On episode 47 of the podcast I sit down with Lauren Francis-Sharma, the author of the My American Meltingpot Summer Book Club selection, Book of the Little Axe.
In addition to Book of the Little Axe, Lauren is the author of the novel, Til the Well Runs Dry, which was awarded the Honor Fiction Prize by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. Lauren is a contributor to Marita Golden’s anthology, Us Against Alzheimer’s, and her more recent work can be found at ElectricLit.com, Barrelhouse.com and The Lily. Lauren is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan Law School. She is also a MacDowell Fellow and the Assistant Director of Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference at Middlebury College.
Book of the Little Axe is a Multicultural Masterpiece
If you’ve been following the Meltingpot this summer, than you know Book of the Little Axe was a perfect selection for our book club to read because of its perfectly meltingpot story line. Book of the Little Axe takes place at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century and tells the story of Rosa Rendon, a Black Trinidadian woman who flees her island home and finds herself living among the Crow Nation in what is now Bighorn, Montana. She becomes the wife of a Crow chief and raises three mixed-race children with the nation. When her son begins to struggle with his identity, Rosa is forced to reckon with her past and so the story unfolds.
This book is epic and I’m thrilled Lauren Francis-Sharma took the time to join me on the show. During our conversation, we talk about how Lauren came up with this incredible story idea; the real life characters that populate the pages of Book of the Little Axe; why it’s important to tell the stories of people of color in a historical context; and how Stephen King inspired Lauren to leave her corporate career and pursue writing! I promise it’s an inspiring conversation all around.
Links from the Show
To learn more about Lauren Francis Sharma, visit her website
You can also follow her on Twitter and Facebook.
Lauren’s debut novel, Till the Well Runs Dry is available on Amazon and at independent bookstores, like Bookshop.org
On the show, I asked Lauren what kind of food would she serve at a book club gathering for Book of the Little Axe and she said Fry Bread or Fried Bakes. Here’s a video recipe for Fry bread and here’s one for fried bakes (Trinidad style). I have tried neither recipe, but the videos are fun!
You’re welcome.
(Photo Credit: Anna Carson DeWitt)
