SHOPPING

Finalist for the Booker Prize: the "deeply felt and fiercely written" story of a young girl's journey out of Zimbabwe and to America (New York Times Book Review), from the author of Glory. Darling is only ten years old, and yet she must navigate a fragile and violent world. In Zimbabwe, Darling and her friends steal guavas, try to get the baby out of young Chipo's belly, and grasp at memories of Before. Before their homes were destroyed by paramilitary policemen, before the school closed, before the fathers left for dangerous jobs abroad. But Darling has a chance to escape: she has an aunt in America. She travels to this new land in search of America's famous abundance only to find that her options as an immigrant are perilously few. NoViolet Bulawayo's debut calls to mind the great stor...

Crossing both oceans and time, Yaa Gyasi’s mesmerizing debut novel follows the descendants of two half-sisters from Ghana—one who married into the colonial power structure and one who was sold into chattel slavery—as their lives are affected by tribal customs, colonial expansion, slavery, and eventually the civil rights movement. Actor Dominic Hoffman (The Shield) brings rich emotional gravity to his narration, carrying us through the many complex emotional arcs of this epic story. With every new character, his portrayal grounds us in each person’s specific time and place. We were blown away by how beautifully Gyasi interweaves the deeply personal narratives of her characters with key moments from African and African American history. Vast in scope, Homegoing is an unparalleled depiction...

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a 2003 O Henry Prize winner, and was shortlisted for the 2002 Caine Prize for African Writing and the 2004 Orange Prize. In Purple Hibiscus, she recounts the story of a young Nigerian girl searching for freedom. Although her father is greatly respected within their community, 15-year-old Kambili knows a frighteningly strict and abusive side to this man. In many ways, she and her family lead a privileged life, but Kambili and her brother, Jaja, are often punished for failing to meet their father's expectations. After visiting her aunt and cousins, Kambili dreams of being part of a loving family. But a military coup brings new tension to Nigeria and her home, and Kambili wonders if her dreams will ever be fulfilled. Adichie's striking and poetic language reveal...

"Golden Voice Julia Whelan expertly narrates the unhappy story of the wealthy Oppenheimer family of New York. Whelan narrates as though she were acting out the Oppenheimers' history on stage, playing each character part." -AudioFile on The Latecomer This program is masterfully narrated by award-winning "Golden Voice" narrator Julia Whelan. From the New York Times bestselling author of The Plot, Jean Hanff Korelitz’s The Latecomer is a layered and immersive literary novel about three siblings, desperate to escape one another, and the upending of their family by the late arrival of a fourth. The Latecomer follows the story of the wealthy, New York City-based Oppenheimer family, from the first meeting of parents Salo and Johanna, under tragic circumstances, to their triplets born during th...