Washoe County Library System

"The Civil War was about states' rights, not slavery!" "If you don't like it here, you should go back to Africa." "What about Black-on-Black crime?" "You're just playing the race card." There's a whole arsenal of popular "gotchas" that crop up again and again in discussions about race in America. According to the people who use them, Critical Race Theory is a dangerous threat that promotes racial hatred, and affirmative action is reverse discrimination....

"“One of my ten best reads of the year. Easy five stars.” — Lisa Jewell, New York Times bestselling author of None of This is True A twisty and consuming thriller, Perfectly Nice Neighbors asks: When your dream home comes with nightmare neighbors, how far will you go to keep your family safe? Salma Khatun is hopeful about Blenheim, the suburban development into which she, her husband, and their son have just moved. The Bangladeshi family needs...

In 1959 Montana, when a fatal car accident shatters his world, 10-year-old Lucas finds himself confronting crime and vengeance, humor and heroism, all against the backdrop of growing up during the Space Race, the brutal racism of segregation and the hopeof a new generation to move us forward. "Set in 1959, the "year the music died," The Smoke in Our Eyes is a cinematic, clock-ticking saga set in a small Montana town. When a fatal car accident shatters...

"A dazzling magical realism western in the vein of Cormac McCarthy meets Gabriel García Márquez, The Bullet Swallower follows a Mexican bandido as he sets off for Texas to save his family, only to encounter a mysterious figure who has come, finally, to collect a cosmic debt generations in the making. In 1895, Antonio Sonoro is the latest in a long line of ruthless men. He’s good with his gun and is drawn to trouble but he’s also out of money...

"In September of 2019, Luis Alberto Qui�nonez-known as Sito- was shot to death as he sat in his car in the Mission District of San Francisco. He was nineteen. His killer, Julius Williams, was seventeen. It was the second time the teens had encountered oneanother. The first, five years before, also ended in tragedy, when Julius watched as his brother was stabbed to death by an acquaintance of Sito's. The two murders merited a few local news stories,...

''A revelatory memoir that earnestly reckons with whiteness. As the product of progressive parents and a liberal upbringing, Garrett Bucks prided himself on the pursuit of being a "good white person." The kind of white person who treats their privilege as a responsibility and not a burden; the kind of white person who people of color see as the peak example of racial allyship; the kind of white person who other white people might model their own...

"A bold and haunting debut story collection that follows various characters as they navigate the day-to-day perils of Jim Crow racism from Diane Oliver, a missing figure in the canon of twentieth-century African American literature. A remarkable talent far ahead of her time, Diane Oliver died in 1966 at the age of twenty-two, leaving behind these crisply told and often chilling tales that explore race and racism in 1950s and '60s America. In this...

"Award-winning author, scholar, and social visionary George Yancy brings together the greatest minds of our time to speak truth to power and welcome everyone into a conversation about the pursuit of justice, equality, and peace"-- "From Library Journal's Starred Review: "All readers stand to learn something from this compelling book." Award-winning author, scholar, and social visionary George Yancy brings together the greatest minds of our time...

"From the writer crowned one of the smartest, funniest voices in modern America, this hotly anticipated debut collection of essays offers “a precious glimpse into how Ziwe’s uniquely fearless mind functions” (New York Magazine) Ziwe made a name for herself by asking guests like Alyssa Milano, Fran Lebowitz, and Chet Hanks direct questions. In Black Friend, she turns her incisive perspective on both herself and the culture at large. Throughout...

A colorful exploration of diversity for toddlers. Cocoa, tan, rose, and almond--people come in lots of shades. Even in the same family there are differences. With vibrant photographs of children and a short but astute text, this charming book will inspire young readers to take notice--and look beyond the obvious. "Perfect for the youngest readers, this board book adaptation of the acclaimed Shades of People celebrates the diversity of everyday life....