Central Kansas Library System

Russell's Knob is not paradise. But already in 1849 this New Jersey highlands settlement is home to a diverse population of blacks, whites, and reds who have intermarried and lived in relative harmony for generations. It is a haven for Dossie Bird, who has escaped north along the Underground Railroad and now feels the embrace of the Smoot family.
Duncan Smoot presides as accidental patriarch, protector of his enterprising sister, Hattie, and...

Restless Classics presents the ninetieth anniversary edition of an undersung gem of the Harlem Renaissance: Nella Larsen's Passing, a captivating and prescient exploration of identity, sexuality, self-invention, class, and race set amidst the pealing boisterousness of the Jazz Age. When childhood friends Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry cross paths at a whites-only restaurant, it's been decades since they last met. Married to a bigoted white man who...

In this outrageous novel from Joe Ide, "the best thing to happen to mystery writing in a very long time" (New York Times), the case of a young artist's missing mother sets IQ on a collision course with his own Moriarty.
Isaiah Quintabe — IQ for short — has never been more successful, or felt more alone. A series of high-profile wins in his hometown of East Long Beach have made him so notorious that he can hardly go to the corner...

"LaTanya McQueen's When The Reckoning Comes is so deliciously uncomfortable there were moments where I had to put the book down, take a deep breath, and like Mira, its protagonist, urge myself to go further. This is a novel, like Octavia Butler's Kindred, that reminds its readers that as long as people don't acknowledge how much of the past still shapes the present, it will bring its whips, its hatchets, and fists to make us learn."

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Three-time Newbery Honor author Jacqualine Woodson explores race and sexuality through the eyes of a compelling narrator
Melanin Sun has a lot to say. But sometimes it's hard to speak his mind, so he fills up notebooks with his thoughts instead. He writes about his mom a lot—they're about as close as they can be, because they have no other family. So when she suddenly tells him she's gay, his world is turned upside down. And if that weren't...

New York Times bestselling author Eric Jerome Dickey once again “pushes romance and deceit to the next level” (USA Weekend) in this tantalizing tale of a high-profile marriage rocked by scandal, obsession, and murder.
Screenwriter James Thicke is a man whose mysterious past runs as deep as his violent streak. Now he and his volatile movie star wife, Regina Baptiste, have channeled their passions into an electrifying...

"An unforgettable story of female strength, hope and friendship. This collaborative work is magnificent—a true revelation!" —Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Woman with the Blue Star
"A brilliant story brimming with unexpected friendships and family ties. Historically sound and beautifully stitched, The Thread Collectors will stay with you long after the last page is turned." —Sadeqa...

The "magnificent, funny, and terrifying" debut novel from the New York Times bestselling author of God Don't Like Ugly (The San Francisco Chronicle).

Mama Ruby's known for taking things that aren't rightfully hers, like her best friend's stillborn infant, who she brought back to life and christened Maureen. She's also rumored to have done away with her husband. Some fear her, others try their best to avoid...

She had everything she needed—until she met one of the irresistible Strong brothers. Third in the series from the bestselling author of Hot Like Fire.

It looked like it would take a miracle for sexy nature guide Jade Prince to notice quiet accountant Kaeden Strong. Then a camping vacation left them stranded together, sharing a sleeping bag and a wild encounter that burned up the cold night. When it comes to making

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Finally available in trade paperback, Langston Hughes’s breezy parable of good and evil, friendship and betrayal, is an unforgettable portrait of 1950s Harlem and two women called to the pulpit for very different reasons.

For every bustling jazz joint that opened in Korean War–era Harlem, a new church seemed to spring up. Tambourines to Glory introduces you to an unlikely team behind a church whose rock was the curb...