Former Washington Post reporter Peter Carlson’s terrific book Junius and Albert’s Adventures in the Confederacy: A Civil War Odyssey follows two colorful pals as they try to escape the South. That may sound like the plot of a certain classic American novel, but this isn’t fiction. Junius Browne and Albert Richardson were covering the Civil War for the New York Tribune when they hitched a ride aboard a tugboat ferrying supplies to Grant’s army at Vicksburg. Confederates bombarded the tug, and the two were captured and imprisoned. They escaped and walked more than 300 miles to safety. Here’s a conversation with Carlson.
Washingtonian – Review of Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The world said goodbye to Nigerian author Chinua Achebe in March, but the towering man of letters survives through works such as his classic novel Things Fall Apart and the many writers he inspired. One of those, Achebe’s 35-year-old compatriot Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, reminds us just how worthy an heir she is, with her big, masterful new book, Americanah.
Summer Reading – The Kojo Nnamdi Show
Thrilled to be a guest on Kojo Nnamdi’s Summer Reads show today, along with One More Page Books’ Eileen McGervey and Library Journal’s Barbara Hoffert. Listen in here.
The San Francisco Chronicle – Review of A Curious Man by Neal Thompson
On Valentine’s Day 1928, Robert “Believe It or Not!” Ripley learned there was nothing sweeter than being called a liar.
NPR – Review of Daily Rituals by Mason Currey
The Onion published an essay recently called “Find The Thing You’re Most Passionate About, Then Do It On Nights And Weekends For The Rest Of Your Life.”The piece was satire, but it’s how many of us respond to the question Mason Currey raises in his entertaining new book, Daily Rituals: How Artists Work. “How do you do meaningful creative work,” he wonders, “while also earning a living?”
