lknapp@northshire.com's blog

Laura Knapp - Northshire Bookstore Alumnus

“You should never read just for "enjoyment." Read to make yourself smarter! Less judgmental. More apt to understand your friends' insane behavior, or better yet, your own. Pick "hard books." Ones you have to concentrate on while reading. And for god's sake, don't let me ever hear you say, "I can't read fiction. I only have time for the truth. Fiction is the truth, fool!" ~ John Waters, Role Models

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo - Book Review

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Clap When You Land By Elizabeth Acevedo Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9780062882769
Availability: IN WAREHOUSE - Usually Ships in 3-7 Business Days
Published: Quill Tree Books - May 5th, 2020

This is the unique story of two girls in two separate countries who never knew the other existed until a major tragedy occurs and brings their families together forever. After feeling such strong and tender emotions from a beautiful story with so few words, it was easy for me to fall in love with Acevedo's heartfelt prose and become a lifelong fan. ~ Reviewed by Laura Knapp


Passing by Nella Larsen - Book Review

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Passing By Nella Larsen, Emily Bernard (Introduction by), Thadious M. Davis (Notes by) Cover Image
By Nella Larsen, Emily Bernard (Introduction by), Thadious M. Davis (Notes by)
$14.00
ISBN: 9780142437278
Availability: Click Title for IN STORE Location
Published: Penguin Classics - February 4th, 2003

With the drama of a soap opera and the complexities of the racially segregated 1920s, Passing is a thoughtful and intellectually charged novel about two reunited black women who were once childhood friends, but have come to live very different lives after one of them marries a chauvinistic white man. Fueled with regret, jealousy, truth, and tragedy, Passing is undoubtedly an important and eloquently written piece of American history. ~ Reviewed by Laura Knapp


Whatever Happened to Interracial Love?: Stories by Kathleen Collins - Book Review

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Whatever Happened to Interracial Love?: Stories By Kathleen Collins Cover Image
$15.99
ISBN: 9780062484154
Availability: IN WAREHOUSE - Usually Ships in 3-7 Business Days
Published: Ecco - December 6th, 2016

A posthumous collection of beautiful short stories written by Collins during the 1960s civil rights movement about the complicated relationships between men and women of different races and backgrounds. This collection taught me that just because a story is short, does not mean that it cannot be filled to the brim with depth and complexity. ~ Reviewed by Laura Knapp


Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to a Tribe Called Quest (American Music) by Hanif Abdurraqib - Book Review

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Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest (American Music Series) By Hanif Abdurraqib Cover Image
$16.95
ISBN: 9781477316481
Availability: Click Title for IN STORE Location
Published: University of Texas Press - February 1st, 2019

Few music books can overwhelmingly capture my full attention, make me smile, bring me to tears, and simultaneously teach me about myself, the author, and the music, but Go Ahead in the Rain managed to do that and feel like an exceptionally warm embrace from the author to his beloved A Tribe Called Quest, arguably the best rap group of all time. Whether you are familiar or not with A Tribe Called Quest, this book will make you fall in love with them, their movement, and 90s hip hop. As a first time reader of Abdurraqib's work, I definitely know this will not be my last. ~ Reviewed by Laura Knapp


Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour - Book Review

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Black Buck: A Read with Jenna Pick By Mateo Askaripour Cover Image
$26.00
Email or call for price.
ISBN: 9780358380887
Published: Mariner Books - January 5th, 2021

This satirical novel was the most “in your face” book I’ve ever read, and that honestly made it refreshing. I commend the author for writing a non-conventional “sales” novel that addresses racism so head on that it often playfully slaps you in the face because you know that there is a whole lotta truth to fiction. ~ Reviewed by Laura Knapp


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