The Color Line by Igiaba Scego literary fiction Other Press, October 2022 Rebels, infidels, invaders, patriots, anarchists, immigrants, migrants are all considered suspicious "others" by their various adversaries. Two women, Lafanu in the late 1800s and Leila in 1992 through 2019, wrestle with labels of otherness imposed upon them by societies and cultures that evolve, atrophy, and regress on issues of freedom and autonomy and inherent safety for people who are Black, Brown, female and/or otherwise considered less worthy of having their humanity and its complexity recognized and respected. The Color Line examines and celebrates people who refuse to internalize racism, sexism, misogyny and other biases to step forward into dangerous, unknown, forbidden places and spaces. Lush emotive prose in this English translation from its original Italian transports the reader. At the end, the author's note followed by pictures of actual significant landmarks mentioned in both time
[In above image b & w picture of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other Civil Rights advocates is from the endpapers for Let Freedom Ring, Stanley Tretick's Iconic Images of the March on Washington by Kitty Kelley.] Pride and Protest by Nikki Payne contemporary literature, romantic Berkley, November 2022 Liza and Dorsey's story is a love letter to the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia region (the original DMV) that acknowledges the range of its complexities and contradictions. Effective grassroots community engagement struggles against political and corporate interests that prioritize profit over people. Exploring family nuances and legacies in behavior patterns and expectations in addition to genetics and finances add richness to an already dynamic reimagining of a literary classic. It's often humorous, especially the clever summaries of oppressive annoyances (my label for them). Lady Hawthorne (San Francisco Mystery Series #7) by Alexi Venice, aut