Brendan Kiely has a New Book and Laurie Halse Anderson is Going to be with him to Talk about Tradition.

Brendan Kiely is a happy guy! He should be. He has a new book out. I don't think I have ever seen Brendan when he hasn't been brimming with enthusiasm. Well, he should be, his books are fantastic. I know, I know you might have heard of a little book that made a splash a couple of years ago--All American Boys.  Well, if that is the only book of his that you know you are missing out. The primary thing you need to know about Brendan, is that he is not afraid to speak truth to power. His debut novel, The Gospel of Winter is compelling and powerful. His writing gets more powerful as he moves along. I feel in hard for his third novel, The Last True Love Story. As I was reading about it, I kept thinking, I am going to write about this book. It is fantastic. Music is a dominate theme that helps establish character, setting, and connects ideas family across time and space. So, I did. My son, Isaac Bickmore, a music educator at the University of Central Missouri, teamed up with me and we wrote a chapter about project based learning and alternate assessments using music as a base. The chapter is entitled "A Music and ELA Project: Connections through Brendan Kiely's The Last True Love Story" I was published in Adolescent Literature as a Complement to the Content Areas: Social Science and the Humanities edited by Greathouse, Kaywell and Eisenbach.

Back to Brendan.

The new book, Tradition, is another book that deals with male aggression and rape. It tackles the subject with the same literary strength as Speak, Inexcusable, and Wrecked. These are the first few that come to mind, but there are many others and Kiely's effort is fine addition.  ​

Brendan has been on tour with the new book--unfortunately, he isn't coming to Las Vegas. He is, however, going to be Fairless Hills, PA with Laurie Halse Anderson on May 4, 2018--Today! Wouldn't you just love to be in this conversation? I certainly would. If you are in the area, you ought to make your way over to that particular Barnes and Noble bookstore. 

While you are there don't just buy a copy of Tradition, pick up the rest of his works.

​Brendan has been kind enough to answer a few interview questions. Take a few minutes and get some added insight into the workings of this gifted author. 

Until next time.