Hot summer reads: something hot, not too heavy: sizzling selections for summer: the books everybody will be reading and talking about this summer, or at least the ones the publishers hope will catch fire

Black Issues Book Review, July-August, 2004

Summertime and reading go together like iced tea and lemon. From the time we are schoolchildren, we are hardwired to think of this season as one that stretches before us with hours of leisure to fill. Even when we grow up and realize we still have to work--except in those stolen moments with our families and friends we call weekends or vacations--we anticipate the months when life slows down a little.

Given a few hours of waiting in airports, sitting on a beach or just lounging in the backyard (okay, or just trapped in the subway), booklovers will choose to fill them with reading. Now's the time for that novel or biography you just had not gotten around to reading. Publishers know this, and they plan to put some tantalizing offerings on our plates, hoping that enough of us will nibble to put their prized project on all the important best-seller lists and keep them there this fall. Options for African American readers seeking fiction or nonfiction of particular interest to us are increasing year by year and, more than ever, are spread throughout the months.

This summer, the choices abound, and the publishers have been promoting titles heavily for months. The editors of Black Issues Book Review began our planning for the annual summer reading issue months ago, sifting through the publishers' advance catalogues, talking to publicists and just listening to what "the drums" were saying about this of that upcoming title. We especially looked for ones that publishing insiders were really pushing and that had a lot of "buzz" going--even sight unseen by ordinary readers. We read as many advance editions as we could get our hands on, dividing up books among the editing staff and reporting back on our discoveries. Here is what we found:

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American Desert by Percival Everett Hyperion, May 2004 $24.95, ISBN 0-786-86917-8

Readers usually expect the wonderfully absurd from Everett. And with his latest novel, they're not at all disappointed. The protagonist is among the most interesting fictional characters created in some time. College professor Theodore Street was planning suicide when he is suddenly killed in a car accident. Then at his funeral, "... as the choir ended its final amen with a harmonious hum, Theodore Street sat up in his coffin."

Acclaimed writer Everett has created an eerie and well-crafted ghost story that tells, strangely enough, of the value of being alive. Everett, who has produced 14 novels, has written a satirical and smart story that pokes fun at academia as well as religion, and it imagines the craziness that stems flora a culture's misplacement of its priorities.

A One Woman Man by Travis Hunter One World/Ballantine Books, June 2004 $22.95, ISBN 0-375-50896-1

Hunter's fourth novel centers around the bonds of siblings and the importance of family. Dallas Dupree hadn't always found it hard to commit his heart. Ever since his Mrs. Right died while giving birth to their daughter, he can't seem to find another woman who comes close to measuring up. When his daughter goes to live with his sister, Carmen, trouble erupts. And although he hasn't kept in touch with their older brother, who has mysterious and shifty ways, Dallas and Carmen turn to him for help.

Hunter's dialogue is urban contemporary and quick, and the story his characters tell makes one think about the consequences that result from the choices we can make.

Camilla's Roses by Bernice L. McFadden Dutton, April 2004 $23.95, ISBN 0-525-94796-5

In her fifth novel, McFadden tells the story of a troubled woman named Camilla who must confront a chaotic yet loving family history and breast cancer. As she is forced to face her past and her future, Camilla discovers the bittersweet limits of motherhood and the power of reconciliation. Her story is both sad and triumphant.

McFadden, once again, draws endearing characters and her storytelling reveals many truths about black family life; even if the reader has heard much of it before, the images and voices manage--just in the nick of time--not to fall into the cliche category.

Drive Me Crazy by Eric Jerome Dickey Penguin, July 2004 $23.95, ISBN 0-525-94790-6

Dickey is back this summer as well with a new book. This time, it's the story of an ex-con who wants to set things right. That is a little complicated since he shares a secret and has shared more than a little bit of time with the wife of his boss. The lead character is Driver, a chauffeur by day. Dickey's last novel, Naughty of Nice, a Christmas release last year (see BIBR, November-December 2003) has done very well and the publisher is hoping for a repeat success this summer.

Little Scarlet: An Easy Rawlins Mystery by Walter Mosley Little Brown & Company, July 2004 $24.95, ISBN 0-316-07303-2

Walter Mosley's latest writing streak--Fear Itself Bad Boy Brawly Brown, The Man in My Basement--does not seem to have diluted the quality of his output. In July, he releases this new Easy Rawlins mystery, Little Scarlet, which is as engaging as its predecessors and being touted by the publisher as his "greatest achievement." That is a lot to live up to, but this could be it.