- The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride- a son recounts his Polish mother's struggles and determination, and his own experiences as he explored being an American in Harlem.
- Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford - an historical novel about the Japanese interment during WWII and set in the Pacific Northwest.
Both these books embody how "[e]veryone must 'negotiate' and shape their identity as they grow up, age and adapt to fate and circumstance. Together, these books offer timeless and relevant themes of individual and collective identity in America, themes that continue to be important to our communities, state and nation."
Reader’s guides, supplemental materials and faculty resources will be posted to the Books of the Year website beginning in August 2015. Have a good read over the summer and join the conversation in the fall!
Prof. Kristin Knudsen, Legal Studies faculty in the Justice Center, is a member of UAA/APU Books of the Year Faculty Steering Committee.
