Fresh Water road by Denise Nicholas

2011-03-24T00:28:00.000-07:00

the debut novel by Denise Nicholas. Ms. Nicholas is probably best known to you as the pioneering actress who starred in the TV series Room 222 and In the Heat of the Night (for which she also wrote several episodes), as well as a great many other TV shows and films. But with Freshwater Road, she embarks on a stunning second act as a brilliant writer of fiction. the book has already been highly praised by pre-pub media such as PW (which gave it a coveted "starred" review) and Booklist, and is sure to garner even more such accolades.

Freshwater Road appeared at an important time: the conviction in Mississippi of reputed ex-Klansman Edgar Ray Killen for the 1964 abduction and murder of Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner, which The New York Times called "the most infamous unresolved case from America's civil rights struggles."

Freshwater Road tells the story of 19-year-old Celeste Tyree, who in the summer of 1964 journeys to the small town of Pineyville, Mississippi, to help the organization One Man, one Vote register local "Negroes" to vote. Like Celeste, Ms. Nicholas also grew up in Detroit and attended the University of Michigan, and like Celeste she took part in the movement; as a young member of the Free Southern Theater, she performed throughout the South, often in small churches, from 1964 to 1966. Drawing on this intensely personal foundation, as well as razor-sharp skills for inhabiting characters and a gift for expressive prose, Ms. Nicholas's new book is certain to be recognized as one of the first novels of the year, and ultimately as one of the most important novels ever written about the civil rights movement.

Freshwater Road is the story of one young woman's journey into adulthood via the political and social upheavals of the civil rights movement. A young black collegian, Celeste Tyree, leaves Ann Arbor to go to Poplarville, Mississippi, in the summer of 1964 to help found a Freedom School and a voter registration project as part of Freedom Summer. As the summer unfolds, she confronts not only the political -realities of race and poverty in this tiny town, but also truths about herself and her own family.

As Celeste gets to know her fellow activists and the people of Poplarville, she grapples with her father's disapproval of her decision to go to Mississippi. A numbers-playing bar owner in Detroit, Shuck is proud of his daughter and proud of the opportunities he's provided for her; Celeste's risking what he's provided by going to the violent South is not what he had planned for her. Long estranged from her mother, Celeste is rocked by revelations of wrenching details of her past, while at the same time, she develops a deep relationship with the woman hosting her in Mississippi, Odessa Robbins, who helps Celeste learn more about what it means to be an adult woman and a "person of substance" in the world.

Before her career as a TV star, Denise Nicholas herself was a Freedom Rider in 1964, and in Freshwater Road, she reaches back to bring that summer alive in this unforgettable first novel.

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

2011-03-24T00:06:00.000-07:00

Unearthly tells the story of Clara Gardner, a teenager who has learned that she and her mother are part angel—known as angel-bloods. Clara's hybrid status grants her various superhuman abilities, and also gives her an undiscovered purpose to fulfill. After dreaming of a young man and a forest fire, Clara eventually meets and watches over Christian, the boy in her visions. She also befriends a brooding angel-blood named Angela, a spunky girl named Wendy, and Wendy's brother Tucker. As the story progresses, Clara becomes romantically drawn to both Christian and Tucker, learns of a conflict with fallen angels, and tries to discover her purpose on Earth.

Though the series features a paranormal lead, Cynthia Hand has stated that Unearthly is primarily "a human story" centered on personal matters. "My story is about a girl who wants to understand her purpose on this earth. Her situation is a metaphor, I think, for a basic question all human beings ask themselves at some point: Why am I here? Clara isn’t trying to find her place in some epic struggle between good and evil. She is trying to find herself." Hand was partly inspired by events in her own life prior to writing the tale. "I’d just had a baby, my husband had a new job, and we’d moved to a town where I didn’t know anybody, and I really had to stop and ask myself, Who am I? What am I doing here?"These experiences gradually lent themselves to the development of Clara's character.
In creating her male leads, Hand gave Tucker and Christian numerous similarities, believing that doing so would make for a challenging love triangle. "I think one reason why I created Christian and Tucker to both essentially be good, decent people, was because I wanted Clara to have to make a real choice. It would have been easier, I think, if when she came to her big decision, one guy was kind of a jerk and one wasn't."Despite the commonalities, Hand feels that the characters are distinguished by their flaws, with Christian being overly privileged, and Tucker, at times, being stubborn and prideful. The author took a similar approach in creating her protagonist. "Clara is flawed, but I think that gives her room to grow as a person throughout the series."
In a 2010 interview, Hand expressed fondness for Clara's friend Wendy, noting that her material was reduced for the first novel, but could be expanded afterward. She has described the character as "that kind of steadfast friend who's always there for you, who tells you the truth when you need to hear it, who stands by your side when you need backup, and who doesn't take herself too seriously. Clara needs a friend like that."
Hand has noted Angela as one of her favorite characters to write, citing her complex nature and the occasional rivalry between Angela and Clara. "I think Angela means well, for the most part, but she's so focused on discovering all she can about herself and the angel-bloods that she brings trouble down on herself at times, which often enough brings trouble down on Clara, too."
Throughout the first novel, Clara's mother Maggie is largely presented as a loving but secretive figure. Following the book's release, Hand indicated that Maggie's knowledge and purpose would serve to move the story forward as the series progressed

A review from School Library Journal commended the first novel for its quick pacing, and also noted that "Hand does an excellent job of creating and sustaining the mood of teenage angst mixed with first love."Kirkus Reviews stated that the book "stands out with even pacing, fully developed characters, vivid descriptions of the West's rugged beauty and Clara's independent spirit." Publishers Weekly remarked that Hand tells "an engaging and romantic tale with solid back story." The review also noted that the novel's characters "deal realistically with the uncertainty of being on the cusp of maturity without wrapping themselves in angst."Author Kimberly Derting called Unearthly a "gripping tale of destiny, family, and first love".Richelle Mead described the story as, "Utterly captivating. One of the most addictive books I’ve read in a while."

Unearthly is only 1 in a series, followed by Hallowed and the 3rd to be announced; we are anticipating all to be just as addictive to read as the others.

Must read books

Fresh Water road by Denise Nicholas

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand