​​Upcoming Books:
December 3 @Toni
Dear Edward - Ann Napolitano
January 21 @Margi
Transcendent Kingdom  - Yaa Gyasi
February 18 @Sue
A Long Petal of the Sea - Isabel Allende
March  18 @Hilary
TBD

Author Bio: 

Ann Napolitano’s new novel, Dear Edward, was published by Dial Press in January 2020 and was an instant New York Times bestseller. She is the author of the novels A Good Hard Look and Within Arm’s Reach. She is also the Associate Editor of One Story literary magazine. She received an MFA from New York University; she has taught fiction writing for Brooklyn College’s MFA program, New York University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies and for Gotham Writers’ Workshop. In November 2019, Ann was long-listed for the Simpson/Joyce Carol Oates Literary Prize.
Source: Ann Napolitano

My Book Stack - on the blog

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The Book of Lost Friends takes us to Louisiana in 1875 during the time of reconstruction after the Civil War. It tells the story of Hannie, a freed slave, whose mother and family were taken and one by one sold as slaves. Hannie is determined to find her family. She uses the “Lost Friends” advertisements published in Southern newspapers after the Civil War to help families reunite with their loved ones. 
Read BExtraordinaire Blog for more about this book, past books, and other book club updates. ​​
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is reading Dear Edward  by Ann Napolitano for November/December Book Club.​
Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano is an amazing book about a 12-year-old boy, Eddie who is the only survivor of an airplane crash. He becomes known as the "Miracle Boy." The story is loosely based on a true story of an airplane flight from South Africa to Libya that crashed in 2010 in which  an 8-year-old Dutch boy was the sole survivor.  The story expertly alternates between the time during the flight from Newark on route to Los Angeles, and the time after the devastating crash midway in Colorado. The novel's characters are well developed and vividly authentic. The passengers are introduced in the first chapter and their stories are revealed in subsequent chapters.  The aftermath and Edward's recovery are interwoven  between. The novel grapples with the heartbreak and healing and the human spirit. I highly recommend this incredible read. 
Survivor Found Half-Mile from Plane Crash, CBS News, May 14, 2010
Author Quotes: 
"The air between us is not empty space. ”
― Ann Napolitano, Dear Edward
Book Review:
A Plane Goes Down Killing 191, only a 12-Year-Old Survives
New York Times Book Review, Angie Kim,  Jan 6 2020
"While none of the adults in either the real crash or the novel it inspired survive, Napolitano’s fearless examination of what took place models a way forward for all of us. She takes care not to sensationalize, presenting even the most harrowing scenes in graceful, understated prose, and gives us a powerful book about living a meaningful life during the most difficult of times. ”​ Read more