Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi (Knopf) Gifty, a PhD candidate in neuroscience, lost her brother to a heroin overdose, and her mother is depressed and suicidal. Studying reward-seeking behavior in mice, Gifty, a Ghanian immigrant raised in the South, turns to science to make sense of her family’s suffering. But she also finds herself drawn to the evangelical faith of her childhood. Gyasi weaves together the complicated threads of depression, addiction, and grief with a search for truth in science and religion. (Available now.)
A Measure of Belonging Edited by Cinelle Barnes (Hub City Press) In this new and timely essay collection, Cinelle Barnes brings together 21 writers of color to share their experiences of the new American South. Featuring essays from Kiese Laymon, Osayi Endolyn, Toni Jensen, Nashville’s own…
