Set your alarms for tomorrow, June 19, at 7 p.m. Eastern time (4 p.m. Pacific time) when Judy Blume will interview Tayari Jones about her gorgeous novel, Silver Sparrow. The event, which will take place in Barnes and Noble in New York, is hosted by the Algonquin Book Club and will be streamed through a live webcast on the Algonquin Books Blog.
I was hooked from the first line of Silver Sparrow – “My father, James Witherspoon, is a bigamist.” – and was enthralled through to the last one. All along the way are sentences that pack a powerful punch like, “People say, that which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. But they are wrong. What doesn’t kill you, doesn’t kill you. That’s all you get.”
The story – about two teenage girls who become friends, with only one knowing from the beginning that they’re actually half-sisters – is rich and compelling, and the writing is often breathtaking.
If past Algonquin literary events are any indication, this interview will be a must-see. Just take a look at some of the previous pairings – Anne Lamont and Caroline Leavitt, Stephen King and Lauren Grodstein, Garth Stein and Robert Goolrick, Heidi Durrow and Terry McMillan, Edwidge Danticat and Julia Alvarez. Wow! All are archived on the Algonquin Books Blog and are definitely worth watching.
As a special treat, Algonquin is offering three lucky winners a SIGNED copy of Silver Sparrow, now out in paperback. For a chance to win, click here. For an extra chance, leave a comment below.
This post originally appeared on my former blog, StyleSubstanceSoul.com.
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