Barnes & Noble announces Hang the Moon as their April National Book Club pick and welcomes readers to join author Jeannette Walls at a free live virtual event. The author will answer questions from the audience and participate in an engaging roundtable conversation with Shannon DeVito, Senior Director of Books at Barnes & Noble, and Miwa Messer, Executive Producer of Poured Over, the B&N Podcast. Attendees must register via Eventbrite to access the livestream on Zoom.
“There is a common element in all of Jeannette Walls’ novels — a bold, feisty fighter of a heroine,” said Shannon DeVito, Senior Director of Books, Barnes & Noble. “In her newest, Hang the Moon, we meet the indomitable Sallie Kincaid. Though set squarely in the early years of Prohibition, this historical fiction tour-de-force speaks to centuries of strong people overcoming what feel like insurmountable obstacles. I think our book club readers will adore both Sallie and this inviting entry into Walls’ impressive body of work.”
Sallie Kincaid is many things — daughter of privilege, daredevil, eventual outcast, smart as a whip, fearless, and terrified. Raised in relative luxury, Sallie finds herself lost and alone after a tragic accident. With her inexhaustible determination and razor-sharp wit, she manages to navigate a rapidly changing world (and a criminal enterprise) to come out on the other side as her own, whole, authentic self.
The Barnes & Noble Book Club entices booklovers with a thoughtfully chosen newly published novel each month. The Barnes & Noble Exclusive Edition of Hang the Moon features strikingly designed endpapers, an insightful reading group guide and an exclusive bonus essay. Leading up to the event, readers can share their thoughts and engage in conversation on social media using the hashtag #BNBookClub. During the livestream readers are encouraged to participate in the discussion and submit questions to be answered throughout.
“Hang the Moon is about a motley lot of characters, hillbillies and moonshiners, with their peculiar accents and ill-fitting clothes, the type of people who — when they’re written about — are often relegated to the fringes, shot-gun toting villains, inbred and ignorant; or they are fodder for the funny pages and sitcoms. I wanted to get beyond the stereotypes, to describe people with dreams and vulnerabilities, tough folk in rough situations,” said author Jeanette Walls. “But writers are nothing without our most valuable partners: readers. That is why I am so very grateful to Barnes and Noble for choosing Hang the Moon for its April Book Club selection. I am equally grateful to anyone who gives this story the great gift of their time and the greater gift of a curious mind and an open heart.”
The enthusiasm and word-of-mouth recommendations of Barnes & Noble booksellers across the country have sparked ardent praise from readers nationwide, turning great novels into bestsellers. Previous Barnes & Noble Book Club selections have included: The Night Ship by Jess Kidd, The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, The Testaments by Margaret Atwood, The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller, One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle, Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin and The Cloisters by Katy Hays.
