Honor Martin Luther King With Thoughtful Reads

This year I'm paying a little more attention to January's Martin Luther King Day, both grateful for how far we've come since Dr. King's death and aware of how many problems remain. My children were introduced to King's story in public school, but I come from a white generation burdened by miseducation about race that is not necessarily remedied by actual participation in desegregation and civil rights struggles. Luckily, there are three Pulitzer Prize-winning histories that address both America's racial history and Dr. King's legacy: Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II by Douglas A. Blackmon, which examines indentured servitude and neo-slavery in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, overturning the idea that the Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery in America; The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation by Gene Roberts and Hank Kilbanoff, which explores the role of black and white journalists in changing public sentiment towards the Civil Rights movement (how will today's journalists and fake news purveyors perform?); and Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954-63 by Taylor Branch, portraits of both King's rise to greatness and an American society of turmoil and transformation. But what about the continuing challenges of racism and inequality? Perhaps the next required reading is the 2016 book Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul by Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., which presents his passionate argument against the fallacy of a "post-racial society" and explores the current state of the black community, including the politically charged issues of institutional racism and the Black Lives Matter movement. For more suggested reading on Dr. King's legacy: http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/the-read-down/11-books-to-help-you-understand-dr-martin-luther-king-jr-s-legacy-in-2016

Read the Kirkus Review of 'Lies Agreed Upon'

Kirkus, a trusted authority in book discovery since 1933, has posted a review of my self-published debut mystery, Lies Agreed Upon, and it's a generally positive assessment of my Indie effort. Quoting from the review: "Sharma portrays New Orleans as beautiful, corrupt, complicated, secretive and tragic—far more than just an atmospheric backdrop for Tess’ genealogical investigations. She skillfully shows how the family betrayals, murders, lies and vengeance Tess uncovers are inextricably linked with New Orleans’ history, racial and sexual politics, and geography. The author handles dialogue (and dialect) well, which gives vitality to her large, varied cast, and she depicts Tess herself [my protagonist] as likable, enterprising and sympathetic." There is criticism for the extra effort required to follow the "complicated family relationships," even with the family tree supplied for reference (which unfortunately doesn't render as well in e-readers). That's something some readers have also noted in their review posts on Amazon and Goodreads. But the Kirkus reviewer still concludes, as do most Goodreads and Amazon review posts, "That said, Sharma paces the novel well, gradually unfolding layers of mystery until the final truth is revealed." The novel is summed up as "an often engaging New Orleans mystery with romantic and humorous touches." To address the one recurring point of criticism, I am mulling whether to scatter excerpts of the family tree at strategic points in the book. Would it overemphasize genealogy and drag at pacing further, or would it help? What do you think, readers? For the full review, go to https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/katherine-d-sharma/lies-agreed-upon/