New & Noteworthy: Books & Coffee will meet Wednesday, May 5th at 11 a.m. via Zoom.

May’s book club pick is ‘Libertie’ by Kaitlyn Greenidge.

“The critically acclaimed and Whiting Award–winning author of We Love You, Charlie Freeman returns with Libertie, an unforgettable story about one young Black girl’s attempt to find a place where she can be fully, and only, herself.

Coming of age in a free Black community in Reconstruction-era Brooklyn, Libertie Sampson is all too aware that her purposeful mother, a practicing physician, has a vision for their future together: Libertie is to go to medical school and practice alongside her. But Libertie, drawn more to music than science, feels stifled by her mother’s choices and is hungry for something else—is there really only one way to have an autonomous life? And she is constantly reminded that, unlike her light-skinned mother, Libertie will not be able to pass for white. When a young man from Haiti proposes to Libertie and promises she will be his equal on the island, she accepts, only to discover that she is still subordinate to him and all men. As she tries to parse what freedom actually means for a Black woman, Libertie struggles with where she might find it—for herself and for generations to come.”

If you’d like to purchase the book and receive 20% off, join the book club by emailing us at info@laplayabooks.com!

Interested in other books our New & Noteworthy Book Club has read?  Click on this link to visit our store’s Book Club page on Bookshop.org.