Kansas State Library”>Kansas State Library
TOPEKA –This year’s list of notable Kansas books continues the tradition of celebrating the rich histories and culture of Kansas.
“The 2024 Kansas Notable Books list recognizes 15 books written by Kansans or about Kansas,” said Ray Walling, state librarian.
“From historical figures like abolitionist James Montgomery, to the remarkably resilient residents of Udall, to people who reflect on personal pain and struggles through poetry, the authors introduce readers to a variety of Kansans.
Selections also take readers on a geology field trip across the state, to Kansas City’s Montgall Avenue, to a classroom seen through the eyes of a child on the autism spectrum, inside a murder mystery and beyond to other worlds. With something for everyone, I hope all Kansans visit their local public library to check out these wonderful titles.”
Each year, the Kansas Notable Books list features 15 books, published during the preceding calendar year, that are about Kansas or set in Kansas, or written by a Kansas author. This year’s selection committee includes representatives from public, university and regional libraries, academics and writers.
The following are the notable Kansas books of 2024
Abolitionist of the Most Dangerous Kind: James Montgomery and His War on Slavery, by Todd Mildfelt and David Schafer, University of Oklahoma Press
Daughter of Chaos, by Sarah Edgerton (Tonganoxie), Elizabeth Hawk Publishing
Condemned by Flowers, by Anna St. John (Haysville), Level Best Books
Grief Said “Take a Seat,” by Amanda G. Elsbury (Wichita), Elite Publications
Henry, As Always, by Jenn Bailey (Leawood), Chronicle Books
I’ve Been Fighting This War Within Myself, by Antonio Sanchez-Day (Topeka) and edited by Brian Daldorph (Lawrence), Meadowlark Poetry Press
Into the Sunset: Emmett Dalton and the End of the Dalton Gang, by Ian Shaw, University Press of Kansas
The Jayhawk: The Story of the University of Kansas’ Beloved Mascot, by Rebecca Ozier Schulte (Lawrence), University Press of Kansas
Kansas City’s Montgall Avenue: Black Leaders and the Street They Called Home, by Margie Carr (Lawrence), University Press of Kansas
Orion O’Brien and the Spirit of Quindaro, by Fran Borin (Mission Hills), Mission Point Press
Proclaiming the Good News: Mennonite Women’s Voices, 1972-2006, by Lois Y. Barrett and Dorothy Nickel Friesen, Institute of Mennonite Studies
Red Rabbit, by Alex Grecian (Topeka), Tor Nightfire
Geology on the Kansas Highway, by James S Aber (Emporia), Susan EW Aber (Emporia), and Michael J. Everhart (Derby), Mountain Press
We are safe when we are alone, by Nghiem Tran (Wichita), Coffee House Press
Without Warning: The Udall, Kansas Tornado, by Jim Minick, Bison Books
Kansas Notable Books authors will receive their medals at the Kansas Book Festival on September 27 at Washburn University.
Kansas Notable Books is a project of the Kansas Center for the Book, a program of the Kansas State Library, which is the state affiliate of the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress. The mission of the Kansas Center for the Book is to highlight the state’s literary heritage and foster interest in books, reading, and libraries.
For more information or questions about the Kansas Notable Books program, visit kslib.info/notablebooks or contact the Kansas State Library at 785-296-3296 or email (email protected).
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