Faculty Books

Sito

Laurence Ralph

Luis Alberto Quiñonez, “Sito,” was 19 years old when he was shot 17 times by 17-year-old Julius Williams. The two had met several years before in another encounter that ended in tragedy when Sito’s friend fatally stabbed Julius’ brother. Laurence Ralph approaches this story as an accomplished scholar on systemic issues of class and gang violence, but he also has a more personal anecdote to share. Ralph is the stepfather of Sito’s half brother. A story of anger and grief that was circulated in just a few local media outlets at the time is brought to light to much larger audiences in Sito (Grand Central Publishing/Hachette Book Group).

I Just Keep Talking

Nell Irvin Painter

From The New York Times bestselling author of The History of White People comes a collection of essays with original artwork that explores decades of Black political thought, history, and the legacy of racism. Nell Irvin Painter draws on her expertise in these fields in I Just Keep Talking (Doubleday). This book is a testament to the complexity of American history, as Painter investigates topics from the history of exclusion through Toni Morrison’s work to the figures of Carrie Buck and Martin Delaney to the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election.