Month: May 2023

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A Map of 1,001 Novels to Show Us Where to Find the Real America

Over the last five years, I’ve read or reread 1,001 books of fiction in my project to create a literary map of this country. The idea for this “library of America” was born in 2016, when the news and the elections told of a country being irrevocably divided by politics, by ideas of red and blue, by arguments over who is American and who is not. For me, those arguments ignored the vast geography of our stories and novels, the ways people search for belonging, leave home or stay, and how every state is really many places. Read more

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Man Returns Library Book 96 Years After Due Date

A Northern California man returned a book to his local library this month — an astounding 96 years after the book was originally due. The book, “A History of the United States” by Benson Lossing, was checked out in 1927 and is not in perfect shape, but the St. Helena Public Library was happy to receive it and spared the man what otherwise could have been about $1,700 in late fees. Read more

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What Made Edna Lewis the Mother of Soul Food

…the modern farm-to-table movement has roots in the work of Black farmers and chefs like Lewis, with their attention to fresh seasonal ingredients. By introducing the world to a refined version of Southern food far beyond biscuits and fried chicken, she says, Lewis’ work has helped correct misperceptions that African American foodways are inevitably unhealthy. Read more

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