From February \u2013 June 2024, NC Humanities will host virtual monthly book club discussion events where participants will hear from guest speakers, including book authors and topic experts. Libraries, community groups, and individuals across North Carolina are encouraged to read along with NC Humanities, and then host their own local virtual and in-person community book discussion programs to accompany NC Humanities\u2019 virtual events.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Now in its third year, North Carolina Reads has already brought 23 professional, award-winning authors and topic experts to public audiences. All of the books selected for this year\u2019s book club are written by authors who are from, lived in, or currently reside in North Carolina.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Books, reading, literacy, and literary history are important parts of NC Humanities\u2019 mission. At the heart of North Carolina Reads is NC Humanities\u2019 desire to connect communities through shared reading experiences.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAfter the isolation of the pandemic years, North Carolina Reads provides welcomed opportunities for connection across physical space,\u201d said Sherry Paula Watkins, Executive Director of NC Humanities. \u201cCommunities around the state and nation are divided over many issues, but North Carolina Reads leverages our collective love of story to create new shared experiences where people can engage with each other, and authors and experts who they may not otherwise be able to hear from.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n NC Humanities\u2019 is pleased to announce the following titles for North Carolina Reads 2024:<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n February 2024 \u2013 Beyond Innocence: The Life Sentence of Darryl Hunt by Phoebe Zerwick. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Non-Fiction. A young Black man is falsely accused of murdering a white woman in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and is sentenced to life in prison, where he spent 19 years behind bars before his tireless attorneys were able to prove his innocence. Part true crime drama, part chronicle of a remarkable life cut short by systematic prejudice, Zerwick\u2019s narrative powerfully illuminates the sustained catastrophe faced by an innocent person in prison and the difficulty all formerly incarcerated people face when they try to restart their lives.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n March 2024 \u2013 Poster Girls by Meredith Ritchie.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Historical Fiction. After an unwanted southern migration, an upside-down world in 1943 offers military wife and mother, Maggie Slone, a job at Charlotte\u2019s largest wartime employer\u2013\u2013the massive and dangerous Shell Assembly Plant. Meanwhile, military wife and Alabama native, Kora Bell\u2019s steadfast determination enables her to navigate the challenges she faces as a Black woman seeking employment under Jim Crow. A shared love of literature spurs an unlikely friendship between Kora and Maggie, and the two work together to unify the plant\u2019s workforce.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n April 2024 \u2013 American Refuge: True Stories of the Refugee Experience by Diya Abdo.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Non-Fiction. In this intimate and eye-opening book, Diya Abdo\u2013daughter of refugees, U.S. immigrant, English professor, and activist\u2014shares the stories of seven refugees. Coming from around the world, they\u2019re welcomed by Every Campus A Refuge (ECAR), an organization Diya founded to leverage existing resources at colleges to provide temporary shelter to refugee families. We learn that these refugees from Burma, Burundi, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, and Uganda lived in homes they loved, left against their will, moved to countries without access or rights, and were among the 1% of the \u201clucky\u201d few to resettle after a long wait, almost certain never to return to the homes they never wanted to leave. We learn that anybody, at any time, can become a refugee.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n May 2024 \u2013 The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Fiction. The riveting story of a young Black musician who discovers that his old family fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius: when it\u2019s stolen on the eve of the world\u2019s most prestigious classical music competition, he risks everything to get it back. Growing up Black in rural North Carolina, Ray McMillian\u2019s life is already mapped out. But Ray has a gift and a dream\u2014he\u2019s determined to become a world-class professional violinist, and nothing will stand in his way. Not his mother, who wants him to stop making such a racket; not the fact that he can\u2019t afford a violin suitable to his talents; not even the racism inherent in the world of classical music.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n June 2024 \u2013 Welcome to the Circus of Baseball by Ryan McGee.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Non-Fiction. A gloriously funny, nostalgic memoir of a popular ESPN reporter who, in the summer of 1994, was a fresh-out-of-college intern for a minor league baseball team. Madness and charm ensue as Ryan McGee spends the season steeped in sweat, fertilizer, nacho cheese sauce, and pure, unadulterated joy in North Carolina with the Asheville Tourists. He has since risen the ESPN ranks to national TV, radio, and Internet host, but his time in Asheville still looms large.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n NC Humanities encourages readers to get a head start on their reading by checking with their local library or bookstore for assistance in finding book copies. Those who need accessible books may request books for free courtesy of the State Library of North Carolina Accessible Books & Library Services. Please read the eligibility requirements to see if you qualify for service. Please note, you do not have to read the books to participate in NC Humanities\u2019 North Carolina Reads virtual book club discussion events. Event details and online registration information will be available in winter 2024 at nchumanities.org.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n To expand accessibility in underserved communities across North Carolina, next month, NC Humanities will offer a limited number of North Carolina Reads book boxes to readers. These boxes will include a selection of the five book titles, unique swag, bookmarks, and curated program and discussion guides. Details on how to request a book box will be released on October 16. Boxes will be available to request October 16-20 at <\/strong><\/em>nchumanities.org<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019d like to receive updates about North Carolina Reads, please sign up for your e-newsletters at nchumanities.org. Discussion guides and program planning guides will also be available for free download in winter 2024 at <\/em>nchumanities.org<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n
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