Odie Hawkins and his beautiful wife, Zola, with their copies of The Next Great Discovery..
In my library …
Odie Hawkins: Author Extraordinaire
Most recent novel: Quadroon Balls and Bright Moments
The first part of this wide-ranging book explores how several women manipulated the racist system of “quadroon balls” to their advantage. The second part of the book is a series of short stories that use race and racial constructs as the basis for being, including a storytelling challenge in a prison.
Odie is a phenomenally prolific writer He has written screenplays, radio scripts, television (here and in Ghana, West Africa), stage plays, newspaper columns, short story collections, and 30 (published) novels. He has received critical acceptance on several fronts.
In January 2011, he was one of the panelists (Wanda Coleman, Emory Holmes, Dr. Roland Jefferson, and Professor Justin Gifford) at the Modern Language Association Conference at the Hilton, LA Live.
In March 2016, he participated in a California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) event celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the “Watts Rebellion,” which is usually labeled “a riot.” Mr. Hawkins has agreed to let CSUDH archive his works.
Kristin Hannah ~ The Women
Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances "Frankie" McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.
The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm's way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.