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Jane Smiley, author of Early Warning

EARLY WARNING opens in 1953 with the Langdon family at a crossroads. Their stalwart patriarch, Walter, has suddenly died, leaving their five children, now adults, looking to the future. As the country moves out of post-World War II optimism through the darker landscape of the Cold War and the social and sexual revolutions of the 1960s and ’70s, and then into the unprecedented wealth (for some) of the early 1980s, the Langdon children each follow a different path in a rapidly changing world.

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Edgar Allan Poe Awards 2015

Mystery Writers of America has announced the winners of the 2015 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, honoring the best in mystery fiction, nonfiction and television published or produced in 2014. The Edgar® Awards were presented to the winners at our 69th Gala Banquet, April 29, 2015 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, New York City.

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Emily P.

Reviewer (text)

Emily P., Teen Board member
Mira is the perfect candidate to be voted “Most Likely to Succeed.” A senior in high school, she is editor of the yearbook, has great grades, has a few good friends, makes all the right choices and has just enough family stress (with a detached mother) to write a great college essay.  This perfect bubble, however, is suddenly popped with a shocking discovery about her parents’ marriage.
 

Teaser

 

Mira is just beginning her senior year of high school when she discovers her father with his male lover. Her world---and everything she thought she knew about her family---is shattered instantly.  Mira distances herself from her sister and closest friends as a means of coping. But her father’s sexual orientation is not all he’s kept hidden. He is HIV positive. As Mira struggles to make sense of the many fractures in her family’s fabric and redefine her wavering sense of self, she must find a way to reconnect with her dad---while there is still time.

Promo

Mira is just beginning her senior year of high school when she discovers her father with his male lover. Her world---and everything she thought she knew about her family---is shattered instantly.  Mira distances herself from her sister and closest friends as a means of coping. But her father’s sexual orientation is not all he’s kept hidden. He is HIV positive. As Mira struggles to make sense of the many fractures in her family’s fabric and redefine her wavering sense of self, she must find a way to reconnect with her dad---while there is still time.

About the Book

A heartrending, bold novel in verse about family, identity and forgiveness.

Mira is just beginning her senior year of high school when she discovers her father with his male lover. Her world---and everything she thought she knew about her family---is shattered instantly. Unable to comprehend the lies, betrayal and secrets that---unbeknownst to Mira---have come to define and keep intact her family’s existence, Mira distances herself from her sister and closest friends as a means of coping. But her father’s sexual orientation is not all he’s kept hidden. A shocking health scare brings to light his battle with HIV.

As Mira struggles to make sense of the many fractures in her family’s fabric and redefine her wavering sense of self, she must find a way to reconnect with her dad---while there is still time.

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—Robin Antalek, author of THE GROWN UPS and THE SUMMER WE FELL APART

—Susan Henderson, author of UP FROM THE BLUE

—Polly Williams, author of THE RISE AND FALL OF A YUMMY MUMMY

—Nina Stibbe, author of LOVE, NINA

—Melissa Senate, author of THE LOVE GODDESS' COOKING SCHOOL

—Geraldine Brooks, author of CALEB’S CROSSING and MARCH

The Light of the World: A Memoir by Elizabeth Alexander

May 2015

Elizabeth Alexander --- the celebrated poet invited to speak at President Obama’s 2009 inauguration --- has released her first memoir, THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. In 2012, Elizabeth found herself at a crossroads after the sudden loss of her husband, Ficre, who was an artist, a chef, and a loving husband and father. Here, she combines her beautiful use of language into rich prose to convey the story of her love and loss. As she reflects on the beauty of her married life, the sudden trauma of losing her husband and the strength she found in caring for her sons, she realizes it is possible to find meaning in loss.

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