Have you plowed through your reading pile already? Need some new suggestions for your reading list? Did you know you are surrounded by many popular authors? That’s right! Little Rhody is home to many award-winning writers whose works have been recognized on best-seller lists or adapted into films or have otherwise touched lives in ways you may never have expected. 

Jhumpa Lahiri, was raised in Kingston, RI. (She has since moved to Italy.) Her much lauded body of work includes three novels, books of essays and collections of short fiction. Her debut effort, Interpreter of the Maladies, nabbed her a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and an O.Henry Award. Lahiri’s first novel, The Namesake, was adapted into a film starring Kal Penn. (It is also called the Namesake.) Her writings involve alienation, grief, loss, determination and resolution, surprisingly topical for quarantine reading.

West Warwick native Ann Hood has published novels, short stories, young adult fiction and mutiple nonfiction essays. When she released her novel, The Knitting Circle, in 2007, I had the privelige of meeting her at a launch event at Save the Bay. She spoke about growing up in an Italian-American community, working for an airline and her process of writing. Her story-writing transforms difficult, even devastating personal circumstances into relateable narratives that leave the reader hopeful and with a sense of prevailing.

This next writer is not Rhody born but he is a Rhody denizen now. I first heard of Mike Cooley in a ProJo article hightlighting his debut novel, a memoir of his life. On a lark, I reached out to him and asked if he would come speak to my students. Much to my surprise, he said yes! In fact, he became a regular guest speaker whose presence motivated students to keep working towards their aspirations no matter how many barriers they faced. This book was such an unabashedly detailed account of mastering adversity, I made Rock Bottom: From the Streets to Success required reading for all my students. It does leave me with one question, Mr. Cooley, when can we expect your next book?

About The Author

Christina is a life long Rhode Islander who has been dedicated to mission-driven human services work. A mother of two, she recycles, composts, and runs her household with solar energy. An animal lover and a world traveler, this bon vivant has jumped out of a plane, bungee jumped (twice!), run over the Newport Bridge, swum across Narragansett Bay, and penguin plunged.

*This post has been updated from one that appeared previously on the site.