Weekly Words about New Books in Independent Bookstores September 26, 2021

Imaginative New Novel from Pulitzer Winner Doerr, and a Pair of Inspiring Memoirs by Women Devoting Their Lives to Gender Equality

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr. One of the Fall's most anticipated books arrives in bookstores Tuesday, and the early buzz underscores the hype for the first new novel from Pulitzer-winner Doerr since his incandescent All The Light We Cannot See. However, it needs to be said that Cloud Cuckoo Land is a very different kind of book - one that takes place in the past, present, and future. The guy can write with anyone and his characters are memorable, but his new work is definitely more complicated. Set in Constantinople in the 15th century, in a small town in present-day Idaho, and on an interstellar ship decades from now, Doerr weaves together three stories about children on the cusp of adulthood in worlds in peril. They all find resilience, hope, and a book that travels through time and impacts all their lives - an ancient text that provides solace and human connection. Starred reviews abound for the book, among them this from Booklist: "Doerr demonstrates a singular gift for bringing these complex, fully realized characters to empathetic life in this brilliantly imagined story, which moves backward and forward in time ... One of the joys of reading Cloud Cuckoo Land is discovering the threads that link the five characters' lives, which ultimately cohere in ways that are simply unforgettable, as is this amazing gift of a novel."

Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement by Tarana Burke and Believing: Our Thirty-Year Journey to End Gender Violence by Anita Hill.

For anyone with more than a passing interest in social justice and gender equality, here are two new nonfiction titles that are both informative and inspiring. Unbound is a memoir by Tarana Burke, best known as the founder of the 'me too' movement. As one who was traumatized by childhood sexual assault, Burke found newfound passion in community organizing as a young girl in the late 1980s, even as she fought her feelings of shame and fear. In the book, she writes about her work supporting and empowering Black and brown girls, and the realization that to truly help them she needed to help that scared, ashamed child still in her soul. How she does that and moves on to create a generation-defining movement of empathy and activism is quite the story, one that Publishers Weekly called an "unflinching, open-hearted, beautifully told account of becoming one of the most consequential activists in America."

And then there's Anita Hill, whose damning but ultimately discounted 1991 testimony about sexual advances made by then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas laid essential groundwork for the Me Too movement. To produce this insightful manifesto, Hill has drawn on her years as a teacher, legal scholar, and advocate, as well as on the experiences of the thousands of individuals who have told her their stories of gender-based violence. She shows the impact it has on physical and mental wellbeing, housing stability, political participation, and economic and community safety — and how our descriptive language undermines progress toward solutions. In a starred review, Library Journal said, "Hill's new book defies boundaries by bringing together elements of memoir with law, social analysis, and polemic - delivered with the precision of a powerful lawyer and the vulnerability of someone who became a target of merciless media scrutiny after testifying to being sexually harassed . . . With searing insight, Hill shows how much and how little things have changed since 1991. Her book gives hope, inspires activism, and discourages complacency"

Naples Setting Adds to a Memorable Heroine's Intense Journey Through Adolescence The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante. Italian author Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend and the other three novels in her phenomenally popular Neapolitan Quartet are fixtures on most independent bookstore shelves. The series, set in Naples, follows the lives of two lifelong friends, Elena and Lila, from childhood in the 1950s to adulthood and old age. When The Lying Life of Adults, her first new novel in five years, hit bookshelves last September, the book received great reviews and shot to the top of bestseller lists. Its release in paperback this past week should be great news for book groups and all fans of her earlier series.   It's a contemporary coming-of-age story narrated by its protagonist Giovanna, who is shaken when her father says that his 12-year-old daughter is turning ugly and looking like her Aunt Vittoria. His cruel comment motivates her to embark on a mission to visit her aunt, who is estranged from the family. The journey takes Giovanna from the relatively safe haven of her middle-class Naples home to the depths of the city where her aunt lives. Vittoria is a fiery but resentful presence who shows her niece a life outside her comfort zone and leads her to understand that parents aren't always right. As Giovanna's mother and father separate and she becomes more involved with her aunt, the perceptive teenager sets out on an "arduous approach to the adult world." It's no surprise that The Lying Life of Adults was an Indie Next pick last year. Here's the review from last Fall from an enthusiastic bookseller: “Ferrante’s latest novel gives an insightful and intriguing look at the life of a budding Italian teenage girl, both internally and externally. I found Ferrante’s ability to delve into Giovanna’s psyche fascinating, especially since I’ve never parented a girl and don’t always feel like I understand them. Her sensitivity to the myriad of issues and the fragility of Giovanna’s relationships make for a marvelous read. Ferrante is a gifted writer, and this latest offering does not disappoint. I loved this story! Fabulous read!” — Stephanie Crowe, Page and Palette, Fairhope, AL

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