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Books we're reading at the station and recommend to you.When we're not on-the-air or at our desks, we like to pick up good books. Most of us here at the station are, in fact, avid readers. In the style of NPR's "What We're Reading" (an excellent weekly guide) we, too, decided to share what we've been reading. Here's a list of books recently read by WKMS staff members, student workers and volunteers.Interested in a book on our list? Follow the Amazon link beneath the picture. A small percentage of your purchase of anything on Amazon through this link goes right to WKMS at no additional cost to you!

Good Read: In Darkness by Nick Lake

We continue our occasional series previewing good reads for young adults from Katherine Farmer, Coordinator of the Racers Children's Preview Collection at Murray State University. This week's recommended read is In Darkness, by Nick Lake. Winner of the 2013 Printz Book Award, In Darkness is set in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti, and follows the perspective of a 15 year-old boy trapped in the rubble of a hospital. Critics describe this young adult novel as "vivid and unforgettable, nuanced, and incredibly moving.

In Darkness by Nick Lake - 2013 Printz Winner

Ages 14 and up

Haiti. The only images that come to mind are that of poverty, violence, and disaster. Those images forge the backdrop for Nick Lake’s 2013 Printz award winning novel In Darkness.  In January 2010, an earthquake destroyed the landscape of Haiti crippling an already devastated people.  Shorty, a 15 year old gang member, is trapped in the rubble of a collapsed hospital grasping for life.  As he waits for death or rescue, Shorty passes the time by remembering his life as a child in the violent slums and connecting psychically through voodoo with ToussaintL’Ouverture, the rebel salve leader and hero of the Haitian revolution.  

In his memories, he recalls the violent slaying of his father, loss of his sister, his journey into criminal activity, and the violent struggle with other gangs , opponents of the government and the United Nations peacekeepers.  Intertwined in his altered state, he sees Haiti through the eyes of L’Ouverture and witnesses the birth of Haiti. In a paradox of reality, L’Ouverture becomes aware of Shorty’s existence in his mind and that reality causes him to question the path he is on.  

To discover more about Shorty’s violent life and the birth of a nation, read Nick Lake’s 2013 Printz award winning novel In Darkness.

Katherine Farmer is the Coordinator of the Racers Children's Preview Collection at Murray State University. See more good reads for young adults.

Matt Markgraf joined the WKMS team as a student in January 2007. He's served in a variety of roles over the years: as News Director March 2016-September 2019 and previously as the New Media & Promotions Coordinator beginning in 2011. Prior to that, he was a graduate and undergraduate assistant. He is currently the host of the international music show Imported on Sunday nights at 10 p.m.
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