Just to hang onto the Decatur Book Festival feeling a bit longer, I wanted to write up a shout out favorite from last year’s festival.
As an avid fan of the Decatur Book Festival, I was excited to pick up this debut novel by Daren Wang, the founder and 12 year CEO of the nation’s largest independent book festival. Wang comes from a background of administration, not writing. For years, he tried to take the spark for this novel and give it to another writer to develop. Instead, he took his thorough research and wrote a lovely novel about the American Civil War. Wang grew up in Upstate New York in a house that was a converted barn and part of a larger property. This barn was a stop on the historical Underground Railroad. When Wang learned of this history, he researched the house and it’s inhabitants and, ultimately, wrote this driving epic centered on the house he grew up in. A lyrical debut.
I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks! I also bought several copies of this novel and had the author sign them at last year’s Decatur Book Festival. Now that all of my recipients have received their copies, the time is right to spread the word around.
PS: I grabbed this pic from the Decatur Book Festival Instagram account. Daren Wang signing a book for me (yup, that’s my arm).
Well-Read Neck 