The book is called Blessings and Disasters: A Story of Alabama. It’s a perspective-shifting work that is both an intimate memoir and a journalistic triumph by Alexis Okeowo, a New Yorker staff writer and PEN award winner. In the book, Okeowo investigates her life, other Alabamians’ lives, and the state’s lesser-known histories to understand why Alabama has been the stage for the most extreme results of the American experiment. A blend of memoir, history, and reportage which Yaa Gyasi calls “extraordinary,” the book is also timely and engrossing. It sheds light on the divided face of our nation even as it defines the complexities of this place many of us call home. We are so fortunate to host Alexis Okeowo at The NewSouth Bookstore on Tuesday, August 12 at 5:30pm. Don’t miss it.