Concord, MA, has been known since the 19th century for its celebrated writers. Names like Thoreau, Alcott, Hawthorne, and Emerson have been joined by Kearns Goodwin, Maguire, Lightman, and others. This spring, several of Concord’s modern-day authors have new books that you won’t want to miss. Head to Barrow Bookstore, the Concord Book Shop, or the Concord Free Public Library and get to know our hometown authors. You may even find a signed copy to add to your library!
David DeLong’s book Hidden Talent: How to Employ Refugees, the Formerly Incarcerated & People With Disabilities explores the overlooked and underutilized talents of these marginalized groups. Whether you own a business or are responsible for hiring within an organization, DeLong’s latest book provides practical tools for identifying, hiring, and managing employees from these often-overlooked segments.
Entangled Lives, Black and White: The Black Community, Enslaved and Free, in Eighteenth Century Lincoln, Massachusetts by Donald L. Hafner takes readers inside the complex societal structures of a small Massachusetts town in the 18th century. Slavery was legal, and the town’s Black population encompassed both enslaved and free men and women. Hafner sets out to acknowledge the depth of their contributions and the ways in which their lives were deeply woven into the fabric of the broader community.
Alan Lightman is one of Concord’s most prolific and multifaceted writers. His latest work, The Miraculous from the Material: Understanding the Wonders of Nature, celebrates the extraordinary phenomena that surround us every day but which we often overlook. Rainbows, soap bubbles, astonishing animals—are all a part of our daily lives, but we rarely stop to consider their wonder. Accompanied by stunning photography, each essay reveals a world we see but often do not pause to understand.
Celebrated author Gregory Maguire has written over 30 novels for adults and children. His latest work, Elphie: A Wicked Childhood, takes us back to Elphaba’s early years, exploring the relationships and events that shaped the character of the woman who would become known as the “Wicked Witch of the West.”
Enslavement in the Puritan Village: The Untold History of Sudbury and Wayland, Massachusetts, by Jane H. Sciacca uncovers the hard truth of slavery in these picturesque New England towns. Sciacca spent decades researching records of the time and uncovered the stories of men, women, and children held in slavery, including the bill of sale of Phebey, age two, to a woman in another town. A nonfiction account of the tragic stories of enslavement in two New England towns.
In Stories of Concord, Massachusetts, Jim Sherblom delves into the history of the area’s Indigenous population and the colonial settlers who arrived on their shores. From the Nashawtuc clan to leading Puritan families like the Bulkeleys and Willards, their stories educate, inform, and inspire.
In The Noisy Puddle: A Vernal Pool Through the Seasons, Linda Booth Sweeney taps into the natural curiosity of children, encouraging readers to discover the plants and animals that live in a vernal pool; a type of habitat that appears in the spring, dries up by summer, reappears in the fall, and freezes over in the winter—only to come back again in the spring. Each seasonal change brings its own surprises as two siblings discover the wonders of the pool.
In Concord’s Wright Tavern: At the Crossroads of the American Revolution, Tom Wilson tells the story of a remarkable building that has stood in the center of Concord since 1747, witness to more than 250 years of history. The building has served as a meeting place for colonial militia, a headquarters for the British Army as they searched Concord for munitions, an inn, bookseller, office building, and more. Closed for most of the past forty years, the Wright Tavern has been restored and is now open to the public once again.
