(From the ALA Press Release)
Jonathan Miles’ Anatomy of a Miracle latest title chosen for ALA Book Club Central
CHICAGO – Honorary Book Club Central Chair Sarah Jessica Parker has selected Jonathan Miles’ Anatomy of a Miracle, on sale today, as the latest addition to the American Library Association’s (ALA) Book Club Central SJP list. Anatomy of a Miracle is a remarkable novel about a paralyzed young man’s unexplainable recovery, and explores faith, science, mystery and the meaning of life.
“Jonathan Miles is a great American storyteller, a writer to celebrate with a new novel easily devoured” said Ms. Parker. “His tender, life-affirming Anatomy of a Miracle follows paraplegic veteran Cameron Harris and his sister Tanya after Cameron suddenly regains the ability to walk. The story in these pages is astoundingly joyous and deeply humane, and I can’t wait to share it with you all as the new selection for Book Club Central.”
Jonathan Miles is the author of the novels Dear American Airlines and Want Not, both New York Times Notable Books. He is a former columnist for The New York Times and has served as a contributing editor to magazines ranging from Details to Field & Stream. His journalism has been frequently anthologized in Best American Sports Writing and Best American Crime Writing. He is also the author of a book on fish and game cookery, The Wild Chef.
“Jorge Luis Borges imagined heaven as a kind of library, and I wholeheartedly subscribe to that gorgeous vision,” said Mr. Miles. “Libraries have long been the seed banks for my imagination, so I’m humbled and thrilled that Sarah Jessica Parker and the ALA have chosen Anatomy of a Miracle as their Book Club Central selection.”
In a starred review, Booklist called Anatomy of a Miracle “Vibrant, bustling, and humorous… Cleverly shaped as a journalistic report, and told in a style similar to that of John Jeremiah Sullivan and Ron Currie, Miles’ tale offers a nuanced and endlessly entertaining exploration of the age-old debate between faith and reason.” Kirkus said “Miles possesses a rare and admirable command of structure and style, shifting smoothly from Afghan patrol tactics to Catholic doctrine to neurological science; his sentences are thick with data, wittily delivered. … An expertly shaped tale about faith in collision with contemporary American culture.”
Ms. Parker’s previous picks for Book Club Central have been No One is Coming to Save Us by Stephanie Powell Watts, Exit West by Mohsin Hamid and Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo. In addition to being honorary chair of Book Club Central, Ms. Parker is an Honorary Lifetime Board Member of United for Libraries, a division of ALA, a role she is using to raise awareness about the integral role of Friends groups in the library.
Book Club Central, designed in consultation with expert librarians, provides the public with the very best in reading and is a place for engaging content and information for book clubs and readers everywhere. Book Club Central Sponsoring Partners are Booklist, the book review magazine of the ALA; United for Libraries, a division of the ALA; and Libraries Transform, the ALA’s public awareness campaign, along with Corporate Platinum Partner Penguin Random House. Corporate Gold Partners include NoveList, OverDrive, and Sisters in Crime.
Book Club Central can also be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For more information, visit www.bookclubcentral.org.
About Sarah Jessica Parker: Sarah Jessica Parker recently launched SJP for Hogarth, which selectively publishes high-quality works of fiction by both established writers and distinctive emerging voice with critical and commercial promise. SJP for Hogarth’s first acquisition is “A Place for Us,” a debut novel by Fatima Farheen Mirza, to be published in June. Ms. Parker is the star and executive producer of “Divorce.” She serves as the Vice-Chairman of the board of directors for the New York City Ballet. Parker lives with her husband, three children, and lots of books in New York City.
About the American Library Association: The American Library Association is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 57,000 members in academic, public, school, government, and special libraries. The mission of the American Library Association is to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.
About United for Libraries: United for Libraries: The Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations, is a division of the American Library Association with approximately 4,000 personal and group members representing hundreds of thousands of library supporters. United for Libraries supports those who govern, promote, advocate, and fundraise for libraries, and brings together library trustees, advocates, friends, and foundations into a partnership that creates a powerful force for libraries in the 21st century. To join, please visit www.ala.org/united or call (800) 545-2433, ext. 2161.
