I've been reading The Help thanks to hearing lots of great things about it on this board, and I thought I'd recommend my friend Stacey Lynn Brown's book, Cradle Song.
Stacey is from Atlanta and was raised by an African American nanny, and her book deals with the same issues in The Help, except Stacey's basically my age. Her husband (the poet Adrian Matejka) is of North African ancestry, so her book deals with all kinds of questions about race--like her family's feelings about her marrying someone "Black" when they were a Southern family with hired help. She wrote it after having her daughter Marley, so it deals with motherhood, too, and having a mixed-race child.
Here's Stacey's website so you can check it out and read an excerpt of her book:
https://www.staceylynnbrown.com/
Here's the excerpt:
https://staceylynnbrown.com/news/sample-poems/
You all talk about books so much, and all of my friends are authors, so I try not to do this, but every time someone mentions The Help, I keep feeling like I should mention Cradle Song.
Re: If you like The Help, ... (NBR, book-related)
Mama's Gonna Buy You A Mockingbird
Awww...thanks for letting me know! Andrew's on my Facebook friends list, if you ever want to just message him that you enjoyed his book. I'm glad to know you're a fan of short stories! Sometimes it feels like other writers are the only people who read them! A few times, I've had literary agents contact me and ask if I have a novel done since they like my short stories, but I always get stuck at about 60 pages in of writing one. I think I'll feel more confident once my short story collection comes out. Then, I'll feel like people will want to read an entire novel by me, and I won't be afraid to write it :-)
To me, it feels natural to write poetry books, then short story collections, then, a novel. It's like working your way up to a marathon.
Thanks again!
Mac and cheese lover!
Yay! Thanks for checking it out :-)
Mac and cheese lover!