Attention, everyone in the continental U.S.!
Atria Books announced on Friday that it would be offering seven eBooks as free downloads during the weekend of President Donald Trump’s inauguration. No, the free books are not meant as a tribute to our new leader. They are meant to celebrate the various Women’s Marches taking places across the country.
“The seven titles are a collection of books that will inspire and empower women,” Atria, about to celebrate its 15th anniversary, explained in a press release. “All are stories of strong women overcoming adversity, taking second chances, and figuring out their place in the world.”
The free eBooks include:
Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman
House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl by Issa Rae
Girl Who Escaped ISIS by Farida Khalaf
Things I Should Have Told My Daughter by Pearl Cleage
Niña Alemana (The German Girl Spanish Edition) by Armando Lucas Correa
Redefining Realness by Janet Mock.
Judith Curr, president and publisher of Atria Publishing Group, explained that the free downloads will “honor everyone marching and those who can’t participate.” She added:
“[W]e’re giving these ebooks away as a gift because we feel they embody the spirit of the weekend. For those who might be taking public transportation any one of these titles is a reward and a wonderful way to spend some time with strong women in the fiction and non-fiction world.”
The above titles will be available to download ― one title per customer in the continental U.S., while supplies last ― from Friday, Jan. 20, through Saturday, Jan. 21.
Oregon bookstore Broadway Books also opted for solidarity on Jan. 20 by handing out free copies of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s We Should All Be Feminists. For those in Washington, D.C., Sankofa Bookstore and Cafe has its own literary event planned, too.
Atria is an imprint of Simon & Schuster, the same publishing house that’s found itself at the center of a book world controversy due to its decision to ink a $250,000 deal with “alt-right” icon Milo Yiannopoulos.
If this news makes you queasy, you’re not alone. But know that titles like Redefining Realness and Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl are certainly worth reading.