Tommy Orange’s “groundbreaking, extraordinary” (The New York Times) There There is the “brilliant, propulsive” (People Magazine) story of twelve unforgettable characters, Urban Indians living in Oakland, California, who converge and collide on one fateful day. It’s “the year’s most galvanizing debut novel” (Entertainment Weekly).
As we learn the reasons that each person is attending the Big Oakland Powwow—some generous, some fearful, some joyful, some violent—momentum builds toward a shocking yet inevitable conclusion that changes everything. Jacquie Red Feather is newly sober and trying to make it back to the family she left behind in shame. Dene Oxendene is pulling his life back together after his uncle’s death and has come to work at the powwow to honor his uncle’s memory. Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield has come to watch her nephew Orvil, who has taught himself traditional Indian dance through YouTube videos and will to perform in public for the very first time. There will be glorious communion, and a spectacle of sacred tradition and pageantry. And there will be sacrifice, and heroism, and loss.
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As much as I loved [Harry Potter], I was looking for characters that represented us more, us being Latinos and people of color in the United States. So I thought it would be an amazing thing to write a magical story for teenagers that’s set in the city, that feels true to the city, and I felt like it was needed,
Flavorwire shares 30 vintage Ray Bradbury book covers.
“We can tell great, adventurous stories and talk about painful truths in a contemporary context. Racism and racial violence are still abundant today, and we need to address it in literature.” - Daniel José Older

BookUp faculty Daniel José Older recently published the young adult novel, Shadowshaper, to widespread critical acclaim. Shadowshaper follows Sierra Santiago, a young Puerto Rican muralist in Brooklyn whose paintings come to life.
Shadowshaper received starred reviews from both Publishers Weekly and Kirkus. The NY Times praised it as an example of the “best urban fantasy,” portraying Brooklyn as a city under threat from gentrification and police violence.
Below, Older shares his thoughts on how the YA book industry has changed, the role of diversity in children’s literature, and the importance of listening in the creative process.

Because everything is better with butter. Even books.
Changing the way you “celebrate and discover great books.”
Call Me Ishmael, one of our 2015 Innovations in Reading Prize honorees, has developed a remarkable new way to find your next great read. From the retro style phone, anyone can to listen to reading recommendations from their fellow book lovers. The phone takes Call Me Ishmael’s beloved program from the internet and makes it available in your favorite bookstore, library, or just about anywhere (we set one up at the Brooklyn Book Festival).
Visit their Kickstarter page to learn more and support the project.
New Yorkers love books and reading. They say that education and learning are top priorities for themselves and for their children. But sometimes, the urban environment of New York can make you think that we’re more interested in just about anything else, from cell phones to shoe shopping.
From Mendocino to Maine, 400 indie booksellers will be hosting parties for local bookworms. Readings, swag, music, books, food. Each party will be one of a kind– just like your favorite bookstore!
Find a list of participating bookstores here.
For #Women’s History Month, we are sharing daily posts of our female National Book Award Nonfiction Honorees whose expository writing on matters here and abroad set new standards for American literature.
In The Gnostic Gospels, early Christian scholar Elaine Pagels introduced the public to fifty-two ancient texts discovered in Egypt in 1945 that suggested an alternative history of the formation of the early Church as presented in the gospels of the New Testament— a history that was more sensitive to women and viewed as heretical by the early Church leaders.
The controversial findings of The Gnostic Gospels, which won the National Book Award in 1980, later inspired the best-selling Dan Brown novel The Da Vinci Code.
To learn more about National Book Award honored women authors, check out our infographic Women Write the World!


