Off the Shelves – December 8

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The following items are available at the Hancock County Public Library, 900 W. McKenzie Road. For more information on the library’s collection or to reserve a title, visit hcplibrary.org.

Adult Fiction

“Homegoing: A novel,” by Yaa Gyasi

“Homegoing” is the story of two half-sisters: Esi is sold into slavery; Effia is married off to a British slaver. It traces the generations of a family who follow their destinies through two continents and three hundred years of history as the legacy of slavery is revealed in light of the present day. Unbeknownst to Effia, who lives in comfort in the palatial rooms of Cape Coast Castle, her sister Esi is imprisoned beneath her in the dungeon, sold into the slave trade and shipped off to America where her children and grandchildren will be raised in slavery. One thread of the story follows Effia’s descendants through centuries of warfare in Ghana as nations wrestle with the slave trade and British colonization. The other thread follows Esi and her children into America, from southern plantations to the Civil War to the jazz clubs and dope houses of 20-century Harlem, right up through the present day.

Adult Nonfiction

“Under the Stars: How America Fell in Love with Camping,” by Dan White

From the Sierras to the Adirondacks and the Everglades, Dan White travels the nation to experience firsthand and sometimes face first how the American wilderness transformed from the devil’s playground into a source of adventure, relaxation and renewal. Whether he’s camping nude in cougar country, being attacked by wildlife while “glamping” (glamorous camping) or crashing a girls-only adventure for urban teens, Dan White seeks to animate the evolution of outdoor recreation. In the process, he demonstrates how the likes of Emerson, Thoreau, Roosevelt and Muir helped blaze a trail from Transcendentalism to Leave No Trace.

On Audio

“Eligible,” by Curtis Sittenfeld

This modern retelling of “Pride and Prejudice” features Liz, a magazine writer in her late 30s; Liz’s older sister Jane, a yoga instructor; younger sisters, Kitty and Lydia, who are too busy with their crossfit workouts and paleo diets to get jobs; and Mary, who barely leaves her room while working on her third online master’s degree. Enter Chip Bingley, a handsome new doctor in town who recently appeared on the reality TV dating show “Eligible.” He and his friend, neurosurgeon Fitzwilliam Darcy sweep the two older girls off their feet in this novel that both honors and updates Jane Austen’s 200-year-old tale.