Nonfiction Round-Up (1/27/21)

The forgotten history of a city dedicated to racial equality + the story of the most successful record label in rock and roll history + the untold and gripping political tale of the 1960 presidential election = this nonfiction round-up.

SOUL CITY: Race, Equality, and the Lost Dream of an American Utopia by Thomas Healy

2 starred reviews!

“In 1969, civil rights leader Floyd McKissick proposed developing Soul City, in rural Warren County, North Carolina…An absorbing account of a visionary project that will engage readers interested in Southern history.”–Library Journal, starred review

“An in-depth account of the rise and fall of Soul City, North Carolina, designed to be a new city focused on racial equality…An engrossing and often heartbreaking look at a singular attempt to achieve some measure of racial equality in the U.S.”–Kirkus Reviews, starred review

SONIC BOOM: The Impossible Rise of Warner Bros. Records, from Hendrix to Fleetwood Mac to Madonna to Prince by Peter Ames Carlin

“Best-selling Carlin (HOMEWARD BOUND, 2016) focuses on Warner Brother Records roughly between 1967 and 1994, when it became ‘the most successful record company of the rock ‘n’ roll era’…An entertainingly informative read.”–Booklist, starred review

NINE DAYS: The Race to Save Martin Luther King Jr.’s Life and Win the 1960 Election by Paul Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick

“Probing…King is shown in an unusually intimate and human light—hesitant, fearful, unhappily girding himself for the ordeal of prison. The result is a revealing take on a watershed moment in American politics and in King’s personal journey.”–Publishers Weekly

SOUL CITY: Race, Equality, and the Lost Dream of an American Utopia by Thomas Healy; 9781627798624; available 2/2/21.
SONIC BOOM: The Impossible Rise of Warner Bros. Records, from Hendrix to Fleetwood Mac to Madonna to Prince by Peter Ames Carlin; 9781250301567; available now.
NINE DAYS: The Race to Save Martin Luther King Jr.’s Life and Win the 1960 Election by Paul Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick; 9781250155702; available now.