Pick of the Week- Scythe

is Scythe by Neal Shusterman. This thought provoking dystopian novel will have you questioning whether living forever is really a good thing, the role of computers and privacy in our lives and what is right and wrong. Citra and Rowan are ordinary teenagers living in an extraordinary future world. Technology has eliminated natural death, an all knowing computer has taken over the function of government, and crime and war are unknown to the world. But because there is no such thing as natural death, one human lead organization exists for population control- the Scythdom. When Citra and Rowan are chosen to be apprentices of a Scythe, they are confronted with unthinkable moral questions and a corrupt bureaucracy. Fans of Shusterman's Unwind and Scott Westerfeld's Uglies will love this Prinz award honor book and New York Times best-seller.

Pick of the Week- Rithmantist

is Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson.  Fans of Harry Potter will love the world created by Sanderson. In this world, the United States is a series of islands, each with their own culture and many with their own school of Rithmatists. Joel grows up on the campus of one of the most important schools, Armedius Academy, longing to be chosen as a Rithmatist. He has spent most of his life learning the science behind this magical skill, so he longs to be welcomed in to their ranks. When he is not chosen, he is devastated but unwilling to give up. He manages to get under the tutelage of one of the oldest Rithmatists teachers without the school knowing. As students at the school go missing, he and fellow outsider Melody are thrust into the investigation that threatens to throw the school into chaos.

Pick of the Week- Everything, Everything

is Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. Soon to be a major motion picture, this is a unique love story between Maddy, whose illness prevents her from going outside or receiving visitors and Olly, who just moved in next door. The two begin a relationship by talking online and their connection is immediate and electric. Their desire to be with each other have shocking consequences for both their families. Fans of The Fault in Our Stars will love the smart writing and wit of this tale of "star-crossed lovers."

Pick of the Week- Lies We Tell Ourselves

is Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley. Jefferson High School is about to integrate for the first time in the school's history. This novel is told from the perspective of two high school seniors, one white and one black, from this fictional high school in 1959 Virginia. Linda is the daughter of the local newspaper editor and is staunchly pro-segregation. Sarah is one of the first black students to integrate the school. After a teacher forces them to work together on a school project, Linda's ideas about segregation slowly break down as the two grow closer together. Emotionally compelling from both perspectives, this novel shows the pain of racism and the privilege of white supremacy in a visceral way.

Pick of the Week- The Fire This Time

is The Fire This Time edited by Jesmyn Ward. This collection of short stories, essays and poems highlight some of the great contemporary voices and minds of this generation. The diverse forms all center around race in the United States today. Check out this thought provoking collection from the national National Book Award winning author.

Black History Month 2017

As we celebrate Black History Month this year, the SRS Library is focusing on the African American literary tradition. From the slave narrative, to the poetry of rap and hip hop, African American voices have been an important part of telling the complete American experience.

Contemporary poetry can be heard through the rap of Chance the Rapper, Common, and printed word poems from Jacqueline Woodward. Colson Whitehead and Zadie Smith are also rocking the literary world with award winning novels. Their brilliant contributions are the first in black literature; Gil Scott Heron, Tupac, Maya Angelou, and Alice Walker, Toni Morrison created incredible works of fiction as did Langston Hughes and Zora Neal Hurston a generation before.

While the 20th century saw brilliant literary works from African Americans, there were also many remarkable works in the 18th and 19th century. Fredrick Douglass was perhaps the most prominent African American writer in the 19th century having written an autobiography and a best selling narrative of his life as a slave in Maryland and his escape to Massachusetts. Phyllis Wheately was born in West Africa, brought to the United States as a slave and became a famous poet in the late colonial and revolutionary period.

The contributions of African Americans to the overall American literary tradition have been essential to understanding the American experience. Take the time and read a novel or poem by an African American author this month- you won't regret it.

Pick of the Week- Panther and the Lash

is The Panther and the Lash by Langston Hughes. This is a collection of poems from the legendary Harlem Renaissance poet. These poems were written later in his career around the time of the Civil Rights Movement. These poems are an entry into the mind and emotion of Hughes during this tumultuous time. Here is one of the poems from this collection titled, "Harlem (What happens to a dream deferred?)"

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
Like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
Like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

Written in 1951, this poem proved remarkably prophetic. Check out this book for more insights into an important era in United States History.