Char Backey

I agree somewhat with the writer who said "most Black people don't read'. I find that most people, in particular young people, only read a book when it's absolutely necessary (i.e. - if required by a teacher). I, on the other hand, am a member of a Bookclub that will be celebrating it's 25th Anniversary next year in 2020. We read all kinds of books by African-American authors and people of color, once a month. We have turnover but remain consistent with about 20 members, and I would be remiss if I didn't note that we are supported by our local library. This is where we meet and it is an open opportunity for anyone in the community, but the members tend to be older - a lot of retirees - and people who have worked as educators or in the social sciences, also for the most part black and female.

My suggestion for the August Book would be "Blissfield" by Heather Neff. This book is a coming-of-age tale of a girl named Bethany who arrives in Blissfield, NC to live with her grandmother and befriends two young misfits in the town named Gideon and Nina Price. All three of them have been traumatized by their upbringing and form a bond that is shaken to the core by events that happen in the book, as they grow into adulthood