DeDe's Weekly Downloads: List 12

Listeners can tune in throughout the day for great music and to hear “DeDe’s Weekly Download”—a recommended book, movie or album from their morning personality. The second round of titles all appear below, all available for download or streaming from CADL's digital collection.

  View Past Lists  

81V67c0JhAL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpgBriefly Perfectly Human: Making an Authentic Life by Getting Real About the End
by Alua Arthur

This life-affirming and funny debut memoir from death doula, TED presenter, and founder of Going with Grace, Alua Arthur, encourages readers to embrace their mortality as a motivation for living their best life.

y Black Country A Journey Through Country Music's Black Past, Present, and Future.jpgMy Black Country: A Journey Through Country Music's Black Past, Present, and Future
by Alice Randall

Black country was having a moment even before the release of Cowboy Carter, and best-selling author and songwriter Alice Randall has been an artist in the trenches for decades. This is memoir, history, and a call for recognition and positive change.

Don't Let the Devil Ride by Ace Atkins.jpgDon't Let the Devil Ride
by Ace Atkins

International intrigue and Memphis collide in what S. A. Cosby calls “an instant Southern noir classic” when the case of a missing husband goes global.

Hip Hop is History by Questlove.jpgHip Hop is History
by Questlove

Among his many other roles, Questlove is a music historian - and this book is a passionate tribute to 50 years of hip hop history from his vantage point as a creator, participant, and superfan. 

Do What Godmother Says by L. S. Stratton.jpgDo What Godmother Says
by L. S. Stratton

This is a haunting dual timeline gothic thriller inspired by stories of the real-life eccentric white benefactress of Harlem Renaissance creatives such as Alain Locke, Zora Neale Hurston, and Langston Hughes.

They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us Essays by Hanif Abdurraqib.jpgThey Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us: Essays
by Hanif Abdurraqib

The lyrical essays in this highly acclaimed 2017 collection cover a range of musical artists as Abdurraqib connects their work to larger societal themes while weaving in his own powerful personal insights. 

Love is a Mix Tape Life and Loss, One Song at a Time by Rob Sheffield.jpgLove is a Mix Tape:  Life and Loss, One Song at a Time
by Rob Sheffield

The mention of mix tapes in the title seems even more nostalgic 17 years after it was written, but the themes surrounding music, love, and loss in this bittersweet memoir are timeless.   

Cue the Sun The Invention of Reality TV by Emily Nussbaum.jpg

Cue the Sun!: The Invention of Reality TV
by Emily Nussbaum

Including material from over 300 interviews of people involved with the industry, Cue the Sun takes readers through the origins and rise of reality television as well as stories from producers, filmmakers, and actors.

Fire Exit by Morgan Talty.jpg

Fire Exit
by Morgan Talty

Award winner Talty delivers his first full-length novel featuring the heartbreaking story of Charles Lamosway and his family on and off the Penobscot Island Indian Reservation exploring identity formed by law, blood, and community.

This Is the Honey An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets.jpgThis Is the Honey: An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets
edited by Kwame Alexander

Poet and author Kwame Alexander edits this beautiful collection that is wide in scope and pulls together the work of over 150 Black poets including Tracy K. Smith, Nikki Giovanni, Amanda Gorman, Ross Gay, Kevin Young, and more. 

The Game Changer by Lana Ferguson.jpgThe Game Changer
by Lana Ferguson

Hockey, baking, and fake dating are featured in Ferguson’s steamy story of a player in need of an image adjustment and his best friend’s (and teammate’s) sister who needs more people watching her local baking show.

Bits and Pieces My Mother, My Brother, and Me by Whoopi Goldberg.jpgBits and Pieces:  My Mother, My Brother, and Me
by Whoopi Goldberg

The EGOT award-winning actress shares stories and lessons from her life journey in this moving memoir that pays special tribute to her late mother, Emma Johnson.