Aunt Lute Books, of San Francisco, CA is thrilled to announce the release of Kathya Alexander’s debut novel, Keep A’Livin’ which will be available April 2, 2024. Thank you for taking the time to read a bit more about the book and its inspiring author. My hope is that after reviewing the content you will be as excited as we are about this upcoming piece and will be inspired to review the book on your platform.
Keep A’Livin’ is a distinctive novel written in verse which follows the coming of age story of the young protagonist, Mandy, a girl growing up in Arkansas in the 1960s amid the turbulence of the Civil Rights Movement. The reader accompanies Mandy as she comes to realize the complicated nuances of her social status, learns about her current social and political climate, and contemplates the role faith and God plays in American race relations and fights for social justice.
When asked about intentions of her book, Alexander writes:
I want to make people aware of all those ordinary men and women who worked at the local level to make the Civil Rights Movement a success… I want Keep A’Livin’ to honor and acknowledge the local people, the grassroots activists that are often neglected in the history of that era.
Keep A’Livin’ is a commentary on what it means to be young, Black, a woman, a daughter, a sister, a student, and queer in the American south at a time of social and political uncertainty. With a focus on historical dialect and the spoken word throughout, the novel is a testament to the Civil Rights Movement’s fundamental reliance on oral tradition, elevating the voices of community, collaborating with others, and finding space to listen. The verse and dialectical form of this novel allows for a channel of speech that harnesses this essence of the Civil Rights Movement itself. This intimate style gives more character to the history than mere recordings or clippings of descriptions of key events ever could. It is in the conversation between characters, the interweaving of fable, tradition, religion, and storytelling that we can come away from this book with a deeper understanding of the Civil Rights Movement and ultimately what makes the political, personal and vice versa.
At Aunt Lute Books, we are beyond excited to publish this truly craftful novel, and hope you are as well after reading. More information about Keep A’Livin’ and Kathya Alexander can be found on our website. The advanced reader copy is also available for review. Please let me know if you are interested in reviewing this book and I will gladly send over a copy for you to take a look at.
