July Book Reviews

Get BOOKISH Enjoy these four must-read books from our friends at Bookish, Fort Smith, Arkansas’s only independently-owned bookstore. Shop hours: Monday 11am-4pm, Tuesday - Friday 10am-6pm JUly Recommendations courtesy Sara Putman, Bookish and Saturday 10am-4pm. Need curbside delivery? Call 479.434.2917 or email orders@bookishfs.com.

Black, White, and the Grey by Mashama Bailey and John O. Morisano

Mashama Bailey is a black woman, born in Savannah and relocated to NY. John O. Morisano is an Italian American. Together, they opened The Grey, a restaurant in Savannah, GA, which was an old Greyhound station. Bailey believes regional cooking is the simplest way to learn about culture. Eating together humanizes us; restaurants are woven into the fabric of cities. This book will make you think about our own community, and the way the local restaurants reflect who we are: the good and the bad.

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

Zauner grapples with grief and we watch her unravel, come together, and unravel all over again. Her memoir is a raw glimpse into the ways in which grief changes us. She explains how arbitrary grief is. How it comes in waves – triggered by a scent or a sound. Her grief starts in the aisles of the grocery store but takes us to her childhood and often to the hospital where she watched her mother die. You’ll cry, but you’ll begin to search for something that connects us to the ones we love, our culture, and the old family recipe that you crave when nothing else will do.

Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge

Libertie is coming of age in Reconstruction-era Brooklyn. There is a separation between the lives of the black and white communities, and danger seemingly lurks around every corner. Themes of freedom and liberty abound but as Libertie finds love and moves to Haiti she realizes she must fight for freedom not only because of the color of her skin, but also because of her gender. It’s a work filled with history – and a tribute to the first Black female doctors in the United States. Greenidge integrates rich detail of garden herbs as remedies and historical figures to paint an immersive picture.

Brat by Andrew McCarthy

In McCarthy’s newest book, we are transported back to the '80s. In this memoir, he highlights the years leading up to his first paying gig. Aloof about most things and lucky in a lot of others, he has a certain amount of wisdom in his reflection that allows us to find him even more endearing. He recognizes the arrogance he was known for was mostly just a survival mechanism, and his experience as a director colors the way he describes his early scenes as an actor. Even if you didn’t grow up loving McCarthy when he was an '80s heartthrob, you’ll appreciate his journey and the lessons learned on and off camera.