(From ALA Press Release)
Honorary Book Club Central Chair Sarah Jessica Parker has selected Wayétu Moore’s She Would Be King (Graywolf Press) as her latest pick for the American Library Association’s (ALA) Book Club Central. She Would Be King reimagines the story of Liberia’s early years through three unforgettable characters, intermingling history and magical realism.
“It’s a privilege to announce She Would Be King by Wayétu Moore as the new selection for Book Club Central,” said Ms. Parker. “This novel dazzles with beauty and transcendent, transformative humanity. Through the stories of Gbessa, June Dey, and Norman Aragon, Wayétu Moore illuminates what it means to be of and from places that are both faraway and inescapably familiar. I treasured every moment I spent in the pages of this book, and I’m thrilled to be able share it with all of you.”
Wayétu Moore is the founder of One Moore Book and is a graduate of Howard University, Columbia University and the University of Southern California. She teaches at the City University of New York’s John Jay College and lives in Brooklyn.
“The fondest memories of my childhood are those that included libraries,” said Ms. Moore. “Our visits were ritual and offered me the comfort and escape I occasionally needed. So, I’m absolutely honored that She Would Be King has been chosen by Sarah Jessica Parker for the American Library Association’s Book Club Central.”
In a starred review, Booklist called She Would Be King a “stunning debut novel… There is an aching sweetness to Moore’s writing that effectively captures the dichotomous and vulnerable strength of her protagonists and catapults this into the realm of books that cast a long-lingering spell.” Edwidge Danticat said “Epic, beautiful, and magical, this astonishing first novel boldly announces the arrival of a remarkable novelist and storyteller.” The novel is also a #1 Indie Next Pick.
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, Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo and Anatomy of a Miracle by Jonathan Miles. 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 OverDrive and Sisters in Crime.
Book Club Central can also be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For more information, visit www.bookclubcentral.org.
