Spring pickings: Harvard Book Store, Cambridge, Mass.
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
The Harvard Book Store is not quite what you think: Independent and family-run, it’s not part of the nearby university. Megan Sullivan started as a part-time employee when she was getting a masters in classics but decided that bookselling was more fun than Socrates. Her spring recommendation:
The beautiful cover initially attracted me to Marlon James’ ‘The Book of Night Women.’ I read the two sentences: ‘People think blood red, but blood don’t got no colour. Not when blood wash the floor she lying on as she scream for that son of a bitch to come, the lone baby of 1785.’ I knew this book was different. For me, a fast reader, it would take a while. I savored reading the patois of the Jamaican slaves. In the novel, we follow Lilith, born into slavery on a sugar plantation in Jamaica. She’s treated differently from birth and it’s not until she’s older that she sees why. James is a fantastic writer. The plot, the characters, the imagery — they’re all fresh and exciting. He’s definitely an author to watch!
Marlon James will be at the Harvard Book Store tonight, if you happen to be in Cambridge.
— Carolyn Kellogg
