Thirteen Moons
By Charles Frazier
In this epic tale, rife with historical figures, Frazier fictionalizes the life of legendary white Cherokee chief, Will Cooper, taking us through a century of the devastating changes wrought on an ancient culture, the haunting peaks of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, and a searing story of unfulfilled love. Frazier’s language calls upon all the senses, evoking the lushness of rugged, untouched landscapes and the aromatic thrills of a meal cooked by campfire. There is a deep, melancholy beauty in this novel that will resonate in your mind long after you’ve put it down. It is also rumored that it will be the first novel to be translated from English to Cherokee. Click on the image to buy now!
 

The Namesake
By Jhumpa Lahiri
If you enjoyed the poignancy of Lahiri’s short stories in Interpreter of Maladies, you will revel in her first novel, a saga of assimilation and tradition clashing as an Indian family establishes itself in America. A second-generation Indian from Calcutta, Gogol, Lahiri’s protagonist, grows from boy to manhood hating his name—which, ironically, has Russian origins. As he goes through the requisite motions in his education, career and relationships, he is constantly plagued by the pull of cultural influences he can barely grasp in a world so different from that of his parents. Click on the image to buy now!