Art & Poetry Challenge 2024

 Adult Fiction 

 A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza tells the story of a splintered Muslim Indian family in California, focusing on the varied experiences of Layla and Rafiq, who try to maintain Islamic traditions, and their children, who struggle with faith, responsibility, racism, fear, longing, and jealousy. Mirza conveys with graceful specificity the rhythms of Muslim life, from prayer to wearing hijab, gender etiquette, food, holidays, and values, all of which illuminate universal quandaries about family, self, culture, beliefs, and generational change.

 Adult Fiction 

Linus Baker, a tightly wound caseworker, is sent to observe a remote orphanage for magical children, where he meets extraordinary kids and starts to question a world that treats magical children as second-class citizens, in this breezy and fun contemporary fantasy by TJ Klune.

 Adult Fiction 

Victor, a young medical student, fights in the Spanish Civil War and later escapes to Chile with Roser, a pregnant woman he marries in name only. They build a life together, raising Roser's son, but face political persecution under the Pinochet dictatorship. Allende's vivid prose beautifully captures their journey of exile, love, and resilience against the backdrop of historical events. 

 Adult Nonfiction 

 Renowned cultural critic bell hooks examines the meaning of home, belonging, and the connection between people and the land in her book Belonging: A Culture of Place. This collection of essays reflects on issues of land and land ownership, regionalism, the self in place, connection, community, and the past, present, and future of the South, while also discussing the esthetics of blackness and the politics of race and class, and offering a remarkable vision of a world where all people can live fully and well, wherever they may call home.

 Adult Nonfiction 

 In Tribe, National Magazine Award-winning journalist Junger meditates on tribal sentiment, how it aids "loyalty and belonging and the eternal human quest for meaning," and how the disappearance of this sentiment has had toxic consequences for modern societies. Junger explores the virtues of tribal communities, in particular Native American societies, for their embrace of belonging as a core principle of human well-being, and suggests that the U.S. could cure its ills if it could only focus on the collective good.

 Adult Nonfiction 

In Braving the Wilderness, author Brene Brown explores how to cultivate community and belonging in a disconnected world. Through personal stories and research, she outlines the elements of true belonging, which encourage readers to connect with others, set boundaries, and be more curious than defensive. The book emphasizes the importance of taking risks and living from "our wild heart" to achieve a healthy sense of interconnectedness and Brown offers practical advice for building meaningful relationships.