BookBrowse Highlights
Hello,
If you're looking for a compelling and important historical novel, Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez, which focuses on the forced sterilization of Black girls and women in the 1970s, comes highly recommended by our First Impressions reviewers.

Meanwhile, our book club members are discussing another significant work of American historical fiction: Kaitlyn Greenidge's Reconstruction-era Libertie.

Also, our survey results on the most popular book club books of 2021 are in, with favorites Kristin Hannah and Amor Towles high on the list — check out our blog post to see the full rankings.

And we have an interview with the CEO of Ukrainian publishing house, Vivat
With best wishes,

Davina Morgan-Witts
BookBrowse Publisher
An Interview With Ukrainian Publisher, Vivat
We've just published an interview with the CEO of Vivat, a major publishing house in Ukraine, headquartered in Kharkiv, very near the Russian border.
 
I follow the news from Ukraine very closely, but speaking with Julia Orlova has given me a new perspective and I am in awe of the extraordinary work they are doing.

I hope you find the interview interesting and will share with others. If you want to share BookBrowse's posts, you'll find them at FacebookInstagramTwitter and Linkedin.

-- Davina
First Impressions
Each month we give away books to BookBrowse members who live in the U.S. to read and review. Members who choose to participate receive a free book about every 3-4 months. Here are their opinions on one recently released title.
Take My Hand
by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

"Civil Townsend is a black nurse in 1970s Montgomery, Alabama working at the Family Planning Clinic, whose patients are mostly from poor black families. When Civil begins questioning whether India and Erica, just 11 and 13 years old, actually need birth control, she's reprimanded by the clinic's director. She also soon discovers that the non-FDA-approved birth control (Depo-Provera) she is giving to the very young girls is controversial since it has shown links to cancer development... Many years later, Civil needs to make peace with what happened... Take My Hand is a well-written, compelling, absorbing and captivating novel, where the protagonists refuse to be forgotten." - Anke V. (Portland, OR)

"Book clubs will love this book as it really invites deep thought and discussions about medical ethics and institutional racism. Anyone who enjoys truthful historical fiction will like this hard-hitting and well-written book for the warm characters and the unapologetic descriptions of past US medical abuses." - Jo S. (Tonganoxie, KS)

"Although this is a work of historical fiction, I was reminded of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Our protagonist, Civil Townsend, is constantly made to tackle the issue of doing good deeds that sometimes bring about unwanted outcomes. An older Civil is telling her daughter about her past. She was very young in this story and many of her acts and feelings show her immaturity. But as she matures, she can judge her behaviors objectively. Are acts of goodness altruistic or sometimes selfish? The characters are well-developed in this novel and I think you'll love them as much as I did." - Judi R. (Jericho, NY)
First Impressions Beyond the Book Articles
All BookBrowse reviews are accompanied by articles examining a subject that appears in the book. Explore recent Beyond the Book articles on topics from First Impressions books by clicking on the buttons below.
Beyond the Book for Peach Blossom Spring :
Chinese Handscrolls

The family at the center of Peach Blossom Spring carries a handscroll with them as they flee their home in the Hunan Province of China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The handscroll has been a form of art and narrative storytelling in China since the Spring and Autumn period (770-481 BCE)...
Beyond the Book for Two Storm Wood :
Cocaine Use in the British Military During World War I

In his historical novel Two Storm Wood, Philip Gray portrays the reality of World War I mostly from the perspective of a young British officer, showing everything from the gruesome and harrowing details of war to lesser-known facts of everyday life for those serving in it. This reality includes substance use and abuse among troops...
Beyond the Book for Take My Hand :
Involuntary Sterilization in the United States

In Take My Hand, the protagonist Civil Townsend works at a family planning center in Montgomery, Alabama in 1973. She visits a Black family and administers birth control shots to two sisters, ages 11 and 13, at the behest of her supervisor, a man who later orders the girls to be sterilized. This story is based on the real-life sterilization of Mary Alice and Minnie Relf...
BookBrowse Book Club
Libertie
by Kaitlyn Greenidge

From the Jacket

Set in the Reconstruction era, this unforgettable story explores one young Black woman's attempt to find a place where she can be fully herself – out of the shadow of her accomplished mother in Brooklyn and her traditional husband in Haiti. Perfect for readers of Brit Bennett, Min Jin Lee, and Yaa Gyasi.

From the Discussion

"I enjoyed the book for the history. There were many things I have never thought about, particularly about black people in the North during the Civil War. It did not occur to me to wonder how they were treated." - nancyh

"I loved this book. I understood Cathy, Libertie's mother, because she reminded me of a lot of women that helped raised me. Achievers who want the best for their daughters. Black women who understand the hurdles their daughters possibly might have to endure... the essence of the book, particularly as it was inspired by a true mother-daughter story, inspired me." - valeriem

"Libertie offers an insightful, thought-provoking look at the post-Civil War period. Through rich historical details and poignant episodes, it became clear that the hopes and promises of emancipation would not be fully realized for free blacks and/or former slaves. Libertie's coming-of-age awareness of this parallels the reader's own, and adds to its devastating impact. Cathie and Libertie's relationship resonated as well; especially in their lyrical exchange of letters... As others have noted, Libertie is a challenging book to read; but achingly beautiful as well." - Marilyn T.
For Members: The BookBrowse Review
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Membership is just $3.25/month with an annual subscription.
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The Most Popular Book Club Books of 2021
We recently asked BookBrowse subscribers to tell us about the books they most enjoyed discussing with their book group in 2021.

It's no surprise that novels by Kristin Hannah and Amor Towles take the top two spots. Hannah's The Great Alone (2018) was listed as a book club favorite in our 2019 survey, and her novel The Nightingale (2015) made it onto our list of Book Clubs' All-Time Favorite Books; and Amor Towles' novel A Gentleman in Moscow (2016) took the top spot on the All-Time Favorites list, and the second spot in the 2019 survey. Both authors deliver exactly what many book clubs look for in terms of rich fodder for discussion...
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About BookBrowse
With so many new books published every month, it's difficult to find the standouts, the ones which are really worth your time. This is why hundreds of thousands of readers rely on BookBrowse to do the hard work of sifting though the multitude of titles to find the most promising new books, with a focus on books that entertain, engage and enlighten.
BookBrowse Highlights is one of our four free newsletters. We also offer Publishing This Week every Sunday, and Book Club News and Librarian News monthly.

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