Iconic Songs Meet Iconic Books
[Photo by Expect Best from Pexels]
You know that song you just can’t get out of your head? You know the one. It lives in your bones and becomes your own private DJ, scoring your day as you wash your hair and do the dishes. And sometimes it’s a good thing – a dance party in your living room, the whole nine yards. But sometimes it’s an earworm in the worst possible way. Today, we’re pairing those iconic songs with some equally iconic books – books that make us want to dance and sing along. Go ahead and let that song get stuck in your head. Because we’re ready to read through it!
Redemption Song + Redemption: Reflections on Creating a Better World
If the dulcet tones of “Redemption Song” by Bob Marley & The Wailers sings the music of your heart, you’ll absolutely want to check out Redemption: Reflections on Creating a Better World, a book that weaves the lyrics and interviews of Bob Marley into a profound narrative about the hard path to redemption. Curated by his eldest daughter Cedella Marley, this book is a beautiful tribute to Marley’s life, career, and message for a better world.
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Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books A Million | Bookshop
Conga + Sabrina & Corina
If the energy and joy of “Conga” by Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine is what gets your heart racing and your body moving, you’ll want to pick up Sabrina & Corina by Kali Fajardo-Astine. This collection of short stories spans decades in the southwestern United States, digging into the lives of Latinx and Indigenous women who call the American west home. The stories cover a wide range of tones and emotions, but we choose “Conga” for the celebratory moments – and for those ah-ha! moments when we catch characters eavesdropping on each other’s stories.
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Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books A Million | Bookshop
Hotel California + The Golden State
When we hear the lyric “you can never leave” pulse through “Hotel California” by the Eagles, we think, “Yeah, and this song is never gonna leave our heads.” Rather than getting caught up in this earworm, pick up The Golden State by Lydia Keisling, a book that’s been haunting us ever since we read it. It’s not that Keisling’s novel is particularly spooky, but there’s something about the wide, open spaces of way northern California, the contingent of Jeffersonians, and the small town vibe that makes us feel like this song and this book take place in the same California.
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A Change is Gonna Come + March
If you’re swept up in the beautiful orchestrations of “A Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke and the message of change that comes with it, look no further than March by John Lewis (yes, that John Lewis), Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell. This graphic memoir of Lewis’ work during the Civil Rights Movement is as sobering as it is hopeful. And the graphic novel is the perfect medium to tell this story, putting the visuals of this movement center stage – the joy, the pain, the violence, and the overwhelming hope.
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Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books A Million | Bookshop
The Chicken Dance + Barn 8
If dancing “The Chicken Dance” at weddings is more your jam, dive deep into the world of the United States egg industry with Barn 8 by Deb Olin Unferth. When two agricultural auditors go rouge and plot to steal a million chickens in the middle of the night, something’s bound to go wrong. But one thing’s for sure: if “The Chicken Dance” is predictable and, frankly, tired, Barn 8 is as wired as it gets.
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