Loyal Blues Book Club with Evviva

  • Evviva Weinraub Lajoie, Vice Provost for University Libraries hosts our virtual book club exclusively for Loyal Blues.

    You’ll have the opportunity to connect with alumni and friends, all while having an expert educator guide you through several books annually.

    Our Summer Book

    Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray

    Evviva Weintraub Lajoie, Vice Provost for University Libraries.

    Evviva Weintraub Lajoie, Vice Provost for University Libraries

    Listed among NPR's "Books we Love" for 2025, Harlem Rhapsody is a richly researched work of historical fiction that brings to life Jessie Redmon Fauset, the literary editor of The Crisis magazine and a pivotal architect of the Harlem Renaissance. Set in 1919 Harlem, the novel explores the power of literature, mentorship, and the arts to shape culture and advance social change.

    Jessie Redmon Fauset’s story reminds us that behind every cultural movement are individuals whose dedication and vision make it possible. I hope you’ll join us as!

    How it works

    Illustrated book cover of Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray, showing a seated figure in a green striped dress reading a book, with Harlem brownstones, a streetcar, and people walking and dancing in the background.

    There is no cost to participate. Simply purchase a copy of the book and sign up below to receive emails.

    This title is available as a paperback as well as an ebook through Kindle and Nook. You can also find ebook versions through OverDrive or Libby.

     If you need help finding a copy of either title, just let us know.

    Sign up for the Loyal Blues Book Club

    Summer Reading Cycle

    Once you've signed up, you will receive weekly emails to guide you through the reading period, which will run from June 16 until July 20. You can also join our Facebook Forum to discuss the book and post questions.

    Virtual Events

    Tuesday, June 30, 2026 | Jessie Fauset and the Women of the Harlem Renaissance

    5:30 p.m. EST

    Miriam Thaggert
    Professor, Department of English

    Miriam Thaggert is a Professor of English at the University at Buffalo and teaches courses on 19th, 20th, and 21st century African American literature. She is an expert in African American Literature and Culture and wrote Images of Black Modernism: Verbal and Visual Strategies of the Harlem Renaissance (2010) and Riding Jane Crow: African American Women on the American Railroad (2022). She is also the co-editor of A History of the Harlem Renaissance (2021) and African American Literature in Transition, 1920-30 (2022).

    Tuesday, July 20, 2026 | Book Discussion

    12:00 p.m. EST

    Evviva Weinraub Lajoie
    SUNY Vice Provost for University Libraries

    Join us for a converstion about the book with our host, Evviva Weinrab Lajoie. 

    Discussion Questions & Resources

    Previous Loyal Blues Book Club Reads:

    • All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
    • Binti Trilogy by Nnedi Okorafor
    • City of Light by Lauren Belfer
    • Dubliners by James Joyce
    • Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
    • Holding On Upside Down: The Life and Work of Marianne Moore by Linda Leavell
    • Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie
    • Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
    • Kindred by Octavia Butler
    • Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
    • Louise Blanchard Bethune: Every Woman Her Own Architect by Kelly Hayes McAlonie 
    • North By Shakespeare by Michael Blanding
    • One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
    • Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
    • Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
    • The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
    • The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead
    • The Overstory by Richard Powers
    • The Personal Librarian by Heather Terrell and Victoria Christopher Murray
    • The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
    • Weapons of Math Destruction by Cathy O’Neil

Suggest a Book

Have a book that you think might be interesting for the book club to read? Drop us a note and we'll add it to our list of recommendations.