women's Hall of Fame Honoree, has been a poet for most of her life and was founder, editor, and publisher of Lotus Press, Inc. She was awarded the 1993 American Book Award and the 1993 Michigan Governor's Artists Award. Remembrances of Spring is intended to commemorate her work and remind us, once again, that she possesses her own, powerful poetic voice. It is also a thought-provoking retrospective examination of the intellect of a woman whose verses touch the deepest parts of our imaginations. This work is a collection of poems previously published in three separate works.” – Publisher’s Summary. Naomi Long Madgett died in 2020.
Timber and Prayer: The Indian Pond Poems (ebook) by Afaa Michael Weaver
“Weaver's life studies and lyrics are imbued with a vivid sense of language, a vivid sense of the world, a vivid sense of their inseparability. And his tonal range—from unabashed passion to the subtlest velleity—is impressive indeed. This is a singular talent.” – Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Victims of the Latest Dance Craze (ebook) by Cornelius Eady
“A vibrant collection of poems. Victims of the Latest Dance Craze is the 1985 Lamont Poetry Selection, a distinguished award for an author's second book of poems.... Worthy alone of the price of the book is the poem 'Jazz Dancer.’ Its obsessive celebration of the jazzman's ‘war against/the obvious’ results in a praiseful litany as the poet enunciates a lovely catalogue of theories about air, motion, kisses, ‘long glances from across a ballroom’ and ‘certain kinds of thirst.’ The poem's leaping connections harmoniously join an odd geography of emotional and physical material into a most beautiful composition. Throughout this volume each reader will discover special favorites from among the 29 individual poems. Eady locates the dance in a marvelous array of possibilities... Throughout, the language is accessible and direct, clean in spirit and statement, delightfully innocent and honest. He doesn't pretend to know all the answers to the pop of fingers or the beat's bop...” – Publisher’s Summary

Women's History Month 2025

This March “Leisure Reads” celebrates Women’s History Month by focusing on the theme developed by the National Women’s History Alliance (NWHA): “Moving Forward Together! Women Educating and Inspiring Generations.” This year’s theme “celebrates the collective strength and influence of women who have dedicated their lives to education, mentorship, and leadership,” emphasizing how “[f]rom classrooms to boardrooms, and from grassroots movements to global initiatives, women educators and leaders have played a pivotal role in nurturing minds and inspiring transformative action” (NWHA). Below you will find biography, memoir, and other nonfiction works by Michelle Obama, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Helen Keller, and more! Titles are available for requesting and borrowing.

Becoming by Michelle Obama
“In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America—the first African American to serve in that role—she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare. In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her—from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it—in her own words and on her own terms....” – Publisher’s Summary
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
“As a botanist and professor of plant ecology, Robin Wall Kimmerer has spent a career learning how to ask questions of nature using the tools of science. As a Potawatomi woman, she learned from elders, family, and history that the Potawatomi, as well as a majority of other cultures indigenous to this land, consider plants and animals to be our oldest teachers. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these two lenses of knowing together to reveal what it means to see humans as ‘the younger brothers of creation.’ As she explores these themes she circles toward a central argument: the awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgement and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the world. Once we begin to listen for the languages of other beings, we can begin to understand the innumerable life-giving gifts the world provides us and learn to offer our thanks, our care, and our own gifts in return.” – Publisher’s Summary
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai; Christina Lamb (As told to)
“When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education. On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive. Instead, Malala's miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she has become a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest nominee ever for the Nobel Peace Prize. This is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls' education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons. This story will make you believe in the power of one person's voice to inspire change in the world.” – Publisher’s Summary
Maria Montessori by E. M. Standing
“Maria Montessori is important background reading for parents considering Montessori education for their children, as well as for those training to become Montessori teachers. The first woman to win a degree as a Doctor of Medicine in Italy in 1896, Maria Montessori's mission to improve children's education began in the slums of Rome in 1907, and continued throughout her lifetime. Her insights into the minds of children led her to develop prepared environments and other tools and devices that have come to characterize Montessori education today. Her influence in other countries has been profound and many of her teaching methods have been adopted by educators generally. Part biography and part exposition of her ideas, this engaging book reveals through her letters and personal diaries Maria Montessori's humility and delight in the success of her educational experiments and is an ideal introduction to the principals and practices of the greatest educational pioneer of the 20th century.” – Publisher’s Summary
Playing in the Dark by Toni Morrison
An immensely persuasive work of literary criticism that opens a new chapter in the American dialogue on race--and promises to change the way we read American literature--from the acclaimed Nobel Prize winner Morrison shows how much the themes of freedom and individualism, manhood and innocence, depended on the existence of a black population that was manifestly unfree--and that came to serve white authors as embodiments of their own fears and desires. According to the Chicago Tribune, Morrison "reimagines and remaps the possibility of America." Her brilliant discussions of the "Africanist" presence in the fiction of Poe, Melville, Cather, and Hemingway leads to a dramatic reappraisal of the essential characteristics of our literary tradition. Written with the artistic vision that has earned the Nobel Prize-winning author a pre-eminent place in modern letters, Playing in the Dark is an invaluable read for avid Morrison admirers as well as students, critics, and scholars of American literature.
The Proud Tower by Barbara W. Tuchman
“During the fateful quarter century leading up to World War I, the climax of a century of rapid, unprecedented change, a privileged few enjoyed Olympian luxury as the underclass was ‘heaving in its pain, its power, and its hate.’ In The Proud Tower, Barbara W. Tuchman brings the era to vivid life: the decline of the Edwardian aristocracy; the Anarchists of Europe and America; Germany and its self-depicted hero, Richard Strauss; Diaghilev’s Russian ballet and Stravinsky’s music; the Dreyfus Affair; the Peace Conferences in The Hague; and the enthusiasm and tragedy of Socialism, epitomized by the assassination of Jean Jaurès on the night the Great War began and an epoch came to a close.” – Publisher’s Summary
A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf; Frances Spalding (Afterword by)
“In this extraordinary essay, Virginia Woolf examines the limitations of womanhood in the early twentieth century. With the startling prose and poetic license of a novelist, she makes a bid for freedom, emphasising that the lack of an independent income, and the titular ‘room of one’s own,’ prevents most women from reaching their full literary potential. As relevant in its insight and indignation today as it was when first delivered in those hallowed lecture theatres, A Room of One’s Own remains both a beautiful work of literature and an incisive analysis of women and their place in the world.” – Publisher’s Summary
The Story of My Life by Helen. Keller; Jim Knipfel (Introduction by); Marlee Matlin (Afterword by)
“Helen Keller's triumph over her blindness and deafness has become one of the most inspiring stories of our time. Here, in a book first published when she was young woman, is Helen Keller's own story—complex, poignant, and filled with love. With unforgettable immediacy, Helen’s own words reveal the heart of an exceptional woman, her struggles and joys, including that memorable moment when she finally understands that Anne’s finger-spelled letters w-a-t-e-r mean the fluid rushing over her hand. Helen Keller was always a compassionate and witty advocate for the handicapped, and her sincere and eloquent memoir is deeply moving for the sighted and the blind, the deaf and the hearing. ‘Her spirit will endure,’ said Senator Lister Hill at her funeral, ‘as long as man can read and stories can be told of the woman who showed the world there are no boundaries to courage and faith.’ Through movies and plays, most notably The Miracle Worker, which portrayed her relationship with her teacher, Anne Sullivan, Keller’s life has become an emblem of hope for people everywhere.” – Publisher’s Summary

Mental Health Awareness Month 2024

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This special edition of “Leisure Reads” features nature writing, including a special focus on the connection of nature to mental health and wellness. Below you will find ebooks, print books, and books that can be requested from other university libraries via OhioLINK. Many thanks to MSJ Librarian Cynthia Gregory for this list of books, as well as for her assistance formatting the post!

Ebooks:

Forest as a Health Resource by Joachim Rathmann
“Joachim Rathmann presents the interdisciplinary links between forests and human health. Forests provide numerous ecosystem services for the survival, well-being, and maintenance and enhancement of human health. Forests provide multisensory recreational spaces and can therefore be considered a resource that positively impacts both physical, mental, and social aspects of health. The author presents natural science, social science, and humanities research in an understandable, clear, and concise manner for a diverse readership.” – Publisher’s Summary
Forest Therapy: The Potential of the Forest for Your Health by Angela Schuh & Gisela Immich
Forest Therapy: The Potential of the Forest for Your Health / Angela Schuh & Gisela Immich
“In fast-paced everyday life, it is becoming increasingly important to find an antipole. The forest seems to be the perfect place for this—it offers balancing stimuli, health-promoting effects and its climate is proven to be effective on human health. This non-fiction book explains the background and facts about the effect of forest visits on a scientifically sound basis and sensitizes readers to the great health benefits of forest bathing (Shinrin-Yoku) and forest therapy. As an oasis of tranquility, the forest invites you to slow down, regenerate and draw new energy. Written for interested lay people—psychotherapists, doctors and other health professionals can read along.” – Publisher’s Summary
A Voice in the Wilderness: Conversations with Terry Tempest Williams by Michael Austin
“With her distinctive, impassioned voice and familiar felicity of language, Terry Tempest Williams talks about wilderness and wildlife, place and eroticism, art and literature, democracy and politics, family and heritage, Mormonism and religion, writing and creativity, and other subjects that engage her agile mind—in a set of interviews gathered and introduced by Michael Austin to represent the span of her career as a naturalist, author, and activist.” – Publisher’s Summary

Print Books:

The Annie Dillard Reader by Annie Dillard
“’One of the most distinctive voices in American letters today’ (Boston Globe) collects her favorite writing selections in The Annie Dillard Reader. This collection of stories, novel excerpts, essays, poetry and more demonstrates the depth and resonance of the writing of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annie Dillard. Includes chapters from the novel Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, and An American Childhood, the revised Holy the Firm in its entirety, the revised short story ‘The Living,’ essays from Teaching a Stone to Talk and more. ‘She has a strange and wonderful mind, and the ability to speak it with enduring grace’ (The New Yorker).” – Publisher’s Summary
The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2000 by D. Quammen & B. Bilger
“With the inaugural volume of The Best American Science & Nature Writing, Houghton Mifflin showcases the finest writing of the [year 2000] on subjects of ever-increasing interest to readers. Guest editor David Quammen and series editor Burkhard Bilger have assembled a remarkable group of essays that originally appeared in periodicals from National Geographic, Science, and The New Yorker to Puerto del Sol and DoubleTake. Among the acclaimed writers represented are Natalie Angier on "Men, Women, Sex, and Darwin," Peter Matthiessen exploring "The Island at the End of the Earth," Richard Preston considering "The Demon in the Freezer," and Oliver Sacks remembering the "Brilliant Light" of his boyhood. Also including work by such literary lights as Anne Fadiman, Edward Hoagland, and Cullen Murphy, this volume presents selections bound together by their timelessness.” – Publisher’s Summary
House of Light by Mary Oliver
“This collection of poems by Mary Oliver once again invites the reader to step across the threshold of ordinary life into a world of natural and spiritual luminosity. ‘Tell me, what is it you plan to do / with your one wild and precious life?’ (from ‘The Summer Day’—one of the poems in this volume). Winner of a 1991 Christopher Award and winner of the 1991 Boston Globe Lawrence L. Winship Book Award.” – Publisher’s Summary
Seeking Awareness in American Nature Writing: Henry Thoreau, Annie Dillard, Edward Abbey, Wendell Berry, Barry Lopez by S. Slovic
A scholarly analysis of American nature writing, including the poetical works of Thoreau, Dillard, and others. It specifically addresses the psychology of nature writing, the juxtaposition of the inner and outer world, and particularities about aestheticism and awareness. ‘We cannot write well or truly but what we write with gusto. The body, the senses, must conspire with the mind. Expression is the act of the whole man, that our speech may be vascular. The intellect is powerless to express thought without the aid of the heart and liver and of every member’ (Thoreau).
The Norton Book of Nature Writing by R. Finch & J. Elder
“A collection of 125 selections by 94 writers (each introduced with a short biographical essay). Classic and contemporary pieces from England and America are included as are works both from clearly identified nature writers and those with more general reputations (among them: Updike, Le Guin, Woolf).” – Publisher’s Summary
Writing Natural History: Dialogues with Authors by E. Lueders
“Writing Natural History is the edited record of four public dialogues held at the University of Utah in 1988 between eminent writers in the fields of natural history. In these interchanges the writers discussed their traditions, perspectives, values, purposes, techniques, and personal insights. Their conversations, like their work, link the sciences with the humanities in surprising ways, enhancing our understanding and appreciation of both. This volume maintains the vitality of the spoken dialogues and conveys a lively sense of each speaker’s concern with the processes of the natural world and our human position in it.... Authors dialogues feature Barry Lopez and Edward O. Wilson, Robert Finch and Terry Tempest Williams, Gary Paul Nabhan and Ann Zwinger, Paul Brooks and Edward Lueders.” – Publisher’s Summary
National Geographic Book of Nature Poetry by J.P. Lewis
“When words in verse are paired with the awesomeness of nature, something magical happens! Beloved former U.S. Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis curates an exuberant poetic celebration of the natural world in this stellar collection of nature poems. From trickling streams to deafening thunderstorms to soaring mountains, discover majestic photography perfectly paired with contemporary (such as Billy Collins), classics (such as Robert Frost), and never-before-published works.” – Publisher’s Summary

Books from OhioLINK's Catalog:

Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv
“Never before in history have children been so plugged in—and so out of touch with the natural world. In this groundbreaking new work, child advocacy expert Richard Louv directly links the lack of nature in the lives of today's wired generation—he calls it nature deficit—to some of the most disturbing childhood trends, such as rises in obesity, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), and depression.... Nature-deficit disorder is not a medical condition; it is a description of the human costs of alienation from nature. This alienation damages children and shapes adults, families, and communities. There are solutions, though, and they're right in our own backyards. Last Child in the Woods is the first book to bring together cutting-edge research showing that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development—physical, emotional, and spiritual.... Parents have the power to ensure that their daughter or son will not be the ‘last child in the woods,’ and this book is the first step toward that nature-child reunion.” – Publisher’s Summary
Return to Nature: The New Science of How Natural Landscapes Restore Us by Emma Loewe
“For centuries, we have known that getting outside is good for us. Yet we have become increasingly disconnected from the earth that nourishes us, with most of us spending 87% of our days indoors. In response, writer and environmentalist Emma Loewe demonstrates the power of nature’s healing properties in a guidebook organized by eight landscapes. In each chapter, you'll find research-backed ways to explore that landscape right now and protect it in the future, so that it can be healthy and nurturing for generations to come.... Alongside beautiful four-color illustrations that inspire us all to get outside in big and small ways, this stunning book—more urgent than ever—will appeal to anyone looking to connect with the world around them, whether in their neighborhood park or on a backpacking getaway.” – Publisher’s Summary
Losing Eden: Our fundamental Need for the Natural World and its Ability to Heal Body and Soul by Lucy Jones
“Why human beings have a powerful and fundamental need—mental, spiritual, and physical—for the natural world; the profound impact it has on our consciousness and ability to heal our soul and bring solace to the heart, and the new cutting-edge scientific evidence proving nature as nurturer. In Losing Eden, Lucy Jones interweaves her deeply personal story of recovery from addiction and depression, with that of discovering the natural world and how it aided and enlivened her progress, giving her a renewed sense of belonging and purpose. Jones writes of the intersection of science, wellness, and the environment, and reveals that in the last decade, scientists have begun to formulate theories of why people feel better after a walk in the woods and an experience with the natural world....” – Publisher’s Summary
Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness by Dr. Qing Li
“The definitive guide to the therapeutic Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, or the art and science of how trees can promote health and happiness. Notice how a tree sways in the wind. Run your hands over its bark. Take in its citrusy scent. As a society we suffer from nature deficit disorder, but studies have shown that spending mindful, intentional time around trees—what the Japanese call shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing—can promote health and happiness. In this beautiful book—featuring more than 100 color photographs from forests around the world, including the forest therapy trails that criss-cross Japan—Dr. Qing Li, the world's foremost expert in forest medicine, shows how forest bathing can reduce your stress levels and blood pressure, strengthen your immune and cardiovascular systems, boost your energy, mood, creativity, and concentration, and even help you lose weight and live longer. Once you've discovered the healing power of trees, you can lose yourself in the beauty of your surroundings, leave everyday stress behind, and reach a place of greater calm and wellness.” – Publisher’s Summary

Previous "Leisure Reads"

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