JM: Hi Leonard,

The last time I interviewed you Grant Park had just been released and was receiving rave reviews. And speaking of that blog post, you gave me one of the most thought out and earnest answers to my "Time Travel" question that I have ever received from any author. For readers who haven't had that pleasure you can find it here.

Let's talk a bit about The Last Thing You Surrender, releasing in this month: This book is set during WWII and makes reference to a number of real places and events. Can you talk about what your research process looked like? 

LP: If I had known how much research this book would require before I started it, I don't think I would have started it.  The Second World War was such a traumatic experience for the generation that lived through it that I felt an overwhelming responsibility to get it right - and to not sugarcoat its horrors.  I read, re-read or consulted dozens of books, pestered the Army and Navy about picayune historical details (would the deck of the USS Oklahoma have been made of steel?), downloaded a playlist of World War II era music, haunted a number of museums, including the World War II museum in New Orleans, talked to my doctor about the anatomical challenges of cutting off a human head, spent days at the Library of Congress poring over maps and reading old copies of the Mobile Register and drove down to Mobile, where I spent a few days poking around trying to get a sense of the city.

JM: George Simon, one of the main characters, was pulled from a ship that was severely damaged in the attack at Pearl Harbor. What ship was it?

LP: I purposely didn't name the ship, so as to spare myself grief from historians about any liberties I took, but it's based on the USS Oklahoma, which was struck that morning and capsized in about half an hour.  The scene of the men trapped in steering aft is based on fact.

JM: What was the genesis of the book? Where did the idea first come from and why did you want to write about WWII?

LP: I've always been fascinated by that era - I consider it the hinge point of the 20th century.  I watch the Ken Burns documentary, "The War" every few years, I found myself reading a lot of histories.  At some point, I guess, I figured that if my fascination was that intense, there might be a story hiding in there.

JM: Can you tell us about your trip to Mobile during your research? What did you do there, and how did it influence what went into the book? Did you learn anything surprising about the city?

LP: Had it been feasible, I'd have also gone to Japan and Australia, maybe even Guadalcanal.  Couldn't swing those, but Mobile is just down the highway.  I went to get a sense of the layout of the city, so I did a lot of walking and driving around.  While there, I discovered Bienville Square, which I'd never heard of, and which became a sort of minor character in the book.  What I came to appreciate about the city - and George speaks to this once or twice - is that it has a self-image as a very genteel place, a bastion of Southern refinement.  Of course, as history shows, beneath all that gentility and refinement, the same old hatreds simmered.

"I think of "Surrender" as a novel of race, faith and war." 

JM: In your own words, how would you describe the book? 

LP: I think of "Surrender" as a novel of race, faith and war.  It follows two families - one black, one white - from the Jim Crow South through the turmoil of the Second World War and traces the fighting that went on in Europe, the Pacific, and right here at home.

JM: I get the feeling that there is, intended or not, a message from this novel about race and a country moving forward set in the 1940's, that has clear counsel and wisdom for today's world. Was that what you were thinking?

LP: Actually, to the degree I was thinking thematically at all, I was thinking more about faith.  I was fascinated by George's struggle to hold onto his even as he saw and experienced more and more the absolute depravity of which human beings are capable.

Which isn't to say, of course, that race is not a big part of the book.  As I was doing my research, it struck me that there is a tendency in this country to speak almost casually of a possible future race war.  The actor James Woods, a fervent Trump supporter, tweeted an implicit threat to that effect just a few days ago.  But It's my contention that the world has already had its race war - 1939 to 1945 - and that if we're smart, we'll never do it again.  I know that World War II is seldom framed like that, but if you think about it, it makes perfect sense.  Hitler was motivated by hatred (of the Jews and the "Bolsheviks"), Japan rampaged in Asia because the Japanese considered themselves a master race, and the United States plunged into the war to stop them both, using a separate but equal military while at home, it was interning its own citizens by race (mostly Japanese, but also a small handful of Germans and Italians) even as riots erupted in Los Angeles against Mexican Americans and in Detroit, Mobile and elsewhere against African Americans.  So an argument can be made that the war years boiled won to a global brawl over our conceptions and delusions of race and racial superiority.

JM: You know I'm a big fan of your books and columns, just out of curiosity, on average, how many emails and letters would you say you receive each week in response to your columns?

LP: Been awhile since I counted, but I'd say anywhere from 800 to 1000.

JM: Finally, I know there are so many things going on in the world, especially right now. Is there a current topic or news event that is really grabbing your interest?

LP: I think the big story of this era is the question of whether and in what form the nation will survive given our current political crises - meaning not just Trump, but the forces that created and sustain him.

About the book:

"The Last Thing You Surrender" by Leonard Pitts Jr. is an intensely engaging novel of World War II and of an America at war not only with enemies seeking to conquer and oppress, but with its own realities of racism and oppression. It utterly satisfies as page-turning fiction with resonant characters, deft plotting, evocative setting, and visceral depictions.

It is also much more. Pitts weaves "The Last Thing You Surrender" around three connected but very different people from the Jim Crow South. In so doing, he brings his keen insight to bear not only on American racial injustice but on the dehumanization around which warfare revolves.
Luther becomes a soldier in the all-black 761st Tank Battalion, finding new connection as he serves, though he has seethed against his country and its privileged since witnessing the lynching that orphaned him.

Luther’s sister, Thelma, is widowed by the attack on Pearl Harbor and contends with loss, trepidation, and the opportunities and perils presented by the local shipyard's need for workers. She also contends with the outreach of a white marine who survived the attack that killed her husband.
George is that surviving Marine whose guilt, fear, and burgeoning realizations as a fighter and prisoner profoundly alter him. Through these characters we are immersed in a world of deep conflict, change and moral questioning about who matters and why.

Leonard Pitts Jr. is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author of the novels "Grant Park," "Freeman," and "Before I Forget." -- Stephanie Jones-Byrne, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe, Asheville, NC

Submitted this week on Edelweiss+ using the "send to SIBA" option. Thanks to Avid Bookshop, Bookmiser, Cavalier House Books, Fiction Addiction, Firestorm Books, Flyleaf Books, Fountain Bookstore, Inkwood Books, McIntyre's Books, Midtown Reader, Page 158 Books, Quail Ridge Books, Sunrise Bookshop, The Country Bookshop, The Story Shop, Union Ave. Books.

9780062824615 Cemetery Road 3/5/2019
"I've been meaning to read Greg Iles for awhile, but thought I didn't have time for such a long book. Wow, I was SO wrong."

9781523506644 Keep Going 4/2/2019
"I'll be hand selling this as a gift book for graduates and those needing a boost."

9781683319979 Little Darlings 4/30/2019
"So creepy, in the best way possible."

9780062862822 The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna 5/7/2019
"I can’t wait to hear the book club discussions of this compulsively readable, epic yet intimate story of an Italian-American family"

9780525562023 On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous 6/4/2019
"Vuong will break your heart and teach you how to reconstruct it into a new organ."

More bookseller reviews

If your store does not have an Edelweiss+ account and need help setting one up, contact Linda-Marie

What's on Lady Banks' Bookshelf in February?

SIBA promotes six new books every month to consumers in our Lady Banks Bookshelf promotion.These titles appear at the top of our weekly Lady Banks Commonplace Book newsletter, which has a circulation of over 60k.  We also feature them above the fold on the homepage of Authors ‘Round the South and on the cover image of the ARTS Facebook page with buy links promoted to our 15,000 Facebook friends. A different member store is featured with the titles every week. 

Since SIBA redesigned Lady Banks Bookshelf last spring, this promotion experienced a 23% increase in audience reach(from 17K to 22.5K), and a 16% jump in engagement (from 585 to 700) in on social media, and a 10% rise in impressions, 14% rise in click throughs via email. SIBA attributes the success to a more strongly focused target audience, more active engagement with member bookstores, and a fresh, more visually appealing presence that also appeals to the reader's sense of adventure and individuality.

By promoting through Lady Banks, publishers are making an investment in SIBA member bookstores’ attention and market. SIBA works with them to select titles your customers are looking for, and then we drive those customers to your stores.  It’s very worth your while to bring Lady Banks Bookshelf titles in before the month begins, and put up a display.

• Never Let Go by Elizabeth Goddard (Revell)
• The Age of Light by Whitney Scharer (Little, Brown)
• Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest by
  Hanif Abdurraqib (University of Texas Press)
•  So Here I Am: Speeches by Great Women to Empower and Inspire by Anna Russell (White Lion Publishing)
•  The Last Thing You Surrender by Leonard Pitts, Jr. (Agate Bolden)
• Biddy Mason Speaks Up by Arisa White (Heyday)

Here is a link to the collection on Edelweiss.

Share Your Great Ideas from WI14!

Many SIBA booksellers attended Winter Institute 14 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, participating in educational programming, author events and dinners, and networking forums. It was wonderful for SIBA staff to see familiar faces and check in on how things are going in your stores. We’d love you to share one (or more!) great idea or insight you gained from the WI experience. Is this something you’ll bring to your author events, your HR, your buying, or another area of your business, like tech tools for communicating with staff, working with publishers, or negotiating with your landlord? Please share your ideas with lindamarie@sibaweb.com and we’ll compile all your great ideas into a future article in our newsletter, so that all SIBA booksellers can benefit and explore what might improve their stores. When possible, we’ll also build in education in our webinars and in-person events to bring more attention to topics of interest to you. Thank you for your help sharing knowledge!

Submitted this week on Edelweiss+ using the "send to SIBA" option. Thanks to Avid Bookshop, Bookmarks, Bookmiser, Books & Books, Books Unlimited, Fiction Addiction, Flyleaf Books, Fountain Bookstore, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe, Page 158 Books, Square Books, The Country Bookshop, Turnrow Books, Underground Books.

9780525521877 The River 3/5/2019
"Like a latter-day Jack London, Peter Heller spins a spellbinding yarn of wilderness survival and a good camping trip gone horribly, horribly bad."

9780316479875 The Elephant of Surprise 3/19/2019
"A thrilling full adrenaline mystery featuring two of the best characters I've encountered."

9781524747145 The Other Americans 3/26/2019
"The first word I thought as I finished this book was "beautiful.""

9781328662057 Maybe You Should Talk to Someone 4/2/2019
"Q powerful and moving and funny exploration of therapy from the viewpoint of both sides of the tissue box."

9781368027939 Underwear! 4/16/2019
"Rhyming and underwear! What could be better."

More bookseller reviews

If your store does not have an Edelweiss+ account and need help setting one up, contact Linda-Marie

SIBA and participating publishers are giving away the galleys and other materials below to southern indie booksellers on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you are interested simply email the publisher to request a copy. Supplies are limited, so act quickly!

Liked what you read? Let everyone know!

• Okra Pick Nomination | IndieNext Nomination | Edelweiss Review

N.B. These are review copies only, and not for resale.

Eat. Sleep. Read. Southern

Dark Trade: Lost in Boxing
by Donald McRae
Hamilcar Publications, 9781949590050, 528pp.
Publication Date: February 26, 2019

Your Father's Day Sales Leader

McRae's Dark Trade is not just the best boxing book written, it captures a man's journey of self discovery and passion for a sport that leaves him conflicted by its brutality.

"McRae brings to the highly charged, obsessive world of professional boxing a novelist's eye and ear for revealing detail and convincingly recalled dialogue. This is an impressive book." --Joyce Carol Oates, Los Angeles Times

"Donald McRae has proven again and again that he's a superb writer who understands the sport and business of boxing--and so much more." --Thomas Hauser, author of Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times

Donald McRae is the award-winning author of 11 Books

Request your review copy here

Submitted this week on Edelweiss+ using the "send to SIBA" option. Thanks to Avid Bookshop, Bookmarks, Books & Books, Fiction Addiction, Flyleaf Books, Fountain Bookstore, Malaprop's Bookstore/Cafe, One More Page, Oxford Exchange, Page & Palette, The Country Bookshop, Underground Books, Union Ave. Books.

9781250295521 Enchantée 2/5/2019
"I love this dark, dreamy, & sumptuous tale of romance and revolution."

9781946448309 All the Fierce Tethers 3/19/2019
"A collection for poets interested in the question of "What distance exists between a thing and its word," and really, any reader wanting to be more mindful of their everyday."

9781982102807 I Miss You When I Blink 4/2/2019
"Philpott excels at finding the entertaining in the mundane. Her book isn't specifically about motherhood but as I tried to keep my toddler's sticky fingers off of the page I felt seen in a way few books achieve"

9781250303172 Llama Destroys the World 5/7/2019
"Dat! Ok, I'm off to buy a pair of dancing pants, after I eat some cake! (maybe all the cake)."

9781524768317 The Girl Who Named Pluto 5/14/2019
"a stellar, sublime ode to a girl who had a true passion for learning."

More bookseller reviews

If your store does not have an Edelweiss+ account and need help setting one up, contact Linda-Marie

It is hard to believe, but 2000 ballots have been submitted by readers for the 2019 Southern Book Prize. Yes, you read that right. TWO THOUSAND people have voted. Bookstores, authors, and readers have become engaged in the vote for "Best Southern Book of the Year" at unprecedented, enthusiastic levels.

What does that have to do with your store membership? The ballot requires the voter to list their local independent bookstore. Only ballots that list SIBA member bookstores are valid. The store MUST be a current member of SIBA for the vote to count.

Voting closes on February 1st. At that time, SIBA will discard votes that list stores who aren't current members. But stores that are members will receive a mailing list of the people who voted and listed them as their local bookstore. Making sure your store membership is current will not only ensure your customers' votes are counted, it will mean you receive a list of potential new customers.

Click here to update your profile:
https://sibaweb.site-ym.com/login.aspx

Small Presses Present Their Spring & Summer Lists

On Wednesday, Feb 20 at 2PM EST, SIBA is hosting “Small Presses Present their Spring & Summer Lists,” as part of our Publisher Picks: Best Bets for SIBA Booksellers series.  In this bi-monthly series, publishers, editors, marketing directors, and reps present their favorite frontlist titles via Zoom to booksellers. Besides forging important connections with publishers and their reps, attending booksellers will discover new titles to add to their store shelves and earn 10 B3! points. The following industry folks will present on 2/20: Michael Reynolds, Editor in chief of independent publisher, Europa Editions, Carin Siegfried, the Mid-Atlantic field sales representative at Macmillan, Emily Midkiff, editorial assistant and marketing director at Month9Books, Meg Reid, Director of Hub City Press, and Lynn York, publisher of Blair. Please RSVP lindamarie@sibaweb.com to attend.

Edelweiss collection of presented titles

More information on our presenters:

Michael Reynolds is the Editor in chief of independent publisher, Europa Editions. He is the recipient of numerous industry awards, and has served on the jury for the PEN/Heim Translation Fund, the Gutekunst Prize for Young Translators, and the foreign jury of the Strega Prize. He is a regular speaker at the Columbia School of Journalism’s Columbia Publishing Course, and at publishing and translation conferences in America and internationally. He is the founder of Bookselling Without Borders, a scholarship program that diversifies the culture of reading by building bridges between the American bookselling community and the international book industry. He is also an author and a translator whose published translations include three historical mysteries by Carlo Lucarelli, and Viola Di Grado’s prize-winning novel, 70% Acrylic 30% Wool.

Carin Siegfried began working with books at the ripe old age of 17 with her college job in the Davidson College campus library and her summer job at the Vanderbilt University Bookstore. After graduation, she worked at Bookstar (a B&N), as a bookseller and shipping & receiving supervisor. She next moved to Ingram Book Company as a junior buyer and then decided to pursue work as an editor in New York. After five years in editorial at St. Martin’s Press, Carin got a job in sales at Baker & Taylor. After that, she worked as a freelance editor until she could move back to the New York area as the sales manager for Soho Press. She founded the Charlotte chapter of the Women's National Book Association and has served as the National President of the WNBA. She is currently the Mid-Atlantic field sales representative at Macmillan and lives in Montclair, New Jersey.

Emily Midkiff loves reading so much so that she got a PhD in children’s and YA literature. You don’t have to call her Dr. Midkiff, though. She just did it for the books! Emily especially adores fantasy and science fiction storytelling. She was a professional princess at a children’s theater for nine years, cosplays at fan conventions, and makes appearances at every available Renaissance Faire to fool everyone with her trusty goat puppet. At Month9Books, Emily applies her love of story to the roles of editorial assistant and marketing director.

Meg Reid is the Director of Hub City Press in Spartanburg, South Carolina. A book designer and editor, she also writes extensively about all areas of design. She holds an MFA in Nonfiction from University of North Carolina Wilmington, where she served as Assistant Editor of the literary magazine, Ecotone, and worked for the literary imprint Lookout Books.

Lynn York is the Publisher of Blair. In January 2018, the nonprofit Carolina Wren Press acquired the titles of John F. Blair, Publisher. The resulting press, based in Durham, NC, is named Blair. She is the author of two novels:  The Piano Teacher (Plume, 2004) and The Sweet Life (Plume, 2007), a Booksense Notable Book.  She holds a BA in English from Duke and an MBA/MA from University of TX Austin. She has taught workshops at Duke’s Osher Institute, NC State University, High Point University, and elsewhere. She has served on the Board of Directors of the NC Arts Council, the NC Art Society, and Carolina Wren Press.