Best Selling Books by Brit Bennett

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ONE OF BARACK OBAMA''S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2020 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES • THE WASHINGTON POST • NPR • PEOPLE • TIME MAGAZINE • VANITY FAIR • GLAMOUR New York Times Readers Pick: 100 Best Books of the 21st Century 2021 WOMEN''S PRIZE FINALIST “Bennett’s tone and style recalls James Baldwin and Jacqueline Woodson, but it’s especially reminiscent of Toni Morrison’s 1970 debut novel, The Bluest Eye.” —Kiley Reid, Wall Street Journal “A story of absolute, universal timelessness . . . For any era, it''s an accomplished, affecting novel. For this moment, it’s piercing, subtly wending its way toward questions about who we are and who we want to be….” – Entertainment Weekly From The New York Times-bestselling author of The Mothers, a stunning new novel about twin sisters, inseparable as children, who ultimately choose to live in two very different worlds, one black and one white. The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it''s not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it''s everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Many years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters'' storylines intersect? Weaving together multiple strands and generations of this family, from the Deep South to California, from the 1950s to the 1990s, Brit Bennett produces a story that is at once a riveting, emotional family story and a brilliant exploration of the American history of passing. Looking well beyond issues of race, The Vanishing Half considers the lasting influence of the past as it shapes a person''s decisions, desires, and expectations, and explores some of the multiple reasons and realms in which people sometimes feel pulled to live as something other than their origins. As with her New York Times-bestselling debut The Mothers, Brit Bennett offers an engrossing page-turner about family and relationships that is immersive and provocative, compassionate and wise.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Bittersweet, sexy, morally fraught.” –The New York Times Book Review "Fantastic… a book that feels alive on the page." –The Washington Post From the New York-Times bestselling author of The Vanishing Half, the beloved novel about young love and a big secret in a small community. Set within a contemporary black community in Southern California, Brit Bennett''s mesmerizing first novel is an emotionally perceptive story about community, love, and ambition. It begins with a secret. "All good secrets have a taste before you tell them, and if we''d taken a moment to swish this one around our mouths, we might have noticed the sourness of an unripe secret, plucked too soon, stolen and passed around before its season." It is the last season of high school life for Nadia Turner, a rebellious, grief-stricken, seventeen-year-old beauty. Mourning her own mother''s recent suicide, she takes up with the local pastor''s son. Luke Sheppard is twenty-one, a former football star whose injury has reduced him to waiting tables at a diner. They are young; it''s not serious. But the pregnancy that results from this teen romance—and the subsequent cover-up—will have an impact that goes far beyond their youth. As Nadia hides her secret from everyone, including Aubrey, her God-fearing best friend, the years move quickly. Soon, Nadia, Luke, and Aubrey are full-fledged adults and still living in debt to the choices they made that one seaside summer, caught in a love triangle they must carefully maneuver, and dogged by the constant, nagging question: What if they had chosen differently? The possibilities of the road not taken are a relentless haunt. In entrancing, lyrical prose, The Mothers asks whether a "what if" can be more powerful than an experience itself. If, as time passes, we must always live in servitude to the decisions of our younger selves, to the communities that have parented us, and to the decisions we make that shape our lives forever.

Claudie Wells is growing up in 1920s Harlem and is in awe of the artists all around her. Her father is a talented baker, her mother is a reporter for a renowned newspaper, and her boardinghouse mates include a jazz singer, cornet player, and painter. Claudie dreams of having a special talent all her own but struggles to find her calling. When an eviction notice threatens her beloved home, Claudie takes a risk to pursue an idea that just might turn things around. Her story is richly illustrated and includes an introduction from the author. --Provided by publisher.

Claudie is traveling from Harlem to Georgia with Mama and Cousin Sidney to meet her grandmother and cousins for the first time. She hopes that learning her family''s story will inspire her for the variety show she''s planning to raise money to save the boardinghouse her family lives in. Claudie''s grandmother tells her a legend from slavery times called “The People Could Fly." In it, an old man whispers magic words, and the enslaved people grow wings and fly home to Africa. This gives Claudie an amazing idea for the finale of her show—but will Claudie''s creativity be enough to save the home she loves?

Follow along for more of Claudie’s story as she goes to Georgia to learn the truth about her family. This poignant and powerful sequel by New York Times bestselling author, Brit Bennett, is set in the Harlem Renaissance and celebrates Black artistic expression and achievement. Claudie is thrilled to be on the road with Mama and Cousin Sidney, traveling from Harlem to Georgia to meet her grandmother and cousins for the first time. Claudie hopes this trip will inspire her to write a play that will raise money to save the boardinghouse her family lives in. In Georgia, Claudie''s grandma tells her a legend from slavery times called "The People Could Fly." In it, and old man whispers magic words, and the enslaved people grow wings and fly home to Africa. This story gives Claudie a great idea for her play--but will her creativity be enough to save the home she loves?

The American Civil Liberties Union partners with award-winning authors Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman in this “forceful, beautifully written” (Associated Press) collection that brings together many of our greatest living writers, each contributing an original piece inspired by a historic ACLU case. On January 19, 1920, a small group of idealists and visionaries, including Helen Keller, Jane Addams, Roger Baldwin, and Crystal Eastman, founded the American Civil Liberties Union. A century after its creation, the ACLU remains the nation’s premier defender of the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. In collaboration with the ACLU, authors Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman have curated an anthology of essays “full of struggle, emotion, fear, resilience, hope, and triumph” (Los Angeles Review of Books) about landmark cases in the organization’s one-hundred-year history. Fight of the Century takes you inside the trials and the stories that have shaped modern life. Some of the most prominent cases that the ACLU has been involved in—Brown v. Board of Education, Roe v. Wade, Miranda v. Arizona—need little introduction. Others you may never even have heard of, yet their outcomes quietly defined the world we live in now. Familiar or little-known, each case springs to vivid life in the hands of the acclaimed writers who dive into the history, narrate their personal experiences, and debate the questions at the heart of each issue. Hector Tobar introduces us to Ernesto Miranda, the felon whose wrongful conviction inspired the now-iconic Miranda rights—which the police would later read to the man suspected of killing him. Yaa Gyasi confronts the legacy of Brown v. Board of Education, in which the ACLU submitted a friend of- the-court brief questioning why a nation that has sent men to the moon still has public schools so unequal that they may as well be on different planets. True to the ACLU’s spirit of principled dissent, Scott Turow offers a blistering critique of the ACLU’s stance on campaign finance. These powerful stories, along with essays from Neil Gaiman, Meg Wolitzer, Salman Rushdie, Ann Patchett, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Louise Erdrich, George Saunders, and many more, remind us that the issues the ACLU has engaged over the past one hundred years remain as vital as ever today, and that we can never take our liberties for granted. Chabon and Waldman are donating their advance to the ACLU and the contributors are forgoing payment.

Kirkas kertomus nuoresta rakkaudesta ja liian varhain tehdyistä valinnoista. Mikä meidät erottaa -menestysteoksen tekijän häikäisevä romaani siitä mitä tahdomme ja siitä mihin tyydymme. Uudeksi Toni Morrisoniksi kutsuttu Brit Bennett vakiinnuttaa paikkansa tärkeimpien nykykirjailijoiden joukossa. ”Lumoava, hätkähdyttävän realistinen kuvaus siitä, kuinka menneisyys seuraa meitä aikuisuuteen asti – riippumatta siitä, kuinka kauas kotoa karkaamme.” HARPER’S BAZAAR Viimeinen kesä ennen yliopistoa, minkään ei pitäisi olla vielä vakavaa. Kun 17-vuotias Nadia Turner sitten tulee raskaaksi ja tekee abortin, se muuttaa peruuttamattomasti kolmen nuoren elämän. Vuosia myöhemmin he joutuvat kasvotusten tekemiensä valintojen kanssa. Saiko heistä kukaan sen mitä toivoi, vai elävätkö he elämää, jonka suunnasta päättivät huomaamattaan ja aivan liian nuorina? Brit Bennettin viisas ja koskettava romaani sukeltaa syvälle perheeseen, ystävyyteen sekä tapaan, jolla menetykset ihmisiä muovaavat. Brit Bennett (s. 1990) on kirjallisuusmaailman tuore tähti, jota on jo nyt kutsuttu uudeksi Toni Morrisoniksi. Hän julkaisi ylistetyn esikoisromaaninsa Äidit vain 26-vuotiaana. Hänen toinen teoksensa Mikä meidät erottaa vietti useita viikkoa New York Timesin bestsellerlistalla ja muun muassa TIME, BBC ja The Times Book Review valitsivat sen yhdeksi ilmestymisvuotensa parhaista kirjoista. Kaliforniassa, Yhdysvalloissa syntynyt Bennett on valmistunut Stanfordin yliopistosta.

A fekete ikerlányok, Desiree és Stella tizenhat évesen elszöknek az isten háta mögötti otthonukból, de hamarosan megszakad köztük a kapcsolat. Sok évvel később Desiree bántalmazó férje elől menekülve visszaköltözik kislányával a szülővárosukba, miközben a világosabb bőrű Stella fehérként éli az életét, és még férje sem tud semmit a múltjáról. Hiába ékelődik azonban az ikerlányok közé sok kilométer és hazugság, sorsuk újra összefonódik. És mi történik vajon, amikor lányaik útjai is keresztezik egymást? Brit Bennett az amerikai Déltől egészen Kaliforniáig ívelő, több generációt felvonultató családregényében egyszerre mesél érzelmekben gazdag történetet, és nyújt betekintést az amerikai történelem egyik meghatározó időszakába. A faji kérdéseken jócskán túlmutató könyvéből kiderül, hogy milyen hosszú árnyékot vethet a múlt egy ember döntéseire, vágyaira és elvárásaira, és hogy milyen okai lehetnek annak, ha valaki a gyökereitől elszakadva kénytelen élni. A halványuló fél 2020 egyik legnagyobb könyvszenzációja volt, megjelenését követően az HBO szinte azonnal lecsapott a megfilmesítési jogaira. A Dél-Kaliforniában született és nevelkedett Brit Bennett a Stanfordon és a University of Michiganen végzett. A National Book Foundation jelölte a „Harmincöt év alatti tehetségek” elismerésre, esszéi olyan rangos lapokban jelentek meg, mint a The New Yorker, a The New York Times Magazine, a The Paris Review és a Jezebel. Az anyák után ez a második regénye.

De tweelingzussen Desiree en Stella Vignes zijn elkaars spiegelbeeld. Op zestienjarige leeftijd lopen ze samen weg van de kleine, zuidelijke zwarte gemeenschap waarin ze zijn opgegroeid, maar al snel scheiden hun wegen. Eenmaal volwassen lijkt hun spiegelbeeld te zijn vervlogen. Niet alleen de invulling van hun dagelijks leven verschilt, alles is anders: hun families, hun gemeenschap, hun identiteit. Jaren later leeft een van de zussen met haar zwarte dochter in hetzelfde zuidelijke stadje dat ze ooit probeerde te ontvluchten. De ander gaat door het leven als witte vrouw en vertelt haar witte echtgenoot niets over haar verleden. Maar gescheiden door vele kilometers en evenzoveel leugens blijft het lot van de tweeling vervlochten. Wat zal er met de volgende generatie gebeuren, wanneer de paden van hun eigen dochters zich kruisen?

Tudo começa com um segredo. As ramificações que se seguem vão acompanhar três personagens desde o fim da adolescência até o início da vida adulta, exercendo um impacto capaz de influenciar suas trajetórias por muito tempo depois de seus anos de juventude. Em uma comunidade negra e cristã no sul da Califórnia, Nadia Turner, uma garota bonita, obstinada e ainda marcada pelo recente suicídio da mãe, será a primeira da família a cursar uma universidade, mas, antes de deixar sua cidade natal, ela se envolve com o filho do pastor da igreja, Luke Sheppard. Aos vinte e um anos, Luke é um ex-atleta que trabalha como garçom depois que uma grave lesão o afastou dos campos. Os dois são jovens e não oficializam o relacionamento, mas o segredo que resulta desse romance terá consequências maiores do que eles imaginam. Anos depois, eles ainda vivem à sombra das escolhas da juventude e da insistente dúvida: e se tivessem feito diferente? As possibilidades do caminho não tomado se tornam uma sombra implacável. Romance de estreia de Brit Bennett, As Mães chamou atenção dos críticos antes mesmo de ser lançado nos Estados Unidos. Com um estilo sofisticado e atual, a autora demonstra uma ampla compreensão da alma humana e de como as traições e perdas podem moldar comunidades inteiras. Uma obra necessária, que questiona até que ponto devemos servidão às decisões da juventude e às comunidades que nos criaram.

En la conservadora comunidad de Oceandrive hay un grupo de mujeres que se reúnen en torno a la iglesia de Upper Room a contar los chismes del pueblo: tres jóvenes, Nadia, Luke y Aubrey se enredan en un triángulo amoroso. Narrada a múltiples voces y con una fascinante prosa lírica, la historia es una mezcla de secretos, amistad, traición y muerte que marca el paso de la adolescencia a la adultez, con el sinsabor de una pregunta molesta: ¿y si hubiera tomado otra decisión?

«Um dos 10 melhores livros do ano.» The New York Times Uma saga familiar enfeitiçante, de uma das grandes novas vozes da literatura americana, herdeira de James Baldwin e Toni Morrison. Recomendado pelo Plano Nacional de Leitura Plano Nacional de Leitura Literatura - Maiores de 18 anos Geração após geração, a comunidade negra de Mallard, no Estado sulista de Luisiana, esforça-se por aclarar o tom da sua pele, favorecendo os casamentos mistos. Desiree e Stella são disso um bom exemplo, com a sua pele "cor de areia húmida", olhos castanho-avelã e cabelo ondulado. Mas a aparência não basta para as livrar do estigma, e acabam por assistir à morte violenta do pai, à humilhação da mãe depois disso. Aos dezasseis anos, escolhem fugir juntas da terra sufocante. Pretendem escapar ao seu sangue e libertar o seu futuro. Mas a fuga para Nova Orleães acaba por ditar o afastamento das irmãs. Catorze anos mais tarde, Desiree volta à casa materna, arrastando pelas ruas poeirentas da terra uma filha de pele "negra como o alcatrão", que atrai todos os olhares do lugarejo retrógrado. Stella, por seu lado, tem a vida construída numa mentira: vive na Califórnia, faz-se passar por branca, e o marido nada sabe do seu passado. Apesar de tantos quilómetros e tantas mentiras a separá-las, os destinos das gémeas estão inevitavelmente entrelaçados. E voltarão a cruzar-se, porque é impossível renegar a metade que nos pertence. Na saga desta família, Brit Bennett cria uma história de apelo universal e intemporal. Não se detendo no inevitável tema central da raça e da identidade, A outra metade reflecte sobre o peso do passado no presente, pondera as consequências e os limites da reinvenção pessoal e oferece uma meditação poderosa sobre a família e a liberdade inpidual. Os elogios da crítica: «A partir de uma saga familiar, Bennett traça um retrato complexo da individualidade no imenso colectivo americano, inscrevendo-se numa longa tradição, a da narrativa de passagem, onde além da raça e da identidade entram temas como a fuga, a reinvenção, o corpo enquanto representação, as possibilidades e as impossibilidades que se apresentam numa vida que só se vive uma vez.» Isabel Lucas, Público «Uma história intemporal sobre o que significa simplesmente crescer, definir-se e reinventar-se, para negociar um lugar no mundo. É um romance bem conseguido e comovente, pertinente em qualquer época. No momento actual, é pungente, orientando a narrativa para questões como quem somos e quem queremos ser.» Entertainment Weekly «O magnífico segundo romance de Bennett - uma reflexão ambiciosa sobre a raça e a identidade - sonda os destinos divergentes de duas gémeas, nascidas no Sul racista, depois de uma delas decidir fazer-se passar por branca. Bennett consegue equilibrar as exigências literárias de uma caracterização dinâmica com as realidades históricas e sociais do tema em questão.» The New York Times «Reinventar-se ou desaparecer são duas faces da mesma moeda. Bennett convida-nos a considerar o significado da autenticidade quando enfrentamos a discriminação por raça, cor de pele, género ou orientação sexual. Que preço pagamos por sermos como somos? Quantos de nós decidimos fugir ao que esperam de nós? E o que acontece ao outro lado da equação, a parte que deixamos para trás? A outra metade explora todas estas questões numa sofisticada história de amor, sobrevivência e realização.» The Washington Post «A outra metade é um romance absolutamente encantador, que me agarrou da primeira à última palavra. Seduz-me com a sua mestria literária, tira-me o fôlego com o seu enredo surpreendente, e desafia-nos a todos a pensar sobre as consequências devastadoras do racismo nas comunidades e vidas individuais.» Bernardine Evaristo, escritora

Quatorze ans après la disparition des jumelles Vignes, l’une d’elles réapparaît à Mallard, leur ville natale, dans le Sud d’une Amérique fraîchement déségrégationnée. Adolescentes, elles avaient fugué main dans la main, décidées à affronter le monde. Pourtant, lorsque Desiree refait surface, elle a perdu la trace de sa jumelle depuis bien longtemps: Stella a disparu des années auparavant pour mener à Boston la vie d’une jeune femme Blanche. Mais jusqu’où peut-on renoncer à une partie de soi-même ? Dans ce roman magistral sur l’identité, l’auteure interroge les mailles fragiles dont sont tissés les individus, entre la filiation, le rêve de devenir une autre personne et le besoin dévorant de trouver sa place.

« Tous les grands secrets ont un goût particulier. » Nadia a 17 ans et la vie devant elle. Mais quand elle perd sa mère et avorte en cachette, tout change. Elle choisit alors de quitter la communauté noire et religieuse qui l’a vue grandir. Boursière dans une grande université, Nadia fréquente l’élite. Elle a laissé derrière elle Luke, son ancien amant aux rêves brisés, et Aubrey, sa meilleure amie. Durant une décennie marquée des affres de la vie, les trajectoires des trois jeunes gens vont se croiser puis diverger, tendues à l’extrême par le poids du secret. Dans la lignée d’Elena Ferrante et de Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Brit Bennett donne voix à des héros en quête d’accomplissement et nous offre un roman lumineux, inoubliable.

The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it''s not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it''s everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Ten years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters storylines intersect? Weaving together multiple strands and generations of this family, from the Deep South to California, from the 1950s to the 1990s, Bennett produces a story that is at once a riveting, emotional family story and a brilliant exploration of the American history of passing. Looking well beyond the issues of race, it considers the lasting influence of the past as it shapes a person''s decisions, desires, and expectations.