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Weekly Words about New Books in
Independent Bookstores
October 18, 2020
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Inspirations For Those Facing Loss, and Illuminating Essays Written During Lockdown
Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change by Maggie Smith. First, let's be clear - we're talking here about the award-winning American poet, not the award-winning British actress. Poet Smith has gathered a collection of quotes and essays on facing life's challenges with creativity, courage, and resilience in a small gift volume designed to inspire and encourage. The impetus for the book came ou t of Smith's inspirational daily Twitter posts, written in the wake of her divorce, that became social media must-reads. Here, she writes about new beginnings as opportunities for transformation and celebrates the beauty and strength on the other side of loss. This is a book for anyone who has gone through a difficult time and is wondering: What comes next?
Keep Moving is an October Indie Next pick. Here's the bookseller review: "Maggie Smith hits the nail on the head with her stunning book of quotes and essays. This inspiring read gives you the validation to address your feelings and the permission to move forward with a new outlook. Much like a talk with a good friend, you feel heard and comforted. I devoured this treasure in one sitting and am starting a list of everyone I want to share it with."
- Maxwell Gregory, Lake Forest Book Store, Lake Forest, IL
Intimations: Six Essays by Zadie Smith. This short and timely collection of reflective essays by the renowned author of novels like White Teeth, On Beauty, and NW was written during the early months of lockdown. In the writings, Smith
explores ideas and questions prompted by an unprecedented situation, especially  as it relates to privilege and inequlity. For example: What does it mean to submit to a new reality - or to resist it? How do we compare relative sufferings? What is the relationship between time and work? In our isolation, what do other people mean to us?
Writing for NPR.org, Ericka Taylor praised the author's incisive work thusly: "Intimations is the third and slimmest of [Smith's] essay collections, at 100 pages, but its psychic heft is substantial. In six essays that feel as intimate as a long walk with an old friend, Smith takes on some of the most pressing issues of our time, including police brutality and economic injustice. The book is grounded in inquiry far more often than in certainty, however, and the collection is one that probes, exploring everything from the relationship between privilege and suffering to the nature of isolation and what it means to be confined with the people we love."
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Mind-Body Approach to Dealing With Racism
Author Menakem is a therapist with decades of experience, specializing in trauma, body-centered psychotherapy, and violence prevention. In his book, he takes a different approach to healing America's long-standing racial trauma, examining the damage caused by racism in America from the perspective of trauma and body-centered psychology. The body is where our instincts reside, and it
endures the trauma inflicted by the ills that plague society. Menakem argues this damage will continue until Americans learn to heal the generational anguish of white supremacy, which is deeply embedded in all our bodies.
My Grandmother's Hands is a call to action to recognize that racism is not only about the head, but also the body. Menakem offers a step-by-step healing process based on the latest neuroscience and somatic healing methods, and he has messages geared to specific groups - Whites, Blacks, and law enforcement officers.
Among the fans of the book is Robin DiAngelo, author of the bestselling White Fragility, who said "My Grandmother's Hands will change the direction of the movement for racial justice."
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WHERE TO FIND
AN INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE
Many of you already have a favorite local bookstore, but for those of you without such a relationship, you can click here to find the nearest indie bookstore by simply entering your postal code.
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WHY THE COLUMN?
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Hi, I'm Hut Landon, and I work as a bookseller in an independent bookstore in BerkeIey, California.
My goal with this newsletter is to keep readers up to date about new books hitting the shelves, share what indie booksellers are recommending in their stores, and pass on occasional news about the book world.
I'm not into long, wordy reviews or literary criticism; I'd like HUT'S PLACE to be a quick, fun read for book buyers. If you have any friends who you think might like receiving this column, simply click on "Forward
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COMMENTS, FEEDBACK
I always love hearing from folks, so please feel free to let me know what you're reading, make a comment, or ask a question. Email me anytime.
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