Books of the Week: July 1, 2013

 
Looking for a good book to read? Every week, ZODML spotlights three great books from our extensive collection to inspire readers to try out books they might not have previously heard of. The selections fall under three major categories – fiction, non-fiction and children and young adult literature – so there’s a book to suit every taste. Also check out our archives to see which books have been selected in the past. 

Fiction: Beloved by Toni Morrison
Beloved tells the story of Sethe, a woman born into slavery in nineteenth-century America who manages to escape her lot but remains captive to hideous memories eighteen years later. Her new home is haunted by the ghost of her nameless baby whose tombstone is engraved with a single word: Beloved. The novel won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and was voted during a New York Times survey of writers and literary critics the best work of American fiction of the past twenty-five years. It is also one of ZODML's Must Read Books.
Non-Fiction: History of Juju Music by T. Ajayi Thomas
Juju is an African popular music from Nigeria which was brought to international prominence by artists like King Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey and Shina Peters. This history explores what Juju is, its roots in the slave trade and the foundation and growth of Lagos – one of Africa's most important cities – as well as its complicated relationship with the missionaries and British colonial government. It also highlights the rise to fame of its most prominent pioneers: from Togo Lawson and Irewolede Denge to Tunde King and Shina Peters.
Children and Young Adults: ...And Now Miguel by Joseph Krumgold
Every summer the men of the Chavez family go on a long and difficult sheep drive to the mountains. All the men, that is, except for Miguel. All year long, twelve-year-old Miguel tries to prove that he, too, is up to the challenge'that he, too, is up to the challenge'that he, too is ready to take the sheep into his beloved Sangre de Cristo Mountains. When his deeds go unnoticed, he prays to San Ysidro, the saint for farmers everywhere. And his prayer is answered...but with devastating consequences. ...And Now Miguel won the Newbery Medal in 1954.
What books are you currently reading? Share with us in the comments or by tweeting @ZODML!