Check Out 20 Books All Georgians Should Read

The Georgia Center for the Book at DeKalb County Public Library has selected 20 works by prize-winning authors and illustrators with Georgia connections for its 2014 lists of Books All Georgians Should Read and Books All Young Georgians Should Read.

The prestigious lists include topnotch works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry and children’s literature by contemporary Georgia writers and artists. They were compiled by writers, educators, librarians and media representatives from the GCB Advisory Board.

“These lists are valuable assets and tools for parents, teachers, librarians and readers of all ages across the state,” said Joe Davich, Executive Director of the Georgia Center for the Book. “We believe these lists will be very helpful in guiding readers to some of the finest writing available.”

The lists were unveiled at a special, public event at the Decatur Library last month. It marked the fifth edition of the Books All Georgians Should Read and the second of the Books All Young Georgians Should Read.

”The lists are a wonderful way to honor the extraordinary talent we have here in Georgia and an opportunity to reach readers across our state with diverse books that celebrate Georgia’s literary heritage in a magnificent way,” Davich continued.

Books All Georgians Should Read 2014

• War Like the Thunderbolt: The Battle and Burning of Atlanta by Russell S. Bonds
• Reign of Madness by Lynn Cullen
• The Starboard Sea by Amber Dermont
• The Complete Poems of James Dickey by James Dickey, edited by Ward Briggs
• Must Win: A Season of Survival for a Town and Its Team by Drew Jubera
• The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers by Thomas Mullen
• Eat Drink Delta: A Hungry Traveler’s Journey Through the Soul of the South by Susan Puckett
• The World of the Salt Marsh: Appreciating and Protecting the Tidal Marshes of the Southeastern Atlantic Coast by Charles Seabrook
• Thrall: Poems by Natasha Trethewey
• The Grey Album: On the Blackness of Blackness by Kevin Young

Books All Young Georgians Should Read 2014

• Martina, the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale retold by Carmen Deedy, illustrated by Michael Austin
• Cosmo’s Moon by Devin Scillian, illustrated by Mark Braught
• Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Ramsey with Gwen Strauss, illustrated by Floyd Cooper
• Just One Bite: 11 Animals and Their Bites at Life Size! by Lola Schaefer, illustrated by Geoff Waring (picture book)
• It Jes’ Happened: When Bill Traylor Started to Draw by Don Tate, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
• The Dagger Quick by Brian Eames
• The Shifter by Janice Hardy
• Sweetly by Jackson Pearce
• Cleopatra’s Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter
• Henry Franks by Peter Adam Salomon

Click here to see more information about the titles available at DeKalb County Public Library.

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