Described by Kirkus Reviews as “a brave tale of human generosity and the power and peace that come from heeding the courage of one’s convictions,” Southernmost follows the story of Tennessee  preacher Asher Sharp.  Following a life-changing  natural disaster, Asher shelters two gay men in his home, a choice which ultimately forces him to confront his long held beliefs and question his faith, community and marriage.  In the course of what follows, Asher flees with his son to Key West to reunite with his estranged brother and heal the pain of his past.  A tribute to the power of love and compassion, Southernmost will both uplift you and break your heart through its beautiful prose, depth of character and ultimate and inevitable conclusion.

Silas House is the nationally bestselling author of five novels: Clay's Quilt (2001), A Parchment of Leaves (2003), The Coal Tattoo (2005), Eli the Good (2009), and Same Sun Here (co-authored with Neela Vaswani, 2012); a book of creative nonfiction, Something's Rising (co-authored with Jason Howard, 2009); and three plays, The Hurting Part (2005), This Is My Heart for You (2012), and In These Fields (with Sam Gleaves, 2016).

His work frequently appears in The New York Times and Salon.  He is a former commentator for NPR's "All Things Considered."  His writing has appeared in Oxford American, Narrative, Blackbird, Newsday, as well as in anthologies such as Best Food Writing 2015 and New Stories From the South, The Year's Best: 2004.  House serves on the fiction faculty at the Spalding MFA in Creative Writing and as the NEH Chair at Berea College.

He is a member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers, the recipient of three honorary doctorates, and is the winner of the Nautilus Award, an EB White Award, the Appalachian Book of the Year, the Jesse Stuart Award, the Lee Smith Award, and many other honors.  Biography from silas-house.com.

Southernmost by Silas House is available to check out at the Richmond Library or at your favorite bookseller.  Don't have a library card?  Here's how to get one.

A contest will be held during our adult summer reading program for a chance to attend an exclusive event with Silas House!  How to enter.

Review Contest Form

Our Adult Book Discussion Group will discuss the book in September.

Richmond Reads is an independent initiative of Richmond Memorial Library.  We welcome all support of the program.  Should you wish to contribute financially, forms are available at the front desk or at the reference desk.

Silas House will visit Richmond Memorial Library on Thursday, September 26, 2019 at 7 pm for a reading and book signing.  Books will be available for purchase.

Contact Samantha Stryker, Adult & Community Services Librarian at sstryker@nioga.org or at 585-343-9550.

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Sue Briggs
Sue Chiddy
Leslie DeLooze
Irene Hickey
Frances McNulty
Judy Sikora
Samantha Stryker