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Hello Fellow Readers,
At our October 17^th we will choose one of these best-selling books for discussion on January 16^th.  Presented below in alphabetical order.  Must be present October 17^th to vote.

CANE RIVER  by Lalita Tademy, 2005.  First book; bestselling novel.  Set in Louisiana between 1830 and 1930.  For 2 years Tademy researched her Mother’s family, then wrote this novel about 4 generations of her slave-born ancestors.  Fiction, but based on real family history.  Divided into 4 “books” (Elizabeth, Suzette, Philomena, Emily).  Subjects include “passing” as white. Includes genealogy charts, real photos, documents.  An Oprah’s Book Club Selection.

THE KITCHEN HOUSE  by Kathleen Grissom, 2010.  First book; bestselling novel. Historical fiction.  Tobacco plantation in Virginia in the late 1700s.  Narrated from 2 perspectives:  by Belle, the kitchen house cook (the master's illegitimate mulatto daughter); and Lavinia, a young, Irish orphan girl who becomes an indentured servant, first placed under the care and supervision of Belle, then later invited into the big house to care for the ailing mistress.

UNCLE TOM’s CABIN  by Harriet Beecher Stowe, 1852. Author’s 2^nd book; best-selling novel of the 19^th century.  Cotton plantations in Kentucky and Louisiana.  Legend has it that Abraham Lincoln credited Stowe for having started the Civil War with the publication of this book.  Characters include Uncle Tom, George and Eliza Harris, Eva St Clare, and Simon Legree.  Central themes include the evils and inhumanity of slavery and therefore its conflict with Christianity.