April 4, 2022
culture,
Did you know early April marks National Library Week? It's a time to celebrate our country's libraries and library workers, as well as promote library use in local communities.
Astoundingly, the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System includes 34 branches and boasts more than half a million members. Each library seeks to build community with a love for reading, and each offers programs for children, teens and adults.
See also: 12 Best Outdoor Dining Spots in Atlanta
We want to inspire your own love of reading and sense of community, and toward that goal, we've gathered eight awesome books that take place right here in Atlanta, all of which are available at one of this fine city's local library branches! Get to know yourself and your city better with these exciting reads.
An American Marriage
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By: Tayari Jones / Library Checkout
This novel follows a newlywed couple who embody the American Dream and the New South. Celestial is an up and coming artist and Roy is a young executive. After Roy is arrested and incarcerated for a crime Celestial knows he did not commit, Celestial finds comfort in her childhood friend Andre. Roy returns to Atlanta ready to resume their life together, but is she?
Courage to Dissent: Atlanta and the Long History of the Civil Rights Movement
By: Tomiko Brown-Nagin / Library Checkout
As the Civil Rights movement in America emerged, the South’s largest and most economically influential city (ahem; that's Atlanta) housed activists and sophisticated approaches to activism. This survey explores the struggle for equality that speaks to the nation’s current urban crisis, and how others understand the Civil Rights movement.
Pretty Girls
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By: Karin Slaughter / Library Checkout
A dark crime thriller with a warning to those who wish to avoid sensitive material, this book follows the disappearance of Claire Scott’s eldest sister Julia—and then another girl. As Claire seeks the truth, she is confronted with a shocking discovery that changes everything.
Reunion
#FictionThursday FICTION PITTARD Reunion by Hannah Pittard https://t.co/xODM8aZp4v pic.twitter.com/HR0GIAurvM
— Redford Township District Library (@RedfordLibrary) June 2, 2016
By: Hannah Pittard / Library Checkout
This book is a tale of heartbreak and humor that starts with Kate Pulaski's estranged father's passing. The news leads her back to Atlanta to reconnect with her siblings' during the final farewell. In Atlanta, Kate is confronted by her father’s five former wives and half-siblings, along with the similarities between her father and herself.
City on the Verge: Atlanta and the Fight for America’s Urban Future
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By: Mark Pendergrast / Library Checkout
In pursuit of understanding Atlanta’s struggle to modernize, Mark Pendergrast investigates the urban outline of the city and how it affects communities. With Atlanta’s highest income inequality within the nation, working to build infrastructure and accepting physical limitations is a vision citizens are willing to fight for. The book helps reveal how other cities could follow in Atlanta’s careful footsteps.
Gone with the Wind
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By: Margaret Mitchell / Library Checkout
Taking place in Atlanta and other parts of Georgia, this classic novel-turned-film follows the infamous Scarlet O’Hara. She's the daughter of a plantation owner forced to make her way through and out of the Civil War, all the while trying to hold onto the things she found familiar.
A Tough Little Patch of History: Gone with the Wind and the Politics of Memory
By: Jennifer W. Dickey / Library Checkout
Of course, Gone with the Wind is a controversial tale by today's standards. After reading the original, explore Dickey's exploration of how the book and film adaptation pushed Atlanta onto center stage, how it shed light on both the Old and New South, and how the location of Mitchell’s writing became a significant cultural mark of its own.
Murder and Mystery in Atlanta
By: Corinna Underwood / Library Checkout
Those wish to look into Atlanta's dark criminal past will enjoy Underwood's investigations some of the city’s most notorious and often unsolved crimes, including the city’s first-ever homicide.
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