Kin by Tayari Jones - who was the author of a wonderful book called An American Marriage a few years ago, which I loved. In this new one, Vernice and Annie are both motherless, close as sisters, growing up in small town Louisiana during the Jim Crow years. Their lives take them in different directions - Vernice to Atlanta and college, whilst Annie heads to Memphis in constant search of the mother who abandoned her. It’s stunningly written, about two Black women navigating the prejudice, misogyny and cruelty of that era and whose bond with each other stands the test of time and distance.

Surviving White Island by Kelsey Waghorn. Kelsey was a tour guide on Whakaari White Island and was caught up in the devastating eruption there in 2019, which changed her life forever. This is her account of what happened - the aftermath, injuries, recovery and sheer grit required to get through each day, in a memoir which is both brave and inspirational from a young woman whose future changed in an unimaginable instant. 

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