Commitment (fiction – hardbound) by Mona Simpson
This is a multi-voiced novel (Simpson’s seventh and her first since 2014’s Casebook) starting in the 1970s and about how a mother’s struggles with mental illness affect her three children over the years. The novel delves into the effects of mental illness on the
entire family, an always timely subject. Spanning decades, it tracks each child’s journey away from home and toward a future they’re determined to make their own. Moving from Berkeley and Los Angeles to New York and back again, this is a story about one family trying to navigate the crisis of their lives, a crisis many know firsthand in their own families or in those of their neighbors.
Year of the Tiger (nonfiction/memoir – paperback) by Alice Wong
Wong for Year of the Tiger draws on a collection of original essays, previously published works, conversations, graphics, photos, commissioned art by disabled and Asian American artists, and more. She uses her unique talent to share an impressionistic
scrapbook of her life as an Asian American disabled activist, community organizer, media maker, and dreamer. From her love of food and pop culture to her unwavering commitment to dismantling systemic ableism, Wong shares her thoughts on creativity, access, power, care, the pandemic, mortality, and the future. This groundbreaking memoir offers a glimpse into an activist’s
journey to finding and cultivating community, and the continued fight for disability justice from the founder and director of the Disability Visibility Project.
Farrell Covington and the Limits of Style (fiction – hardbound) by Paul Rudnick
Rudnick presents a sweeping, rollicking story of the fifty-year romance between Farrell Covington, a son of one of America’s
richest and most conservative families, and Nate Reminger, a middle-class aspiring author from New Jersey. While the book is in no way based on the Koch family, Rudnick has long been fascinated by the Koch brothers, the offspring of one of America’s
richest, most influential, and most deeply conservative families. Fredrik Koch, now deceased, was a gay man (though deeply
closeted). He led a very different life from his Republican brothers.
Upcoming Events
Saturday, August 26 @ 1 pm (free – Ferry Building store) Micah and Joshua Siva, authors of 1,2,3 Nosh With Me
(This event is presented as part of the 2023 Travel Writers & Photographers Conference.)
In 1, 2, 3, Nosh With Me, authors and spouses Micah and Joshua Siva offer a fun romp through traditional Jewish foods with an educational twist for toddlers, preschoolers, and early readers—and their admirers! Following Buckwheat, a very hungry and
curious dog, kids will turn the pages and count a variety of “yummy in the tummy” treats—matzo balls, bagels, kugels, knishes, and more. While practicing their numbers, from one golden challah to celebrate Shabbat to ten crispy latkes served by
candlelight on Hanukkah, little ones will be introduced to cherished Jewish foods rich in cultural meaning.
Saturday, September 9 @ 6 pm (free – Corte Madera store) Lara Love Hardin, author of The Many Lives of Mama Love
New York Times bestselling author Lara Love Hardin recounts her slide from soccer mom to opioid addict to jailhouse shot-caller and her unlikely comeback as a highly successful ghostwriter in this harrowing, hilarious, no-holds-barred memoir. The Many Lives of Mama Love is a heartbreaking and tender journey from shame to redemption, despite a system that makes it almost impossible for us to move beyond the worst thing we have ever done.
Wednesday, September 13 @ 5:30 pm (free – Ferry Building store) John Manuel Arias, author of Where There was Fire, in conversation with Carolina de Roberits
The setting is Costa Rica, 1968. When a lethal fire erupts at the American Fruit Company’s most lucrative banana plantation, burning all evidence of a massive cover-up, the future of Teresa Cepeda Valverde’s family is changed forever. Now, twenty-seven years later, Teresa and her daughter Lyra are still picking up the pieces. Lyra wants nothing to do with Teresa, but is desperate to find out what happened to her family that fateful night. Brimming with ancestral spirits, omens, and the anthropomorphic forces of nature, this book by John Manuel Arias weaves a brilliant tapestry of love, loss, secrets, and redemption.
Top of Your Stack – Recommendations from Book Passage
Published on August 24, 2023
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