It’s always an exciting day . . . when Bonny and Carole and I announce the newest Read With Us selection!

This fall, we invite you to join us in reading  . . .

The Antidote by Karen Russell.

Included on the fiction longlist for the National Book Award, the Chicago Review of Books describes The Antidote as “a thought-provoking piece of speculative historical fiction, transforming aspects of American history into folklore while still examining the many wrongs of said history. Utilizing numerous point of view characters, including a prairie witch, a resettlement photographer, a farmer, a preteen girl, and a scarecrow, Russell captures how tenuous the truth is and how our capacity to forget history is what leads to ugliness and injustice in our world.”

You might remember that I chose The Antidote as one of my Top Five Books for the summer. As I mentioned in my Top Five Books post a couple of weeks ago, I read the book back in early June — and I’m still thinking about it. Which says . . . a lot. I found The Antidote to be a rather challenging novel to read – but worth it! It’s a dense book, and it took a while for me to settle into the rhythm, the voices, and the unfolding narrative. Told through multiple viewpoints, the novel features interesting and unexpected characters living through the Dust Bowl in (fictional) Uz, Nebraska. The writing is lovely. The story draws readers in, and there is just so much . . . substance . . . to chew on: the nature of memory, generational trauma, land loss and forced migration. This one . . . sticks with you, my friends!

“A tempest of a tale … This story is dazzlingly original and ambitious … Pumped full of just enough magic to make it rise without bursting the bubble of our credulity … The scale here is large … Across the vast canvas of this novel, Russell aims for nothing less than a consideration of the role that intentional amnesia plays in American history and American life. To embark on the adventure of reading The Antidote is to place yourself under the enchanting and challenging care of a writer who is guilty of actual witchcraft.”
     — Ron Charles, Washington Post

Bonny and Carole and I will be talking more about the book and providing additional background information for you in blog posts over the next several weeks. Then . . . mark your calendars for our blog book discussions/Zoom discussion on Tuesday, January 6, 2026 (7:00 pm Eastern time).

I’m in the midst of updating the Read With Us resource page with more information about the book and all the details you’ll need to join our discussion. You’ll soon be able to find story summaries, character listings, author information, and links to reviews and interviews. Stay tuned.

C’mon along!
Settle into the new season with a good book and Read With Us this fall!