Amir found Charis Books upon his first few months of living in Atlanta after arriving from Northern California. Perusing the shelves turned into finding books that were gems, which turned to getting flyers from the community resource section of the store. And from there, he decided to always come back.
He’s worked at the store and volunteered off and on for the better part of two decades. So much so, that the shelves at the home that he shares with his family mimic those in the bookstore. When not working at Charis as a bookseller, he works for a local Reproductive Justice organization, and loves on Johnny Cash (his dog and not the singer). Should Amir not be on his bike (which is a rarity), you can find him having a coffee with a book in hand. Check out his staff picks section, which reflects his interest in memoirs, history//herstory books, LGBTQ authors, poetry and more. He says, “ Books, much like music, can be the soundtrack to our lives. I’m happy to help folks add chapters to their own sights and sounds….”
All it takes to rewrite the rules is a little fresh ink in this remarkable YA collection from thirteen of the most recognizable diverse authors writing today including Nicola Yoon, Jason Reynolds, Melissa de la Cruz, and many more, and published in partnership with We Need Diverse Books.
This omnibus edition collects celebrated poet and activist Nikki Giovanni’s adult prose: Racism 101, Sacred Cows and Other Edibles and seven (7) selections from Gemini: An Extended Autobiographical Statement on My First Twenty-Five Years of Being a Black Poet, which was nominated for the National Book Award in 1971.
NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD WINNER • "Unforgettable tales of families and lovers—from Haiti to Miami, Brooklyn, and beyond—often struggling with grief, loss, and missed connections.” —Vanity Fair • A TODAY Show Read with Jenna Book Club Pick!
Jamaica Kincaid's brother Devon Drew died of AIDS on January 19, 1996, at the age of thirty-three. Kincaid's incantatory, poetic, and often shockingly frank recounting of her brother's life and death is also a story of her family on the island of Antigua, a constellation centered on the powerful, sometimes threatening figure of the writer's mother.
One of the most brilliant and provocative American writers of the twentieth century chronicles a fourteen-year-old boy's spiritual, sexual, and moral struggle of self-invention in this “truly extraordinary” novel (Chicago Sun-Times).