Book of the Month

When I read Abraham Verghese was out with a new book, I immediately made a mental note to buy it. But as I continued scanning the article and learned his new book was a novel, my interest waned. I can’t figure out why this is the case. I’ve been challenging myself about the whole non-fiction/fiction divide: why do I (and why does our culture) feel a craving for stories to be "true"? I do enjoy novels if they are well-written and feel authentic. Because I admire Verghese’s writing style, I’m going to trust his new book meets those criteria and read it. But I haven’t bought it yet . . . so for April’s book of the month pick I’m highlighting Verghese’s masterful memoir, My Own Country. It’s about his experience as an infectious disease doctor in Johnson City, Tennessee as he takes care of AIDS patients at time when little was understood about the disease. A must-read if you missed it in the past. And what the heck, why don’t I take my challenge to the next level? Check Roughly Speaking on May 4 for the next book pick – I promise to highlight a novel.